This section is dedicated to writings and essays that are not scientific studies or not fall into the category of Classics .
I will post my own writings here but also other people's stuff, if I find it interesting. My own stuff will also be posted as pdf files, and if possible, I will also try to supply pdf files of the stuff that I link to as a back-up in case of links going bad.
Peter's Writings:
Three Axes - coordinating breathing with the separation of Full and Empty in the practice of Tai Chi
A lengthy essay presenting a comprehensive, theoretical and practical approach to Tai Chi. Very hands-on with lots of practical advice, but also very nerdy and a bit idiosyncratic.
An
attempt to rewrite the classic "Song of the Thirteen Movements" and
return it to its original rhyming/rhythmic pattern.
It was meant as a ditty to help students memorise and apply the
principles in their Taiji practice - not as a complex text for scholars
to pore over.
As my Chinese is less than rudimentary, I have relied on various
English translations, most notably Barbara Davis, as well as my own
interpretation/experience of Taiji principles.
I
made a series of videos that are basically a DIY Tai Chi course for
beginners, and put them in a YouTube playlist. I used the video
descriptions to explain and elaborate on each posture. This is a
slightly edited compilation of these video descriptions.
Some of it reads a bit like those useless Tai Chi instruction books you
could buy in the eighties, but I've tried to sprinkle it with
interesting and educational tidbits and I think it works well together
with the videos.
Other people's writings:
Counterpoint Neutralizing in Tai Chi sparring
An
article from Slanted Flying on applying slight pressure to points like
elbows and shoulders to neutralize an attacker's techniques. No PDF available.
A review by Oscar Wilde of an 1890 translation of ZhuangZi. Not directly Tai Chi related, but still a remarkable piece of writing.
Will Tracy on Yang Cheng Fu and Elements of the Original Yang Style
No
author is given, but I think it is written by Will Tracy who,
together with his brothers Al and Jim, worked with Ed Parker and Jimmy
Wong in establishing Kenpo Karate on the US continent. More about that here.Extended version here.
But he also learned directly from Dong Yingjie and has interesting observationson Yang Cheng Fu's original way of teaching.
The article seems to be ripped from a source I haven't been able to
find and subsequently posted by a couple of different websites. No author name and
the headline seems like an afterthought. Furthermore, it begins by
referencing photos that just aren't there, and the links in it no
longer work.
Still, I think it is an interesting read.
One hundred Years of Traditional Taiji Training - a conversation with Dong Zeng Chen
An interview with a grandson of Dong Yingjie. Dong Zeng Chen learned from both his father and his uncle, as well as from other masters. The text is from Knud Erik Andersen's website - link here.
PDF