Tai Chi - 24 Forms DVD By Dr. Paul Lam****UPDATED!!!****

The best instruction would come from an instructor that you like. I have a neurological problem (ataxia) that precludes my using any classes. I have a balance problem and would end up knocking down others like bowling pins. Dr Lam's video is packed with warmup and cool down exercises. He breaks down each of the forms their individual parts and shows you how to do them and then put them together. I tried for a long time looking at YouTube and never quite got it. A week of his dvd and I could at least execute three forms. They need refinement, but I can do them. He speaks slowly, but very understandable. I watched a set of instructions on YouTube. Very good video but hard to understand the teacher. I still don't know what an "aerbol" is. One kind of funny part is when he demos the 4 or 5 forms he just went through. He faces his students and starts execution. He is facing the students and they are facing him. He ends up going left and the students to the right. After a minute or two, not much left on the screen. This is still one of the best instructional videos I have used. I would recommend this as an only source or for use to assist if you are attending a class.

For reasons that I'll leave aside, I wanted to start a gentle form of exercise. I've done yoga in the past - but it isn't really for me as an actual fitness regimen (as opposed to doing yoga poses here and there). I've done a little bit of Qi Gong breathing and poses in the past and have found those to be excellent, but I wanted more of a full-on whole body routine. I found Dr. Lam's free introductory lesson on YouTube by happenstance. After his explanation, he leads you through one of the basic fundamentals of the 24 forms. I highly recommend that you go and try his free lesson online because you can find out what Dr. Lam is about as a teacher and see if his style works for you. He is slow, deliberate, and breaks everything down step-by-step as you proceed so that you can follow along and get repeated chances to practice every movement (which aids memorization and muscle memory). After just under two months of practicing almost every day, I am now able to perform two rounds of all 24 forms and am also beginning to re-visit each form individually to really focus on getting my form as good as possible. I don't really have the time or money right now for in-person classes, so this has been amazing. Take your time, don't hurry, and "follow Dr. Lam" (as the annoying voice over says - the only part of this amazing DVD that I really don't care for)!

My wife and I enrolled in a Tai Chi class in the local area. The class has been great but sometimes it is difficult to see the complete move demonstrated by the instructor as his back is usually toward us. In this video, Dr. Lam presents each of the 24 forms, also known as the "short form" in great detail. He uses students to demonstrate each movement while he describes the positions. He also demonstrates the entire form with a front view and a back view. This way, the student can see each evolution of movement. With so many versions of Tai Chi out there, I'll share the names of the movements here to assist you. I know I had to go through several videos to find the one that most closely resembled the style my wife and I are learning! 24 Form: Beginning Parting the Wild Horse's Mane (3 times) White Crane Spreads its Wings Brush Knee and Side Step (3 times) Play the Lute Step Back and Repulse Monkey (4 times) Grasp the Sparrow's Tail - left Grasp the Sparrow's Tail - right Single Whip Wave Hands Like Clouds (3 times) Single Whip High Pat on Horse Kick With Right Heel Strike Ears With Fists Kick With Left Heel Snake Creeps Down (left) and Golden Cockerel Stands on right leg Snake Creeps Down (right) and Golden Cockerel on Right Leg Fair Lady Weaves the Shuttle (right and left) Needle at the Bottom of the Sea Fan through Back Deflect Downwards, Parry and Punch Apparent Close Up Cross Hands Closing Form Even if you aren't in a structured class, this video will be most helpful. If you are in a class, this video greatly assists your daily workout and fills in the gaps that you might have missed. The quality of the movements as shown by the students on the video isn't that great but to be honest, it doesn't matter. You don't want to buy a Tai Chi video for background cinemaphotography!

