Wudang Tai Chi Chuan was brought to the western world by Dan Docherty whom served as a police officer in Hong Kong during the 70s and 80s and during that same period learned Tai Chi Chuan from his Sifu Cheng Ting Hung. The style has connections to Yang-, Wu- and Chen-families but is called Wudang since that’s where the Tai Chi Chuan founder Zhang San Feng lived and thrived.
Hand Forms
Hand forms act as a “library” and are a sequence of movements where each movement represent a technique for self defense. The forms are usually performed in a slow manner, to circulate Qi, to stimulate the nervous system and to enter a meditative state of the mind. There are three hand forms in the style. The long hand form, the short hand form and the advanced short form. Each which also can be performed mirrored or reversed.
Weapons – Spear / Sabre / Sword
The Wudang style has three traditional weapons. It’s the Spear (Qian), the Sabre (Dao) and the Sword (Jian). Weapon training consists of both forms, drills and applications. Just as the hand form the weapon forms is a “library” of different techniques and concepts. Each weapon represents their own quality and gives the practitioner different insights and skills.
Pushing Hands (Tui Shou)
Pushing hands are different partner exercises that primarily develops the understanding of force and flow, the ability to listen without hearing and the ability to change without resisting. There are many drills and variations in the style and each serve their own purpose, but they all build great qualities and improve the senses.
Self Defense (San Shou)
These are the techniques that can be found in the hand forms and are practiced against one or multiple opponents. There are 48 orthodox techniques, a few hidden ones, with many variations and adoptions. These techniques may not always make sense but are there to build qualities and the understanding of distances, angles, how the human body functions and how you can manipulate it.
Indoor Training
There are hidden and advanced concepts, techniques, drills and systems that only the indoor student will get to train. Our Nei Gong system consists of 24 exercises that are shown to the student in different parts under several years. Exercises that builds incredible internal strength and an amazing root. After 100 days of daily Nei Gong training one should be able to withstand a person landing on ones abdomen from 2 meters height without taking any damage.
The Wudang style is a wide and complete system that covers everything from meditation to weapons and self defense. It’s a practical style that demands a lot of energy and time from the practitioner, but in return one will be rewarded a thousand fold. Many have taken on the path, few have reached the top.
