Customer Reviews:
for the none martial.......2007-03-24
lam shows some detail in this dvd but sadly it isnt any good for anyone wanting to get into internal kung fu[which taiji is].
beginner or not this is watered down for the masses and i doupt there would be any great health benefits from this if any atall.
a good dvd for people only interested in winding down but the health or martial benefits will be in the head alone.....
taiji is taiji not yoga or pilates but many mix them up.
Very effective for learning Tai Chi.......2006-09-03
Based on my experience I can confidently state that one can learn Tai Chi from this DVD.
I have tried books and two other DVDs but this is the best DVD to start with.
Very effective from day 1.
Dr Lam has loads of information at his website and there is a very friendly and helpful forum where you can ask questions. Dr Lam or another expert will answer you.
I was adviced to use this DVD before progressing on to more advanced DVDs. It is best to try and perfect few movements than to learn many.
"Welcome to Tai Chi".......2006-05-14
I think that would be an apt way of looking at this DVD. It's a very good DVD, and is taught very well. I bought it to learn, and learn I did. Dr. Lam, although not talking in his mother tongue, explains the movements very well, and even uses some of his pupils.
If there was one thing I would fault the DVD on, it's that it's ever so slightly fast. I would personally prefer it slightly slower (but maybe that's a personal thing). On the other hand, Dr. Lam can take his time whilst you're stuck in a pose.
Other than these personal niggles, the DVD is very good and well worth buying to learn a few basic movements to start with. The next logical step is the 24 movements (which Dr. Lam has also made a DVD of).
Very Good for Beginners.......2005-07-28
Very good DVD, with the instructor showing a move himself, then having 1 of his students show the move from various angles, al the time telling you precisely where your arms and feet are supposed to be. By the end of the DVD I could do all the moves in a 12 step move (whatever you call it).
The only thing missing would have been more information on breathing, as this is left out, but I guess the DVD is focused on beginners so the aim is to teach you the moves.
I think people with injuries or elderly people who aren't that fit or flexible would find this very helpful, as the Dr goes very slow and very gently explains how not to over-exercise yourself.
All in all great for someone like me who's never done this to learn the basics of Tai Chi. But most certainly a Beginners DVD.
Highly Professional DVD and Top Tai Chi Style for Health.......2005-03-28
This is a Tai Chi DVD for complete beginners, but it doesnt get bogged down with lots of theory and background to Tai Chi.
Dr Lam is a family Doctor as well as top Tai Chi Master. So he has blended his knowledge of the Human body and Health with Tai Chi to create powerful Tai Chi for all body types, ages and physical abilities. He has loads of other dvds out there, but this is the best one to start with.
It begins with easy to learn warm-ups and cool downs and QuiGong Breathing etc. It ends with a 6 form routine which contains a lot of health benefits and many basic Tai Chi movements.
The production values are very high with side, front, back demos and relaxing background music.
All in all I really rate this DVD as it does what it says on the tin. I personally didnt want to get too heavily into the whole Tai Chi philosophy thing. Dr Lam does go through some core principles and so on, but not at great length which means we can get on with the Tai Chi.
Customer Reviews:
I should have known better!.......2008-02-23
I should have known better than to buy a "How to" DVD, they all tend not to live up to their claims: this is no different.
While Dr Paul Lam is clearly an expert exponent of Tai Chi, he is not a natural teacher and the DVD does not reflect what the instruction blurb on the cover stated and the process to follow.
Trying to follow the on screen movements was not easy, as Dr Paul Lam only gave some instruction in the middle of the exercise and it was not clear what the exercise was and it did not follow the advice on the pack.
However, the main problem for me, is the lack of functionality in the DVD, it appears clear that this was a video and just copied onto a DVD, with no menu skip facility to skip forward or back, to the section of the DVD you wish to get to, to follow the suggested approach of Dr Paul.
