Equipment
Clothing
The practice of T’ai Chi Ch’uan does not require any special clothing. Comfort is the order of the day. Clothing used can be any type of clothing that permits freedom of movement of the limbs and waist. Most students prefer loose pants, such as sweat pants, karate gi pants, or any other type of loose pant. T shirts are perfectly adequate for tops. Other types of athletic wear, such as lycra, are also an option.
Footwear
Footwear is variable and depends on personal preference. Typically a lightweight shoe is worn for practice to provide some level of warmth and protection for the foot. Shoe sole type and practice surface type are the most important considerations. Shoes with high arches, including tennis shoes, boots, etc.., or shoes with thick soles are not ideal because the foot needs to be in close contact with the practice surface in order to ‘feel’ the surface. It is best to wear the same shoes for practice, for consistency, so a different ‘feel’ is not a distraction from concentration, especially for beginning students. Socks can work for practice indoors, particularly on wood or vinyl flooring. However, socks do not work very well on carpet because they tend to ball up and roll off during foot pivots. Socks also tend to wear out fast if worn regularly to practice on a carpet surface. In spite of their pitfalls, socks are better than bare feet. There seems to be no perfect shoe for all situations, so if you practice both outdoors and indoors, two different shoes may be the solution. Rubber sole shoes provide abrasion resistance needed for outdoor practice on sufaces such as grass, pavement or concrete, however, this abrasion resistance is also their pitfall ! Rubber sole shoes create friction while pivoting the foot, a common component of many T’ai Chi movements. This is a big factor in some movements requiring complete turn-arounds. The friction created at the shoe sole – practice surface interface causes torque of the knee joint, which is painful and can lead to counterproductive, long term damage to the knee joint. If you choose a rubber sole shoe, be cautious of this ! For indoor practice in the Dojang, one must also consider Dojang rules, which typically do not allow wearing of street or tennis shoes.
T’ai Chi shoes, or “ Kung Fu shoes”, are the most common and customary footwear for T’ai Chi practice. Kung fu shoes are typically black and look like a slipper. Kung Fu shoes come in two shoe sole types – rubber soles and cotton (or “jute”) soles. The best shoe for practice outdoors on is the rubber sole type. The rubber sole is sturdy and lasts a long time, usually longer than the cotton fabric uppers. The rubber sole type also works fine indoors on wood or vinyl floors. It is not the best for practice on carpeted surfaces, for the same reasons mentioned above. The cotton jute sole works the best to minimize friction and allow easy foot pivots. The trade-off is they don’t last as long as rubber soles, especially when used regularly on carpeted surfaces. For those who prefer to wear Kung Fu shoes to practice, but practice mostly on carpet, one option which seems to work well is to attach (glue) leather to the bottom of cotton sole kung fu shoes. This is best done by a shoe repair shop. There are also two styles of cotton sole Kung Fu shoes available. One style (the most common) is closed with fabric across the top and elastic corners for a snug fit. The other style (less common) has a V-shaped opening on the top, and does not stay on the foot quite as well. Sizing of Kung Fu shoes can be tricky because European sizes are often used, and the same size varies in fit between different brands. See the chart below for commonly used conversions. When ordering on-line or by phone, it sometimes is worth bracketing your shoe size and sending back the ones that don’t fit. Cotton jute sole Kung Fu shoes can also be washed, but only using the gentle washer cycle, and not too often. Washing in the washer can cause the cotton batting in the sole to clump; washing by hand is safer. If you have trouble with shoe sizing because you seem to be between sizes, you can wash cotton jute sole Kung Fu shoes and put them in the dryer and shrink them a little ! Lastly, be careful of the brand of Kung Fu shoe. Some are so cheaply constructed they fall apart very quickly. The least expensive may be cheap for a reason ! Cotton jute sole Kung Fu shoes currently run between $ 7.00 and $14.00.
There are other alternatives for indoor practice shoes, the best being a common indoor leather sole moccasin. Leather soles work the best for practice on carpet surfaces, for the reasons mentioned above. Another option to consider is a smooth leather sole dance shoe. Certain types of specialized martial arts shoes may also be the ticket.
|
European Size |
Men’s American Size |
Women’s American Size |
|
36 |
|
|
|
37 |
|
7 |
|
38 |
4.5 - 5 |
8 |
|
39 |
5.5 - 6 |
8.5 – 9 |
|
40 |
6.5 – 7 |
9.5 - 10 |
|
41 |
7.5 – 8 |
10.5 – 11 |
|
42 |
8.5 – 9 |
11.5 – 12 |
|
43 |
9.5 - 10 |
|
|
44 |
10.5 – 11 |
|
|
45 |
11.5 – 12 |
|
|
46 |
12.5 – 13 |
|
|
47 |
13.5 – 14 |
|
|
48 |
14.5 - 15 |
|
Selected sources of Kung Fu shoes:
Brendan Lai’s Supply Co.
AWMA (Asian World of Martial Arts, Inc.)
Martial Arts Mart
www.store.yahoo.com/martialartsmart/martial-arts-shoes.html
Century Martial Art Supply
Sabres
Sabres basically come in four types of materials – wood, lightweight spring steel (wushu sabre), regular spring steel, and combat steel. I recommend either wood or regular spring steel for the T’ai Chi sabre class students. Combat steel types are rather heavy for normal practice, and wushu types are too flexible: they are designed for specialized practice. Important considerations are the balance point and blade length. The balance point should be located one third of the distance from the butt of the hilt to the blade tip. The blade length needs to be chosen carefully. When the sabre is held vertical with the tip up and one hand grasping the hilt resting by the student’s side, and with the sabre ‘cradled’ in the elbow and parallel to the outstretched arm, the tip of the blade should reach approximately the middle of the ear. Common blade lengths available are 25 ½”, 26 ½” and 27 ½”. The 26 ½” blade is usually a good fit for people with heights in the 5’4” to 5’8” range. Costs range from less than $20 for a cheap wooden sabre to hundreds of dollars for some steel types. The Lungchuan (“dragon well”) sabres are a good compromise between price and quality.
Beautiful custom wood sabres are available by from West Wind T’ai Chi. They are hand made with elm blades and mosquite handles. These high quality wood sabres are crafted by master woodworker Kenneth P. Adams, father of Sifu David Adams, at his wood shop in the Texas Hill country. The wood is harvested from native mosquite and elm trees which have fallen due to natural causes. Elm is an excellent wood for blades due to its light color, toughness, resiliency and slight flexibility. Mosquite is used for the handles because it is a hard, beautiful dark wood, similar in appearance to cherry. The light weight of the mosquite handle also helps achieve the correct balance for the overall sabre length. These high quality works of art are available for $ 100 each. Contact Sifu David Adams if interested. A limited number are available, but sabers can also be custom made (please allow a few weeks).
Other sources of sabres:
See sources of kung fu shoes above.