This short, energetic form is required for the first degree black sash. Master Gohring’s YouTube play list includes a full walk-through (about two minutes), a full-speed demo (about half a minute), and several more clips of instruction and demonstration. It’s almost impossible to learn a form entirely from video (for me anyway), but you can certainly polish and/or resurrect your form with these video tools.

Master Gohring, full-speed demo, flute form.

The full-speed demo above is faster than most of us can manage. For me, this form takes about one minute. The movements don’t have names, so these are just my notes on the sequence:

1. Strike left, left hand only
2. Hit left with two-hands on
3. Pull in and kick right
4. Turn left, hit/stamp down
5. Shove, Row
6. Pivot left and right, hitting over, over, under under
7. Row, Shove
8. Helicopter (360 turn with ball-change to hit)
9. Block up (skip), hit under arm
10. Row, shove
11. Turn 180/hit
12. Block up (skip), hit under arm
13. Row, shove
14. Turn 180/hit
15. Step right/hit back
16. Turn 180/hit

Switch to one hand and advance, striking:

• High, high, low, low, high, high, low, low

Close form:

• Turn to left, brace wrist
• Pivot 270 on right
• Open arms, thrust with two hands
• Step back left, left hand
• Circle and bow

The pivots in step number 6 above are on the heel of the leading foot and the ball of the trailing foot, 180 degrees per step. For the striking advance before the closing, step forward left and close with the right.

Master Gohring has recorded an introduction to Chen style Tai Chi in several parts.

• Lesson 1: Preparing Form, first part of Buddha Stamp
• Lesson 2: Next part of Buddha Stamp
• Lesson 3: Rest of Buddha Stamp
• Lesson 4: Demo of opening and Buddha Stamp
• Lesson 5: First part of Lan Zha Yi
• Lesson 6: Lan Zha Yi
• Lesson 7: Review and Liu Feng Si Bi

In addition, he’s made video demonstrations of a number of movements and sections within the Chen 38.

• Single Whip
• Whirling Wind Arms
• Fist Under Elbow, Whirling Wind Arms, White Crane Spreads Wings
• White Crane #2 through Single Whip
• Flash the Back
• High Pat on Horse
• Ending from the last Single Whip

One last video: Mr. Figg leads the Chen 38 up through Fist Under Elbow.

When I Google the Chen 38, what comes up most often (apart from our own videos above) is the (or a) competition set. Here is a video of the competition set that Master Gohring teaches: American Chen Tai Chi Competition Form. Our Yang competition set is just a subset of the regular Yang moves, but the Chen competition set is quite different from the 38…and looks formidably difficult to me!

Grandmaster Cheng Jincai is a student of 18th generation Chen Master Chen Zhaokui. From Cheng Jincai, Master Gohring learned the Chen 38, which is currently one of the main requirements for the second degree black sash in either Tai Chi or Kung Fu at Master Gohring’s martial arts academy.

Grand Master Cheng Jincai – Chen 38

The Chen 38 takes between ten and fifteen minutes to perform; for the test, we should take no less than twelve minutes. The stance should be low, with thighs roughly parallel to the ground, but not everyone is able to achieve this.

Videos

Master Gohring demonstrates the Chen 38 in two parts with English names. In background audio (sometimes hard to make out) Cheng Jincai provides Chinese names and breathing.

Chen 38: Part One | Part Two

Two more videos of the whole form:

• Cheng Jincai demo: Chen 38 Part One | Part Two
• Mister Hunter and Mr. Rodriguez: Graduation demo of Chen 38

In addition, Master Gohring has made several instructional videos for the opening section and for certain specific movements later in the form. I’ll list these in a separate post: Chen 38: Additional Instruction.

Names of the movements

The following list of names was provided by Master Gohring, who teaches the Chen 38 at his black sash Academy in Austin (where I have studied since 2010). These are the names used by Grandmaster Cheng Jincai.

The form may begin as usual with Yu Bei Shi (Preparing Form) and/or Qishi (Commencement),but the first movement is the Buddha Stamp..