Disappointing, though expected. Don't waste your money on new copy of this DVD, as I suspect many people who purchased this DVD new, would be happy to sell on second hand - off to unload my copy on eBay
Very good DVD.......2005-04-11
Of course it would be much better to learn Tai Chi from an expert teacher. But this DVD makes its job very good. Forms are explained in details and its language is quite clear. Although my native language is not English, I can understand almost every sentence. I definitely recommend this DVD. Great work!
best tai chi instructions ever!.......2005-01-31
very clear instructions. i've gone from knowing nothing about tai chi to knowing a lot in a few weeks.
In the style of the Yawning Mordecai.......2004-12-27
I have to say that i'm tired of so many people expecting to 'know' 'what-it-is' when studying such subtle arts. Obviously the 'name' of a style matters little - i have called this one the laughing banana, and have to say its made little difference. An important point is that the practice of silence, smoothness, or whatever 'you' want to call 'it' would produce the same results with or without the existence of media. To take up the study of any art is to begin a journey that you must navigate yourself, and there are not sign posts, no labels, and no 'way'. There very first error in finding 'the way' is looking for 'the way', particularly among the myriad disciplines available to our information society. All that you will learn will come from you. There is nothing and no one else. This is scary. I urge all seekers not to look for something to validate or justify, but to explore. In this exploration you will quickly find that no one dvd is 'better' than another, but different, and so long as DILIGENCE is maintained one need not fall into the complacency of beleiving a practice to be 'right', which leads to an adoption of all the potential misdirections of the lesson followed. And here the lesson is not to follow, but to flow.
My only peace of advice is that one remains alert, above all persistent and determined, in which case anything personally unsuitable is glaringly obvious. What a shame it is that todays culture will abandon this flexibility in favour of the limitations imposed by 'is-it-a-good-deal' syndrome. When we consider that the old masters had to give up their lives, trek indefinate miles and undertake enourmous challenges, a wasted £30 is nothing to gripe about. Just keep seekin'.
Seas however high, and a bountiful journey.
This is the best Tai Chi DVD available.......2004-12-09
Dr Paul Lam won the gold medal for his interpretation of Yang Tai Chi at the 1993 wushu olympics. His form is perfect. Several professors of Yang Tai Chi assisted in the making of this DVD. If you want to learn PRC(people's republic of china) 24 step Tai Chi, then don't even think of looking elsewhere. This is the 24 step Tai Chi form performed at it's highest level. Don't listen to the utter garbage written by other reviewers. They obviously haven't a clue what they're talking about. This DVD teaches Yang style Tai Chi and it teaches it brilliantly and unambiguously. The 24 forms are broken down into sections and analyzed and at the end of the DVD, Dr Lam performs the whole sequence from start to finish from two different angles. If you're going to buy a Tai Chi DVD for learning, make it this one because this is the authentic form being executed at the highest level of technical perfection.
Customer Reviews:
Tai Chi For The Mind & Body........2007-07-17
If I remember correctly this is a late 90s production that was once sold on Amazon.com in region 1 VHS format and was titled " David Carradines Tai Chi For The Mind & Body" and received mostly impressive reviews. This long awaited UK DVD version has the added bonus of some nice stuff in the extras menu and also the advantage of being able to choose either the AM (mind) or the PM (body) routine at the push of a button and without any old fashioned fast forewarding.
It is a shame they never kept the Mind & Body title but that does not take away the fact that this is very simple and highly enjoyable and beneficial couple of Tai Chi workouts
The first session is the AM (mind) Tai Chi and fine for any time of day. However if you are looking for a easy and gentle Tai Chi routine to practice before work then this is the perfect choice beacause it does not try to get you to put the individual movements together, which means that you do not need to waste precious time pausing and rewinding and trying to master complete form. The movements are practiced in such a way that you should feel more relaxed without the need to work on the continous form.
This said contrary to other reveiws the complete form is demonstrated by Master Arnolde Tayham over the credits at the end of the PM workout, so the form is there even though there is no pressure put upon you to study it.
The second session is the PM (body) workout which teaches a slightly more energetic form. Dispite what is said in some earlier reviews the complete form is not only demonstrated but the viewer is also shown how to put the movements together into the complete form whilst Carradines narration (and demonstration) explains exactly which way to turn etc.
