By Harvey Kurland
T’ai chi ch’uan (Tàijí Quán, 太極拳) is an important exercise for health and for treating illness. Tai Chi Grandmaster Tchoung Ta-tchen brought a unique approach that improved on older forms of training. His method was then scientifically studied for its possible benefits by the author.
Tai Chi Grandmaster Tchoung
It was in the early 1970s that I first walked up the dark, creaking stairs to the second story of a converted restaurant in the heart of Seattle’s Chinatown. There was something in the air of this magical place. The place turned out to be the Chinese T’ai-Chi Association. It was fortuitous to find tai chi Grandmaster Tchoung Ta-tchen there. It was obvious that Master Tchoung had “it”; he was the embodiment of the t’ai-chi principles. I began a long relationship with “Sifu” (Shīfu, 師父) at that time. Tchoung took his role of sifu—father-teacher—seriously, guiding us in our training. He showed genius in teaching an effective and coherent system of “internal kung-fu” with an earthiness at its core. There was an essence there that is hard to describe: a no-nonsense, straightforward approach that I appreciated.
I had studied t’ai-chi ch’uan previously with two other grandmasters who both happened to be friends of Grandmaster Tchoung. They were Grandmaster Kuo Lien Ying, who was my first teacher, and Grandmaster Liang Tsung Tsai—better known as T. T. Liang. Both were top-rate masters of the art. But I was in a new location and found a wonderful treasure in Grandmaster Tchoung Ta-tchen. The three were friends and practice partners.
Teaching Approach and Lasting Influence
I was impressed with Tchoung Sifu’s ability to explain the theory and then demonstrate real-world applications. He was always ready to elaborate on the techniques and demonstrate their use. He shared his knowledge generously, encouraging us to achieve mastery of the art. His intent was for his students to surpass him, strengthen the art, and train a new generation of outstanding teachers. As he often said, the decline of t’ai-chi ch’uan was the result of teachers holding back information from their students. Always ready to demonstrate concepts and techniques, he was the epitome of a great t’ai-chi master-teacher.
Grandmaster Tchoung taught us with a specific training method that had, at its base, ch’i kung (qìgōng, 氣功) exercises and basic t’ai-chi drills. These were aimed at relaxing, strengthening, and developing what is called the “root.”
He taught us in a systematic and logical way, starting with his long form and progressing to pushing hands, partner forms, sword forms, fast t’ai-chi, walking-stick forms, hsing-I (xíngyì, 形意), and pa-kua (bāguà, 八卦).
His eclectic approach to teaching pushing hands was well designed—soft yet powerful. He had a multitude of drills and training methods. His students have won competitions at the national and international levels, showing that his method had merit. We continue to teach his method in our classes.
Pushing hands and applications were an integral part of Grandmaster Tchoung’s advanced training. He maintained that if you did not know what a movement meant and did not understand the form and its application, then it was an empty shell. He taught several pushing-hands drills to become better rooted and express power (fā jìn, 發勁). We found these drills effective and experienced the benefits. I found that the methods held up when pushing hands with students and instructors from other schools, both in the United States and in Taiwan.
Grandmaster Tchoung’s teaching method was a sound training design which, if followed, will lead to good results. As Sifu often told us, he could show us the method, but what we got out of it depended on how we practiced. The secret to learning is to practice what one is taught. While t’ai-chi is much more than a purely physical exercise, it is important for physical educators to understand what it does at the gross physical level.
Study of the Effects of T’ai Chi
As an exercise physiologist, I sought to understand the effects of t’ai-chi. I undertook a series of studies starting in 1974 at the University of Washington in Seattle. At the university, I looked at heart rates (EKG) and blood pressures of intermediate students of Grandmaster Tchoung while they performed the long form. Later, when Director of Exercise Physiology at the National Athletic Health Institute in Inglewood, California, I again tested some of Master Tchoung’s students and other stylists as to the energy cost of t’ai-chi. I did this by directly measuring their oxygen consumption, as well as monitoring their hearts (EKG) and blood pressures. I also examined standing post exercises.
Aerobic Tai Chi?
I repeated this study on Tchoung-certified instructors and reported the findings to the Southwestern Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine in 1991. Basically, I found that the long slow form and short form for all the various Yang styles could be classified as low-intensity aerobic exercise. The oxygen consumption ranged from 7.4 to 12.4 ml/kg/min, with a mean value of 10.4 ml/kg/min. This placed it in the 2.5 to 3.5 MET range, results similar to my earlier work.