1. Jin Gang Dao Dui – Indra Pounds with Tilt Hammer (Buddha Stamp)
2. Lan Zha Yi – Lazy About Tying the Robe
3. Liu Feng Si Bi – Six Sealing Four Closing
4. Dan Bian – Single Whip
5. Jin Gang Dao Dui – 2nd Buddha Stamp
6. Bai He Liang Chi – White Crane Spreads Wings
7. Xie Xing – Oblique Form
8. Lou Xi Au Bu – Brush Knee Twist Step
9. Yan Shou Gong Quan – Hidden Hand Punch
10. Jin Gang Dao Dui – 3rd Buddha Stamp
11. Pie Shen Quan – Lean with Back (Draping the Fist)
12. Qing Long Chu Shui – Blue Green Dragon Emerges from the Sea
13. Shuang Tui Shou – Double Push Hands
14. Zhou Di Kan Quan – Fist Under Elbow
15. Dao Juan Gong – Whirling Wind Arms
16. Bai He Liang Chi – White Crane Spreads Wings
17. Xie Xing – Oblique Form
18. Shan Tong Bei – Flash the Back
19. Yan Shou Gong Quan – Hidden Hand Punch
20. Liu Feng Si Bi – Six Sealing Four Closing
21. Dan Bian – Single Whip
22. Yun Shou – Cloud Hands
23. Gao Tan Ma – High Pat on Horse
24. Shi Zi Bai Lian – Cross Form Kick
25. Zhi Dang Chui – Punch Downward
26. Yuan Hou Xian Guo – Ape Picks Up the Fruit
27. Dan Bian – Single Whip
28. Hu Xin Quan – Shield Heart with Fist (Protect the Heart)
29. Xie Xing – Oblique Form
30. Hui Tou Jin Gang Dao Dui – Turning Back and 3rd Buddha Stamp
31. Lan Zha Yi – Lazy About Tying the Robe
32. Liu Feng Si Bi – Six Sealing Four Closing
33. Dan Bian – Single Whip
34. Shuang Bai Lian – Sweep Leg with Both Hands
35. Shang Bu Qi Xing – Step Up Seven Stars
36. Xia Bu Kua Hu – Step Down to Ride the Tiger
37. Bai Lian Dang Tou Pao – Sweep Leg and Cannon Forward
38. Jin Gang Dao Dui – 4th Buddha Stamp

Long Feng surprised me one day by showing me Ba Shi Ba — 88 form. The surprise was that 88 turned out to be the traditional long form that I know as the Yang 108. And sure enough, if you look it up, 88 is supposedly the traditional long form.

Li Deyin Instructional Video on Youtube

What I call the Yang 108 and what Long Feng knows as the 88 are unmistakably the same form, but the differences are numerous. One movement is missing entirely–the shoulder strike–and some movements are almost unrecognizable, most notably Embrace Tiger Return to Mountain (Bao Hu Gui Shan).

In addition, nearly every single movement is styled a little (or a lot) differently, more like the modern Beijing-style forms that I’ve been learning from Long Feng. I take it that 88 is the traditional Yang long form as performed and taught in China today. Modern Tai Chi is highly standardized. It’s taught in universities in China and is a college sport.

Although it sounds like 88 would have twenty fewer movements, it’s not actually any shorter except for lacking the shoulder strike. The difference is in how the movements are counted. I haven’t studied the details, but I’ve watched (and followed) the whole 88, and it is the complete 108 (sans Kao). Lan Que Wei alone could account for the difference, depending on whether you counted each Peng, Lu, Ji and An separately.

The picture above links to an instructional video by Li Deyin, who has been an enormously influential Tai Chi Master and instructor in Beijing for many years. He created 42 and 48 forms, and is considered an authority on 88. The performer is one of his students.

I would love to learn to do the long form this way, but I am afraid of confusing myself in advance of my test. Maybe this spring.

Also known as the 37-step form, the short form was created by Cheng Man Chin, who studied with Yang Cheng Fu. Patience Tai Chi offers an interesting account of the history.

Cheng Man Ching: Yang Short Form

Here’s a video of Cheng Man Chin himself doing 37 form. The movements are styled much like what we do at Master Gohring’s school–but not exactly. One of my Chinese friends is showing me this one at the park on the weekends, and he does it somewhat differently yet. Minor variations in form are endless! I have gotten over being confused by it. For this one, I will try to mimic Cheng Man Ching’s style, since we have this example of the master himself.