You are taken through the form perhaps a little too quickly and without enough repeats to be able to go through non stop. Thats OK, that is the idea of having the DVD and being able to use the pause and rewind button but don't expext to finish this second PM session in a relaxed state because for a while at least you will only be feeling the fraustration of failing to keep up with the people demonstrating, but you will finish up with the satisfaction of knowing that you are getting a little better each time you practice.
I would say for learning some Tai Chi and Chi Kung in an unrushed but highly informative yet relaxing manner you really should get "David Carradines Chi Energy Workout". But this PM workout makes an excellent addition even though it is slightly rushed in comparison.
The AM session of this DVD should not be missed either for its simplicity and relaxing tone but I would reccomend buying the "Chi Energy Workout" first and supplimenting it with this DVD at a later date.
It should be noted that Carradines expertise as well as his production methods have come on in leaps and bounds compared with his terrible 80s production titled "David Carradines Introduction To Kung Fu & Tai Chi".
The end.
Amazing.......2007-06-20
I agree with the previous reviewer, I have recently purchased this DVD and wanted to do some form of Tai Chi/Chi Kung without going to classes or trying to learn something that took ages to master. This fits the bill perfectly, everytime I use the AM workout in particular I find it really relaxing and far easy to learn than the complete form, the forms shown are easy to master and really relax the mind and body. Thoroughly recommended.
Its not in the title.......2007-02-28
Was not quite sure about this dvd as there was no synopsis, AM/PM Tai Chi, what the heck is that I thought?
Well I was plesantly suprised.
This is not a dvd that will teach you tai chi long or short form, it is a series of exercises based on the individual forms of tai chi. Each exercise is performed separately from each other not continuously as in Tai Chi. Don't let that put you off though.
If you are looking for pure Tai Chi form then this will not fit the bill but if you are looking for something that uses the beauty and fluidity of Tai Chi to improve your fitness with out devoting years to learning the form then this does it rather well.
I have practiced Tai Chi for many years, but have lapsed in my practice so was looking for a guide to get me back into it. My son has never expressed any interest in the form particularly but he was transfixed by this dvd and was loving following the exercises. His comment was, 'I like doing this, it is not to hard to follow'. So I think that sort of says it all :)
Quality of filming is good and set pleasant to look at, warm up and cool down sections as well. I would recomend this dvd to someone not looking for the pure form.
Customer Reviews:
Movements good - Decor and Personal Presentation Poor.......2007-05-14
I could not accept that I would use this DVD for tuition if I had to look at the background curtains and a generally a scruffy set up.
The moves however and general tuition were sufficient to give you a basis for learning this movement. I am searching for other DVDs of T'ai Chi and will only come back to this one if all else fails.
Excellent tuition - poor dvd layout.......2006-07-22
At 70 years of age I found this to be a really first class tuition course for Tai Chi and my wife and I have now reached lesson 12 (from 18) after some 4 months practice (30 minutes each day). The DVD does however have two major faults :
1 It is very weak on Qigong, where there are much better dvds available.
2 It is not easy to locate your favourite lesson as for some reason the main menu only appears at the end of the dvd ??
A gentle and powerful introduction to t'ai chi.......2006-06-11
I am really enjoying this dvd and would recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone. The sitting qigong relaxation exercise is beautiful, my breathing naturally just became so peaceful and at the end I didn't want to move, I just wanted to rest in that balanced state. The movements themselves are set out really well, because Bill takes you through them several times and you can always rewind the dvd to see it as many times as you need to. I like the way that the whole form is broken into lessons. The first time I found that I got confused and wanted to mirror him rather than do the opposite but I managed to get over that. I felt so good when I managed to memorise the first lesson and keep wanting to 'play' the movements all over the place throughout the day! The movements themselves - wow. When you are doing them, so slowly and gently, your whole body just feels balanced and calm, and when you breathe properly in unison with the movements, it is like nothing you have ever experienced - trust me :)
The only thing is that, as a previous reviewer said, I think a bit more care could have been taken with the set, which mostly appears to consist of a blue wavy blanket and lots of mosquito nets hung around the place. However there are some parts where Bill puts all the movements you have learned so far together in the park with lots of tweeting birds, which is nice. Oh another thing is that there is no music either, which I thought was a shame. I am intending to learn from the dvd and then play my own choice of music anyway when I practice.
