What we’re about
We meet to learn and practice tai chi quan and qi gong on the boardwalk overlooking the Atlantic. Click "Read more" below, or visit our web site.
Current meetups are in Avon-by-the-Sea, Spring Lake, and Asbury Park. All styles are welcome, but to begin we are learning Grandmaster William CC Chen's Yang-style short form, "60 Movements", a close derivative of his teacher Cheng Man Ch'ing's "37 Postures". Instruction is led by a senior student of CC Chen.
A rough video first take on an introduction to tai chi can be viewed by clicking on the preview image below. It covers everything from safety to finding a teacher, and gets you up and moving to discover the precision and principles of tai chi, which I like to call "the Philosopher's workout".
I am also starting to explore seated tai chi for those who need to build up to standing tai chi. This is a new one for me, but I have found a great starter lesson on YouTube. Research on this will continue!
Please check the "Events" tab for the official event times, and feel free to suggest new locations and/or times!
In the 17th century, according to legend, the Taoist monk Zhang Sanfeng created Tai Chi after witnessing a fight between a crane and a snake. He observed how the animals used softness to counter strength, inspiring the principles of yielding and flowing with one’s opponent’s energy.
AI offers a drier story: "However, modern historians often credit Chen Wangting (1580–1660) from the Chen family village in Henan province as the true originator of what we recognize as Tai Chi Chuan today. Chen Wangting was a retired military officer who developed a style incorporating both martial techniques and internal exercises, drawing from Taoist philosophy, breathing techniques, and traditional Chinese medicine."
In any case, the tai chi chuan form is a precisely choreographed exercise designed to cultivate leg strength, balance, coordination, flexibility, and general health. The form simulates a slow motion martial encounter with imagined assailants. Each movement has a martial purpose informing its execution, and motivating our internal rising and falling intensity. Combined, the movements constitute a moving meditation focused on what CC Chen called "Body Mechanics".
CC Chen emphasized relaxation above all, adopting a taller stance that is easier to maintain, and a more natural posture. Perform happily, he says. We keep the precision of Cheng's "37 Postures" but reduce stress, encouraging practice.
Free videos of the full form can be found on a YouTube playlist of mine.
An on-line scan of CC Chen's book "Body Mechanics" is available free, with a free archive.org sign-up here. That has some background history and discussion, as well as the full breakdown with photos of CC Chen's "Sixty Movements".
Paid content directly from Wm CC Chen is recommended for advanced students, and includes full videos of CC Chen doing his form.
CC Chen has a book that includes full details of each of the sixty movements we can buy for $25 or so. Amazon is one seller.
And I mentioned I take motivation to practice by doing the form, or parts of it, to music. My favorite is Tiffany Poon doing the first movement of "Moonlight Sonata" in a student recital at Juilliard. I also enjoy three songs from Annie Lennox's album Diva: "Why", "The Gift", and "Cold". Surprisingly, I also really like Neil Young's "Cortez the Killer", and "Stringman" from his MTV Unplugged album. Stretches are two songs from Enya's Shepherd Moons album, "Shepherd Moons" and "No Holly for Miss Quinn". And I have a bunch of shakuhachi music for a different kind of accompaniment.
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Our larger goal with the meet-up: a space many teachers and practitioners of different styles can enjoy together, like a park one might find in Chinatown in any city, so feel free to join us in the morning at the South Pavilion on the boardwalk, whatever your style.
See you on the boardwalk any time. Sign-up beforehand is appreciated but not required.
Code of Conduct
- The Empty Step Golden Rule: We just do tai chi quan.
- Corrollary: We do not discuss politics, religion, current events, etc.
- Corrollary: We do not talk about other group members. If another member is creating issues, please share with the teacher.
- Privacy: Do not question other members about their personal lives. Curiosity is normal, but imagine a newcomer finding themselves being interviewed by other students. It will make them feel like an outsider.
- Privacy Exceptions: You can ask about the teacher. As for other members, we can follow-up about things a member volunteers, but after class and without prying.
- Class Questions: Questions make classes better, but once answered, the class must move on. If a student is still puzzled, but the teacher offers no more, they are implicitly suggesting you meet them half way: explore the answer for a few days, then come back with a different question if still stuck. A new question proves an effort was made, and avoids stalemate.
