Tai Chi Workshops and Intensives
Dr. Bob Bacher is a 20th-generation Chen style lineage holder and a direct student of Grandmaster Wang Xi’an, teaching Chen style tai chi for decades!
I have been teaching Chen style tai chi in workshop and intensive formats for decades, on five continents, in thirty countries. A weekend workshop or six-day intensive with me is not an introduction to tai chi. It is concentrated transmission — the kind of focused, hands-on training that compresses months of regular practice into a few days.
Every workshop I offer comes from the same source: ten years of daily private training with Grandmaster Wang Xi’an at Chen Family Village in China. What I teach is what he taught me, passed on directly and without modification.
Below you will find the workshops I currently offer. Each can be hosted by a school, studio, martial arts organization, or individual with a suitable venue. If you are interested in hosting any of these workshops, see the hosting information at the bottom of this page or contact me directly.
Available Workshops
Sanshou — Wang Xi’an’s Chen Style Fast Form
A 48-movement solo fast form created by Grandmaster Wang Xi’an himself — taught nowhere else in the United States. Where other styles have their own fast forms, Sanshou is Chen style’s answer: explosive whole-body power, rapid footwork, and real fighting spirit developed through direct application of silk reeling at full speed. Available as a weekend workshop.
Learn more about the SanShou workshop
Silk Reeling Power Training
A complete immersion in Chen style tai chi’s foundational movement principle — the continuous full-body spiral that generates internal power for both health and self-defense. You will learn lower body silk reeling, single and double hand patterns with fixed and moving steps. Available as a weekend workshop.
Learn more about the Silk Reeling workshop
Introduction to Chen Style Tai Chi
The theory, principles, and foundational training methods of authentic Chen style tai chi, including an introduction to Laojia Yilu, the Old Frame First Routine. Designed to give practitioners a strong personal foundation from which to continue training independently. Available as a weekend workshop.
Learn more about the Introduction workshop
Tai Chi Form
Focused work on the careful memorization and correct execution of Chen style solo forms, including Laojia Yilu and Laojia Erlu. Emphasis on structural alignment, whole-body connection, softness, smoothness, and the elimination of unnecessary tension. Available as both a weekend workshop and a six-day intensive.
Learn more about the Tai Chi Form workshop
Taiji Qigong
A complete training sequence for cultivating the internal dimensions of tai chi practice — joint loosening, standing post, Kai He Qigong, silk reeling, spinal qigong, and wuji standing. This workshop is appropriate for practitioners of all backgrounds and experience levels. Available as a weekend workshop.
Learn more about the Taiji Qigong workshop
Tai Chi — Yoga Connection
Designed specifically for yoga practitioners and teachers. This workshop applies the internal principles of Chen style tai chi — letting go, structural alignment with gravity, smooth uninterrupted flow — directly to yoga practice and asana. It has transformed how hundreds of yoga practitioners understand and teach their own art. Available as both a weekend workshop and a six-day intensive.
Learn more about the Tai Chi Yoga workshop
Tai Chi Immersions in Costa Rica
For practitioners who want the deepest possible experience, Dr. Bob Bacher hosts six-day one-on-one immersions in Pavones, Costa Rica — a quiet Pacific Ocean village surrounded by rainforest, beaches, and wildlife. Six days, two classes per day, completely personalized instruction at your level.
Learn more about the Costa Rica immersions
Workshop Formats
All workshops are available in the following formats depending on the subject and the needs of the hosting group:
Weekend Workshop Format 1 — Friday evening 7 to 8:30 PM (optional) plus Saturday and Sunday 9 AM to noon and 2 to 5 PM. Approximately 12 hours of training total. Minimum 20 students.
Weekend Workshop Format 2 — Same as Format 1 plus Monday through Friday morning classes from 6 to 7:30 AM. Ideal for working practitioners who cannot take time away from their schedule.
Six-Day Intensive — Sunday through Friday, 9 AM to noon and 2 to 4 PM. Approximately 30 hours of concentrated training. Ideal for martial arts teachers and students, movement arts practitioners, yoga teachers, and anyone seeking deep immersion. Minimum 10 students.
Custom Format — I am happy to design a program specifically for your group, school, or organization. Contact me to discuss what would serve your students best.
How to Host a Workshop
Hosting a workshop with me is straightforward. Here is what is involved:
Send me an email with your name, proposed event date and location, the workshop you want to host, and your preferred format. We will work out the details from there.
The host is responsible for securing the teaching venue and any lodging accommodations needed. All expenses — flight, local transportation, lodging, and venue — are deducted from the total funds collected for the event and reimbursed in full. The host attends all sessions at no charge.
Plan a minimum of three months in advance to allow adequate time for promotion. A deposit is required 60 days before the event start date once details are confirmed.
I have worked with hosts all over the world. If you have questions about what is involved, I am happy to talk through it. Contact me here.
Bring a Workshop to Your School
If you run a martial arts school, yoga studio, wellness center, or movement arts organization and want to offer your students something they cannot find anywhere else — direct transmission from a 20th generation Chen style lineage holder trained by Grandmaster Wang Xi’an — I want to hear from you.
Bring this workshop to your school or organization
Available worldwide for martial arts schools and Tai Chi Schools. Contact Dr. Bob Bacher to discuss hosting.