Dịch
Dave Goodell Anne Smyers
In celebration of the Tai Chi Foundation’s 50 years, each month in 2025, we are publishing blog posts featuring historical material, reflections by TCF tai chi teachers, videos, and photos. We hope the images and words connect the tai chi community to our school’s many strengths, expand our understanding of the art, and inspire our practice. And who knows? Perhaps something in this series will inspire you to share your experience as well; the door is always open. Welcome to this month’s edition!
June Memories
Introducing Anne Smyers and Dave Goodell, who have been part of TCF since its inception in the 1970s. Join them as they share their early tai chi memories.
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Anne Smyers’ Tai Chi Journey
Anne Smyers and Margaret “Matsu” Matsumoto (2004)
Anne Smyers first learned tai chi at the School of Tai Chi Chuan in 1975 and became an apprentice in 1978. She started training B1 apprentices in the mid-1980s and began organizing summer and winter trainings in the U.S. in the early 2000s. Her current public classes promote health and balance for seniors.
Anne lives in Northern Virginia with her husband, Dennis. She has worked in horticulture and home design, but is an artist at heart. Her medium is fiber, and she creates art quilts, which she sells locally and online.
Fifty years ago, in the mid-1970s, I was living in Boston in a group Arica house. At some point during that period, Patrick Watson and Patty Gorman came to Boston to teach the tai chi form in an intensive-weekend format: classes held on Friday evening, Saturday morning and afternoon, and Sunday morning and afternoon. With five classes per weekend, it took six weekends to learn the entire form.
Most everyone in the house went to the classes, and I went too. I remember Sherry Kent there, and Greg Woodson—we lived in the same house then—both getting plucked out of the big class afterwards to go travel with Patrick. Right away I liked tai chi. It was calming, I enjoyed the choreography of it, and there was something so special about moving silently in synchrony with so many other people – there were probably 30 or more of us in those classes, from the four Boston Arica houses. So, I started doing tai chi for the simple reason that my friends were doing it, and it hooked me.
It has been one of the few through-themes in my life since then. With a few fallow periods, I have studied and practiced, and then taught, continuously for almost 50 years now. I often say it has kept me sane. I’m not naturally a calm or easy-going person, and I credit tai chi’s moderating influence on my body and psyche for the fact that I’m more well-balanced in many ways than I would be without it. Of course, there’s no control version of myself to compare to, but having the physical ability to let go of tension feels invaluable in any case. I’m a nicer person when I do tai chi.
Click here to read Anne Smyers’ entire blog post
Anne Smyers and Jan Sheffner (2003)
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Dave Goodell’s Tai Chi Remembrance
David (Dave) Goodell is the lead teacher of the Seattle School of Tai Chi Chuan. He learned tai chi in 1976 and began teaching in 1982. In 2005, he moved from the Washington D.C. area to the West Coast and established the Seattle branch of TCF. Dave also maintains a private acupuncture practice at the Center for Classical Five-Element Acupuncture. He is the author of Opening the Gate of Life: Wisdom for cultivating Health, Vitality and Longevity.
I remember Patrick Watson as an imposing, fierce, and immensely loyal and supportive person. He was completely dedicated to forming an international tai chi school with a focus on teaching teachers. He did not tolerate any laziness or a careless attitude towards tai chi. If you were willing to put in the work, he was there to help. If you didn’t work, he was not going to waste his time on you.
I recall the first time it was my turn to stand in front of him to experience a ti fang (soft uprooting technique), with the wall about six feet behind me. Although he had carefully prepared us for this moment, teaching us how to arrive at the wall without injury, it was still a frightening experience. I did not feel him push me. I felt only a brief moment of accelerating through the air, with both feet off the ground, before slamming into the wall with such impact that I felt stunned. My mind did not know how to process this; I had never experienced such a thing.
The impact, according to Patrick, would make our internal organs “drop.” He said it was very beneficial. Sure enough, as Patrick said, my body felt a deep sense of relaxation. My voice was lower, my mind was silent, and I felt great. I wanted to do it again.
Click to read the full article of Dave Goodell’s Remembrances
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Starting Your Tai Chi Journey?
You can learn more about tai chi by exploring the diverse offerings of the Tai Chi Foundation (TCF). TCF provides live online courses, allowing you to participate in guided sessions in the comfort of your home. These virtual classes offer unique opportunities to connect with experienced instructors, ensuring that you receive personalized guidance and feedback. Additionally, the Tai Chi Foundation offers Teachable on-demand classes, providing a flexible and accessible way to learn at your own pace. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced practitioner, these online resources offer a wealth of knowledge to enrich your tai chi journey. For those seeking a more hands-on experience, check out the regular course offerings of TCF’s affiliated local schools.
TCF is a not-for-profit educational organization that promotes, funds, and teaches programs that enable people to learn tai chi chuan and embody its principles.
Be sure to check out our new TCF 50th Anniversary Shop, where you can find stylish tai chi t-shirts and other great branded merchandise!
The Tai Chi Foundation Editorial Team
Photos courtesy Tai Chi Foundation Inc.
Copyright Tai Chi Foundation 2025
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