Sun Style Tai Chi - DC Tai Chi

Master Nick Gracenin leads students from his DC Tai Chi school in a demonstration of Sun style tai chi.
Presented at the 2017 Washington Taiji Festival at the Cabin John Tai Chi Court in Bethesda, Maryland.

[@enricoganasi]

Bravo muí bien

[@HOLY_FRIJOLES]

Very well performed, and with total ease. The high kicks were very impressive. Each person performed them with ease.

[@JE-western-rider]

It would be an both an honor and a pleasure to perform the Sun 73 with these practitioners.

[@wongcheukkwan]

The inventor of the Sun Style Tai Chi is Mr L T Sun (孫祿堂（1860年－1933年）). He is a tall person and is one of the best fighters in north China. In 1919, Mr Sun was appointed as the Chief Coach of the president office. He published a book on Tai Chi. Rumor was spread that he fought with a Russian fighter and won. The above demonstration illustrated the original intention of Mr Sun, whose fighting style is like flowing water, and makes the enemy unable to guess his next move.

[@resultbasedhandsonhealing1919]

He was small person as daughter of sun lutang told students about his statue. Who said he was tall person?

[@Nuxia108]

I love Sun style. I think this is just the greatest small frame form. The people need small frame. Small frame is universal, because it can truly be done well by anyone. Nick learned from Sun herself and several direct descendants as an indoor student. He's more knowledgeable about Sun style than anyone I've met in the US. (I'm still learning it but I've done singe whip this way in sparring just naturally for the push, because that opportunity comes up all the time with no need for the hook. There are so many benefits to adding this form to your repertoire.)

[@david9180]

I can tell you that this is the worst sun style ive ever seen ' master sun lu tangs form was his crowning achievement a synthesis of hsing baguan and small frame chen style ' make referance to Tim cartnell autobiography of sun lu tang with photographs of each posture ' this is the reason tai chi today cant fight at all

[@benharyo]

Very good performance by the Laoshi and all his followers🙏🙋‍♂🙋‍♂ I do Sun-style too. Love to see so many people doing Sun-style. In my country 🇮🇩it is very rare, as here the dominant Tai Chi is Chen and Yang. Even the Zheng Manqing style has more followers. So, keep up the good work🙏

[@mdubb4855]

You guys are good. Stellar achievement in the usually lazy and sloppy American tai chi community. Those elegant kicks!

[@eds73100]

really good!!

[@advadhuta]

Very well done! :-)

[@miasjames]

I've never seen the 73 performed in a large group, well done. I do think you have a big Yang style influence here also.

[@johnkoo8990]

Please，read his book ？

[@wenshen3166]

well done, the kick is impressive. I just wish the video recorder was invented earlier to record the original real master's performance.

[@itinerantpoet1341]

Every generation has masters at all levels. Sun Lutang is the founder of the system, but his life would have been in vain had he also not been a great teacher, and passed it down. I only do a little Sun style, but the core techniques I keep are among the best. My hsingyi comes from Sun originally, and my experience is that it "takes a lifetime."

[@Velasca]

I'd love to see Yang Luchan and Dong Haichuan.

[@bensenlee7529]

这不是，孙禄堂，的1919年，98式，孙太极。

[@kepheramanjet3244]

I wish that Sun Lu Tang was alive to demonstrate the actual form that he created. I feel very sorry for anyone who watches this form or any other form of TaiChi and think that this is the original. We are far removed from practicing the forms as our ancient predecessors, and even more removed from the Taiji classics which were supposed to guide us in the best way possible. For starters when Taijiquan is performed it is like a nine curved pearl necklace, meaning that it seems to never stop flowing. There is no pauses, no stops or breaks like Japanese Katas or Taekwondo forms. We have to stop applying the same criteria in other martial arts to Taijiquan. Secondly, when my opponent moves fast I also am fast; when my opponent moves slow then I also am slow. This means that there is no set tempo or pace that one practices Taijiquan. One ebbs and flows like the ocean, pushing and pulling from the Dan Tien, like a never ceasing yarn of silk. Thirdly, Sun Lu Tangs descriptions of his forms have done this style a complete disservice, as it has failed to show the intricate movements that demonstrate the connections and flowing movements between forms. I definitely have seen the connections of Wudang San Can Sai in the form, but the use Xingyiquan moments such as "Beng" appear to be lacking especially in footwork.

