Thank you for visiting the Gloucester Tai Chi Club website. We look forward to seeing you at a Tai Chi session very soon.

This website tries to answer the questions that you may have about Tai Chi. However if after reading you have any further questions, please contact us (Call Robert or Lee on 01452 751 276) or come along and join in a session.

What are Tai Chi and Chi Gung?

Tai Chi (sometimes spelt Taiji) is a Chinese Martial and Health Art which was originally developed several hundred years ago as an effective form of self protection. However as the years passed it was noticed that the natural and gentle movements that were taught to Tai Chi students had many health benefits. Thus the emphasis of the art in modern times is on keeping you fit and healthy.

Tai Chi has been shown to improve balance and coordination, it aids the prevention or helps treat a variety of medical conditions and has benefit as a means of relaxation and de-stressing.

Chi Gung (sometimes spelt Qigong) may look similar to Tai Chi but is in fact quite different. Chi Gung is much older than Tai Chi (maybe in excess of three thousand years old) and was designed purely for health and fitness.

Lee Agar-Hutton performing Part the Wild Horse's Mane.

What will I learn?

The  Gloucester Tai Chi Club teaches Tai Chi primarily for health and fitness however Tai Chi is a martial art and we also look at how it can be used as a means of self-defense. Understanding the self-defense aspects of Tai Chi also enhances its health and fitness aspects as it allows you to understand more about the bio-mechanical movement and energy principles that are critical aspects of Tai Chi. 

The club meets on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings from 7:00 p.m. until 8:15 p.m.

Our syllabus includes:

• Foundational exercises. We teach a wide mixture of basic exercises from Tai Chi, Kung Fu, Western fitness training and Yoga.
      
• Forms. A form is a pre-arranged pattern of movements which incorporate the principles of the art.
      
• The "Eight move one step" (  See Video  ) beginners form. This is a 'beginners' form as there is only a minimum of leg movement so that it is easy to concentrate on the more complex hand movements. However, the form is interesting even to more advanced students as it is a bilateral form where the same moves are done on both the left and right side, which is usually a feature of much more advanced training.    
   
• The Tai Chi "Eight Move Energy Form". ( See Video ) This form was derived from the 42 move international competition form by the Australian Tai Chi instructor Graham Bryant. Some additional and unique features have been added by the Gloucester Tai Chi Club's senior instructor (Robert Agar-Hutton) which enhance the versatility of the form as a training exercise for both health and fitness benefits and self-defence applications.
      
• The 'Peking' form, a 24 move form that is recognised and practiced worldwide and was originally designed by the Chinese in 1956 to help promote the health benefits of Tai Chi as well as being used for competition purposes.
       
• Chi Gung exercises including our own five move exercise and the internationally popular eighteen move Shi Ba Shi exercises. Chi Gung exercises can trace their history back to exercises developed over 3000 (yes, three thousand) years ago.
      
• Push Hands. This is a partner exercise designed to help improve balance and flexibility whilst also developing or maintaining strength (at any age and for any level of fitness). It also teaches you how to react to and overcome external pressure and is both part of the Tai Chi self defence training as well as being a useful tool to teach as a stress management technique.
      
• Stretching and relaxation exercises.
   
• Self-defence applications (if you are interested). A basic understanding of the self defence applications is an aid even to people interested in just the health side of the art as they help the understanding of relaxation and good posture and bio-mechanics which are important for fitness and health. Additionally if a student is interested in self defence itself this aspect of the training can be expanded for them in their training. 

By the way, if you have never done Tai Chi or Chi Gung before, don't worry. The names may sound strange and exotic but learning is carried out in a friendly environment and at your own pace.

    
Is it suitable for me?

The simple answer is yes.  A longer answer is that Tai Chi is generally suitable for anyone of any age. However you should consult with your doctor or other medical advisors before starting ANY exercise routine. If you have any questions, contact the senior instructor, Robert Agar-Hutton on 01452 751 276 or via email at:   

From what age do you accept members?

Normally we accept adults from the age of 18 upwards. At our discretion we may accept minors from the age of 15 upwards as long as they are accompanied (and train with) a parent or guardian.

Who are the instructors?

The instructors are Robert Agar-Hutton and his wife, Lee. Robert is a martial arts veteran with over forty years of training and is ranked as an Advanced Level Tai Chi instructor with the Tai Chi Union for Great Britain. He is also a fifth dan black belt in Karate Jutsu.

Lee has been training in the martial arts for almost thirty years and in Tai Chi for nearly twenty years. She is Chinese (from Malaysia) and thus also understands much of the cultural heritage of Tai Chi.

Both Robert and Lee are dedicated to the idea that learning should be enjoyable, so the club is run in a relaxed fashion with the emphasis on training and understanding Tai Chi in all it's aspects.

Robert Agar-Hutton performing Single Whip

When can I start?

Because it is a 'club' rather than a 'class' new members are welcome to come along at any time. Another benefit with a club format is that if 'life gets in the way' and a student misses a week or so of training it doesn't matter. This is because when they return they know that they will fit right back in with the group, as each person progresses at their own pace.

What if I have never trained before?

That's fine, everybody has to start sometime. The great thing about Tai Chi is that it is equally easy (or equally hard, depending on your point of view) whether you are 18 or 88.

What if I have studied Tai Chi before?

Great, you will be most welcome. If you have studied the same forms of Tai Chi that's fine and if you have studied different ones, that's fine too. There is a lot of overlap between different styles of Tai Chi which makes it fairly easy to adapt to what we do. Oh and by the way, if sometimes you do something the way you were shown at a different club, that's also fine as Tai Chi is a personal journey to knowledge and improvement of your self.

What if I study another martial art?

Many many martial artists study Tai Chi either as an additional martial art to compliment their main art or as a replacement art if for medical or other reasons they can not currently train in their original art. Some people take up Tai Chi for martial reasons and some just for fun, whatever your reason is, that's fine.

Further questions?

Please contact Robert Agar-Hutton on 01452 751 276 or via email   

NOTE: The Gloucester Tai Chi Club is run as a separate class under the auspices of the Protectics Personal Safety System whose website is at www.protectics-pps.co.uk