Tai Chi: A Martial Art for Both the Young and Old

November 16th, 2010By Category: Uncategorized

Recently after returning to the states for a film, I’ve had some time to catch up with my parents. With my father nearing his mid-70’s and my mother (as much she refuses to admit it) following not too far behind him, one would think that my life in martial arts would have little to do with them, but on the contrary, one of the best ways I’ve found to spend time and bond with them was Tai Chi. Having studied it regularly while living in Hong Kong, I was well-aware of its health and physical strengthening benefits (after only a year of regular training, I could do one-legged squats- a feat of strength that I’ve yet since been able to replicate from regular training in other martial systems), but the fact that I could actually use it as a way to improve my parents quality of life is something that never even occurred to me.

With my Dad having gone through 2 knee surgeries, and my Mom having congestive heart failure and only 30% lung capacity, I wasn’t sure how they could do, but I started teaching them the Yang-style long form (consisting of 108 movements) and seeing the difference in all of us has been inspiring.

For my father, it gives him a way to strengthen, get a light sweat going, and work the range of motion in his knees without impact. For my mother, it helps her develop her breathing, and memorizing and performing the form gives her a physical and mental goal she can strive for that is totally within her capacity.

For myself, as always it brings me closer to ‘the way’, shows me a lot of traditional kung Fu self defense techniques, and through consistently lowering my stances is redeveloping the same leg strength that I had while I was training regularly in Hong Kong. Additionally, the fact that for myself, it can be done without breaking a sweat, means that it is an excellent way to ‘wake the body up’ and get the blood flowing without necessarily having to set aside time for a shower or washing up afterwards.

Lastly, and most importantly however, the greatest benefit of it, is that it gives us something that we can all do together as a family, and at an equal pace- and if that isn’t good for the health, then I don’t know what is.

Author of this article

Chuck Johnson

Chuck Johnson is a Martial Arts Instructor/ Action Film Actor based in Tokyo, Japan, and Michigan, USA. He has been teaching for 16 years, holds ranks in Taekwondo, Judo, Capoeira, and Karate, and is an experienced bodyguard. He is also a member of the Screen Action Stunt Association, and Society of American Fight Directors. Additionally, he has 10 years of ELT experience, and is the developer of Phat English, a system that uses specialized hip-hop music to teach the subtle nuances of GAm English pronunciation. For more information, visit www.chuck-n-action.com or follow Chuck on twitter at chuck_n_action

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Comments

  • When I was in Hong Kong a few months a go, I found a group f individuals from different age groups by the harbor practicing Tai Chi. Just watching them gave me the feeling of relief and comfort. I was amazed on their movements and the look of calm and serenity on their faces.

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