02/02/2026
Thoughts on T'ai Chi Ch'uan Grandmaster Tchoung
By Harvey Kurland 1/23/13
T'ai chi chuan is an important exercise for health and treating illness. Grandmaster Tchoung Ta-tchen brought an unique approach that improved on the older forms of training. His method was then scientifically studied as to possible benefits by the author.
It was in the early 1970's that I first walked up the
dark creaking stairs to the second story of a converted
restaurant in the heart of Seattle's Chinatown. There was
something in the air of this magical place. The place turned
out to be the Chinese T'ai-Chi Association. It was
fortuitous to find Grandmaster Tchoung Ta-Tchen there. It was
obvious that Master Tchoung had "IT", he was the embodiment
of the T'ai-chi principles. I began a long relationship with
"Sifu", at that time. Tchoung took his role of Sifu,
father-teacher, seriously guiding us in our training. He
showed genius in teaching an effective and coherent system of
"Internal kung-fu" with an earthiness at its core. There was
an essence there that is hard to describe, a no nonsense
straight forward approach.
I had studied t'ai-chi ch'uan previously with two other grandmasters who both happened to be friends of Grandmaster Tchoung. They were Grandmaster Kuo Lien Ying who was my first teacher and Grandmaster Liang Tsung Tsai or TT Liang as he is better known. Both being top rate masters of the art. But I was in a new location and found a wonderful treasure in Grandmaster Tchoung Ta-tchen.
I was impressed with Tchoung Sifu's ability to explain the
theory then demonstrate the real world applications. He was
always ready to elaborate on the techniques and demonstrate
their use. He shared his knowledge generously, encouraging
us to achieve mastery of the art. His intent was for his
students to surpass him, strengthen the art and train a new
generation of outstanding teachers. As he often said the
decline of t'ai-chi ch'uan was the effect of teachers holding
back information from their students. Always ready to
demonstrate concepts and techniques he was the epitome of a
great t'ai-chi Master.
Grandmaster Tchoung taught us with a specific training method
that had at it's base ch'i kung exercises and basic t'ai-chi
drills. These were aimed at relaxing, strengthening, and
developing what is called the "Root". He taught us in a
systematic and logical way, starting with his long form and
progressing on to pushing hands, partner forms, sword forms,
fast t'ai-chi, walking stick forms, hsing-I and pa-kua. His
eclectic approach to teaching pushing hands was well
designed, soft yet powerful. He had a multitude of drills
and training methods. His students have won competitions at
the National and International level, showing that his method
had merit. We continue to teach his method in our classes.
Pushing hands and applications were an integral part of
Grandmaster Tchoung's advanced training. He maintained that if
you did not know what a movement meant, you did not
understand the form and its application, then it was an empty
shell. He taught several pushing hands drills to become
better rooted and express power (Fa Chin). We found these
drills were effective and experienced the benefits. I found
that the methods held up when pushing hands with students and
instructors from other schools both in the United States and
in Taiwan.
Grandmaster Tchoung's teaching method is a sound
training design, which if followed will lead to good results.
As Sifu often told us that he could show us the method but
what we got out of it, depended on how we practiced. The
secret to learning is to practice what one is taught.
While t'ai-chi is much more than a purely physical
exercise, it is important for physical educators to know what
it does at the gross physical level. As an exercise
physiologist I sought to understand the effects of t'ai-chi.
I undertook a series of studies, starting in 1974 at the
University of Washington in Seattle. At the University I
looked at heart rates (EKG) and blood pressures of
intermediate students of Grandmaster Tchoung while they performed the
long form. Later, when Director of Exercise Physiology at
the National Athletic Health Institute in Inglewood,
California, I again tested some of Master Tchoung's students
and others as to the energy cost of t'ai-chi. I did this by
directly measuring their oxygen consumption, as well as monitoring the
heart (EKG) and blood pressures. I also looked at standing
exercises (Ding Gung).
I repeated this study on instructors
and reported the findings to the Southwestern Chapter of the
American College of Sports Medicine in 1991. Basically I
found that the long slow form and short form can be
classified as low intensity aerobic exercise. The oxygen
consumption ranged from 7.4 to 12.4 ml/kg/m, with a mean
value of 10.4 ml/kg/m. This would put it in the 2.5 to 3.5
MET range, results similar to my earlier work. This means
that t'ai-chi is an excellent low intensity exercise that can
be of great benefit to people with low functional capacities.
