Chen Zhaokui's Sixteen Requirements

Chen Family Style of Taijiquan
Requirements for Body/Mind Coordination During Taijiquan Movements/Postures

Chen Zhaokui's Sixteen Requirements:

"Chen Zhaokui (1928-1981) lists sixteen requirements that must be present throughout each posture:

Eye movement (the direction of the eyes)

The shape of the hands, and how the hand changes as the movement is being performed

Footwork (how to execute changes when stepping)

Shun-chan and ni-chan of the legs

Open and closing of the chest and back

Rising and falling of the buttocks

Dantian rotation (waist and lower abdomen)

Shifting weight (the relationship of substantial and insubstantial)

Beginning and end points, as well as the transition movements of the upper and lower limbs

How much strength to us, and where the strength should be concentrated (i.e., where is the attack point)

Position and direction of posture

The rise and fall of spiral movement (top and bottom coordination)

The change in tempo (alternating slow and fast)

Breathing (coordination of breathing and movement)

Listening"

Chen Style Taijiquan: The Source of Taiji Boxing. By Davidine Siaw-Voon Sim and David Gaffney. Berkeley, CA, North Atlantic Books, 2002. Index, charts, 224 pages. ISBN: 1556433778. pp. 116-117.

Chen Style of Taijiquan