Chen tai chi is an athletic martial arts system which provides

excellent daily exercise. Its health benefits include lowering blood

pressure, toning muscles, building strength, gradually opening
tight joints, and improving circulation.
The true meaning of a given movement in a form is not its
application, but rather the unlimited potential of the mind to
provide muscular and skeletal support for that movement.
Gregory Fong

History
Tai chi chuan was originated by Chen Wang Ting of Wen county,
Henan province, China in the middle of the seventeenth century
as the Ming Dynasty gave way to the Qing. The Genealogy of the
Chen Families of Cheniagou village has the following entry under
the name of Chen Wang Ting, their ninth ancestor: Wang Ting
was a knight at the end of the Ming Dynasty and a scholar in the
early years of the Qing Dynasty. Known in Shandong province as
a master of the martial arts, he was a born warrior who favored
the sword in combat. The Chen families of Chenjiagou village
handed down Chen Wang Tings tai chi routines and push
hands techniques from one generation to the next. After five
generations, what has come to be known as Chen tai chi chuan
was passed on to Chen Changxing (1771-1853) who taught it to
Yang Luchan (1799-1872), a native of Yongnian county, Hebei
province. And from there it has been passed on to us in the
present day.

Features
The basic principle of training in Chen tai chi chuan is to practice
with a serene heart and a concentrated mind. This allows the
nervous system to recharge in such a way as to improve the
coordinated function of the various parts both internal and
external of the body. Relaxation of the whole body, deep and
natural breathing, smooth arc-like actions originating in
movements of the waist, and a training method aimed at
conveying ones inner force to the ends of the limbs by means of
both mental and physical exertion all result in the harmonious
function of the inside and the outside of the body: circulation of
blood and lymph is facilitated, skeletal structure is enhanced,
ones musculature is toned, and metabolism becomes more

efficient.
The spiraling movements of Chen tai chi alternately expand and
contract the body. The ability to execute such movements
demands that the student learn to control his or her muscles ever
more precisely. One must know exactly when to tighten and when
to relax those muscles, when to make the body firm and when to
let it be soft. The student must learn to direct the chi literally:
the breath; more metaphorically: the inner vital energyboth
mentally and physically. Ones chi in this sense should be both
concentrated at ones center and also spread throughout the
entire body. It originates at the tan tien and is made to travel
through the body by the gradual twisting of the waist. As the body
turns on its axis in this way, each side alternately expands and
contracts, thus allowing the chi to pass through the Du, Dai, and
Chong channels. Thanks to the spiral movements of the arms and
legs which keeps the joints open and active, the chi then travels
out toward the fingers and downward toward the toes, at which
point it travels back to the tan tien and begins the cycle all over
again. Such practice improves the students offensive and
defensive capabilities and enhances the distinctively explosive
force of the movements of Chen tai chi chuan.
Finally, Chen tai chi requires as well that quick actions (strikes,
kicks, and blocks) be both preceded and followed by slower
movements. Indeed, one should train in such a way that ones
quick actions will be quicker than those of ones opponent, while
ones slow actions will be slower. This emphasis on inner rather
than outer force provides a valuable additional training method
for raising the level of ones martial arts skills. And in this way,
ones consciousness, breathing, and movements are more and
more closely coordinated with one another.

Benefits
Although the basic principles of most tai chi forms are similar,
Chen is typically a more obviously martial form of practice than
is Yang style, which tends instead to focus on the health aspects of
training. More specifically, the emphasis in Chen training is on
learning to express ones inner force in external movements. This
is why students of this style are taught to vary the speed and
strength of their movements throughout the form, whereas
students of Yang tai chi practice at an even speed and concentrate

on making their movements as smoothly continuous as possible.

The student of Chen tai chi can, of course, practice much of the
form in this way, but as he or she passes from simpler to more
complicated movements, the Chen form demands a greater level
of skill so that power comes from within and inner energy
becomes outward power.