Bibliography, Links,
Resources
Chen Style Taijiquan Staff, Gun, Short Staff, Cane
Most Chen Style Taijiquan drills and forms using a wooden staff use a longer 10
foot or longer pole, or a six foot long
staff (eyebrow staff). Since I practice with a
shorter wooden cane (41 inches) every day, I have looked for any examples of
shorter wooden staff practices in Chen Taijiquan and have found a few.
Chen
Shen-Pu's Taijiquan Short Staff 74 Form. Taught by Shifu Jiang
Jian-ye, 1950-. The title on the DVD is "Traditional Chen Family Tai Chi
Short Staff."
This 74 movement form was created by Grand Master Chen Shen-Pu, 1902-2000.
Part 1, Movements 1-34; color, 120 minutes. Part 2, Movements 35-74;
color, 121 minutes. Available in DVD or VHS format, for about $45.00 US
each. Vendors:
WLE,
Wayfarer,
Jiang. Produced by Shifu Jiang Jian-ye of the Capital District Tai Chi and Kung Fu Association of New York,
29 West Dillenbeck Drive, Albany, NY 12203, c 2000. Website: Jiang's
Tai Chi Videos. "This is an elegant, dynamic form with many
techniques. Good physical skills are recommended to learn this 74 movement form.
Includes a short clip of the creator at age 94. Following warm-up exercises,
movements are repeated 3-4 times, depending on the difficulty. There are front
and back views at slow and regular speeds. There are also reviews of segments,
front and back." 1
"Master Chen Shen-Pu used his extensive training in
external and internal forms such as Tai Chi, Xing Yi, Bagua Zhang and Wushu to
create this short staff form. A lesser known form, it is still a
key ingredient to the Chen stylists repertoire."2
This form is for the 13 hands short staff.
Discussion
Chen Tai Chi
Short Staff: List
of Movements of 74 posture short staff form created by Master Chen Sheng-Pu;
prepared by Gary McClellan. Chen Shen-Pu's Taijiquan Short Staff 74
Movements Form,
List of Movements and References prepared by Michael P. Garofalo. I have not found any
references in any standard Chen Family Taijiquan sources that state that Chen Shen-Pu's Taijiquan Short Staff 74
Movements Form, or other short staff or cane forms, are part of the Chen Family Taijiquan
repertoire as are pole and spear forms. VSCL.
Chen Style Five Tigers and Group Sheep Staff. Instructional videotape
by Shifu Jiang Jian-ye. Instructional videotape, 117 minutes, color.
Traditional Chen Village. 44 Forms with Internal Art. Capital
District Tai Chi and Kung Fu Association of New York. Albany, New York,
CDTKA, 2004. Use a medium staff, wax wood, flexible, about 6
feet in length. VSCL.
Chen Tai Chi Short Whip Staff. Taught by Shifu Jiang Jian-ye. 120 minute VHS
videotape. A 147 movement form in the Chen style, created by Hong Jun-sheng, an indoor
student of Chen Fa-ke. Produced by Shifu Jiang Jian-ye of the Capital District Tai Chi and Kung Fu Association of New York, 29 West
Dillenbeck Drive, Albany, NY 12203. Website:
Jiang's
Tai Chi Videos.
Eight Immortals Taijiquan Cane, Routine Two,
Cannon Cane, Chen Style of Taijiquan. "Traditional Tai Chi Eight Immortals
Cane." As taught by Master Jesse Tsao, San Diego, California, 2008.
Instructional DVD, 61 minutes. "This
is the answer for people looking for the martial arts aspect of Tai Chi. You
will surely love the way Master Jessee Tsao presents to you this unique ancient
practice. A short stick, umbrella, or any everyday object of the proper
length can be used as a substitute for a cane. Like the Chen Style Tai Chi
Cannon Fist, this routine is full of powerful moves and explosive strikes.
Detailed instruction is provided in English, with front and back views. It is a
good reference for home study, or a resource for instructor's teaching
preparation. Suggest 30 class hours. (Difficulty: Intermediate through Advanced
Levels). $34.95." -
TaiChiHealthways.
Master Tsao developed this cane form
himself, with grandmaster Zhu Tiancai's support.
Internal Power Training with Bare-Hand, Staff and Equipment. Performance
and instruction by Shifu Jiang Jian-ye. Instructional
videotape, 90 minutes, color. Traditional Chen Village. Capital
District Tai Chi and Kung Fu Association of New York. Albany, New York, CDTKA, 2002. MGC.
See Also: Pole Practices. Chen style Taijiquan uses
a long wax wood pole, from 8 to 10 feet in length for internal energy work.
They also use a short staff, which is is around 4 feet in length, and a medium
staff which is about 6 feet in length.
Short Staff: Bibliography, Links, Resources, Lessons
By Mike Garofalo.
Staff Weapons and Taijiquan (All
Styles of Taijiquan) By Mike Garofalo.
Traditional Chen Family Internal Power Training Method with Bare-Hand, Staff and
Equipment. Instructional DVD or VHS by Shifu Jian Jian-ye, 90 minutes.
Capital Cistrict Tai Chi and Kung Fun, Albany, New York, 2002.
White Ape Staff and Pear Flower Spear: Names of the Postures of the Chen
Taiji Spear/Staff Routine
Quotations
Chen Taijiquan Staff Weapons
"Chen Ziming's Collection (1935) contains
two staff manuals (Gun Pu): "Panluo's Stick" (Panluo Bang) and
"Wind Spinning Stick" (Xuanfeng Gun). "Sanxing Version" contains only
"Wind Spinning Stick". The rhymed formula of Panluo's Stick says: "Shaolin
Temple, ancient Buddhist monastery in Dengchu, there are five thousand monks in
its halls; when a Red Army (e.g. Red Turbans rebels) of million (soldiers)
wanted to destroy it, Beiluo showed its magic powers. If you want to know where
this stick comes from, it was left by Panluo in Shaoling". Tang Hao explains
that "Dengchu" is actually "Dengfeng", e.g. county where Shaolin Temple is
situated; "Shaoling" is "Shaolin"; Panluo and Beiluo are names of boddhisatvas.
Although from the text it seems that Chen clan practised Shaolin stick
techniques, however Tang Hao found out that only four postures from "Panluo's
Stick" and one from "Wind Spinning Stick" were identical with those from
Shaolin, while other were different."
- Jarek Szymanski,
Brief Analysis of Chen Family Boxing Manuals.
"The Chinese word gun (棍
pinyin głn) refers to a long Chinese staff weapon. It is known as one of the four major weapons, along with the spear, saber, and the sword, called in this group "The Grandfather of all Weapons".
There are various kinds of gun and these include (from olden days): Monkey Staff (猴棍), Biangan (鞭杆), Mad Demon Staff (瘋魔棍), Tianqi Staff (天齊棍), Staff of Five Tigers and Goat Herds (五虎群羊棍), Nunchaku (二節棍), Taiji Staff of Thirteen (太極十三杆), Taiji Quarterstaff (太極大杆), Taiji Staff (太極棍), Staff of Eight Trigrams and Seven Stars (八卦七星竿), Staff of Eight Fairies (八仙棍), Flail (槤枷).
The types of gun normally used nowadays for exercises and competitions are the bailangan (白栏杆) and the nangun (
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© Michael P. Garofalo, 2007-2012, All Rights Reserved
This webpage was first published on the Internet in April of 2007.
This webpage was last modified or updated on March 31, 2012.
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