White Birch Traditional Martial Arts
is proud to announce Tai Chi Chuan,
LIFe Fitness and Self Defense training
in Copley!

Tai Chi Chuan

At White Birch, we teach the Yang system of Tai Chi Chuan in the lineage of Yang Chen Fu. The Yang system is the most widespread, especially in the United States. Yang Tai Chi is noted for its flowing movements, large, generous postures, clear weight distribution between the feet and “lightness.” Its large stances and full movements are typical of Northern Shaolin boxing, and it is almost a certainty that the two systems share a common heritage.

The Chinese characters for Tai Chi Chuan can be translated as the 'Supreme Ultimate Force'. The notion of 'supreme ultimate' is often associated with the Chinese concept of yin-yang, the notion that one can see a dynamic duality (male/female, active/passive, dark/light, forceful/yielding, etc.) in all things. 'Force' (or, more literally, 'fist') can be thought of here as the means or way of achieving this ying-yang, or 'supreme-ultimate' discipline.

Tai Chi, as it is practiced in the west today, can perhaps best be thought of as a moving form of yoga and meditation combined. There are a number of forms (sometimes also called 'sets') which consist of a sequence of movements. Many of these movements are originally derived from the martial arts (and perhaps even more ancestrally than that, from the natural movements of animals and birds) although the way they are performed in Tai Chi is slowly, softly and gracefully with smooth and even transitions between them.

For many practicioners the focus in doing them is not, first and foremost, martial, but as a meditative exercise for the body. For others the combat aspects of Tai Chi are of considerable interest. In Chinese philosophy and medicine there exists the concept of 'chi', a vital force that animates the body. One of the avowed aims of Tai Chi is to foster the circulation of this 'chi' within the body, the belief being that by doing so the health and vitality of the person are enhanced. This 'chi' circulates in patterns that are close related to the nervous and vascular system and thus the notion is closely connected with that of the practice of acupuncture and other oriental healing arts.

Another aim of Tai Chi is to foster a calm and tranquil mind, focused on the precise execution of these exercises. Learning to do them correctly provides a practical avenue for learning about such things as balance, alignment, fine-scale motor control, rhythm of movement, the genesis of movement from the body's vital center, and so on. Thus the practice of Tai Chi can in some measure contribute to being able to better stand, walk, move, run, etc. in other spheres of life as well. Many practitioners notice benefits in terms of correcting poor postural, alignment or movement patterns which can contribute to tension or injury. Furthermore the meditative nature of the exercises is calming and relaxing in and of itself.

Tai Chi Chuan Beginner Rank Requirements

White Birch Curriculum Training Videos

San Da Self Defense

San Da Self Defense (literally "free fighting" or an "unsanctioned fight") is a Chinese hand-to-hand self-defense system. White Birch has captured this system in a specialized Kung Fu curriculum. It was originally developed by the Chinese military based upon the intense study and practices of traditional Kung Fu and modern combat fighting techniques. As part of the White Birch Kung Fu curriculum, students earn rank in Kung Fu. This program combines punches, kicks, knees, elbows, wrestling, throws, joint locks, and weapons defenses focusing specifically on street-worthy techniques with little to no emphasis on the "art".

San Da students will learn how to avoid conflict and about the legal aspects of self-defense. Students will learn how to block and counter strikes and escape holds.

San Da Self Defense Rank Requirements

White Birch Curriculum Training Videos

LIFe

This class is for students just beginning to work out or require lower intensity exercise. Each class burns up to 500 calories! It features an aerobic walking workout to strengthen the heart and lungs, strength exercises to build the muscles that burn calories when you're at rest, and flexibility exercises to promote a greater range of motion to last your lifetime.

Don't be fooled... anyone can participate, no matter what your current fitness level is! If you can walk, you can participate!

The low-intensity cardio walking gives you up to 2000 steps in each 1-hour class! The stepping rate raises your heart rate gently. For strength, 5-10 minutes of the class is devoted to working various muscle groups including the abdominals, arms, legs, and butt. Each day different body parts are worked, and the order is continually rotated. Even if you come on the same day every week, you're going to get a different workout!

Finally, for flexibility, the last 15-20 minutes of the class are devoted to stretching the various parts of the body. Depending on what body part was worked in the cardiovascular portion, this class will emphasize different muscles; sometimes concentrating on the back or maybe the legs. After a fun, sweaty workout this is a great way to relax.