Martial Arts

By Jeff Patterson 5/27/09 The Chen style of tai chi is the oldest and parent form of the five main tai chi chuan styles. It is third in terms of worldwide popularity compared to the other main taijiquan styles. Chen style tai chi is characterized by its lower stances, more explicit Silk reeling (chan si… Read more »

Horizontal Muay Thai Elbow Body Alignments: The striking arm is parallel to the ground in line with the shoulder. The palm of the striking arm faces the ground. The defending arm is bent at a 90 degree angle and the inside of the wrist the braced against the forehead (or the palm is braced on… Read more »

Everyone should have the opportunity to live Healthy & Fit The Portland Fitness Challenges are Free for everyone in the community.  NWFA is committed to promoting health and fitness for all. In your first session you will: Do some warm-ups and light stretching Learn safe and effective form for the exercises Take your first Portland… Read more »

Level Title/Rank Color Designation Phase I 1) Introduction No Stripe 2) Beginner 1 White Stripe 3) Novice 1 White & 1 Blue Stripe 4) Sincere 1 White & 2 Blue Stripes 5) Inspired 1 White & 3 Blue Stripes Phase II 6) Knowledgeable 1 Blue & 1 Red Stripe 7) Advanced 1 Blue & 2… Read more »

Tai Chi Chuan is sometimes referred to as “Thirteen postures” or “Thirteen patterns”, these patterns include “Eight Jin Patterns,” also called the “Eight Doors” and five foot work patterns referred to as the “Five Strategic Stepping patterns”. According to the Tai Chi Chuan classics the eight Jin patterns are related to the eight trigrams (BaGua)… Read more »

By Jeff Patterson 5/21/2009 In China the sword is highly respected and is considered the “king of the short weapons”. The Jian (tai chi sword) is a narrow-bladed, double-edged sword that requires the highest of skill and spirit for one to effectively use it. In addition to it’s martial use, the tai chi sword has… Read more »

The videos on this page are designed to help you begin to develop your Tai Chi practice. Remember that the foundation of the many benefits of the arts is a daily practice. As you get started this can be anywhere from 15-30 minutes a day. For many this will be enough to maintain health and… Read more »

Yip Man was a Grandmaster of Wing Chun Kung Fu. He is credited with opening the art to westerners and championing the Art of Wing Chun, training many masters to follow him and leaving a legacy that spans the globe. Yip Man’s first Sifu was Chan Wah-Shun. It is said that when Yip Man first… Read more »