This means that t’ai-chi is an excellent low-intensity exercise that can be of great benefit to people with low functional capacities. It is a good aerobic exercise for those who have a 6-MET functional capacity to produce aerobic benefits, as well as for others who desire light exercise. T’ai-chi ch’uan also has additional health-promoting benefits.
Besides being a good low-intensity aerobic exercise, t’ai-chi has much more to offer. It is an excellent method for reversing the buildup of stress, giving one an inner calmness to deal with daily work and conflicts. In a survey of over 300 t’ai-chi students (1992), I found that most students practice t’ai-chi as a way to reduce stress and get some light exercise. Students reported benefits including relief from migraine headaches, lower blood pressure, and reduced effects of PMS and symptoms of multiple sclerosis.
When I worked in outpatient cardiac rehabilitation with Dr. Albert Kattus, I used some t’ai-chi and Tchoung’s ch’i kung exercises for patients to supplement their program. It was something they could do and enjoy that had the benefits of total-body exercise, stress reduction, and improved balance and coordination.
Oxygen consumption of a Tchoung Tai Chi stylist during the form.
T’ai-chi is also a good way to balance the body’s energy from the standpoint of traditional Chinese medicine—i.e., to harmonize the ch’i flow. Chinese researchers believed it could prevent “kidney deficiency” (shuǐ xū, 水虛) as described in traditional theory.
T’ai-chi can be used to help prevent many hypokinetic diseases. It may be able to reduce high blood pressure in some individuals. If someone has high blood pressure or heart disease, they should be monitored by their physician. Chinese researchers found a seniors’ t’ai-chi group had lower blood pressures than controls. The t’ai-chi exercisers also had significantly fewer abnormal EKGs than non-exercisers. Less does not mean non-existent.
Any serious wellness program needs to combine exercise with a low-fat, low-salt, high-complex-carbohydrate diet, as well as avoiding smoking.
In my study, I found that the exercise would lower the blood pressures of normal subjects slightly after a session and would remain within normal limits. One student had severe hypertension and was under the care of his physician. I measured his blood pressure before and after doing some of the ch’i kung and basic drills. Afterwards, his blood pressure was reduced dramatically toward normal. This warrants further study, as t’ai-chi may be of benefit to certain individuals with stress-induced hypertension.
T’ai-chi helps to improve the balance and coordination of the student. This improvement in balance is especially important as we age. Many of my students remark how their balance has improved, including young athletic types. T’ai-chi can help prevent osteoporosis when combined with appropriate calcium, vitamin K2, and vitamin D intake.
It has also been used in China to treat neurosis and depression. Western psychologists also believe that exercise can help treat depression.
T’ai-chi helps improve flexibility and generally strengthen the body. Another benefit is helping to prevent or reduce arthritic changes assumed to be a consequence of aging. As the old saying goes, “A well-used door hinge does not become rusty, and flowing water never becomes putrid.” Though many t’ai-chi teachers do get arthritis as well—there is no panacea.
T’ai-chi has a more energetic side. For those who want a more vigorous workout, there are fast forms, two-person forms, pushing hands, and weapons forms that act as overload training. This provides a way to get a more intense workout and develop martial skills for students so inclined. Fast t’ai-chi approaches an all-out effort that taxes both aerobic and anaerobic systems, similar to karate kata.
Competition and the Integrity of the Art
Competitive students may also compete in tournaments. T’ai-chi is also gaining popularity as a sport. Pushing hands in a tournament setting is very taxing. Competitions should maintain the integrity of t’ai-chi principles and not reward the use of brute force to win at all costs—turning a subtle art into something resembling badly executed sumo. It is my hope that rules will evolve to preserve the principles of the art.
Changing the focus of the art to reach short-term goals of winning competitions can easily lead to deterioration of its wonderful concepts. In form competition, the principles espoused in the classics should be adhered to, and not turn t’ai-chi form into a dramatic dance or gymnastics performance—keeping the heart of the art.
It is too easy to change the form and make it into a pretty dance while leaving out central concepts. We hope to promote t’ai-chi concepts in competition as well as in the classroom. The form in competition should be the same as the one practiced in the park or studio—good for health and maintaining the integrity of t’ai-chi ch’uan concepts.
I believe that t’ai-chi will become a more common method of exercise in the coming years for sport, health promotion, and mental training. T’ai-chi ch’uan has many subtle benefits that Americans are now discovering. It is an excellent exercise that will greatly benefit the health and well-being of those who practice it.
Grandmaster Tchoung has added immeasurably to the advancement of t’ai-chi ch’uan in the United States, Canada, Africa, and Taiwan.
Originally published by Harvey Kurland on January 23, 2013. Reposted with permission.