I used to practice yoga and I liked it, but as far as I am concerned, nothing beats this wonderful feeling from playing t'ai chi, and Bill's dvd is an excellent way to learn.
If you want to learn T'ai chi, buy this!.......2004-11-26
I bought this DVD two weeks ago and so far things are going really well. I have learned nearly half of the twenty minute T'ai chi routine (form) already! I am really enjoying it too. It is very simple to follow (the form is broken down into managabe mini lessons), and if you do find anything a little tricky, simply replay that lesson as many times as you like until you get the movements into your head. I think I am learing much faster than I would if I were going to lessons, although I suppose this is basically like having lessons in your living room, whenever you like. One thing to bear in mind is that you need a reasonable amount of space to be able to do the movements, as you are required to slowly move around; but nothing excessive. Common sense though, I suppose. Bill douglas is very non-threatening, so being a beginner is not a problem. I would give this 5 stars, but perhaps it doesn't go into quite enough detail as regards the mystical/physiological effects, and also the scenery could be a little more imaginative as regards tranquility. However, these are minor points. I think T'ai chi is about doing, and feeling, and once you have been through this DVD you can continue to learn and practice by yourself: relaxing, centering, flowing. In short, I feel that I could not have found anything better for my money. A lifetime of T'ai chi simply and effectively. If you want to go on and learn more later, you can; but start here!
Good - but hard to grasp at first.......2004-10-24
After trying this for the very first time, I found that this DVD is only good to begin with if you already have a good imagination and understanding of Chi. It took me a some time to gain the patience required to start relaxing as I found the instructor, (Bill) cramming too much information into the relaxing part. It's like you are trying to remember what he has just said whilst thinking of breathing control and the light passing through your body parts in order to relax your self. I would of marked this 3 stars but as you listen to it more and more, you find it easier to grasp. As I say it is a good idea to have a little understanding of the whole thing before you begin this kind of thing. I had no idea of what it was all about, it was only brought to my attention from a person I know who does Yoga.
Customer Reviews:
Pretty vacant.......2007-03-17
Pretty video but dangerous. I found myself wondering if I was doing it correctly and realised that I could be actively injuring myself and never realise it... A real class and a real teacher were needed.
Does what is says on the tin.......2006-05-05
I was seeing a physiotherapist to release tension and improve my posture and circulation. Whilst the Physio's exercises dealt well with specific problems I knew I needed an overall routine to improve and improve flexibility, help relieve tension and maintain circulation. These silk reeling exercises do just that. The routines are enjoyable, manageable and effective. If you need to improve and maintain flexibility, circulation, posture and relaxation give this DVD a try.
Tai Chi Works!.......2005-12-07
This DVD contains good, simple to follow movements and sequences. The warm ups are wonderful ...... the Silk Reeling exercises are helping a lot. That sense of well being was there after the first time I followed a sequence. Well worth a look if you're thinking of having a go at Tai Chi, wont be disappointed.
Customer Reviews:
Basic introduction.......2008-03-04
I got my DVD to work perfectly on my pc so no problems there. The production is very much home production but the instruction does the job of introducing basic moves. The introduction is rather drawn out and the constant turn in camera direction confuses the eye when first learning the basic steps but all in all not bad for the price.
disappointment .......2008-02-11
Don't buy this dvd if you don't have a dvd player! We've tried on all of our computers (it took us half an hour, including lots of googling, to get it out from the new iMAC!)and it just doesn't work. So no idea how the tai chi on this dvd is...
Shame.
