This is a therapy (or preventive practice) for people with carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis, or Parkinson's Disease.  The stick provides you with a focal point to help  with hand-eye coordination.  The twisting moves can stimulate energy circulation in your fingers and wrists, prevent frozen shoulders, and improve the elasticity of the tendons around your elbows.  Combined with various tai chi postures, it stretches and tones your muscles, activates the hip and knee joints, improves the flexibility and strength of your spine, and  prevents lower back pain. The practice is adapted from the tai chi joint locking techniques of qin-na, a traditional  secret training approach for developing spiral inner energy.  Therefore, this routine can also be used as a martial arts drill.

Compact Tai Chi Sword in Mixed Styles blends Tai Chi with various sword techniques, including Wudang sword, Ming Dynasty General Qi Jiguang's (1528-1588) long saber (Miao-dao), Yu Chenghui’s two-handed longsword, and Medieval long-sword methods. Both Qi and Yu hailed from Penglai, China, my hometown, where the historical use of longswords in martial arts training is abundant. This routine serves as my homage to this tradition. Its core focus is utilizing the sword as a tool for body conditioning and harnessing inner energy, emphasizing dragon and tiger strength, while also integrating practical sword defensive and offensive techniques. Notably, there's a seamless connection between weapons and tai chi bare hand routines. While a standard-sized sword suffices, a heavier longsword facilitates training the back, waist, and hips for blade movement, minimizing reliance on arm muscles.

Practical Stretching Anywhere in the Qigong Way

Stretching is an excellent thing you can do for your health. Without the need of a floor mat, these simple yet effective moves can help you limber up for tai chi and Qigong practice or any sports, improve your balance and prevent falls, increase your flexibility, and even help relieve arthritis, back, and knee pain. Dr. Jesse Tsao put together this stretching routine based on traditional Chinese tai chi and Qigong practices. They are easy and practical to use anywhere, each posture has Qigong energy circulation benefits, and they can be customized to your ability anywhere from easy to challenging. You’ll find these moves can boost overall flexibility and loosen up tight muscles, including specific stretches to ease back pain, stiff hamstrings, and the neck and shoulder pain that comes from spending too much time sitting at a desk staring at a computer!

Practical Stretching Anywhere in the Qigong Way - II

This is the 2nd set of practice, a little more dynamic. Stretching is an excellent thing you can do for your health. Without the need of a floor mat, these simple yet effective moves can help you limber up for tai chi and Qigong practice or any sports, improve your balance and prevent falls, increase your flexibility, and even help relieve arthritis, back, and knee pain. Dr. Jesse Tsao shared his practice based on traditional Chinese tai chi and Qigong practices. They are easy and practical to use anywhere, each posture has Qigong energy circulation benefits, and they can be customized to your ability anywhere from easy to challenging. You’ll find these moves can boost overall flexibility and loosen up tight muscles, including specific stretches to ease back pain, stiff hamstrings, and the neck and shoulder pain that comes from spending too much time sitting at a desk staring at a computer!

This is designed for people with physical difficulty of standing or recovery from medical treatment.  You can still practice to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome, hand arthritis.  The stick provides you with a focal point to help  with hand-eye coordination.  The twisting moves can stimulate energy circulation in your fingers and wrists, prevent frozen shoulders, and improve the elasticity of the tendons around your elbows.  It stretches and tones your muscles, improves the flexibility and strength of your spine, and  prevents lower back pain. The practice is adapted from the tai chi joint locking techniques of qin-na, a traditional  secret training approach for developing spiral inner energy.

Weighted-ball Strength Training in Sun Style Tai Chi, created by Dr. Jesse Tsao of Tai Chi Healthways, is one of the most effective ways to enhance your energy circulation and improve your balance, endurance, bone density, and core strength. Moving the ball around your torso massages your inner organs and reflects the inner dan-tian rotation. The weight helps develop your rooting and leg strength. Momentarily extending the ball away from the torso will improve your arm strength It can help build and maintain muscle mass and strength. Strong muscles lead to strong bones, and strong bones can help minimize the risk of fracture due to osteoporosis. It can also protect vitality, make everyday tasks more manageable, and help you maintain a healthy weight. Harvard Health Publications remarks that “a combination of age-related changes, inactivity, and inadequate nutrition conspire to gradually steal bone mass, at the rate of 1% per year after age 40.” As bones grow more fragile and susceptible to fracture, they are more likely to break after a minor fall or even a simple everyday activity such as bending over to tie a shoelace. Six out of 10 people who break a hip never fully regain their former level of independence. Even walking across a room without help may become impossible. Numerous studies have shown that strength training can play a role in slowing bone loss, and several studies show it can even build bone, offsetting age-related declines in bone mass. Practicing tai chi with a weighted ball puts healthy stress on the bones and can promote the activity of bone-forming cells. The result is stronger and denser bones. This video compliments Dr. Jesse Tsao and Jason Weil’s book Practical Tai Chi Training: A 9-Stage Method for Mastery, published 2021, the #1 Best Seller on Amazon new books on Tai Chi and martial arts.