The 37 movements are listed below as I’ve identified them, by the names familiar to me; the list on the Patience site is  probably more authentic. From this list, anyone who knows the 108 ought to be able to put together the short form.

1. Commencement
2. Grasp the Bird’s Tail
3. Single Whip
4. White Crane Spreads Wings
5. Brush Knee Push
6. Playing Guitar (plus a second brush knee push)
7. Step Forward Deflect Downward Intercept and Punch
8. Withdraw and Push
9. Cross Hands
10. Embrace Tiger Return to Mountain
11. Grasp the Bird’s Tail
12. Diagonal Single Whip
13. Fist Under Elbow
14. Repulse Monkeys
15. Slant Flying [skip White Crane thru single whip]
16. Cloud Hands
17. Single Whip
18. Snake Creeps Down/Golden Rooster (Right and Left)
19. Separate Right Foot
20. Separate Left Foot
21. Turn and Strike with Heel Left
22. Brush Knee Push (Left and Right)
23. Step Forward, Deflect Downward, Intercept and Punch
24. Grasp the Bird’s Tail
25. Single Whip
26. Four Corners
27. Grasp the Bird’s Tail
28. Single Whip
29. Snake Creeps Down
30. Step Up Seven Stars
31. Ride the Tiger to the Mountain
32. Sweep the Lotus
33. Bend Bow Shoot Tiger
34. Step Forward Deflect Downward, Intercept and Punch
35. Withdraw and Push
36. Cross Hands
37. Feet Together

The form is only about five minutes long, but contains most of the unique movements of the 108 and much less repetition. The major kicking section is altogether missing. So are Part the Wild Horse’s Mane and Needle at Sea Bottom.

Ba Fa means Eight Energies. It’s also the name of a short Chen-style form consisting of only 16 movements corresponding to the eight energies: blocking, pulling, pushing, pressing, grabbing, breaking, elbowing and shouldering.

Master Gohring demonstrates Ba Fa

Video by Master Gohring shows Ba Fa from the back at a walk-through pace. Movements are as follows:

Left:

• Block (step left, fingers pointing right)
• Pull Back (shift back left, close with right foot, step forward right)
• Push (shift back to right cat stance, step forward right to push)
• Press (open to left, press down, step back up left to shoulder width)

Right:

• Block (step back right, fingers point to left)
• Pull Back (shift back right, close with left, step forward left)
• Push(shift back to left cat, step forward left to push)
• Press (open to right, press down, step up right feet together)

Left:

• Grab (Step left)
• Break (block up left, pull back and down left)
• Elbow (step left, right)
• Shoulder (Step left, right, walk back)

Right:

• Grab (step right)
• Break (block up right, pull back and down right)
• Elbow (step right, left)
• Shoulder (step right, left, walk back)

I am in love with the double-edged sword. This is the third sword form I’ve learned, after Chen sword and 32-sword. It is NOT required for either the first or second degree black sash test at Master Gohring’s school. Like other traditional forms, this one is somewhat time-obscured.

My sword is from KungFuDirect.com

I’ve found six videos, two from Master Gohring’s school and four by other masters. (1) This video of class with names seems a little brisk in pace to me; it takes only about three minutes. That’s barely enough time to say all those long names! (2) This student demo was performed at Master Gohring’s 2013 Black Sash Graduation (4 minutes). The form runs a bit longer when performed by (3) Sifu Peter Tam Hoy, (4) Yang Jian Chao, (5) Li Guang Qi, and (6) Yang Jun.

1.   2.  3. 

4.  5.  6. 

The form looks quite different from one video to the next! I think it might be characteristic of traditional forms, which are by nature handed down from one teacher to another, that they vary this much.

Michael Garofalo lists the same movements we learn in class, along with numerous alternative translations that he has come across in his rather extensive research. Here’s the list of names.

