Word    ~    The Chinese character "chi" (ji) in T'ai-Chi (taiji), shown above, means 'extreme'. "T'ai-Chi Ch'uan" is usually translated as "Great Ultimate Boxing" but it could just as well be translated as "Grand Extreme Boxing".

Fun    ~    I like this word 'xtreme' because in current popular culture it connotes something interesting, challenging, on-the-edge, and exciting. That's what Taiji should and can be. Sometimes Taiji students and teachers take themselves too seriously and drain the fun, color, and excitement from the art, with a stodgy, heavy, overly reverential presentation and style. We are very respectful of tradition - so much so that we want to keep the art alive. The word Xtreme is part of that effort. In other words, I think it sounds cool.

Training    ~    The traditional training methods as passed to us through Benjamin Lo are extremely challenging for anybody. If you don't believe me, come try! In addition, for those students who are interested, I can supplement the training with additional very challenging stuff. But nevertheless, taiji is a gentle art, and nobody need push themselves beyond their own individual limits.

Results ~ The application and reality side of martial arts seem limited to tough, fit, strong, highly trained, and experienced young-ish and middle-aged men. The people who might most need self-protection, however, range across the human spectrum of age, gender, physical and psychological endowments, etc. Professor Cheng, who could express such fantastic power in so gentle a fashion, achieved an "xtreme" result. So now - who among us will dare to try to reach that standard of true power - coupled with absolute softness, non-aggressiveness, and gentility - that he taught? That level of achievement f is "xtreme" by anybody's standards. The bar too high for us now, in this time and place. But if not us, then who? Professor Cheng's achievement represents an "xtreme" challenge to all students of Taiji.