Tai Chi Sword - Yang Style 32 Forms

Having Dr Lam describe and demonstrate the moves throughout made the presentation very consistent. The educational method used throughout the dvd made it easy to follow because one knew how each segment would flow. The demonstrations of the whole form both front-on and back-on were really beneficial to promote both understanding and provide an easy-to-follow sequence for the beginner to learn how the different moves flow into one. A technique used in other dvds by Dr Lam, that of orienting the beginner to positions on a clock face would have made it easier to know in which direction to step. Sometimes it is a little difficult to determine when watching the dvd what the orientation should be because the descriptions for each move are a 'front on' view. On my copy, there was no sound when Dr Lam is teaching the 'Needle of the compass' but it was still possible to follow the different moves. The biggest contrast was the duration of the form when Dr Lam demonstrated it back-on: 3 minutes and 10 seconds compared with the earlier version of the 32 forms which took around 4 minutes 55 seconds. Probably because of my age, I prefer the slower version but it did give me something to aim for such as learning to sink my chi a little faster.