Tai Chi for Beginners and 24 Forms Book

[HazelG]

Dr Lam recently visited Christchurch, New Zealand, to conduct a workshop, and brought with him the first two available copies of his new book.
Naturally everyone wanted to be the first to see the work, and by the end of the weekend both copies had certainly been thoroughly inspected.
So the first (group) review is a unanimous "Excellent" and now we are all waiting for our autographed copies to arrive.
Perhaps we could be the official reviewers for "Teaching Tai Chi Effectively" too?

[Dr. Paul Lam]

thanks for the suggestion, as soon as the "Teaching Tai Chi Effectively" book is ready, I will do this. I understand we should have the shipment here in ten days.

[soraya]

The book must be a revelation. How about German translation? Not by me, because I'm about to take up an assignment for another Tai Chi book into English.

Looking forward to "teaching TC effectively" and "TC BEginners". Are you going to sign them by hand? For my students too, with some personal notes?

[Dr. Paul Lam]

thanks, both books took about five years to complete.

"Tai Ch for Beginners and the 24 Forms" has hundreds of photos and 208 pages.

"Teaching Tai Chi Effectively" has four major re-writes, i am very excited about the outcome. y

the bulk of the books would arrive at our office next few days, i would be happy to sign any copy - please ask your students to write to tai chi productiions at service@taichiproductions.com or wait for them to be available online and request an autographed copy.

[cyndy]

Here is the next review that Paul asked me to write for the newsletter.
Originally I told Paul I wasn't sure when I would be able to complete the review as I was extremely busy right now having just started teaching three new classes. However when I started reading the book, I couldn't put it down. I was so excited I was up in the late hours reading and writing. cyndy


Book Review for “Tai Chi for beginners and the 24 Forms” by Dr Paul Lam and Nancy Kay

Written by Cynthia Fels, M.Ed.
Learning Specialist/Educational Consultant
Senior Trainer and Tai Chi for Health Instructor

Dr. Paul Lam, highly respected tai chi master and world-renowned tai chi teacher, and one of his students, master trainer, Nancy Kay, have created a master of a how to tai chi book!
“Tai Chi for Beginners and the 24 Forms” has beautifully colored illustrations of Dr. Lam, his students and instructors, playing tai chi in beautiful locations around the world, including the Big Sur Coast of Central California. Dr. Lam is also the model for the book’s many teaching illustrations: the 24 Forms, Warm Up Exercises, Cool Down Exercises, QiGong Exercises, the Foundation Movements and the Tai Chi Beginner’s Set. All moves are clearly illustrated and accompanied by simple and easy to follow, written directions as well.
The book also acts as a great reference and resource guide for the beginner, as well as for teachers and advanced practioners. Basic tai chi terms, historical tai chi information, the different tai chi styles, different tai chi forms, practice tips, health aspects of tai chi and studies on the health benefits of tai chi, as well as essential tai chi principles are among some of the topics so clearly defined and shared.
As if this wasn’t enough to make a good read, the book’s structure is designed, as Lam and Kay state, to:

“Help the reader build a solid foundation right from the start, as well as giving him or her a taste of higher level tai chi. And perhaps more important, we’ve done our best to make tai chi fun to learn.”

The book builds lessons in a step-by-step progressive fashion, and just like building a good solid house, each layer or lesson is built solidly upon the previous lesson. Beginners first learn how to lay a good foundation for their tai chi through learning the “Six Easy Steps.” Learners can then progress to learning “the Tai Chi for Beginner’s Set” which is built on the previous moves and knowledge. From there the learner, if they chose, may learn more in depth tai chi skills, and finally, when they are ready, the 24 Forms. Again, all lessons and each step of the process are written in easy to follow, simple directions and accompanied with clear illustrations.
This book would be a great complement when used by a learner in conjunction with classes, and/or the instructional DVD “Tai Chi for Beginners and the 24 Forms.” However a person living in isolation and with no instructor available could easily learn from this book as well.
Whether writing about essential tai chi principles, the historical aspects of tai chi, or sharing their “Six Easy Steps” of learning tai chi, Dr. Paul Lam and Nancy Kay bring this ancient practice into our daily lives. This is a tai chi how to book that really shines!