Joint locks (Qin-na ��拿 ) are a key element of tai chi self-defense and are based on the tai chi principles of adhering and sticking. Tai Chi Bang Qin-na Joint Locks in Chen Style, created by Dr. Jesse Tsao, provides you with an effective training method to develop your grasping ability with spiraling inner strength. Not only for tai chi practitioners, the training methods develop fundamental skills that can augment the practice of Aikido, Jujitsu or Judo techniques.  The short stick simulates the opponent's forearm, and training with the stick facilitates the development of coordinated hand movements 两手相搏相系 that are integrated with the tight spiraling action of the torso, providing highly effective and powerful self-defense reactions 太极圈要越练越小紧凑. It is also an excellent therapy for carpal tunnel syndrome and arthritic hands, strengthening and stretching the muscles and tendons for improved range of motion and dexterity.

Tai Chi Bang for Joint Locks in the Sun Style 

Joint locks (Qin-na擒拿 ) are a key element of tai chi self-defense and are based on the tai chi principles of adhering and sticking.  Tai Chi Bang for Joint Locks, created by Dr. Jesse Tsao, provides you with an effective training method to develop your grasping ability with spiraling inner strength. Not only for tai chi practitioners, the training methods develop fundamental skills that can augment the practice of Aikido, Jujitsu or Judo techniques.  The short stick simulates the opponent's forearm, and training with the stick facilitates the development of coordinated hand movements 两手相搏相系 that are integrated with the tight spiraling action of the torso, providing highly effective and powerful self-defense reactions 太极圈要越练越小紧凑. It is also an excellent therapy for carpal tunnel syndrome and arthritic hands, strengthening and stretching the muscles and tendons for improved range of motion and dexterity.

Tai Chi Bang Qin-na Joint Locks in the Wu Style

Joint locks (Qin-na ��拿 ) are a key element of tai chi self-defense and are based on the tai chi principles of adhering and sticking. Tai Chi Bang for Joint Locks, created by Dr. Jesse Tsao, provides you with an effective training method to develop your grasping ability with spiraling inner strength. Not only for tai chi practitioners, the training methods develop fundamental skills that can augment the practice of Aikido, Jujitsu or Judo techniques.  The short stick simulates the opponent's forearm, and training with the stick facilitates the development of coordinated hand movements 两手相搏相系 that are integrated with the tight spiraling action of the torso, providing highly effective and powerful self-defense reactions 太极圈要越练越小紧凑. It is also an excellent therapy for carpal tunnel syndrome and arthritic hands, strengthening and stretching the muscles and tendons for improved range of motion and dexterity.

Joint locks (Qin-na ��拿 ) are a key element of tai chi self-defense and are based on the tai chi principles of adhering and sticking.  Tai Chi Bang for Joint Locks, created by Dr. Jesse Tsao, provides you with an effective training method to develop your grasping ability with spiraling inner strength. Not only for tai chi practitioners, the training methods develop fundamental skills that can augment the practice of Aikido, Jujitsu or Judo techniques.  The short stick simulates the opponent's forearm, and training with the stick facilitates the development of coordinated hand movements 两手相搏相系 that are integrated with the tight spiraling action of the torso, providing highly effective and powerful self-defense reactions 太极圈要越练越小紧凑. It is also an excellent therapy for carpal tunnel syndrome and arthritic hands, strengthening and stretching the muscles and tendons for improved range of motion and dexterity.

Tai Chi Neigong Shibashi in Sun Style Compact 18 Forms is created strictly based on the Sun family traditional postures and the character of flexible steps.  Posture is only a tool to cultivate inner energy, the neigong is your goal. Repetitive drill on each posture is easy for a beginner to learn, it also provides the opportunity for advanced students to ascertain the feeling of inner work layer by layer.  It is designed for Zoom teaching to fit limited space for home or corporate onsite practice. This is also a perfect short form to lead beginners into the Sun long form.  Demonstrations are given in front and back views, and Master Tsao gives a detailed description of each posture's main neigong concept.  (Difficulty: Beginner through advanced Levels). DVD, (68 minutes).

Tai Chi Neigong Shibashi in Wu Style Compact 18 Forms is created strictly based on the Wu family traditional postures and character.  Posture is only a tool to cultivate inner energy, the neigong is your goal. Repetitive drill on each posture is easy for a beginner to learn, it also provides the opportunity for advanced students to ascertain the feeling of inner work layer by layer.  It is designed for Zoom teaching to fit limited space for home or corporate onsite practice. This is also a perfect short form to lead beginners into the Wu long form.  Demonstrations are given in front and back views, and Master Tsao gives a detailed description of each posture's main neigong concept.  (Difficulty: Beginner through advanced Levels). DVD, (68 minutes).