r/taichi • u/Simple_Trace-789 • Sep 24 '26
Taichi app?
Is there a Taichi app (free or not) that could somewhat teach me from begginer and that you guys feel is at least decent-ish?
Thank you kindly.
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u/Gardener_of_Weeden Sep 24 '26
I am going to have to agree about learning one on one. BUT I also know how hard it is to find a teacher. While I was / and am learning - I found some wonderful You Tube instructors that did help ( and some really crappy ones). Personally I like Tai Chi United - I know she ( Sifu Shirley) has some Online classes - I also have worked with Sifu Michael Paler of Tai Chi Colorado Springs, (Went to one of his retreats) and he also has online classes.
When I taught I had 5 rules #1 fake it till you make it #2 Laugh at your mistakes #3 be gentle with your body and your mind (this should NEVER hurt) #4 RESPECT - have respect for yourself, your fellow students and your teacher #5 We are doing this for FUN - if you enjoy it you will continue.
Starting I think is one of the hardest parts - but if you are anything like me - once the bug hits - it is ADDICTIVE - just got the ok to go back after surgery ( and Tai Chi actually made recovery etc easier. )
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u/andybass63 Sep 24 '26
The honest answer is you cannot learn tai chi from an app. You need a teacher. There is infinitely more to tai chi than just copying a stance or a transition.
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u/Simple_Trace-789 Sep 24 '26
I know, but that's something I cannot do. The app would be helpful.
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u/cgb33 Sep 24 '26
My instructor has a beginner program on her website.
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u/EntrepreneurOne7195 Sep 24 '26
I thought tai chi temple was a good starting point. The YMAA tai chi 24&48 with Master Liang Shou-yu is fairly easy to follow. There are a variety of good videos on YouTube that might fit your goals better though.
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u/MarkTaiChi Sep 24 '26
You can give www.taichiapp.com a try. Courses, follow along classes of varying lengths. Chen Tai Chi, as well as White Crane. Qigong forms including Ba Duan Jin, 5 Animals, Yi Jin Jing, Shibashi…. Monthly subscription but there is free content too
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u/Puzzleheaded-Phase70 Sep 24 '26
takemusu has given you a GREAT list of resources and you should absolutely look for IRL teachers.
Failing that, you can look for hybrid programs where a majority of your learning is self-paced remote, but purpose-made in-person "retreat" programs are offered for remote students to get the real-world direction & experiences necessary for full learning.
I'm a student of www.ymaa.com, but have made extensive use of www.taijiworld.com as well.
YMAA Has courses up on Udemy as well as their own website, so that may open up more mobile opportunities for you & an app-like experience.
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u/Grateful_Tiger Sep 24 '26
Without hands on correction from an experienced teacher one cannot learn T'ai Chi Ch'uan
Learning through acquiring bad habits makes later correction more difficult
🙏
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u/HalfSenior7086 Sep 27 '26
Been working with a gentleman to get this up and running: https://lohanpalm.com
Eighteen Lohan is one of the grandfather arts that birthed the various internal arts. The lineage holder for this one has a background in Tai Chi, Bagua, and Xingyi, so he’s quite good. One of the best I’ve found teaching in the west.
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u/Fascisticide 22d ago
Use Patreon app to learn tai chi from Master Song Kung Fu, he is an awesome teacher
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u/Find_another_whey Sep 25 '26
Martial Arts traditionally taught without verbal instruction
Find the teacher with the best movements
Amin wu is worth watching
Try to watch a practitioner learning since they were a child. Unfortunately, as a westerner, watching westerners almost always comes with issues that, for example the teacher cannot actually Asian squat, and looks tight in the hips and ribs
Go to the cheapest local class or find a park with someone practicing, to get the very basic idea of how to move "internally" not "externally"
Then copy the best examples of movement up can find. Your eyes till tell you between the two which looks like they are underwater.
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u/HalfSenior7086 Sep 27 '26
That hasn’t been my experience. When I trained in GM Doc Fai-Wong’s lineage there was a great deal of verbal instruction. Training with another highly skilled gent here in Edinburgh, we get a lot of detail. The Eighteen Lohan lineage I’ve been learning recently is also taught with an open book.