[carolined]

Once again Dr. Lam, with co-author Nancy Kaye, has expressed artistry by weaving pictures and words into a beautiful portrayal of the art of taijiquan. Within its pages "Tai Chi for Beginners and the 24 Forms" is an invitation to explore this ancient mind, body, spirit unifying exercise. The concepts of learning and improving your tai chi are explored in easy to understand language illustrated with photographs of people enjoying the practice of tai chi from workshops around the world. Foundational movements from the Yang style are described in words and pictures as are the movements of the 24 Forms set.
This is a book that anyone can enjoy. If you know nothing about tai chi, you will be captivated by the comprehensive information on how to select a teacher, find the appropriate style, approach the learning process and become aware of the numerous health benefits. The energy of calmness and joy, visible on the faces of practitioners in Dr. Lam's classes, reveals the enthusiasm engendered when learning this ancient Chinese art.

[Pat Lawson]

Tai Chi For Beginners and the 24 Forms is a beautiful layer cake for tai chi practitioners of all levels. Dr. Lam and Nancy Kaye have layered clear explanations of the essential principles and the history of tai chi with detailed directions of both the beginner set and the Yang 24 Competition set; exploration of depth and guidance for growth is the filling that holds it together. Fabulous photography including shots from all over the world is the icing on the cake!

This is a must-have handbook for tai chi players. Basic information on the history of tai chi chuan, the masters, the classics, and push hands provide a solid foundation. Simple explanations of how to apply the tai chi principles to the warm-up exercises is one example of how this text will be a support tool for students of any level. Step-by-step photos are a lasting resource, and the section on Improving Your Tai Chi will support one’s practice through time. At last, a basic, rich, and understandable text on tai chi chuan!

[MAY TSANG]

I AM A 50 YEARS OLD WOMAN. I FELT MY HEALTH GETTING WORSE THAN BEFORE. SO I STARTED TO WATCH THE TAI CHI FOR BEGINNERS FROM DR. PAUL LAM. THE FRIST THING I NOTICE IS MY BLOOD PRESSURE BECOME NORMAL AGAIN. IT MAKES ME VERY HAPPY! TAI CHI NOW BECOME A PART OF MY LIFE. MAY TSANG- TUCSON, ARIZONA, USA

[rgeib]

Today I had the pleasure of reading “Tai Chi for beginners and the 24 forms” by Paul Lam and Nancy Kaye. Over the past 15 years I have read many, many books dealing with the martial arts. Some of those were for seasoned practitioners and some were for beginners. Some were good and some were not so good.

Without a doubt this new book by Paul Lam and Nancy Kaye is one of the very best books I have read on the topic of Tai Chi. What makes it perfect for beginners is that it is a good blend of the history and the “how to” of tai chi and qigong with just the right amount of medical (both contemporary Western and traditional Chinese) and scientific facts added for spice. This wonderful blend is then garnished by many wonderful pictures of Dr. Lam and his students from all over the world. Some of the books I have read present the information of Qi, meridians, and movement in a format that while correct in content is impossible for a beginner to read and understand. NOT SO with this book. The information is always presented in a format that even those just contemplating the exploration of this ancient form of exercise will understand the basic concepts.

What makes it perfect for those with extensive experience is that this is a wonderful reference for teaching. So often the experienced practitioner is asked to recommend a book for the beginning student. Frequently, they hesitate, or at least I do, because they are not sure how much a student will get out of the investment of buying a book. Now this book with it well-written chapters and its well-illustrated forms should top their list of books to recommend.

I will certainly put it at the top of my list of recommended references and at the top of a gift list for those members of my family who are learning tai chi. I also would not hesitate to recommend it to other teachers.

[Pat Andring]

Hi Dr. Lam, I thoroughly enjoyed the June workshop in Indiana this past month with you and your master trainers. I took the Yang 24 Forms with Jay as our teacher. He definitely is a great teacher with special skills of communication along with a great sense of humor and lightness.
I wanted to share with you my impressions of obtaining and reading your book: Tai Chi for Beginners and the 24 Forms. I purchased the book about 2 months before attending the workshop along with your DVD. I found the book to be extremely helpful in guiding me thru the 24 forms. The most informative part I found was the exactness of your forms in the pictures, step by step instructions. I could open the pages and follow the movements easily and it helped me be prepared for Jay's workshop on the 24 Forms. I really like the book format with your pictures of each movement along with the instructions as carrying a book for practice is more convenient than carrying the DVD which needs electronic help. It would be great if you could write books in the same format for other Tai Chi forms, such as the Sun 73 Forms, etc. as I would definitely purchase it for my Tai Chi library. Thanks again for sharing your energy and knowledge with us all. Pat Andring
Pinckney, Michigan