William C. Phillips

March 17, 2017

Should Tai Chi Form Be Modified to Make It Easier on the Knees?

Some have said that traditional Tai Chi is hard on the knees of Westerners who aren’t used to such movements. Should the form be changed to […]
March 17, 2017

Should I Practice My Form on the Opposite Side?

It would seem logical to perform Tai Chi form both the way typically taught and on the “opposite” side. But is it really such a simple […]
March 17, 2017

5 Quick Tips for Tai Chi Teachers

Here are 5 quick tips for a beginning Tai Chi teacher, or indeed any teacher to add to his arsenal to improve his ability to teach […]
March 17, 2017

The Value of Tai Chi Tournaments

There’s lots of reasons to go to Tai Chi tournaments which have nothing to do with winning a medal. An anonymous reader asks: “What do you […]
March 17, 2017

Different Styles – Different Movements

Is it possible to evaluate a different form through the lens of your own form? An anonymous reader asks: “I saw someone doing a different style […]
March 17, 2017

Knee Position in Cheng’s Tai Chi

In Cheng Man-Ch’ing’s Tai Chi, a lot of emphasis is placed on aligning the knee with the base of the toes. But why is this so […]
March 17, 2017

Bringing Smoothness to Your Form

One of the next steps after learning the form is developing smoothness. This is an absolutely necessary step if you want to use Tai Chi to […]
March 17, 2017

Music and Tai Chi Form

Music soothes the savage beast… but what will it do for the calm of Tai Chi? Peter from Davenport, IA asks: “I have heard conflicting things […]
March 17, 2017

Preparation for Tai Chi Form – A Beginner’s View

Of course, how one performs Tai Chi form is important, but also of great importance is how one prepares to do the form. This week’s question […]
March 17, 2017

Professor Cheng Man-Ch’ing Through the Eyes of a Young Man

Professor Cheng Man-Ch’ing was a unique person to have as a teacher in the 20th Century. He was a man of the culture of old China, […]
March 17, 2017

When Should I Start Learning Push Hands?

Push Hands can be very important in one’s Tai Chi practice, even if one is not studying Tai Chi to develop martial skill. But when is […]
March 17, 2017

What Is a Good Neutralization?

I am going to start the answer to this question by attempting to shed some light on something my teacher, Professor Cheng Man-Ch’ing said. He said […]