Classes for beginners are offered once or twice each year, usually in Spring or Fall. New students may join from the 1st class until the start of the 5th class. Details for each class (start date, location, enrollment cut-off, etc.) are provided in an announcement flyer posted in the Atrium and Fitness Center several weeks in advance. Experience with other martial disciplines is valuable but does not give automatic entry to club practices. If you can demonstrate proficiency by performing a 108-move Tai Chi set, you may request an audition (via scctaichiclub@gmail.com) with the club Instructor to bypass completing a beginner class.

Interested people are welcome to sit and observe any class or practice session. Questions may be asked before or after a session begins. Non-members are asked not to join a session to see if they can follow along. Tai Chi is sometimes referred to as 'standing meditation' because it requires complete focus. Newcomers who try to follow along decrease that focus and can negatively affect the practice.

Our club has no member enrollment fees or recurring dues. Upon completion of a beginner class, members are given an opportunity to purchase a club tee shirt but there are no other club expenses.

Anyone who knows the website URL can view the home page and the information under the banner options. However, to view videos under Exercise Links, you must log in and gain "member" approval. Member requests are approved only for Beginner Class participants or long-standing SCC Tai Chi Club members. If you are in one of those groups and need help logging in, click: Help

Wear clothes that will allow you to move freely and shoes that are comfortable and flexible. Most beginners do well with a pair of lightweight tennis shoes. Ideally, shoes have a flat sole for stability, a good upper cover to maintain secure contact with the foot, and a low-cut heel to allow good ankle mobility. Avoid street shoes with rolled up toes and high cut heels. Do not wear flip-flops.

Cell phones must be turned off or switched to silent mode before practice begins. Practice typically begins when the Instructor or a Set Leader begins Wrist Turning (one of the seven Foundation Exercises). This movement is used as a 'call to order', similar to a court judge banging a gavel. As practice goes on, you will move forward and back and will turn in different directions. To keep people from colliding, everyone must line up in uniform rows and columns. Each set is conducted in silence and begins and ends with the Tai Chi bow. Traditionally, a person who must leave a set in progress, will step to one side and execute a bow before leaving the room.

You will get an email from scctaichiclub@gmail.com - If your email server pushes these messages into your Junk folder, you will need to select one and identify it as 'not junk'.

The short answer is... every day! Knowing all the moves and being able to do them in correct order is challenging enough. Then each move must be done properly. It is difficult to progress at a pace you will find acceptable if you do not practice every day. This does not mean you must spend an hour every day, but you will be happier if you practice something each day, whether it is the Foundation Exercises, one set of as many moves as you know, or only the move you just learned. The important thing is to make practice a habit, so you are always re-thinking what you know and don't lose ground.

Yes. It is easier to practice with the group; following the Instructor and Set Leaders; keeping in sync with the people around you; and being comfortable in the same general space each time you practice. Fairly quickly, you will realize those familiar surroundings are a crutch. When you practice on your own, you will gain a deeper understanding of what you are doing because you rely only on your own understanding and muscle memory.

Tai Chi is: a martial art that emphasizes controlled movements and deep breathing. a discipline of meditative movements practiced as a system of exercises. believed to have developed in China anywhere from 400 - 800 years ago. The origins of Tai Chi are widely debated as are the meaning of the words. Tai Chi arose out of Qigong, a much older discipline. Some say the words should be translated as "Supreme Ultimate/Energy", or as "Great Polarity". In any case, it is safe to say Tai Chi has a martial aspect, and the practice of the movements is beneficial to your health. Our club rarely speaks of the martial side but focuses on the health aspect to build strength and stamina, improve balance and coordination, and increase body awareness.

Beginners often think once they learn to do the 108 moves in correct order, they will be proficient. But learning the set is only a beginning. Each move must be done correctly to achieve practice goals: improved balance, limberness, and strength. As you log weeks, months, and years of practice, you will notice subtleties about how your hands, arms, feet, legs, torso, and head are positioned, and come to realize you must refine your movements. This process is repeated over and again. To make things more complicated, one day you will realize all the practice you have done has changed your body. Your breathing will slow and become deeper; muscles will gain strength and flexibility; your joints will open to allow improved energy flow; even your bone structure and the alignment of your internal organs will change, as will your mind. All these changes affect the way you move as you practice, so the process of refining your practice and skill level never ends.

Many styles of Tai Chi are practiced; Chen, Yang, Wu, Hao, and Sun to name a few. Each was typically named after the family that developed the style. We practice the Taoist style, which was developed, by a Chinese monk named Mr. Moy Lin-shin. Mr. Moy grew up in China and then moved to Canada where he modified the Yang style into the Taoist style we practice. Mr. Moy’s teachings were introduced to Sun City Center by one of his students, Mr. Kenneth Faulk (retired). Our club practices are now based on the teachings of another of Mr. Moy’s students, Mr. Kevin Werre who lives in Canada and hosts the Awareness Tai Chi website. We use the videos from his website as a guide to our practice.