Ye-es, but the styles are not very similar at all to each other - I believe Yang style is closer to Chen, but I've seen what my Dad does and what I do and even the moves that have the same name have a completely different execution in terms of limb placement and weight balance and when it shifts.
Eg. the move repulse monkey (yes, that is its name) in Taoist style has the weight on the back foot initially, the other foot slides back and then the weight shifts onto the new back foot. In Chen style, the weight is on the front foot, there is a weight shift to the back foot as you bring your arms up and around and then the front foot slides back leaving all the weight on the (new) front foot again. So it is almost the complete reverse.
It might help that you have practice in picking up a sequence of moves, but it is just as likely to trip you up by being not quite the kind of movements that you expect. Chen style is also more intricate in how you orientate your arms and hands while from what my Dad says, Taoist tai chi isn't - it seems a simpler design of forms in some ways to me when I've watched it and I think that was purposeful on the part of the founder.
Personally, I find Chen style more graceful and even objectively it is more dynamic. Which admittedly isn't for everyone.
This is Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei doing Chen sword form (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdjbPBSWJm4) and what I think is mixed form (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YyvrLdZpLU) (it's not the 83 form I do, but it starts off very similar).
What is really funny is a lot of the vids I found of him have the exact same music that my master always plays during sessions - must be the offical Chen music!
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2008-09-04 08:51 pm (UTC)Eg. the move repulse monkey (yes, that is its name) in Taoist style has the weight on the back foot initially, the other foot slides back and then the weight shifts onto the new back foot. In Chen style, the weight is on the front foot, there is a weight shift to the back foot as you bring your arms up and around and then the front foot slides back leaving all the weight on the (new) front foot again. So it is almost the complete reverse.
It might help that you have practice in picking up a sequence of moves, but it is just as likely to trip you up by being not quite the kind of movements that you expect. Chen style is also more intricate in how you orientate your arms and hands while from what my Dad says, Taoist tai chi isn't - it seems a simpler design of forms in some ways to me when I've watched it and I think that was purposeful on the part of the founder.
Personally, I find Chen style more graceful and even objectively it is more dynamic. Which admittedly isn't for everyone.
This is Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei doing Chen sword form (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdjbPBSWJm4) and what I think is mixed form (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YyvrLdZpLU) (it's not the 83 form I do, but it starts off very similar).
What is really funny is a lot of the vids I found of him have the exact same music that my master always plays during sessions - must be the offical Chen music!