Chen Tai Chi Weapons
The movements of Chen Tai Chi were based off of the movement of the Guandao, or Spring and Autumn Broadsword. Weapons work is essential in developing higher level Tai Chi skills. Part of the benefits comes from strength training. Weapons have weight to them, and moving them with the whole body from the core helps to develop core strength as well as speed and agility. The weapons also require a higher level of focus and will show you when your movements are incorrect. Through weapons training we are better able to refine our empty hand movements so that we have better Kung Fu.
The weapons taught in the class are the Straight Sword (jian), Broadsword (dao), Spear (qiang), and Guandao.