Monday and Friday evening classes are learning 42 Standard Competition Routine.

(last time updated on May 13, 2013)

Names of Tai Chi Chuan 42 competition Form

1. 起式qi shi Commencing Form
2. 右揽雀尾you lan que wei Grasp Peacock's Tail-Right Side
3. 单鞭dan bianSingle Whip - Left Side
4. 提手ti shou Lift Hands
5. 白鹤亮翅bai he liang chi White Crane Flashing Wings
6. 搂膝拗步lou xi ao bu Brush Knee & Twist Step Left and Right Side
7. 撇身捶pie shen chuiTurn Parry &  Punch
8. 捋挤势lu ji shi Roll Back &Press forward - Right and Left Side
9. 进步搬拦捶jin bu ban lan chui Step Forward, Parry & Punch
10. 如封似闭ru feng si bi Apparent Close-up
11. 开合手kai he shou Opening and Closing of Hands N Sun style
12. 单鞭dan bian Single Whip - Right Side Sun style
13. 肘底看捶zhou di chui Fist under Elbow
14. 转身推掌zhuan shen tui zhang Turn Body and Push Palm on Right & Left Side
15. 玉女穿梭yu nv chuan suo Fair Lady Works Shuttles - Right & Left Side
16. 右左蹬脚you zuo deng jiao Heel Kicks - Right and Left Side
17. 掩手肱捶yan shou hong chui Cover with Hand, Punch
18. 野马分鬃ye ma fen zhong Wild Horse Parts His Mane - Left & Right Side
19. 云手yun shou Wave Hands Like Clouds
20. 独立打虎du lida hu Stand on one leg & strike Tiger
21. 右分脚you fen jiao Kick with Toes - Right Side
22. 双峰贯耳shuang feng guan er Strike Ears with Both Fists nuckles
23. 左分脚zuo fen jiao Kick with Toes - Left Side
24. 转身拍脚zhuan shen pai jiao Turn Body & Slap R Foot Kick
25. 进步栽捶jin bu zai chui Step Forward & Punch Downward
26. 斜飞式xie fei shi Oblique Flying
27. 单鞭下势dan bian xia shiSingle Whip with crouching stance
28. 金鸡独立jin ji du li Golden Cock Standing on One Leg
29. 退步穿掌tui bu chuan zhang Step Backward with Thrusting Palm
30. 虚步压掌xu buy a zhang Press Palm in Empty Stance
31. 独立托掌du li tuo zhang Hold Palm Up on One Leg
32. 马步靠ma bu kao Body bump with Half Horse Stance
33. 转身大捋zhuan shen da lu  Turn Body with Full Roll-Back
34. 歇步擒打xie bu qin da Hold and Punch in Crossed Squatting Stance
35. 穿掌下势chuan zhang xia shi Thrusting Palm with crouching stance
36. 上步七星shang bu qi xing Step Forward Seven Stars
37. 退步跨虎tui bu kua huStep Backward Riding Tiger
38. 转身摆莲zhuan shen bai lian Turn Body with Lotus Kick
39. 弯弓射虎wan gong she hu Draw Bow to Shoot Tiger
40. 左揽雀尾zuo lan que weiGrasp Peacock's Tail - Left Side
41. 十字手shi zi shou Cross Hands
42. 收式shou shi Closing

This Combined set routine incorporates movements drawn from the Chen, Yang, Wu and Sun styles of traditional Tai Chi Chuan (Taijiquan ) the “Supreme Ultimate Fist”

Origin of the 42 Forms

Tai Chi has become more popular and competitions flourish, especially within China. In the late nineteen eighties, the Chinese Sports Committee standardized competition Forms. It had chosen the four major styles and combined Forms. These five sets of Forms were created by different teams of experts, and later approved by a committee of Tai Chi experts in China. All sets of Forms thus created were named after their style, e.g., the Chen Style National Competition Forms isthe 56 Forms, Yang Style National Competition Forms isthe 40 Forms, and so on. The combined Forms are The 42 Forms or simply the Competition Forms, as it is known in China.

