Rating: 
Summary: An excellent introduction to Tai Chi
Review: As someone coming new to Tai Chi I wanted a medium which would allow me to easily repeat a particular section until I become comfortable with it. This DVD meets that requirement and more. I have found Paul Lam's explanations to be very thorough and free from jargon, and I am sure that after a few weeks I will start to derive some real benefits.
Rating:
Summary: Dr. Lam-- professional, standard Yang short form
Review: Dr. Lam and some of his assistants in this DVD have won medals in China in Tai Chi competition. This reflects their standardness and conformity to the Yang style. If you want the standard stuff, and are not willing to settle for watered-down, careless, or altered versions, this is it. This will show you the Yang Short Form as true to its original developers. I have not had any instruction in karate or any martial art, but was able to follow the individual form presentations fine without having to go to the final demonstration.
I believe that much thought and care was put into the development of the forms to the end of maximizing the benefits to the flow of Chi in different parts of the body, with the attendant health benefits. Departing from or altering the forms could cut across the gains to be had from this. So I say be as standard as possible to reap the full benefits of Tai Chi.
I looked at several other Tai Chi DVDs. Some of them were at a lower level than the Yang Short Form. One of them was at a higher level-- showing 48 forms. The Yang Short Form was developed with the idea of having a set of forms that pretty much the whole population of China could do on a daily basis. The intention was to cut down on health care costs by promoting the preventative health care benefits of Tai Chi. So they needed high participation, and they couldn't make it difficult to learn. They also couldn't have it take much time. It takes only 4 - 6 minutes. Leading practitioners of Tai Chi were given the job of sifting through the larger body of Tai Chi forms and practices to come up with a set of exercise forms that would maximize health benefits in a short period of time. I respect the product of this work, and wanted to stay as close to it as possible. If you think this may be too much for you to start with, ask yourself "Do I think I can understand and apply as well as 80% of the Chinese population?" You probably can. If you think so, don't start out with a lower level "beginning" DVD. As far as a higher level, you can go on to that once you have this down.
Rating: 
Summary: looks like it was filmed in a basement by his wife!
Review: I can't believe I wasted the money on this DVD. The filming was horrible. The lessons itself were very slow and boring. The demostration too fast. So I am left looking into anotehr video. I go this one because everyone wrote they loved it and I am upset that I picked it based on that.
Rating: 
Summary: Good for me
Review: I found this video enough good to refresh my memory. I took 1 semester of Tai-Chi in the college but since I did not really praticed it too much, I forgot the sequences. With this video now I remember all of 24 forms.
Rating: 
Summary: It was difficult to follow
Review: I had started Tai Chi with Dr. Lams 6 forms 6 easy lessons and found that video excellant, thorough explainations and continuous breakdown of each moves which you practiced with him first, then his assistant Paul and then a class. I found this 24 form video very difficult to follow because the moves are not practiced or demonstrated as well as the first video. He gives a discussion of each move as demonstrated by a helper and maybe an alternate view. However, thats it, except for the complete demonstration at the end. So if your like me, you continously have to flip back and forth between the demo at the end and the explaination of move. Sounds simple but I can't follow the forward demo so I have to fast forward to the demo from the back view, then go back to the main menu scroll down to the move I need to review, then back again to the demo where you have to fast forward all over again. He should break the demo into two seperate spaces. I have many years of Karate so I can follow most of these moves, but if your a real beginner, I would not recommend this DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent refresher and study guide to the short form
Review: I have been using this DVD for over a year while working with my instrucor on the short form. I found that the DVD was an excellent way to refresh my memory and as a study guide at home. I continue to use the DVD as a guide to both "refine" my movements and help me with a continuous flow.It is relatively easy when using the DVD or an instructor for that matter to perform each movement as if it were seperate. Certainly my instructor often teaches it this way during class and the majority of the video classes in the DVD also enforce the single movement method. However, the two versions of the form that Dr. Lam performs at the end of the DVD have helped me in seeing and working toward a more continuous flow of the movements. Dr. Lam is extrodinarily limber and the silk suits worn help to emphasis this limberness. His performance of the form will be impossible for me to attain with the same fluidity of motion and grace. However, it does present a goal that I can work toward and helps me to focus on lowering and watching my wieght shifts. Several of the secondary instructors on the tape help to show that it is not necessary to attain Dr. Lams flexibility in order to perform and enjoy the short form. Overall, this is an excellent DVD to help anyone learn the short form.
Rating: 
Summary: disappointing
Review: I was really excited about this title. Paul Lam is world renowned for his technique and his other films have been non-stop action. But I felt that the fight scenes in this movie have really taken a back seat to the story.. and lets face it.. the reason we all love tai chi movies so much is for all the pulse-pounding fight sequences. While his "24 Forms" technique is superior to Wan Fat's "Neverending Donkey Fist", and Lin Wongs "20 Steps To A Healthier You" tiger-style.. Lam never finds his grove in this film... spending most of his time providing step by step instructions to the camera. Lam never gets revenge on the the evil emperor "Hoon Chang" and his leigion of surley mercinaries, leaving his fathers death unavenged and his uncles grocery store forever plagued by unwelcomed visits from Changs henchmen. Most dishonorable.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent detailed video of the 24 forms
Review: It is an excellent 2 hours instructional video of the standardised 24 forms. All the instructors are of high level, and explanations are very clear. The tape has 3 parts. The first part teaches 6 Qigong exercises. The second part teaches the 7 most important/difficult movements of the form. The third is a detailed instruction of all the 24 movements. Each movement is split in several parts and it is shown from different angles. At the end of the video, there is a complete demonstration of the 24 forms from the front and from the back views. There are instructions how to use the video for learning efficiently the 24 forms. However, it isn't enough for the absolute beginner. The video assumes that the viewer has a previous training either from a teacher or from another basic video of Dr. Lam (eg. Tai chi for older adults and/or Tai chi for health).
Rating:
Summary: 24 Forms Encoding Problems
Review: Problems with Region 1 encoding made this DVD impossible to view. Total waste of money. This is the only DVD in my collection with problems so I know it is not my player. I expect I got a PAL Australian version.
Rating:
Summary: 24 Forms Encoding Problems
Review: Problems with Region 1 encoding made this DVD impossible to view. Total waste of money. This is the only DVD in my collection with problems so I know it is not my player. I expect I got a PAL Australian version.
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