Customer Reviews:
Tai Chi and meditation.......2007-09-25
I bought the above item after getting the impression from the other reviews that the DVD would provide several Tai Chi Chi Kung routines. However a large part of the DVD is about meditation. Had I known this I would have purchased a different title as I already practise meditation and don't wish to learn this in another form.
My cup of coffee.......2005-08-21
I just love it. It replaces my morning cup of coffee. Quite often I go for some 'more serious' work out. But when my body dreams of returning to bed and my clock reminds I need to work within 1,5 hour - NOTHING AS GREAT AS THIS 20 MIN LONG ROUTINE.
Really nice DVD.......2004-06-04
This is definitely Chi Kung, the building blocks of Tai Chi, rather than Tai Chi itself, but it's a lovely DVD. The presenter is clear and soothing - I've used this DVD over and over and she hasn't got irritating at all - and it's filmed on a beach in a very tranquil and relaxing setting.
Don't Confuse Tai Chi and Tai Chi Chi Kung.......2004-06-03
The reviews above suggest the authors are confusing Tai Chi and Tai Chi Chi Kung. Although they have similar antecedents, Tai Chi is a more recent form while the 18 positions of Tai Chi Chi Kung are a complete form based more on the more ancient Chi Kung. Practitioners of the Tai Chi Chi Kung form would suggest it is a more powerful practice than the graceful flowing forms of the more familiar Tai Chi.
An Introduction To Tai Chi Chi Kung.......2004-03-13
This DVD is a good introduction to the basic building blocks of Tai Chi ie: the ancient chinese practice of chi gong. The forms of Tai Chi are not covered however, so if this is what you are after, look elsewhere. It is however well produced and is of high quality.
Customer Reviews:
Accessible & Concise.......2007-08-21
I have been a weight trainer and jogger for years and was toying with the idea of taking up a martial art again at 40. With a job involving irregular and late hours I needed a good way of generating flexibility, posture and balance. The series of DVD's from the Australian Tai Chi Academy is first class at allowing you to master concise, clear techniques quickly, without becoming top-heavy in either Chinese mysticism or complicated movements which take weeks to master. Not a substitute for regular cardiovascular/muscle training of course but a vital component of any general fitness programme especially as one moves into middle age. A percentage of these moves you'll already be familar with in any case as Western keep fit classes have already copied them. An excellent and inexpensive introduction.
Well intentioned.......2007-03-17
As well intentioned as these people are they cannot dispute the dangers of trying to learn taiji from a video. Viewers can easily injure themselves as a consequence of poor alignment and poor physical perception.
'Excellent'.......2006-10-17
First class delivery, package and dvd. This is so what i've been looking for. Suffering with a muscle/bone desease but still being young and always been on the go i rate this 100%. Also never been able to shut off or relax. 'yep', this does it. Absolutley load's of exercises, warm up etc, and all easily illustrated. definate buy.
Weak.......2006-06-14
Unfortunately, the guy who stars in this video is just not that good at convincing us that he is a Master of this art. Besides his personal style, which I will make allowance for, his legs wobble which is a huge no-no in Taichi (I'm no master myself), his technique is inconsistent and they've managed to edit the footage in an annoying style where on-set plants get in the way of what you're trying to see and, all too frequently, the relevant portion of the body that is introducing a new movement is out of sight etc. etc.
The advertising makes it seem like some sort of taichi instructional video, which it is definitely not - there are none of the forms that we unenlightened people tend to associate with taichi. If you are looking for a taichi video, much better is the Paul Lam 'Tai Chi - The 24 forms'. You can actually learn a lot from that.
The 2nd star is for the quality of the assistant - she knows what she is doing and moves like a master. Poor old Brett is totally outclassed by his own sidekick. Poor man.
Tai Chi.......2006-03-24
This is an excellent DVD for visual learners who are complete novices. It has basics and many different sequences to do when you become more competent. It was worth every penny!
Customer Reviews:
Very good intructional DVD.......2007-08-15
This DVD is well presented and features warm up exercises, a set of the six basic movements and a further six advanced movements, with warm down and Qigong exercise. Dr Lam carefully explains and shows each movement at a pace anyone could follow. An excellent product.
