CompleteMartialArts.com - T'ai Chi for Health: Yang Short Form 37 Form
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List Price: $19.98
Our Price: $12.99
Your Save: $ 6.99 ( 35% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: KOCH VISION
Starring: Terence Dunn
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 9781417227952
Format: Closed-captioned
ISBN: 1417227958
Label: KOCH VISION
Manufacturer: KOCH VISION
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: KOCH VISION
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2004-12-07
Running Time: 120
Studio: KOCH VISION
Theatrical Release Date: 1989
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Editorial Reviews:
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T'ai chi, the classic Chinese exercise for health, self-defense, and spiritual growth, is "meditation in movement." It emphasizes relaxation, breath control, visual and mental concentration, and slow, balanced movement, explains the voiceover in T'ai Chi for Health: Yang Short Form during a 10-minute explication of the qualities, philosophy, and health benefits of t'ai chi. Meanwhile the instructor, Terence Dunn, practices on a rocky cliff overlooking the ocean. Dunn teaches 10 minutes of breathing and warm-up exercises. Next is a 30-minute introduction to the basic postures, then a full hour of step-by-step instruction and practice of the 37 postures of the Yang Short Form. The video ends with an eight-minute demonstration of the complete Yang Short Form, showing how the postures flow together. Altogether, you get two full hours in this unusually complete training video. The beginner gets all the instruction needed to start practicing, and ongoing students get an ideal setting for practice and improvement. --Joan Price
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Slow but sure
Comment: As another reviewer pointed out, this is not an exercise video. It is an instructional video that divides into 4 parts. First, a demonstration of the form accompanied by a monologue about the history and purpose of T'ai Chi. Then, a long warmup with emphasis on introduction to the basic postures of the form. Third, 37 lessons divided into 49 parts. Finally, all the parts are again demonstrated in one continuous movement. At the very end of the video, Dunn states what he should have pointed out at the start: it takes 6 to 18 months to master the forms on the video. That would have alerted some of the people who made negative comments that this is not meant to be just an exercise video. The video accomplishes all it is meant to accomplish and I would have given it a 5 except there are lapses and slowness in places that become annoying.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Appreciated in the North woods...
Comment: I had the long form version on video tape originally, and to be honest with the business in my life, I rarely got beyond the warm up exercises...for gravity alone sufficed with what Terence was doing. I ordered the short form dvd after checking out various Tai Chi videos thru rental outlets. I have a past in martial arts, and understand the importance and thinking behind forms, the balance...and am happy to report that I am getting it. I do believe I would have stuck with it earlier had I got the short form right away.
For a more specific crit...its nice on one had that each movement introduced replays and replays til you get it, but it would be nice if there was an option where say perhaps three movements could play at a time consecutively; helping you piece movements together better. It is a hassle to get the remote after each movement and go to the next one. Also, while it is aesthetically cool to see Terence in the last section do the entire form with his Tai Chi outfit, and lights low...it would have been better for students to have had more lights in the production so there is no question to reminders of hand movements, distribution of weight and flow...etc.,
I read reviews before buying this one myself, and to the crit I read complaining of the music that plays along...I too am a musician, but ssheesh....get over it, or don't bother ever visiting any other country or culture. Should be able to rise above Terence's choice of music I would think.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Could not stand the "music"
Comment: I really liked the way he described everything. His warmth and gentleness was very pleasant and did not get old, on the contrary became more endearing with use. I am not an expert on ability, so I can say only that he seems to be very, very good at both doing and teaching this art.
Now I must say why I had to stop using his videotape (yes, it's that old). There is a synthesized soundtrack that slowly became unbearable to me. I really tried to do what he was saying, and this meant that I rewound the tape over and over again as I attempted to follow his instructions. Let me stop right here to state that I did not find his mixing up of left and right to be a problem: one viewing...yes; two viewings...a little clearer; three, four and five viewings...come on people, it's not an issue. Now back to what I was relating. The soundtrack: I am a musician, very sensitive to such things, so perhaps this will not be an issue with most of you--and I know the producers thought this would be a relaxing addition to the overall effect. However, in my case (and perhaps in the case of a small minority of you all) it ultimately became unbearable. I would like to go back to this recording if I could obtain a version without the pervasive, synthesized, 1970's "feel-good" sounds filling up the spaces between the instructions. Terry, can you help me on this?
Customer Rating:
Summary: T'ai Chi not so fluid
Comment: Sorry, very hard to use as a work out guide. The various exercises do not follow one another smoothly, but each one loops until you click Next. Having done that, the next exercise does not pick up where the other one left you so you have to scramble to get into the position being shown. The guide mixes up his left and right, putting his weight on his right leg and telling you to put it on the left, for example. The darned FBI warning and a cute Panda bear can't be fast forwarded through so you are left to do warmups waiting, with the clicker in your hand. A new production would be very welcome as he obviously knows his stuff, but we want to follow and imitate, not just watch!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent Demonstration of Yang Short Form
Comment: I studied this form in the early 1990's but got out of practice and can't find a good teacher of this form. This DVD is the next best thing to having my early teachers with me. It has a few minor production issues but is generally excellent.
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