William C. C. Chen's Tai Chi Articles

Insights on internal martial arts by a Tai Chi master From: Essential Sports and Fitness Article Channel

Grandmaster Chen has trained world-champion martial artists, police, military hand-to-hand combat instructors, and professional boxers. "Inside Kung-Fu" magazine termed him "one of the finest and most influential traditional internal stylists of his generation... among the world’s foremost authorities on tai chi free fighting."

How Tai Chi helps keep the heart healthy

"Tai Chi Exercise and the Prevention of Heart Disease" by William C. C. Chen

Symbolic clinical heart

Grandmaster Chen focuses on how the soft slow movements and deep diaphragmatic breathing of the Tai Chi form increase circulation, make it easier for the body to detoxify and repair itself, and particularly benefit the heart.

From: William C. C. Chen (The International Magazine of Tai Chi Chuan. Spring 2015 Vol. 29, No.1) (1.5 MB)

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Breathing and Tai Chi Chuan

Health benefits of coordinating the Tai Chi form and breathing (2014)

Vocal cords open/close to breathe/create sounds

Grandmaster William C. C. Chen explains the special importance of the deep diaphragmatic breathing that accompanies the movements of the Tai Chi form. He outlines principles that can help practitioners eliminate the usual obstructions to the full exchange of gases and shows the route to a healthier body and a peaceful, tranquil state of mind.

From: William C. C. Chen (250 KB)

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Fingers in Tai Chi, martial arts, and sports

"Fingers are the Work of Art", article by William C. C. Chen (2012)

Brain motor cortex regions

Grandmaster Chen describes the importance to Tai Chi and sports in general of directly connecting to the fingers. He explains how all movements are led by the fingers, and their role in achieving maximum punching speed and power.

From: William C. C. Chen

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Applications of Tai Chi to self-defense

"The Challenge of Tai Chi Chuan", articles by William C. C. Chen (1974)

William Chen striking Ed Scott

This is a collection of some of the earliest writing by Grandmaster Chen about the application of Tai Chi to self-defense. It has a bunch of step-by-step pictures with detailed instructions for handling one or two assailants using Tai Chi moves and principles. The majority of the photos are from the martial arts magazine "Oriental Combat and Self-Defense" and include one of his early senior instructors, Ed Scott, as the unfortunate attacker.

From: William C. C. Chen and Timothy E. Pitt

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More great articles from Master Chen coming!

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