Supposedly, Tai Chi has several benefits and can help you age more "gracefully". Decided to find out for myself, and picked this dvd to give it a try. I will say that it does seem a bit slow - but that can be a good thing when you are first learning. He goes into detail for each form, explaining and showing the form / movement. Besides the 24 forms, there are other more basic forms and exercises included. It seems like a very comprehensive dvd, but Tai Chi is more involved and scripted than I expected. There is much to learn from this dvd, and in fact it is considered a level above beginner - something I did not know when I ordered it. The biggest drawback is trying to learn each movement while watching a TV - and of course having enough room to do the movements while watching a TV. I can see how having an actual instructor to critique and correct your movements would be easier than watching TV and trying to decide what you are doing wrong - but how much is that going to cost ? My only complaint about the dvd is the presentation of each of the 24 forms. They are explained and shown in pieces, then shown in a follow along flow from beginning to end. It would be nice if the dvd was indexed to the follow along segment of each form - so that once you have practiced the bits and pieces, you could just jump to the follow along segments, instead of having to hunt for them. There is also a complete sequence that Dr Lam shows - that I hope to be able to perform some day. But the individual forms that make up the sequence are not listed as he does them. Would be nice if it did, as many of the forms look very similar. Other than these very minor gripes, I do believe that if you want to learn Tai Chi, it can be done with this dvd.

This is a very well-produced instructional DVD and it's clear that a great deal of thought, care and experience went into making it. I bought it because I found I was forgetting and/or I needed to work on the finer points of instruction from my weekly class. This DVD has met my needs admirably. It starts from scratch and I found the section where the foundational movements were taught in isolation to be very helpful in co-ordinating my hand and arm movements with my steps. The menu chapters are laid out very clearly, so it's easy to access the parts you're looking for, and Dr. Lam takes a lot of time explaining and demonstrating each part of the 24 forms. Also, he has one of his students performing the same movements at the same time but from the opposite angle, so you don't have to stop and figure out that his right is your left etc. and then make the necessary adjustments. Besides breaking up the 24 forms into smaller parts and having his class demonstrate these parts after he has gone though them with another student, the DVD also has Dr. Lam performing the entire 24 forms from two different angles, which again facilitates understanding and makes it easy to practice along with the DVD. As I said, this DVD will really help you if you are just starting a 24 forms class and need to slow down and go back over things you've learned. If you live in a community where Tai Chi classes are offered, take the classes, because nothing beats in-class instruction, and it's also fun learning Tai Chi with other people. However, if there isn't a place where Tai Chi is taught close to where you live, or if you're on a tight budget, you can't do better than Dr. Lam's DVD.

Excellent way to learn. Dr. Lam runs you through the forms step by step, practicing part if it first then teaching the rest of the form. I've wanted to learn the basics forms and to learn them correctly. This is just what I needed.

Dr. Lam gives very clear and detailed instructions. Very satisfied with this tai qi dvd. Would recommend it to serious seekers.

Excellent DVD & much impoved format to me over the 1999 version. Very easy to learn from, review & follow. Each form is broken down into small parts that you can follow along with after being shown exactly how to move. Following repeats 3 times & the sequence at the end of each section is also repeated so you can build on putting it together as you learn. At the end the demo of the complete 24 form is shown from the front & also from the back. You can easily move from one part to another to review whatever part you wish to study. I still use it before a class to just refresh my memory of the entire sequence. This is a great tool to accelerate learning of this 24 form as an adjunct to classes & also useful if you aren't able to get to classes regularly but want to bring Tai Chi practice into your life.