In 1990, the 11th Asian Games were held in Beijing, China. For the first time in the history of the Asian Games, the Martial Arts were included as an item for competition. The 42 Forms is the only Form being chosen to represent Tai Chi. This set is the official Tai Chi Form in the year 2008 Olympics Games. This form is based on all four Tai Chi styles.

The first section starts with Form 2 Grasp Sparrows Tail immediately after the Form 1 Commencing Form.

The second section starts with the Sun style's Form 11 Opening and Closing, not only is this the most characteristic movement of the Sun style, it also signifies the importance of Qigong within the set. Near the end of this section, the first climax appears with the Form 17 Cover with Hand and Punch with Fist and Forms 18 Parting Wild Horse's Mane from the more vigorous Chen style.

The third section  starts with Form 19 Waving Hands like Clouds, a slower and easier movement to break up the intensity, then to more difficult movements to prepare for the next.

The fourth section  starts with Form 30 Press Palm in Empty Stance. The second climax starts with the fourth section by the movements such as Form 32 Body Bump with half Horse Stance, Form 33 Turn Body with Full Roll-Back and Forms 34 Hold and Punch in Crossed Squatting Stance. Then logically the winding down comes in to finish off with another Form 40 Grasp Sparrows Tail on the other side.

Form 11 Opening and Closing of Hands, Forms 12 Single Whip, Forms 14 Turn Body and Push Palm are Sun style. They are characterized by flowing movement like water in a stream, much Qigong (Chi Gong) practice such as Form 11, and whenever one foot stepping forward or backward the other foot follows.

Practitioners of Yang style will notice the significant difference of Single Whip in Sun Form 12 and in Yang form 3.

Form 17 Cover with Hand and Punch with Fist, Form 18 Parting Wild Horse’s Maneand Form 32 Body Thrust with Half Horse Stance are Chen Style. Chen is characterized by being more vigorous, containing attacking movements and more obvious self defense application. Punching movements are abundant in Chen style and Form 17 is a typical example of them.

Forms 20 Step Back to Subdue Tiger, Forms 21 Kicking with Toes Forward, Form 34 Hold and Punch in Crossed Squatting Stanceand Forms 35 Thread Palm and Lowering Movements are Wu style, which is characterized by close to body movements and agile steps.

While the competition time limit is 6 minutes, which does not allow a fuller expression of slowness with inner force, for normal practice it is recommended to do the Forms from 7 to 9 minutes.

The characteristics in the structure of the routine

Compatibility: 

The competition routine of 42 Forms was created based mainly on the yang style while synthesizing the movements from several other taichi chuan styles such as Chen, Yang, Wu and Sun. It is the comprehensive competition routine which reflects the characteristic of the compatibility of several different styles of tai ji from the arrangement of the routine to the performance of the movements.

Considerable degree of cifficulty:

The competition routine of 42 Forms was mainly created for competing. So it is rather difficult in terms of movements and standard requirements. The compulsory movements demanded in formal tai ji quan championships most reflect the difficulty of 42 Froms.

Differentiability:

Though the competition routine 42 Forms complies with the characteristics of Yang style tai ji quan, the arrangement of movements which absorbed from other tai ji quan is quite different. The whole routine can be divided into four segments.

Segment 1 mainly uses the yang style movements with the extensive posture and slow and gentle performance.

Segment 2 emphasizes the characteristics of “opening and closing hands” of sun style tai ji, “jade girl working with shuttles” of we style and “hide hands and strike fist” of chen style.

Segment 3 focuses on the movements of “wave hands like clouds” of yang style and “beating tiger” of wu style, to practice the control and balance of toes kicking and slapping foot.

Segment 4 is based on the fourth segment of 48 Forms* which is the first combined tai ji quan routine.

*48 Forms- The Origin of the First Combined Forms

After the creation of The 24 Forms (the most popular Forms in the world), the Combined 48 Form was created in 1976 in order to popularize Tai Chi. The 48Forms were created by some taiji experts sponsored by government based on combining and condensing classical Forms of the four major styles, namely Chen, Yang, Wu and Sun.