Peck, Andy

Journal of Asian Martial Arts
Volume 8, Issue 3, pp. 76-83 (1999)

Recommended

This article discusses taiji as taught at Emory University in Atlanta by Dr. Tingsen Xu. It addresses the growing female population and the increase in the average age of college students. Dr. Xu believes that taiji is a good way to counteract the trend of decreasing physical activity in the university. An interesting part of the article discusses the difference between instruction in China and Western instruction in taiji. The author asserts that American instruction tends to leave out the "social and moral development" of the student and focus more on the creativity that comes from the study of taiji. Dr. Xu attempt to combine Western and Eastern styles of teaching by working with both the mind and body of his students. Some who receive instruction from Dr. Xu find that they have an easier time staying awake to study without smoking or drinking coffee. The article seems, to an extent, to parallel my own experience with taekwondo in college.

Annotated by: Corey Finn (December 1999)

Martial Arts: Taijiquan |

Topics: instruction | training/exercise science |