Yang Tai Chi for Beginners: Learn Tai Chi Step-By-Step with Master Yang

I dont normally care for reviews that are done before the product is thoroughly used, the book completely read, etc. "I'm on page 10 and I know I'm going to love it", or "The shoes just arrived today and I love them". These don't tell you how the person felt after reading the whole book or wearing the shoes. Having said that, it may take years for me to thoroughly comprehend and make use of everything in this DVD. Its that dense with information.So, caveats aside, I've had the DVD for several months but I'm only about 1.5 hours into this 4+ hour DVD and so far I'm very impressed. I'm only that far in because I'm trying to master each motion before moving on to the next one, and I have limited time for practice. Dr Yang goes into great detail about how to do each move properly, but he doesn't linger so long on each one that you get bored. He shows each motion from multiple points of view, so you get a 3D view of each one. He explains the martial application of each move, and then demonstrates it with in assistant. I don't plan to do combat but I did want to learn a form of Tai Chi with martial applications, and this provides a basis for those applications. Dr Yang frequently refers to his other DVDs for those interested in learning the martial applications in depth. For now, I'm pleased just to have that inclusion for an overview. I didn't want to learn Tai Chi strictly from a "performance" or "relaxation" or Western perspective, even though improved relaxation, concentration, muscle tone and balance are my main goals. As one reviewer said, this DVD "isnt for the masses". if you just want a quick superficial fix Its not for you. Its for those interested in going a little more in depth. And he says this in the DVD-if all you want is to relax and make some flowing motions, you dont need this DVD.He can be a little hard to understand on certain words, but really not bad. Its clear even though I havent watched the entire DVD yet that he is a true master and his teaching method is extremely thorough and grounded in traditional knowledge of Tai Chi. I couldn't be happier with it and am sure I'll be learning from it for years to come. Even if I never go any farther (I will) its a steal for 4+ hours of master instruction for under $20.

I recently purchased this DVD and am only two+ weeks in ... But, so far the DVD is amazing. Dr. Yang takes his time to explain each movement, shows the movement from sometimes up to 3-4 different directions, uses poor "Jonathan" to demonstrate the martial arts application and explains some of the background of the movement.The sections where you have group demonstrations and solo demonstrations are also very helpful as I am up to move 20 or so by now and seeing and practicing the movements together with the group is very key. There is even a solo movement demonstration where Dr. Yang is filmed from behind so you can follow along as if you are in a class.I'm sure some professional instructors might poo-poo the idea of learning this at home, But, so far this video is tremendously enjoyable, easy to learn from, and extremely well put together. Some significant effort went into the filming and editing of this video. Plus, Dr. Wang is actually quite amusing some times - which makes the video easy to work with.I am so glad I spent the extra money and got this video instead of the other cheaper ones that were around. If you are serious about wanting to learn at home - this DVD is the way to go.

This teacher is excelent and goes into great detail; he's obviously a true master. The only problem is that it is very difficult to learn a physical action from a DVD, no matter how good it is. Still, he is good enough that he is able to convey the 'feeling' behind the movements so that a serious student would be able to work through the whole practice and learn it from the video given enough patience. The content of this video is actually five stars - I gave it 4 simply because of the difficulty of learning from a DVD. If you are serious about learning Tai Chi Chuan, look in local yellow pages for Tai Chi, but also Kung Fu, as Tai Chi is often taught in Kung Fu schools. Beware of martial art schools giving 'black belts' in Tai Chi Chuan, or Kung Fu, as Chinese martial arts don't have 'black belts' at all - that is a Japanese phenomenon.

The perfect resource for Tai Chi beginners who wants to learn the traditional Yang style Tai Chi Chuan long form in depth. I have learned so much from this DVD. Dr. Yang goes into meticulous detail in showing your the form and how to correctly perform it. His passion shows through his teaching and he keeps the viewer engaged.I would recommend you buy the "Tai Chi Classical Yang Style" book also by Dr. Yang as a perfect complement to this DVD. It will make a lot of sense on how you should approach learning this martial art in the long term once you read the book. Also get the Tai chi Qigong, the Internal Foundation for Taijiquan DVD. If you can Also buy "Tai Chi 37 posture Martial Applications" which is also by Dr Yang which will help you greatly by understanding the martial applications of the Tai chi long form.I would recommend that if you are able to, do register for a Taijiquan seminar at the YMAA retreat center with Dr Yang Jwing Ming or visit a seminar done by his students or schools to have your form checked and corrected once you have learned the form through the DVD.