Terrible quality, no medical viewpoints, but might be useful.......2006-03-02
This DVD is not great. After searching for DVDs on the subject I felt sorely disappointed to find only a handful, of terrible products. This is substandard from start to finish. It's only saving grace is that it has nice packaging! This looks like a low grade VHS, not a DVD and there is no attempt made at anything resembling a scientific appraisal of the impact of Tai Chi on Arthritis. This DVD would have benefited from including some science, some doctors and some real treatments. I am a Tai Chi and Chi Gung practitioner and do sincerely believe many Tai Chi practices will benefit Arthritis sufferers, not in the least because it encourages sufferers to mobilise the joints. Plus Chi Gung has been utilised in Chinese Medicine and hospitals for centuries.
But what is really needed is a combination of: natural pain relief (to ease symptoms), diet changes (to avoid chemical, food and other sensitivities, plus also to correct the candida yeast problem), environmental awareness (to understand and combat environmental triggers ranging from stress, to moulds, to gas, to chemicals), exercises (to maintain and extend range of motion in the joints).... i.e. a holistic approach.
Tai Ci for Arthritis.......2004-11-28
this DVD is excerlent and is easy to follow I practised with this for a long time and have since gone on to attend Paul Lams workshop and attained an instrutors certificate. It certanly helps with arthritis
Customer Reviews:
Great for theory....not for practice.......2006-08-30
I was astounded at the amount of information this DVD gives. The lecture on Taji was informative and took you through step by step the background of Taji. You may need the subtitles for this lecture, but it really opens up the chinese system and shows the viewer that this really is a science in itself. The Tajiquan was explained clearly and presicely, even to the point where the video showed you when to breath and how long to breath for. The Qi Gong was invaluable to me, and the DVD helped me to sustain a good practice each day. However the Tajiquan was difficult to follow.
The main problem with the Tajiquan was the switch of camera angles and the fact that the picture was from the frontal view. In most Tajiquan classes you are shown how the move should look posturally from the front and sides and then, when you go throught the sequence, the teacher turns their back to you so you can mirror their movements. Really you need to be able to mirror his performance so you can create a good practice for yourself. This doesn't happen with this DVD. You easily get confused with your left and right, throw in a camera angle change and you really get lost.
My suggestion would be to film the whole lot from behind with a static wide angle camera and superimpose this on the screen in the top left hand corner. Just doing this simple thing would have made this Tajiquan DVD just as good as have a personal tutor in your home. However, unfortunately it falls short due to this.
I must stress though that Dr Yang Jwing Ming teaches ten times better than my local teacher, if he brought out a DVD that people could mirror movements from - lots of people could learn Tajiquan, and learn it well, without a class. He leaves no detail out of the practice and he really wants you to get the most from the Classical Tajiquan practice, it's just a shame that they missed the mark.
Hard to use.......2006-08-02
As an instructional Video to aid the beginner in learning the Yang style Tai Chi sequence this DVD fails or at the very best is very hard to use.
The main Tai Chi sequence is shown in real time with a button on the screen to allow the user to get an in-depth analysis of the posture. Unfortunately instead of this analysis being a step by step break down of each posture by the instructor, it consists of a still picture of the posture along with an announcer reading the scrolling text which has analysis of how the move could be used in self defense (excellent) and a description of how the posture is performed.
This makes the DVD little better than the book it was obviously derived from and in some respects worse as the book is likely to have intermediate pictures as a visual clue on how the posture is to be performed.
I bought this DVD to learn how to do the sequence and get an understanding of the martial applications of the postures. I have been unable to learn the sequence from the DVD. Once I have learnt the sequence I shall go back to the DVD to get the insight on the martial applications of the moves which this DVD does give.
Very Impressive.......2004-11-11
As someone who has only been learning Tai Chi for about 6 months, I found this DVD fascinating.
