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Yin Yang Tai Chi Academy
22E Andover Drive Guangzhi Xing, owner of Yin Yang Tai Chi Academy, laughs when we reference the kung-fu film genre made popular in American by the likes of Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris and Jackie Chan. Tai chi, he explains, is an internal martial art based on the body's energy, or chi, and just like ying and yang, encompasses a spectrum of styles, from gentle to explosive. A master instructor, Xing wears a regal red robe of silk, which he says encourages energy flow, without jewelry or a watch, which block chi. Amanda Johnson, Xing's assistant and 17-year student of sword-work, says, "At our school, he has an advantage. He was raised with the concept of chi. He finds it easy to tell people how to try to find it. It shows in his teaching; he has an incredibly intuitive sense of teaching." Older people are more likely to be found at the academy during the day, practicing the yang style in which the pace is slow and uniform. In the afternoon and evening, Xing says, the chen style is popular, where there's "more punching." "You gather energy and expel it in a powerful move or jump," Johnson says. Either way, Xing says, "After class you're like a bird. You fly home." 2nd: Cromwell Martial Arts 871F Newfield St. 3rd: Villari's Martial Arts Centers 1124 New Britain Ave. 405 Queen St.
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Sports & Fitness
Best of Hartford 2010
