This started out as a digression in the "Single Whip" post after my thought that Second Section makes good demonstration. It's now on it's own, LOL.
In my opinion, the development of short forms like Cheng Man Ching’s 37-step Short Form and the all-style Beijing Short Form were originally an attempt to standardize tai chi competition and to market this martial art as “exercise.” Teachers over the years would dumb down the form to increase retention of beginners and/or reduce the need for space. When competition came about, there were too many different styles, so the head of "family" styles tried to standardize things. LOL new style by committee! Um, no. What better way to lose "style," not to mention the original intent and completeness. Yeah, I'm a traditionalist.
I’ve never been to a Tai Chi forms competition, they didn’t exist until after I’d left the classes. From what I’ve seen on YouTube, watching Tai Chi forms competition is as exciting as watching grass grow. But in Open Competition (meaning you compete against all martial arts styles, not just like styles), Second Section makes good demonstration. Even done fast, it almost never wins because it’s too different from what the hard styles are doing and also because the judges, who are typically Karate black belts, lack knowledge in soft styles/internal martial arts. There is the additional need to inform the judges you will be going past the boundary of the ring (on purpose) and ask to let you know if/when you’ve reached your max time limit.
So why do I keep searching "my" short form? It's nothing but a personal thing about collecting complete sets. While I was learning short form, I wasn't actively trying to learn it. I just followed along to let this one get absorbed byosmosis rote. I'm not kicking myself over it, at the time it was as much as I could absorb while I was actively learning other styles. It is what it is. I am hopeful that one day I'll be able to visit Texas & record the form. At the very least, I have the rest of my life to figure it out.
In my opinion, the development of short forms like Cheng Man Ching’s 37-step Short Form and the all-style Beijing Short Form were originally an attempt to standardize tai chi competition and to market this martial art as “exercise.” Teachers over the years would dumb down the form to increase retention of beginners and/or reduce the need for space. When competition came about, there were too many different styles, so the head of "family" styles tried to standardize things. LOL new style by committee! Um, no. What better way to lose "style," not to mention the original intent and completeness. Yeah, I'm a traditionalist.
I’ve never been to a Tai Chi forms competition, they didn’t exist until after I’d left the classes. From what I’ve seen on YouTube, watching Tai Chi forms competition is as exciting as watching grass grow. But in Open Competition (meaning you compete against all martial arts styles, not just like styles), Second Section makes good demonstration. Even done fast, it almost never wins because it’s too different from what the hard styles are doing and also because the judges, who are typically Karate black belts, lack knowledge in soft styles/internal martial arts. There is the additional need to inform the judges you will be going past the boundary of the ring (on purpose) and ask to let you know if/when you’ve reached your max time limit.
So why do I keep searching "my" short form? It's nothing but a personal thing about collecting complete sets. While I was learning short form, I wasn't actively trying to learn it. I just followed along to let this one get absorbed by
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