I GOT A SWORD!!!

[Mike Evans]

I've heard of a few systems (both internal and external) that use the movemnet of the tassel as a teaching aid. In these particular styles, the tassel should generally follow the path of the swrod, as opposed to wrapping annoyingly around the hand...

[shaolinstylee]

Well, yeah, thats true...

nice circles and good wrists = no tassle around wrist.

[Greenknight2]

Just curious is there alot of forms out there for the Tai Chi sword?

[shaolinstylee]

Well, lets see, um, YES...

taiji sword = straight sword

Just about every system has several... except for maybe like wing chun... they use butterfly knives.

[Greenknight2]

You answer my question but I got another one. But is every straight sword style tai chi?

I seem to be taking the form to fast.

[shaolinstylee]

lol, what?

No, each style has there own staight sword forms, they are not taiji forms.. .lol

[Mike Evans]

Part of the world's confusion in this matter is that many people call the jian a "Tai Chi Sword." I suppose it is more properly called a straight sword, and that the phrase tai chi sword refers more specifically to those forms done by tai chi stylists with the jian. This brings up the other common misconception that any slow moving internal form is tai chi. AFAIK, Tai Chi refers specifically to the systems decended from Chen style (ie Yang, Wu, Sun, Etc.). What makes these particular systems unique isn't that they are slow moving, it's the theory and application of the posture (ie application of Ting Jing, Peng Jing, etc.) Many systems, especially those with any ties to Taoism, have internal sets in their curricula....

So, yes, there are hundreds of forms for the jian/straight sword, many of them are internal, and perhaps dozens of them are tai chi forms.

Confused yet?

[shaolinstylee]

Mike pretty much spelled it all out....