Fort Collins Tai Chi Academy

Hi,
The instructor of the Fort Collins Tai Chi Academy is Dave Mishlove. Dave is unquestionably an extremely skilled taiji practitioner who has literally dedicated his life, for the last 50 years, to exploring tai chi and other Chinese martial arts. Aside from being a long-​time student of Dave’s, I’ve had the opportunity to attend workshops and/​or study with Chen Xiaowang (19^th generation Chen linage holder), Liang Bai Ping, Chen Zhiqiang and Zhang Xue Xin. I know exactly what real tai chi looks like and feels like in application and push hands. That is what Dave Mishlove teaches. If you want to learn authentic internal martial arts, the Fort Collins Tai Chi Academy is indeed rare gem.
Dave’s school has a super relaxed environment. Dave goes around and makes corrections to students practicing in the main room on a one-​on-​one basis. You come in, get your workout in, learn new forms or exercises, get corrections and then leave when you feel like it. This format works great for me.
When you have achieved a certain level of ability you can start attending group classes which are held in the evenings once a week. The classes are made up of students of similar ability and who are working on the same form or on developing the same type of skills. When you’re in a group class, you can still come in whenever the school is open. That’s nice if you’re unclear about something you learned in class, you don’t have to wait until the next week to figure it out. Dave is always willing to teach and clarify the finer points of any movement, exercise or technique.
Some people want to pursue taiji by attending a class and going though a form as a class with a structured format. That is not the format or teaching style at the Fort Collins Tai Chi Academy, which emphasizes individualized learning. That’s how I learn best. If you live in the northern Front Range and you actually want to learn real tai chi (which is super cool, BTW), and you don’t come and check out the Fort Collins Tai Chi Academy, you’re doing yourself a great disservice.
Best,
Brad Johnson Ph. D, PWS.