Know Your Tai Chi Styles: 24 Movement Style

The 24 Movement Tai Chi form was created by the Chinese Sports Committee in 1956. Three recognized masters were given the task of creating a form of Tai Chi that could be quickly and easily learned and used for exercise. The three masters consulted were: Fu Zhongwen, Cai Longyun, Zhang Yu, and Chu Guiting. They took the longer traditional forms of Tai Chi and broke them down into 24 movements that would be a simplified approach to learning Tai Chi. This form is a pretty darned good place to start your Tai Chi training but many traditional teachers scoff at it citing that it lacks depth and martial content. Still it is a nice exercise to relieve some stress. I put this one in the class of a beginner's form only. You will almost never see an advanced Tai Chi practitioner who studies only the 24 form.