Steve Halls

I like Tai Chi because it is exercise for the mind as well as the body and I feel I am fitter, stronger and more relaxed than I was 20 years ago. Tai Chi teaches you to move in a relaxed way so your movements become more effective and powerful without extra effort. The effect on me has been so beneficial that it has inspired me to help those around me to achieve a similar experience.

In order to introduce new people to the art I specialise in teaching the Yang Style 10 Step form. It is particularly suited for beginners because unlike the more traditional forms very little space is required, making it easier to practice in the average living room. Also it is symmetrical so that postures can be practiced individually as a continuous exercise which is very helpful in the learning process.

I appreciate that with todays hectic lifestyle that students may not be able to attend every week, so if a class is missed, it is not a problem. There is a certain amount of repetition from week to week making it easy to catch up. Wear loose fitting comfortable clothes and comfortable thin soled shoes. Trainers are not recommended because they can be rather thick soled and 'clunky' which does not help with the gentle stepping of the exercise and can adversely effect your balance. All ages and fitness levels are welcome. Please feel free to e-mail me on [email protected] or telephone me on 01438 318734 if you have any questions.

A great thing about Tai Chi and Qigong is that they can be adapted to suit individuals needs and so they are suitable for everyone no matter their age or fitness. They are exercises you can do for the rest of your life. I have one student who is in a wheel chair and I have adapted the Tai Chi and Qigong for her. She has now been practicing since 2009 and she has found it to be very beneficial. I have also taught in a care home teaching students suffering with Alzheimer's and worked for Age UK giving sessions in care homes.

I have been practicing Tai Chi since 1996 and I am currently studying the following forms: Yang 10, 24, 88 and 108 Hand, Yang 32 Straight and Broad Swords, Sun 38 and 73 Hand, Chen 56 Hand and Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan. I also practice pushing hands, Da Lu, the General Health and Cardiovascular sets of Daoyin Yangshen Gong Qigong, Taiji Jin 2 and the first set of Taiji Bang Qigong. Over the years I have studied with Professor Li Deyin, Master Liu Qing Zhou, Master Liu Lian You, Master Huo Dong Li and Professor Zhang Guande in Beijing, Master Wang Yanji, Master Faye Yip and Master Tary Yip here in the UK.

It is easy to relax in nice comfortable surroundings so I like to compete as a way of challenging myself to relax when under pressure. I have won medals in the following competitions:

June 2009 in the London Competition:
Gold for the Modern Open Hand Form.

May 2010 at the BCCMA Championship:
Bronze for the Internal Short Weapon (Sword).

June 2010 at the London Competition:
Gold for the Group Hand Form
Silver for the Individual Sword Form
Bronze for the Individual Hand Form
Silver for the Moving Step Pushing Hands
Bronze for the Fixed Step Pushing Hands

September 2010 at the BCCMA Sparring Championship:
Silver for Pushing Hands

December 2010 at the TCFE European Championships:
Bronze for Sun and Hao(Wu) Style Hand Form
Bronze for Free Moving Step Push Hands

April 2011 at the British Open Championships:
Gold for Fixed Step Pushing Hands in the under 60kg category which made me the British Champion.
Silver for Moving Step Pushing Hands in the under 60kg category.

June 2011 at the London Competition:
Bronze for the Yang Style Sabre Form
Bronze for the Fixed Step Pushing Hands under 65kg category and I weighed only 57kg!

September 2011 at the BCCMA Sparring Championships:
Silver medal for the Pushing Hands in the under 65kg category again only weighing 57kg!

November 2011 at the Dutch Open Championships:
Silver medal for the Mixed Moving Step Pushing Hands in the under 65kg category.
Bronze medal for the Chen Style Hand Form.
In this competition one of my team mates won the trophy for the best overall male competitor and my team, The Longfei Taijiquan Association, won the trophy for the best school.

April 2012 at the British Open Championships:
Gold medal in the Veterans category. This was the first time that I had qualified having now turned 55 years old.
Gold medal for fixed step pushing hands in the under 65kg category. This was the second year in succession that I had won this medal therefore retaining the British Championship title.

April 2012 at the BCCMA Traditional Forms Competition I just missed the medals and came 4th in the Advanced Internal Hand Forms and the Internal Short Weapons categories.

May 2012 at the BCCMA National Sparring Championships:
Silver medal in the under 70kg category. The gold medalist weighed 68kg compared to my 55kg!

October 2012 at the 4th World Tai Chi Championships in Taiwan:
I was a member of a team that won gold in the straight and broadsword categories and came 5th in the 24 step form. Individually I won bronze for the straight sword and came 4th in both the broadsword and other forms category where I performed a Sun style hand form.

April 2013 at British Open Championships:
I won the gold medal again in the veterans category and won silver in the under 65kg moving step pushing hands which I was especially pleased with as I only weighed 53kg.

April 2014 at the British Open Championships:
I won bronze medals in the under 65kg fixed and moving step pushing hands. Again I was pleased with these results as I am still a featherweight! (55kg).

I travelled to Beijing in 2004, 2006, and 2008, to practice and study.

In April 2010 I returned again where I studied Daoyin with Professor Zhang Guangde, attended the 10th International Conference on Qigong and attained my 4th Duan qualification. Also I was a member of the Longfei team who won the gold medal performing the Cardiovascular Daoyin set in the competition on the last day of the conference.

I returned to China again in March/April 2012 for further training and practice with Professor Li. I also attended Master Liu Qing Zhou's 80th birthday banqet where I was a member of the group who demonstrated the Yang 24 Step Form.

More recently (September 2014) I returned to China where I trained with Master Tary Yip, Master Zhang Jia Li (Wudang Mountain), and Master Gao Rui Fen (Beijing).

I returned again in April 2015 to attend the celebrations for the 100th anniversary of the birth of Master Li Tianji where I was a member of a team which won a bronze medal for the Yang 24 Hand Form.

I felt very honoured to have been asked to teach in Ronneby, Sweden in August 2016 where we took a close look at the traditional Yang style 108 form and the Yang style 10 step form for beginners. We had a great time there and I happy to say we are planning to repeat the experience in August 2017. Please contact me (+44 1438 318734, +44 7502 000608, [email protected]) if you are interested in joining us.