Everyone has different abilities and perspectives, but as a beginner, I haven't found the moving instruction very useful at all. Dr. Yang is clearly an extremely skilled teacher and I wouldn't dream of being critical on a personal level. It's just that I haven't been able to follow the movements AT ALL. The form in this DVD is EXTREMELY STYLISH and Dr. Yang has a very supple body and his limbs and joints are well used to the Tai Chi. He stays VERY grounded and low to the floor and he is able to stretch and move with great freedom. I can't reach many of the positions that he attains and so I find myself lost and unsure whether I am following or moving properly. I fact, it really just makes me feel inept and a bit useless... which is disappointing and thus a major chi blockage!!
For learning the form, this DVD is not for beginners. You need experience and some tuition from a teacher before you start trying to follow the DVD... I'm 100% sure that in time this aspect of the DVD will become very useful for me. Just not right now.
The included lecture is extremely interesting and I'd buy it just for that!! Also, the QiGong is fantastic!! I use the QiGong parts of the DVD much more and these provide an excellent tuition. Truly brilliant.
Another excellent aspect of the DVD is the way in which all the movements of the form are backed-up with verbal explanations. Very interesting and useful to listen to these to gain a deeper understanding of what's going on.
In fact, the whole DVD is excellent... my main criticism is that I can't follow the form. Maybe that's my own fault... maybe its not... probably a bit of both. Well worth the purchase though... I don't regret buying it because Tai Chi is a long-term thing and I have little doubt that I will evetually come to the form section with a different perspective. Hence the four stars.
Extremely well done.......2004-04-21
I've seen a number of other videos offering instruction in various styles of martial arts and Tai Chi specifically. This one stands above them all for the quality of the production and the way the DVD is put together.
There is a great wealth of information on this DVD. There is a short lecture on theory, a number of loosening up and warming up exercises, Taiji Qigong exercises, and of course the full Yang style long form. Everything has chapter stops and you can skip to the section you want quickly and easily from the DVD menu.
The long form doesn't dwell excessively on any individual movement which allows you to practice along with it, but if you want more detail on how a movement is performed, you can hit 'Enter' on your DVD remote when the yin yang symbol is on the screen to get in depth instruction on the current movement being demonstrated. In that way it manages to offer the best of both worlds.
All in all this DVD stands well above any other Tai Chi instructional video I've seen.
Marvelous !! A true Classic !!.......2004-01-20
I began practicing T'ai Chi fifteen years ago. My first teacher was trained from childhood in China, then Taiwan, in the strict classical Yang Long Form. I began studying with him years later in a major U.S. city -- still Yang Long Form, still classical approach. That was a magical time, a magical experience that will be a part of me for the rest of my life.
Periodic long-distance moves have since interrupted my study several times, but these have also required me to study with teachers of quite a few T'ai Chi styles and levels of expertise. Some were more fun, some more "practical," some much more "martial" in approach, and some were sadly "lightweight."
Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming's video is truly "the real deal." From the first frame of his performance of the entire Form, I was instantly transported back to my first Teacher's class: not only is the sequence of postures and connecting movements EXACTLY the same as where I began, but the "spirit" and "feel" of T'ai Chi is also the same as it was then. With the wide range of styles and emphases in my classes since, I'd nearly forgotten how "pure" and powerful the classical Yang form truly is!
Other reviews here have accurately described and appropriately praised the comprehensive contents and unsurpassed structure of this wonderful video that is at once a marvelous teaching tool and a true archival record of this ancient art.
I'll summarize my opinion this way:
If you EVER outgrow this DVD, please produce one of your own, so we can all study with you!
UK DVD:
- Tai Chi Fundamentals [2003] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- The Best Disco in Town: Live 2003 at Wembley Arena, London [2006] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- The Essential Guide To Massage
- The Essential Guide To Yoga
- The Firm: Body Sculpting System - Body Sculpt [2002] (NTSC)
- The Firm: Upper Body Sculpt [2003]
- The Fountain [2007] [HD DVD] [US Import]
- The Living Edens: The Lost World - Venezuela's Ancient Tepuis [2003] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- The Method - Complete Pilates
- The Method - T'ai Chi
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