TaiChiUtah.org is dedicated to bringing Eli Montaigue to Salt Lake City, Utah. Eli brings the World Taiji Boxing Association’s high-level T’ai Chi Ch’üan to us in the United States of America.
2008 marks our second annual event: this year’s W.T.B.A. Workshop is Saturday and Sunday, September 27-28 from 10 - 5pm on each day.
2009 promises a bigger event — 4-day Camp-Style Event with Eli. Stay tuned by subscribing to our RSS Feed.
Why we do this T’ai-chi Event.
We bring Eli here…
- to create opportunities to see, to experience, and to immerse ourselves in high-level Taijiquan
- to lift-up Advanced Internal Arts in Utah and in the U.S.A.
- to gift practitioners, beginner and advanced and expert, with visions of the power and potency of the Supreme Martial and Healing Art
- to provide a stable community of W.T.B.A. practices, a format for forms corrections and two-person drills experience
It’s a Grand, Ultimate Local Phenomenon and an Extraordinary National and International Event. We are the center of World Taiji Boxing in these Western United States.
Help us: get over here and take The 2008 Utah World Taiji Boxing Association Workshop.
Joining Hands, Pushing Hands
In 2000, I looked all around for Push Hands; I tried several schools. I worked with a number of people. But they all threw me Red-Herring Push Hands. I’m no dog; I have and had enough experience in martial arts and Taijiquan in particular to not have to earn Push Hands at some Red-Herring School.
I looked in Salt Lake City and in other places in Utah; I found no teacher of in-depth Taiji nor teachers of Pushing Hands. So I learned the rough edges of Push Hands while working through Geriatric Pushing Styles. I played with handicaps. What I mean is: I played Pushing Hands with what others thought were handicaps.
I used Power Stance, while the other Pusher got the Bigger Bow-Stance. I used structure (they call it rigidity) in my arm; despite limp instructions. And I Pushed. I learned the rough edges of Real Taiji.
Teaching Tai Chi Chuan
Carrying personal Taiji through a six year career at a Wilderness Camping Company that taught at-risk, I learned stillness and developed a depth of practice in the Vast Deserts and High Uinta Mountains of Eastern Utah. Taiji opens, Bagua closes, Fa-jing locks: I practiced that often.
Two co-workers asked me to teach Taiji. One stuck with me. Jason Socci continues to train this elaborate Internal Arts System.
We Want the Best Internal Arts
Frankly, I grew tired of ridiculous explanations of Chi, of sloppy pushing hands, and of silly, twisted knees “rooting” in ugly, sloppy forms. Such Master-knows-best, fantasy-laden communities dominate internal arts culture in Utah. It’s prolific (I don’t know why). I cannot stand such offensive, religiously toned set-ups. I thought I could provide
- a stable, caring community
- a supportive environment
- a blunt, real examination of internal arts
- an immersion in highly skilled instruction from one of the best instructors in the World, so…
TaiChiUtah.org brings the World Taiji Boxing Association’s Eli Montaigue to Salt Lake City.
The W.T.B.A., through Erle Montaigue and associated instructors—like Eli Montaigue, and Paul Brecher—demonstrate the highest competence in the internal arts. Their videos and writings show this depth, and, if you’ve trained with them, then you’ve seen how deep Taijiquan can go!
Steven Smith started Taijiquan and internal arts training in 1993 at a workshop with Erle Montaigue. He trained for years, moved to Salt Lake City, and amped up his knowledge of martial arts by studying healing arts. Steven maintains his License in Massage Therapy. And he practiced mental health therapy in a Wilderness Program. Meanwhile, Steven sought after Taiji instructors, but none matched his experience (however remote) with the W.T.B.A., and none used training methods as realistic or useful as World Taiji Boxing training methods.
While teaching at-risk youth how to define principles to live well, Steven worked with Jason Socci and there, Jason pressured Steven to teach. So he did.
Learning via video feedback sessions with both Erle and Eli Montaigue, Steven’s remarkable precision and impressive depth of Internal Arts speaks volumes about the in-depth, quality instructions provided by the World Taiji Boxing Association. Erle Montaigue’s books and DVDs, coupled with both Erle’s and Eli’s articulate corrections from afar, achieve a level of teaching competence not available in most internal arts schools.
Steven hosted a workshop, in Salt Lake City, Utah, with Eli Montaigue last October 2007. After 14 years of dedicated training (it doesn’t have to take you that long), Steven received the honor of Instructor for the World Taiji Boxing Association. The next Eli Montaigue workshop is September 2008.
Jason Socci started his Taijiquan training in 2005 with Steven Smith. A long-time, existential searcher and realist, Jason enjoyed Aikido’s philosophies but found their methods and attacker-honesty lacking. When Jason pushed Steven to teach, Steven pushed back with W.T.B.A. methods. Jason continues to push-hands, gather Taijiquan knowledge, and extend his reach in movement-awareness practices.
Jason Socci began training with Steven Smith in October 2005. He co-hosted Eli Montaigue’s workshop in 2007. He continues to works with Steven and Eli to develop WTBA Instructorship.
How do we bring the World Taiji Boxing Association to Salt Lake City?
This internet site provides a major vehicle for transporting knowledge about our events. It’s put together by Steven Smith (it’s tough to come up with way to toot my horn like I did above). If you like this stuff, please consider supporting this enterprise right now
Donate $10
Donate $25
Donate $50
Though donations will help me keep it going, I would rather that you attend our events.
For the Sept 27 & 28, 2008 Salt Lake City Workshop:
Send check or money order to
Steven Smith
130 South 1300 East #610
Salt Lake City, UT 84102
Or pay on-line right here: Advanced W.T.B.A. Taiji in Utah 2008 $180
Thank you for your support.