It is a good aerobic exercise for those people who have a 6
MET functional capacity to produce aerobic benefits, as well
as to others who desire light exercise. T'ai-chi ch'uan also
has additional health promoting benefits.
Besides being a good low intensity aerobic exercise,
t'ai-chi has much more to offer. It is an excellent method
to reverse the build up of stress, giving one an inner
calmness to deal with daily work and conflicts. In a survey
of over 300 t'ai-chi students (1992) I found that most of the
students practice t'ai-chi as a way to reduce stress and get
some light exercise. Students reported benefits which
included getting rid of migraine headaches, reducing the
effects of PMS and symptoms of multiple sclerosis. When I
worked in cardiac rehabilitation I used some t'ai-chi
exercises for the patients to supplement their program. It
was something they could do and enjoy, that had the benefits
of total body exercise, reducing stress, improving balance
and coordination.
T'ai-chi is also a good way to balance the body's
energy from the Chinese traditional medicine standpoint,
i.e., to harmonize the ch'i flow. Chinese researchers
believe it can prevent "Shui Shi", kidney deficiency. This
is a traditional preventive medicine approach.
T'ai-chi can be used to prevent the many "Hypokinetic
diseases". It may be able to reduce high blood pressure in
some individuals. If some one has high blood pressure or
heart disease, they should be monitored by their physician.
Chinese researchers found a Seniors t'ai-chi group had lower
blood pressures than controls. The t'ai-chi exercisers also
had significantly less abnormal EKG's than non-exercisers.
Any serious program needs to combine exercise with a low fat,
low salt, high complex carbohydrate diet as well.
In my study I found that the exercise would lower the blood
pressures of normal subjects slightly after a session and
would stay within normal limits. One student had severe
hypertension and was under the care of his physician. I
measured his blood pressure before and after doing some of
the ch'i kung and basic drills. Afterwards, his blood
pressure was reduced dramatically toward normal. This
warrants further study as t'ai-chi may be of benefit to
certain individuals with stress induced hypertension.
T'ai-chi helps to improve the balance and coordination
of the student. This improvement in balance is especially
important as we age. Many of my students remark how their
balance has improved, including young athletic types. T'ai-
chi can help prevent osteoporosis when combined with
appropriate calcium and vitamin D intake.
It has also been used in China to treat neurosis and depression. Western
psychologists also believe that exercise can help treat
depression.
T'ai-chi helps to improve flexibility and
generally strengthen the body. Another benefit is in helping
to prevent or reduce arthritic changes that are assumed to be
a consequence of growing older. As the old saying goes, "A
well used door hinge does not become rusty and flowing water
never becomes putrid."
T'ai-chi has a more energetic side. For those who want
a more vigorous workout there are fast forms, two person
forms, pushing hands, and weapons forms that act as an
overload. This is a way to get a more intense workout and
develop more martial skills for students so inclined. Fast
t'ai-chi approaches an all out effort that taxes both aerobic
and anaerobic systems. Those who want to work harder, can.
Competitive students may also compete in tournaments.
T'ai-chi is also gaining popularity as a sport. Pushing
hands in a tournament setting is very taxing. I fell that competitions
should maintain the integrity of t'ai-chi principles and not
reward using brute force to win at all costs. Turning a subtle art into a form of badly done Sumo or Judo.
It is my hope that rules will evolve to maintain the principles of the art.
Changing the focus of the art to reach short term goals of
winning competitions can easily lead to deterioration of its
wonderful concepts. In form competition we hope that the
principles espoused in the classics will be adhered to and
not turn the t'ai-chi form competition into a dramatic dance.
It is too easy to change the form and make it into a pretty
dance form while leaving out central concepts. We hope to
promote t'ai-chi concepts in competition as well as in the
classroom. The form in competition should be the same as the
one practiced in the park or studio, good for health and
maintains integrity of the t'ai-chi ch'uan concepts.
I believe that t'ai-chi will become a more common method
of exercise over the next years for sport, health promotion
and mental training. T'ai-chi ch'uan has many subtle
benefits that Americans are now finding out about. T'ai-chi
ch'uan is an excellent exercise that will greatly benefit the
health and well being of those people who practice it.
Grandmaster Tchoung has added immeasurably to the advancement of
t'ai-chi ch'uan in the United States, Canada, Africa and
Taiwan.
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