What style to learn

[je murin]

Hi!

I would like to start to learn taijiquan

could you help me what style should I start with?
A thai box master of mine, who is also experienced in gong fu, yoga, taiji and qigong told to one of my firend once that chen style is going to harm his knees because the deep forms of the chen style...

that's all I remember, and I can't reach this master anymore, as he's abroad at the moment.


so should I start with yang style than?

[John the Monkey mind]

I don't think it matters much. What matters is finding a good teacher who teacher traditional Taiji with applications. If they don't teach the applications you have to wonder about their understanding of the art and how good it is.

I study Yang style but all the major styles look good. Wu styles sounds good and practical, also Sun style as I love Sun style Xing Yi so have no dubt his Taiji was grate also.

[Josh Young]

Hi!
A thai box master of mine, who is also experienced in gong fu, yoga, taiji and qigong told to one of my firend once that chen style is going to harm his knees because the deep forms of the chen style...

Considering that Chen style has been practiced for over 300 years and it is not know to harm the knees, this friend is wrong. I've met several skilled Chen stylists and their knees work fine.

Start with any taiji you want, all of it is great if you find a decent school.
but...

Make sure the teacher has good knees!!!!!!

[je murin]

Hi!
A thai box master of mine, who is also experienced in gong fu, yoga, taiji and qigong told to one of my firend once that chen style is going to harm his knees because the deep forms of the chen style...

Considering that Chen style has been practiced for over 300 years and it is not know to harm the knees, this friend is wrong. I've met several skilled Chen stylists and their knees work fine.

Start with any taiji you want, all of it is great if you find a decent school.
but...

Make sure the teacher has good knees!!!!!!

it's not the experienced or skilled ones we are talking about, but the beginners whose knees and joints are not yet adjusted to heavy strain... hence the deep postures of chen style. that's all.

[nitsuj]

I've started with Chen style. I LOVE it!

[Josh Young]

Traditionally people who were trained by the Chen family did 1-3 years of stance training before beginning formal training, just to reach the right level of strength and stamina, as well as achieve the proper build and joint strength.

This protects the knees from being destroyed the way their formal training would for a novice. But of course a style is not a form, but a complete transmission of all training methods, applications and techniques. The Chen transmissions are remarkable.