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At Tai Chi Chuan competitions, students compete in standardized style and weapons forms, as well as push hands. The competitions usually take place in three separate arenas-push hands is specifically held on an elevated platform. Contestants are scored on the flow of their movements, balance, flexibility, coordination, elegance, techniques (eye, hand, foot, etc.) used, internal energy, and power, and the person with the highest score wins. In push hands, the contestant who does not fall off the platform wins.
Before 1988, judges had a hard time evaluating Tai Chi routines because there was no standard for Tai Chi. For this reason, the 42-Form competition style, a combination of the main characteristics of the four major Tai Chi styles (Chen, Yang, Sun, and Wu) and techniques from push hands, was created. It was choreographed primarily by Professor Li Deyin and involves a high degree of technical difficulty. The 42-Form was first introduced in 1990 when China hosted the 11th Asian Games; nowadays, only standardized forms are accepted at the World Championship and Asian Games.
42-Form
competition style (17 Mb)
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Video
Clip of "42-Form competition style" from
Taiji (http://www.taiji.de/taiji/head4e/index.htm).
Markus.Heilmann@taiji.de. Aug 2001. Email Message.