On a happy note: This is the latest release (2011 printed on back of DVD) and not May 2009 as shown in item info. I guess it means video quality has been improved as it matches his YouTube video. This review has to be an essay (sorry!) to cover all of what’s included. Seriously, the amount of material included could actually fit 2 DVDs thanks to its whopping 4 hours’ worth of detailed info, modifications, breath, posture, and so much more. I watched all of Dr. Paul Lam’s YouTube videos before investing in this DVD - he has such a gentle and encouraging manner of instruction and speaks in a clear, easy-to-understand accent. It’s truly motivating to know he learned Tai Chi because of developing arthritis after graduating from medical school in the early 70s. Watching his superb form; a result of decades of practice convinced me! Even though I’m learning in class (24 Yang Style Tai Chi Forms - 1 x week for 11 weeks) with an excellent teacher, this DVD – clearly, a work of love & dedication - has made a huge difference as a beginner. What helped me:  Dos & don’ts mentioned in “Stay safe” and in commentary all through the program  Includes warm-up & cool-down exercises  Front & back views of entire sequence (24 Forms) for daily practice – I do it to the point of my last class but watch the remaining part to make the next class easier  Close-ups of foot placement incl. a diagram (plan) that flashes on screen to help – so useful when footwork in later forms becomes more complicated  Each Form is broken down into several parts to help master the move correctly. Ex: Stroking Bird’s Tail; a 4-part Form that initially befuddled me. And now? Easy-peasy!  Commentary on how energy moves, breathing, Dantien breathing, Yin-Yang and so much more  Each form is first shown by Dr. Lam (front), then, by him pointing how-to as his student does it and followed by a mirror image with him shown from the back and his student from the front. This side-by-side demo. helps overcome the left-right confusion  Most importantly, his constant suggestions on how to modify as per your current capacity – this prevents any possible injuries from over-reaching/ stretching, etc. Love his “visualize it as if perfect in your mind but only move as per your level” idea!  Initially in class, I found it hard to co-ordinate when my arms, hands needed to stay or arrive in the pose. His demo of “Parting Wild Horse’s Mane” was a game-changer! From that point on, I had no more thoughts of quitting because “I’ll never get this right”. DVD Playlist (Total: 240 mins):  How to use this program  Intro  Stay safe  Warm-up exercises: Walking around, Stretches, Neck bend & turn, Shoulder roll & gathering Qi, Spine reach up, down & turn, Hip forward, backward, side stretch, Knee stretch forward, step backward, ankle tap, turn in & out.  Cool-down exercises: Punching thighs, tense & relax, gathering Qi.  Qigong exercises (6 Forms): Postures of Infinity, Tai Chi, Open & Close, Yin-Yang Harmony, Up & Down (Yang Style), Play the Lute  Foundational Movements (77 mins): Stepping Forward, Parting Wild Horse’s Mane, Brush Knee, Stepping Backward, Repulse Monkey, Stroking Bird’s Tail & Kicks  24 Forms – Step-by-step instructions (69 mins): Divided into 4 sections; Section 1: Forms 1 to 5, Section 2: Forms 6 to 9, Section 3: Forms 10 to 15 & Section 4: Forms 16 to 24. At the end of each section is a “run through” that demos all its included forms. Very helpful to break it down in this way!  Demo by Dr. Lam – front (all 24 Yang Style Forms in sequence)  Demo by Dr. Lam – back (all 24 Yang Style Forms in sequence)  Previews  Credits I noticed how I ‘feel’ the flow of the move when he demos it as opposed to just ‘think’ about it. While daily practice is key to mastering Tai Chi, there’s no way any in-class instruction could cover all of what’s included in this DVD. It has encouraged me to keep going and the confidence to continue on my own after class ends. Highly recommended! FYI: I also got Simplified Tai Chi for Beginners - 24 Form [Import ] & Tai Chi for Women [Import ] by Helen Liang.

Die CD eignet sich wirklich sehr für das Training zu Hause. Die englischen Anweisungen von Dr. Paul Lam sind sehr verständlich.

I bought this DVD after having a lesson with a local Tai Chi teacher who was ok but not really that good. As no-one else was available I had no choice but to use a DVD, which I thought would be difficult. But this DVD is excellent - far better than my local teacher and also better than a day course I did a few years ago. Not only is it clear and easy to follow (allowing for how difficult a subject this is), but Paul Lam manages the very difficult feat of being clear to the complete beginner and also indicating the energy flows for someone like me who has little Tai Chi experience but can feel the flow through meditation experiences. Expressing all of that clearly and straightforwardly is the sign of a master teacher. This DVD is worth more than its weight in gold.

Facile da seguire perchè va passo passo e anche se è in inglese si capisce bene.

Old , but great details explained very well. Its well worth the money