Tai Chi can be practiced as a stand-alone activity in indoor or outdoor settings. But did you know that Tai Chi principles can also be used to improve other sports such as golf, running, and swimming? Here’s a brief summary from experts in each of these fields.
Tai Chi and Golf
Improving the coordination of the arms, the waist and the legs during movement, relaxing muscles and improving balance – these are the main reasons for the synergy between Tai Chi and golf.
A study published by the journal “Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise” in 2004 shows that among elderly subjects, the experienced Tai Chi practitioners and the experienced golfers both have much better joint proprioceptive acuity and dynamic standing balance control than those who do not practice either of these two activities.
Building upon such synergy, there have emerged some programs integrating Tai Chi movements into golf practice. The most prominent one among them is probably chi-power GOLF, which is used by the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA). The program was developed by Jayne Storey, a Tai Chi teacher in the U.K. who has been practicing Yang Style Tai Chi since 1987.
Learn more about chi-power GOLF at: http://www.chipowersports.com
Tai Chi and Running
A form of Tai Chi for runners called “ChiRunning” was developed by nationally ranked ultra-marathon runner, Danny Dreyer.
Several years ago, Dreyer got the idea for ChiRunning after taking some Tai Chi classes from a friend. Both Tai Chi and Qigong use the mind to harness the body’s energy, which inspired Dreyer to apply this philosophy to running. Soon he felt revolutionary changes in both his running experience and his running performance.
The principle of the ChiRunning method is to make runners focus on posture, form, breathing, and the mind so they can experience running as an injury-free, effortless and enjoyable activity. Dreyer’s ChiRunning method has received coverage from major media including USA Today and Time magazine. For more information visit: http://www.chirunning.com
Tai Chi and Swimming
Breathing is one of the fundamental techniques that a swimmer needs to master, and that is exactly what the profound breathing exercises from Tai Chi and Qigong can do to help swimmers strengthen their skills. Some people who do both Tai Chi and swimming also think the Tai Chi forms help them make smoother strokes when swimming.
A program for doing Tai Chi in water was developed by Julie Andrews, who is both a swimming instructor certified by the Aquatic Exercise Association, and a Tai Chi instructor certified by Dr. Paul Lam, one of the American Tai Chi & Qigong’s Association’s advisors.
To watch a demonstration of Water Tai Chi on You Tube visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC5mZyxhN1U
Reprinted from “Supreme Chi Living” an online journal by the American Tai Chi and Qigong Association (http://www.americantaichi.net)