Choose a Tai Chi routine you like, practice the moves until you are familiar with them, and eventually perform the entire routine smoothly from start to finish.
My entry-level Tai Chi is Chen-style Tai Chi 18 Forms, but Yang-style Tai Chi 24 Forms is also good.
Some schools teach these routines in physical education classes. If you don’t have a teacher nearby, find videos on Bilibili and use the people in the videos as your teachers.
For Chen-style 18 Forms, I recommend Master Chen Zhenglei; for Yang-style 24 Forms, I recommend Master Qiu Huifang. I am familiar with both, having practiced along with their videos. Their teaching videos are numerous, detailed, and with standard movements, making them very suitable for beginners.
Beginners’ movements tend to become distorted without their realizing it. If you have a knowledgeable teacher to correct you, you can avoid many mistakes.
If you don’t have a teacher, use a mirror to compare your movements with those in the videos and correct yourself.
When practicing alone, you will likely encounter many difficulties, such as:
Why do I unconsciously stand up while practicing, with my center of gravity fluctuating, swaying from side to side, or feeling sore in my hands and feet, or why are my movements uncoordinated?
Generally, these problems indicate flaws that need to be fixed; otherwise, the foundation will be unstable.
Pay attention from the beginning and use standing postures and circling movements to build a solid foundation.
Standing postures are static exercises. Stand with your feet bent, hips seated, body upright, and hands in a ball-holding position. Initially, practice standing postures a lot to build a good foundation. Once accustomed, be more relaxed. While standing, clear your mind of distractions, look inward, and achieve a state where the bones rise and the flesh sinks.
Circling movements: practice both forward and backward circles. Initially, use your hands to draw circles, then add body movements (with shoulders relaxed, using waist and hips for rotation), and finally involve your feet, achieving coordination from top to bottom.
These two types of training are worth trying initially. If you have better methods, follow what you know.
Most people stop at the first stage, either giving up or no longer exploring further. Those who persist usually do so out of interest. I hope you can surpass the first stage.
Second Stage: Understanding Jin (Force)
Grasp the structure and practice integrated force.
Achieve the ability to concentrate the entire body’s strength into one point instantly.
Find a favorite, cool power-exerting move and repeatedly practice it.
Ensure all parts of the body coordinate, and the force can be exerted from one point.
Once mastered, try exerting force in various directions with different moves.
Achieve a smooth and unimpeded flow of energy.
Understand how this force is formed to know how to practice.
Figuring it out yourself is an interesting journey.
Follow your own ideas and attempts.
The joy of success is indescribable.
Avoid revealing too much to preserve the joy of discovery.
Leave some blank spaces for exploration and imagination.
Third Stage: Divine Understanding
Use your brain more.
Understand more things and master more principles.
A thousand readers will have a thousand Hamlets.
Share a bit of personal experience: the focus of intention.
Personal attempt yielded good results.
Practicing routines repeatedly led to irritation and distractions.
Cleared mind and focused on a solution.
Realized that thinking about troubles once was unavoidable.
Decided to focus on something else, specifically a point in the hand while practicing boxing.
Concentrated attention on the point’s trajectory and direction without relaxation.
Naturally, had no time for other distractions.
Consciousness, concentrated through the point, led the body to follow, maintaining the structure of the force and allowing relaxation.
Unexpected benefits were surprising.
Focus can be applied not only in boxing but also in all aspects of life.
Share a little, as real understanding comes from personal practice.