Classes are taught by me – Dave Ashbey – training in Tai Chi since 1993, and teaching since the mid ’90s.
Although I’ve been training regularly since about 1993, I’m always learning new things and improving old ones. Tai Chi is really something that you never stop learning. As my teacher once said to me – I’m just a little further down the path than you.
I started out learning Yang style Tai Chi on a course at my local college initially knowing nothing about Tai Chi and feeling like I had the worst co-ordination in the class. By the end of a couple of sessions, although I still didn’t have a clue what I was doing, I was really enjoying it and feeling great at the end of the class.
After a few years my teacher at the time – Jay Rossi – decided to change to Chen style Tai Chi and before long started teaching this strange new style to his students. Although it seemed more complicated than the Yang style I was used to, I really enjoyed the energy it generated and have stuck with it ever since.
In 2003 I travelled with a small group to train for a few weeks in Chen Jia Gou – the village where Chen style was created – and had the good fortune to be taught by the Headmaster of the Chen family school – Chen Xiao Xing.
Over the years I’ve also attended training sessions with various Masters, such as Wang Hai Jun, currently living in Manchester www.wanghaijun.com. Master Wang’s sessions are always hard work, but his thorough teaching style, patience and good humour always result in a great learning experience.
I have current public liability insurance. And I’m an Instructor member of the Tai Chi Union for Great Britain.
Why Dragon River?
One of the original names of Tai Chi Chuan is ‘Long River Boxing’ – a name earned because performance of a set of Tai Chi postures should seamlessly flow from one to the next – sometimes fast, sometimes slow, rarely in a straight line, but always moving – just like a river flowing. In encountering resistance, just like water, Tai Chi doesn’t usually attack it head on, but instead flows around & exploits weak points, in order to follow its path.
The mythological Chinese dragon is associated with powerful undulating movement which is also graceful, flowing and fluid – exactly as good Tai Chi should be. Again, there is a strong association with water as the dragon’s characteristics are very similar – making it a good symbol to associate with Tai Chi.
Dragon River Tai Chi Chuan 