1. Step forward moving sword and hand together
2. Divinity points the way
3. Three rings around the moon (L,R)
4. Major literary star
5. Swallow beats the water (times three)
6. Block and sweep from the left
7. Block and sweep from the right
8. Minor literary star
9. Bee enters the cave
10. Alert cat catches the mouse
11. Dragonfly strikes the water
12. Swallow returns to the nest
13. Phoenix spreads both wings (slant flying)
14. Whirling wind counterclockwise
15. Minor literary star
16. Whirling wind counterclockwise
17. The attitude of catching a fish
18. Divide the grass in search of a snake (times three)
19. Embrace the moon
20. The bird returns to the forest
21. The black dragon wags its tail
22. The wind rolls the lotus leaf
23. The lion shakes its head
24. The tiger holds its head
25. The horse leaps over the stream
26. Turn your body to stop the horse
27. The compass
28. Wave tassels against the wind
29. Push boat with current
30. Shooting star chases the moon
31. The running horse goes wild
32. Rolling up the screen
33. The wheel spins left and right
34. The swallow holds mud in its beak
35. The roc spreads its wings
36. Scooping the moon from the bottom of the sea
37. Embracing the moon, the spirit searches the sea
38. The rhino gazes at the moon
39. Shooting the flying goose
40. The dragon stretches its claws
41. The phoenix spreads both wings
42. Cross fence with left leg
43. Cross fence with right leg
44. Shooting the flying goose
45. The white ape offers fruit
46. The flowers fall left/right/left/right
47. Fair lady works shuttles
48. The white tiger wags its tail
49. The fish leaps over the dragon’s gate
50. The black dragon coils around the pillar
51. The divinity points the way
52. The wind sweeps the falling flowers
53. Holding the tablet before your bosom
54. Embrace the sword
55. Return to starting position

On my to-do list: learn the standardized 56-form and figure out how it compares to this traditional form.

The so-called simplified form was created under the auspices of the Chinese Sports Committee in 1956 by four Tai Chi masters. It contains many of the major elements of the traditional long forms without the repetition. It was intended for popular use as exercise and conditioning, and because it has been so widely taught in mainland China, it is undoubtedly the most widely known and practiced moving form in the world.

Videos are numerous. This one by taiji.de captured my imagination as I was just setting out to learn Tai Chi, and I still refer to it. By the time I learned 24-form, every movement was already familiar to me from my study of the 108, but I had to learn the sequence and then relearn all the details of the movements. 24-form is good training for the numbered forms coming out of post-war China, which I call modern standardized Tai Chi (my term), because they are all similarly styled. Almost every movement is quite different from the traditional style we practice at Master Gohring’s school.

The movements are as follows, and again the pronunciations are available from Lau Sui Taijiquan.

1. Commencement – Qishi [Q=ch]
2. Part the Wild Horses Mane – Ye ma fen zong (L, R, L) [fun]
3. White Crane Spreads Wings – Bai he liang chi
4. Brush Knee Push – Luo xi ao bu (L, R, L) [x=sh]
5. Playing the Lute- Shou Hui Pi Pa
6. Repulse Monkeys L, R, L, R – Dao Juan Hong
7. Grasp the Bird’s Tail Left – Zuo Lan Que Wei
8. Grasp the Bird’s Tail Right – You Lan Que Wei
9. Single Whip – Dan bian
10. Cloud Hands – Yun Shou
11. Single Whip – Dan bien
12. High Pat on Horse – Gao tan ma
13. Strike with Heel – Deng jiao [dung; ji=ch]
14. Box the Tiger’s ears – Shuang Feng Quan Er
15. Turn and Strike with Heel left – Zhuan Shen Zuo Deng Jiao
16. Snake Creeps Down Left (usual way)/Golden Rooster – Zuo Xia Shi Du Li
17. Snake Creeps Down RIGHT/Golden Rooster – You Xia Shi Du Li
18. Fair Lady Works the Shuttle R, L – Yu Nu Chuan Shuo
19. Needle at Sea Bottom – Hai Di Zhen
20. Fan Through Back – Shan Tong Bei
21. Turn Around Block Parry and Punch – Zhuan Shen Ban Lan Chui
22. Withdraw and Push – Ru Feng Si Bi
23. Cross Hands – Shi Zi Shou
24. Close Form – Shou Shi

I wanted to learn this form because it is the form you are most likely to have in common with other people you meet who do Tai Chi. Certainly, if you meet anyone who has recently come to the US from mainland China, they will begin with 24-form. In 2008, in celebration of the Olympics, squads of 2008 women performed 24-form in all the provinces of China! Long Feng was among them; she still has the white silks with red piping and embroidered Olympic rings with the year 2008 under them.