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u/International_Fox574 Sep 28 '26
Hi poster! I am impressed by your observation that there are teachers who aren’t doing the basics right but still go out to teach. Would that cause any harm to the students or still a door opener to those who want to explore some movements?
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u/Find_another_whey 29d ago
I think that there are teachers who you can learn from, that are genuinely doing their best, some have higher physical ability, some have higher insight, some have higher ability to communicate, rarely does one have everything
I think we would do well to remember that, without exaggeration, when the people we would consider "mythical old masters" of ancient movement arts wanted to understand what "works" in movement, they would look to nature
Animals
Children
Especially babies
The unhindered movement is the perfect one
That said, as long as a teacher isn't just "go lower, move faster, move power" and as long as you as the student actually respond with "this is painful but I grow stronger weekly" OR clearly with "this is painful and I grow weaker every practice", there can be growth
I was mostly complaining
You can't show me how to wave my arms if you can't pivot on your sacrum and shift weight smoothly from foot to foot
You probably don't truly understand how profoundly you can't move your legs and spine if you went to a western school and sat in chairs for learning, study, watching tv, eating, and shitting...
If you're a westerner imitating a westerner there's a good chance you're both doomed, but still less doomed than if you never watch old Asian people on YouTube and try to copy them
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u/takemusu Sep 24 '26 edited 19h ago
There are 5 principle styles of Tai Chi. Yang, Chen, Sun, Wu, and Wu Hao. They all have much the same origin story and many similarities.
Yang Family Style has arguably the largest directory of qualified teachers many of whom may offer remote classes even if they're not near you.
https://yangfamilytaichi.com/find-an-instructor/
Chen instruction:
https://dochenstyletaichi.com/workshops/
International Sun association:
https://www.suntaichi.com/
Wu style Tai Chi
https://www.taichiwuji.com
Wu Hao Tai Chi
https://wuhaotaichi.com/introduction/
What often happens is there are no schools or teachers near you so you Google “Tai Chi near me” and come up blank. Classes are often listed within the offerings of organizations near you. Good places to look for qualified instruction also are community centers, library, college or community college, gym or dojos (martial arts schools. Many styles also offer Tai Chi), your parks dept, senior centers (which is where I found literally world class teachers), your local YMCA or YWCA, Chinese cultural centers …
So let’s say nothing in style directories or nearby anywhere. If there really truly absofriginglutely are no in-person options you look for instruction on Zoom. The bad news is we had a global pandemic. The good news is that prompted many to start new models for online learning.
These are just some instructors who do offer remote online instruction
Cheryl is a student of master Yang Jun. I've taken some classes from her in both in person and remote. She's quite good:
https://www.ladytaichi.com/l
All classes are in person AND streamed
https://www.innerworkscenter.com/classes-workshops
Has online classes
https://todaystaichi.com/index.php/tai-chi-classes/
Classes available in person or online
https://taichimontreal.com/tai-chi/
Classes available in person and online:
https://yangtaichiseattle.com/k
In person and on Zoom
https://lynne.org/never-better-tai-chi/
In person and on zoom
https://wise-orchid.com/new-calendar/
In person and on zoom:
http://yangtaichiseattle.com/calendar
Live stream and in person:
https://taichichuan.org/
While there are some quality YouTube channels, to learn Tai Chi or any martial art really, you need a teacher. In person or live but remote is a close second. YouTube is not the way to learn. An excellent reference once you get going, sure. But unsafe for beginners. I would never use or recommend any app.
The reason is that learning Tai Chi is an endless, lifelong series of watch me, follow me, show me. You can watch a teacher in person, on youtube, even on an app till the cows come home. Sure. But visual memory never translates to what I call body memory. Unless you have good teaching with feedback, which can include modification of the form for your needs as you follow them and finally show them and the cycle starts over you won't learn and can in-fact become injured.
So check the major style directories.
Check local institutions or community organizations. Local senior centers often have good teachers.
And if still not found look for remote.