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Tai Chi Concepts and Experiments: Hidden Strength, Natural Movement, and Timing
The Tai Chi Experiments book aims to clarify and make accessible critical aspects of the art that are currently understood and manifested by only a small number of high-level practitioners.
Numerous step-by-step experiments are provided for readers to experience and perfect these critical tai chi aspects. Contents include:
The meaning and importance of releasing tension in movement for stability, health, and spirituality. The differences between contractive and expansive strength including a promising mechanism for the nature of expansive strength. Numerous experiments for readers to recognize and experience expansive strength and to confirm that they have achieved it. Elucidation of famous master's sayings on mind, strength, and ch'i. Advantages of expansion over contraction in T'ai Chi. Health protocols using expansion including those for helping an excess curvature of the upper and lower spine and for relieving plantar fasciitiss. How to achieve optimal balance through an understanding of physical, anatomical, physiological, and mental factors. A detailed analysis of "rooting and redirecting" including physical and internal aspects. Understanding natural movement from physical, philosophical, health, and martial points of view. This interdisciplinary book utilizes, elementary physics, physiology, anatomy, psychology, and spirituality. It contains detailed analyses and explanations for achieving internal, expansive strength known as nei jin, optimal timing, and natural movement.
Numerous step-by-step experiments are provided for readers to experience and perfect these critical tai chi aspects. Contents include:
The meaning and importance of releasing tension in movement for stability, health, and spirituality. The differences between contractive and expansive strength including a promising mechanism for the nature of expansive strength. Numerous experiments for readers to recognize and experience expansive strength and to confirm that they have achieved it. Elucidation of famous master's sayings on mind, strength, and ch'i. Advantages of expansion over contraction in T'ai Chi. Health protocols using expansion including those for helping an excess curvature of the upper and lower spine and for relieving plantar fasciitiss. How to achieve optimal balance through an understanding of physical, anatomical, physiological, and mental factors. A detailed analysis of "rooting and redirecting" including physical and internal aspects. Understanding natural movement from physical, philosophical, health, and martial points of view. This interdisciplinary book utilizes, elementary physics, physiology, anatomy, psychology, and spirituality. It contains detailed analyses and explanations for achieving internal, expansive strength known as nei jin, optimal timing, and natural movement.
319 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 1, 2021
42 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
Robert Chuckrow
9 books5 followersRobert Chuckrow (born in 1936) has studied T’ai Chi, Ch’i Kung, and other movement and healing arts since 1970 under masters such as Cheng Man-ch’ing, William C.C. Chen, Elaine Summers, Alice Holtman, Harvey I. Sober, Kevin Harrington, and Chin Fan-siong. He has taught T’ai Chi extensively, is certified as a master teacher of Kinetic Awareness®, and has authored six books: The Intelligent Dieter’s Guide, Historical Tuning of Keyboard Instruments, The Tai Chi Book, Tai Chi Walking, Tai Chi Dynamics, and Tai Chi Concepts and Experiments. His The Tai Chi Book was a finalist among the three best books in the health/medicine category in the Independent Publisher Book Awards. His book, Tai Chi Dynamics, was honored in the martial-arts / alternative-health category by the Independent Publisher Online Magazine Highlighted Title Program, was a finalist in ForeWord Magazine’s 2008 Book of the Year Awards, won the Eric Hoffer book award, and won the best-book award in health: exercise and fitness from USA Book News. He has produced four videos, which in addition to his books on diet and historical tuning, are available from www.chuckrowtaichi.com.
Chuckrow, whose Ph.D. is in experimental physics, has taught physics at NYU, The Cooper Union, Fieldston, and other schools for forty-three years.
Chuckrow, whose Ph.D. is in experimental physics, has taught physics at NYU, The Cooper Union, Fieldston, and other schools for forty-three years.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 13, 2021
A valuable monograph on the science in the art of Tai Chi
Dr. Robert Chuckrow adds new knowledge to Tai Chi in this book with the same passion as Professor Cheng Man-ch’ing wanting America to know Tai Chi. Aside from 51 years of learning and teaching Tai Chi, Chuckrow’s contribution is his intrepid, scholarly attempts to illustrate the physics, physiology, psychology and other scientific principles in an ancient Chinese art form.