- Touching: It is common for a tai chi teacher to gently guide a student's hand or elbow to the correct position, because it can be surprisingly hard to copy a teacher's position based only on what we see. Our policy is never to touch each other. In rare cases, the teacher can ask permission to guide the student into position, but only after the student themselves realizes they are stumped. Even then, the student can simply say, "No, thanks, I will work on that."
- Relationship with other members: Do not address each other in class, either to answer their tai chi questions or to remind them of our code. Let the teacher handle either.
- Relationship with the teacher: Master Chen was cordial and gracious but never did anything in class other than explain tai chi and make corrections to our form. We asked few questions. He did not mingle with us before class or after. We did not socialize. He volunteered many stories, but we did not follow up. This distance worked well. I am no Master Chen, so I am more accessible; I think we can continue informally, but within the limits suggested here.
- Focus: Always remember our goal, the mastery of tai chi quan. Some have expressed an appreciation of my form, and one judge in a national tournament said I was the closest he had seen to my teacher. My lineage runs from Yang Lu-ch'an to Yang Jianhou to Yang Chengfu to Cheng Man-ch'ing to William CC Chen to me. You have a chance to extend this line, but only by focusing on tai chi quan itself, not me, and not each other.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Sunday Tai Chi on the Spring Lake BoardwalkSpring Lake South End Pavilion, Spring Lake, NJ
We meet at the Spring Lake, NJ boardwalk South Pavilion, to learn and practice the Yang-style Tai chi short form, led by Ken Tilton, prize-winning senior student of Great Grandmaster William CC Chen.
More information on the "Empty Step" can be found at our web site.
In summer, loose clothing and simple flat footwear are recommended, and a wide-brimmed hat for sunny days. Barefoot and sneakers also work. If it is a cool day, a light jacket will help. The breeze off the ocean can be chilly as well as a delight. As the days shorten we break out our ski clothing, a warm hat and gloves being essential!
There is no charge for this event, and no experience is required. Complete beginners will get all our attention. Experienced students can play light tui shou ("push hands") with Ken.
- Monday Morning in Avon Learning Wm CC Chen's Tai Chi "60 Movements"The Promenade in Avon, Avon-by-the-Sea, NJ
We meet at the Avon, NJ boardwalk, to learn and practice the Yang-style Tai chi short form, led by Ken Tilton, prize-winning senior student of Great Grandmaster William CC Chen.
More information on the "Empty Step" can be found at our web site.
In summer, loose clothing and simple flat footwear are recommended, and a wide-brimmed hat for sunny days. Barefoot and sneakers also work. If it is a cool day, a light jacket will help. The breeze off the ocean can be chilly as well as a delight. As the days shorten we break out our ski clothing, a warm hat and gloves being essential!
There is no charge for this event, and no experience is required. Complete beginners will get all our attention. Experienced students can play light tui shou ("push hands") with Ken.
- Wednesday mornings learning Tai Chi on the Avon-by-the-Sea boardwalkAvon Pavilion, Avon-by-the-Sea, NJ
Wednesdays we meet on the boardwalk in Avon-by-the-Sea, to learn and practice the Yang-style Tai chi short form, led by Ken Tilton, prize-winning senior student of Grandmaster William CC Chen.
More information on the "Empty Step" can be found at our web site.
Loose clothing and simple flat footwear are recommended, and a wide-brimmed hat for sunny days. Barefoot and sneakers also work. If it is a cool morning, a light jacket will help. The breeze off the ocean can be chilly as well as a delight.
There is no charge for this event, and no experience is required. Complete beginners will get all our attention.
- Thursdays Learning William CC Chen's Tai Chi Short FormSpring Lake South End Pavilion, Spring Lake, NJ
We meet at the Spring Lake boardwalk South Pavilion, to learn and practice the Yang-style Tai chi short form, led by Ken Tilton, prize-winning senior student of Grandmaster William CC Chen.
More information on the "Empty Step" can be found at our web site.
In summer, loose clothing and simple flat footwear are recommended, and a wide-brimmed hat for sunny days. Barefoot and sneakers also work. If it is a cool day, a light jacket will help. The breeze off the ocean can be chilly as well as a delight. As the days shorten we break out our ski clothing, a warm hat being essential!
There is no charge for this event, and no experience is required. Complete beginners will get all our attention. Experienced students can play light tui shou, or "push hands", with Ken.
