‘It feels like my brain is solving a Rubik’s Cube’ - Jennifer Wong.
Jennifer Wong is a Chinese Australian writer, comedian, and MC based in Sydney, Australia. She wrote a fitness article about her first Tai chi lesson.
'Concentrating on making tiny, isolated movements and following instructions such as “Please don’t move your shoulders. Only move your waist” feels like my brain is solving a Rubik’s Cube while my body is solving a Rubik’s Mini Cube.' Yup. That's about right for any new student.
Ms. Wong doesn't go into an especially long explanation about the form, but 42 Form is a popular form in her home country of Australia. The 42 Form tai chi, also called Competition Form or Mixed Form, is the standard Wushu competition form which combines movements drawn from the Chen, Yang, Wu, and Sun styles of traditional tai chi. It was created in 1989 by Professors Men Hui Feng from The Beijing Sport Institute and Li De Yin from the People's University for the Chinese Sports Committee.
The 42-form has been subjected to criticism for being a hybrid form, but in actual practice it has received a lot of positive attention as well, for being a challenging, fluid form which loads the body with qi. Today it is a popular form for competition as well as for personal health benefits.
Did you ever hear of Dr. Lam? Dr. Paul Lam is the founder of the Tai Chi for Health Institute. Anyone that performs an internet search on tai chi or looks at tai chi on YouTube is guaranteed to come across his programs. In 1974, Dr. Lam, a family physician, also from Australia, took up tai chi to control his arthritis. According to his website, Dr Lam practices Yang, Chen, Sun styles as well as other tai chi sets of combined styles. He began his Tai Chi journey with his late father-in-law Mr. Lum Win Gwei who was a student of Yang Zhou Zhong (Eldest son of Yang Chen Fu who is the grandson of the creator of Yang Style Tai Chi).
It's not a surprise that Jennifer Wong decided to try The 42 form. Dr. Lam and Ms. Wong are both based in Sydney.
In order to popularize Tai chi, the Chinese National Sports Committee authorized the country’s four most renowned Tai chi experts to compose The 24 Forms. Based on the Yang style, and by eliminating many repetitions and retaining the essential principles of Tai Chi, the 88 Forms was condensed to only 24 Forms. The 24 Forms is easier to learn, to remember and practice, and the set takes around five minutes. A busy person can do three rounds in 20 minutes (including warm up exercises). The 24 Form is the most popular Form in the world.
Repeat: The 24 Forms is easier to learn, to remember and practice, and the set takes around five minutes. A busy person can do three rounds in 20 minutes (including warm up exercises). Once you solve that Rubik's Cube, you can practice for 20 minutes a day for the rest of your life and reap the benefits. You can also move on to other forms - or not, your choice. All forms provide benefits. All forms can be fun and relaxing after you solve the Cube.
Peace