tai chi newsgroup

hi, does anyone know if there are any newsgroups based on the topic of tai chi only? i need some good info on wudang style tai chi please help me out

I just subscribed and haven't gotten any traffic yet, but I was told the mailing list is quite good. To subscribe, send mail to

with 'subscribe taichichuan' in the body of the email. The r.m-a FAQ mentions

I don't think there are any newsgroups on Usenet that are devoted to Taiji. There are several mailing lists, but I don't know of any in which 'wudang style' Taiji is a big feature, since it is not a traditional style or name of Taiji.

As in all things, check the credentials and skills of anyone who gives you advice. There are a lot of people in some of the mailing lists who don't know beans about Taiji but who think they know everything and will pout of you question them (some of those have retired onto the TCC list to pump air into each others' tires). Go see some of the big names in Yang, Chen, Wu, etc., styles when they come near you. Then compare what you saw with the results of the people who assure you that they know the real thing. That's always your biggest clue.... looking at results, your own included.

Mike Sigman

It is always good advice to go see very expert teachers. Many lower teachers do not encourage you see big teachers because then you know something is wrong.

I do not understand words to wit: 'pump air into each others' tires'. Can you explain? I was on that mail list briefly but it is only people who do not understand Tai Chi. Wrong name for list. However, level is not so high anywhere you go. Better to get a good teacher and talk less.

'Pumping air into each others' tires' is a comment about people being self-congratulatory. In other words they spend a lot of time telling each other how good, clever, and righteous they are. However, on that list I was talking about (the Taichichuan mailing list), there are a number of 'experts' who really specialize in Shaolin, etc., and who think Taiji is basically the same thing. This was also the list where jokes were made about 'peng jing' and 'pengmeisters' until it has suddenly become abundantly clear that all they did was reveal that the whole lot of them didn't even know the basis of Taiji. Now a few of them knowledgeably talk about peng jin, totally ignoring the fact that it is on the record that they didn't know what it was a year or two ago. In other words, for all practical purposes, the major posters have revealed that they are simply beginners who are now quietly trying to pretend that they knew about peng jin all along. They forget the record and flame wars they started in the holy name of putting down the peng barbarians. :^)))) Flame wars that in retrospect started because they were wrong and didn't know what they were talking about... and now they're too proud too acknowledge that they were wrong.

Regards,

Mike Sigman

OK. If you say so. I understand now. I did not think there were any experts on that list but I do not want to waste time putting anyone down.

What do you expect them to do? Admit they were wrong? Do you think that is a normal human reaction? Of course not. Let it go. They are allowed to try to be someone important as long as they do not hurt or mislead other peoples. Let it go.

Except that they *do* hurt and they *do* mislead. The kinds of character defamation, personal attacks and assaults on one's professional integrity have been unending. The stalking, harrassment, personal threats, anonymous slurs, false information, and invasion of privacy have caused great damage. Their intentional and malicious infliction of emotional distress in response to having been 'outed' as incapable of mimicking an unusual movement is inexcusable. Just shows you how far some folks will go when you tremble their rice bowl.

Hi Chas:

I think that Ming and I were only discussing the Taichichuan mailing list. Some of your comments may be apt, but not necessarily the more serious actions you've mentioned. If they were that bad, they wouldn't be asking each other how to fajin or be saying that 'peng jing is fine, but how about lu jing, ji jing, and an jing?' :^)))

Sorry- didn't mean to intrude. In that posting I was kinda thinking of the guy that was in Atlanta also.

My relationship with the east coast crowd has been far deeper than just scholarship or exhibition of skills. They have stooped to anonymous malicious slurs as a *group*. Screw'em, they get to ride the pipe.

*snip*

Heh. That's why it is so much better to be a Shaolin stylist. All we have to do is argue about who has the 'real' 18 hands of Buddha techniques.

But if you did the internal styles you wouldn't need 18 hands to do it with. You could do it with only one. :^)