[@itinerantpoet1341]

The arts evolve with each generation. Bow Sim Mark taught this differently, because she likely learned it from Fu Wing-Fay. But it's still Sun style-Sun, Fu, and Yang all traded knowledge-and much of the modern internal arts comes from that bond. There is more than one Sun style form. The form in this video, I believe, is the 73. All Sun practitioners should aspire to demonstrate with this level of clarity, regardless of interpretation. Coach Nick also may have learned from Sun Shurong: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j4PHkombm8yFndk The Bagua demonstrated is very similar to how many Fu stylists do it, and it's fair to say that the core of Coach Nick's internal comes from Fu, directly, from nearly all branches. (And, tbh Kephera, based on your comments, I have to wonder if we're watching the same video! Do you know who Gracenin's sifu is? She surely exceeded Sun, Fu and Yang in all of those aspects! If it weren't so, we'd have to consider those legendary masters to be failures, and they were not failures. And with Coach Nick we're talking about a teacher who had a significant injury that was almost career ending, so of course the footwork isn't going to be as lively, or the fajing as intense, as prior to that injury. But that only tends to make teachers even more internal. The serious injury is generally understood to be what allowed Yu Chenghui to achieve such greatness: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eWqZaZlnqNZ7lZY )

[@mdubb4855]

I think you’re splitting hairs. But big picture, I really wonder how many of Sun Lutang’s innovations and discoveries made it down to us intact. Also, in America where most current students lack patience and dedication and most tai chi is at senior centers, Coach Nick’s efforts have created an elite cadre of students, and that is saying a lot. I gave my midlife second wind over to BJJ, until injured out, I have no regrets, but I would have been studying with this Sifu instead if we’d been in the same state and city, and I’d still be practicing instead of being sidelined. Unless you can levitate, in which case tip of the hat to you, I think you owe a little respect instead of going all academic and hypothetical. Teachers like this need support and not bashing.

[@arcticwanderer2000]

How does one get to be a master of Sun Tai Chi? Is there a Sun style board of directors that hands out the title?

[@madjidchouarbi3921]

arcticwanderer2000 In traditionnal martial arts, your skill is the only criteria to be reconnize as a master. When you're a well renowned expert, you can give a few disciples with skill, virtue and deep knowledge of the school's traditions and principles, the title of Master. But, if noone else does reconnize your student as a master, no matter what degree you gave him. he won't be accepted by the other master as legitimate to teach. In western society, the titles are given by the organisations and the consequence is the rise of so called masters who don't even know how to fight.

[@itinerantpoet1341]

Same way you get to Carnegie Hall, arctic-practice.

[@arcticwanderer2000]

@@itinerantpoet1341 So I trained in Sun Style for 2 years in China and have been practicing for 35 years since returning home. Does that make me a " Master"?

[@itinerantpoet1341]

@@arcticwanderer2000 People at the park have called me a master, but they're not qualified to make that assessment. (To *them* I am, but not compared to my teacher and others I have studied with;) I've been doing it for almost as long as you, and I *think* I might be finally starting to get it!

[@itinerantpoet1341]

@@madjidchouarbi3921 It's true that McDojo has cheapened it, but it's also spread awareness of the Chinese arts. I've learned that you can gauge the quality of a teacher by the quality of their students, and I think the real point of mastering some skill, to whatever degree, is about passing it on to the next generation and, in this way preserving the art. Coack Nick is the diametric opposite of McDojo-he's the real thing as teachers go.

[@spaceyjones6628]

After this I'm going to watch Team America World Police, then listen to Steve Ignorant presents Crass Song(s)!

[@chrisfarano1578]

No internal movement.

[@DeoanandGeer]

Nobody teaching taichi here excrpt confudcius institute teaching yang 24 forms....