On the one hand, Chuckrow retains the poetic, metaphorical insights of Cheng Man-ch’ing such as “The whole body is a hand, and a hand is not a hand” (page 58) as he heard it in person in the early 1970s in New York City.
On the other hand, he explains the science (for example, ‘contractive’ versus ‘expansive’ strength, also on page 58) behind the art: “By contrast, when you exert expansive force on another person, the forces within your body result from the hydraulic pressure of water within your body. Pascal’s principle states that any change in the pressure at any point of a liquid causes exactly the same change at every other point in the liquid. Thus, if the person on whom you are exerting expansive force moves in such a way as to lessen the force exerted on him, that automatically results in an immediate reduction in hydraulic pressure throughout your body—all the way down your legs, to your feet. As a consequence, your arm may momentarily move forward but not your body. You don’t lose your balance, and no processing or adjustment of the legs is required.”
People like me, a Tai Chi beginner with a lifelong phobia for math and physics, should refrain from avoiding this book. Use the book’s index to look up one concept at a time. Then ask your own Tai Chi teacher to help. Above all, read this book slowly, perhaps a few pages or paragraphs at a time. It is a valuable reference monograph. I will think of it as a perennially fresh Christmas fruit cake that I’d love to eat, one tiny slice at a time.
Dr. Robert Chuckrow adds new knowledge to Tai Chi in this book with the same passion as Professor Cheng Man-ch’ing wanting America to know Tai Chi. Aside from 51 years of learning and teaching Tai Chi, Chuckrow’s contribution is his intrepid, scholarly attempts to illustrate the physics, physiology, psychology and other scientific principles in an ancient Chinese art form.
On the one hand, Chuckrow retains the poetic, metaphorical insights of Cheng Man-ch’ing such as “The whole body is a hand, and a hand is not a hand” (page 58) as he heard it in person in the early 1970s in New York City.
On the other hand, he explains the science (for example, ‘contractive’ versus ‘expansive’ strength, also on page 58) behind the art: “By contrast, when you exert expansive force on another person, the forces within your body result from the hydraulic pressure of water within your body. Pascal’s principle states that any change in the pressure at any point of a liquid causes exactly the same change at every other point in the liquid. Thus, if the person on whom you are exerting expansive force moves in such a way as to lessen the force exerted on him, that automatically results in an immediate reduction in hydraulic pressure throughout your body—all the way down your legs, to your feet. As a consequence, your arm may momentarily move forward but not your body. You don’t lose your balance, and no processing or adjustment of the legs is required.”
People like me, a Tai Chi beginner with a lifelong phobia for math and physics, should refrain from avoiding this book. Use the book’s index to look up one concept at a time. Then ask your own Tai Chi teacher to help. Above all, read this book slowly, perhaps a few pages or paragraphs at a time. It is a valuable reference monograph. I will think of it as a perennially fresh Christmas fruit cake that I’d love to eat, one tiny slice at a time.
June 20, 2021
This has become one of my favorite "go to" books. I really like the way the author, Robert Chuckrow, introduces tai chi concepts and experiments. It's easy to follow with his step-by-step experiments and there are lots of illustrations that really help. He points out and explains expansive strength, analysis of rooting and redirecting, periodic movement and timing. The chapter that benefited me the most was the one on balance. Here he discusses gravity, rooting, and gave exercises for strengthening leg muscles and increased mobility. He discusses quite clearly the differences between contractive and expansive strength. The book also focus on understanding natural movement from physical, philosophical, health and martial point of view. This is a "keeper" for your library.
July 12, 2022
Written by my first t'ai chi Sifu, Robert brings his professorial knowledge of physics and anatomy to his extensive experience in t'ai chi and other martial arts to the literature he has authored over the years. Nevertheless, I find his writing style to be quite accessible and conversational: having studied with him, I can hear his voice while reading his words!
Robert explores concepts in this book that have been difficult to validate and difficult to explain, and I applaud his success in applying scientific methods to demystify those concepts.
It's my opinion that this book is not for beginners nor for casual t'ai chi students, but if you're a dedicated practitioner of the art, there's much learning to be gained from this respected master.
Robert explores concepts in this book that have been difficult to validate and difficult to explain, and I applaud his success in applying scientific methods to demystify those concepts.
It's my opinion that this book is not for beginners nor for casual t'ai chi students, but if you're a dedicated practitioner of the art, there's much learning to be gained from this respected master.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews