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Great River was founded in 1984 by a circle of serious Taijiquan (Tai Chi Chuan) practitioners. For nearly 3 decades the Center has been focused on presenting the complete art, in all its aspects from the meditative to the martial. As such, Great River offers classes in the complete system from proper body mechanics and qi (chi) development learned thru form work, interactive training in push hands, real self defense thru full contact sanshou, and strength training via traditional weapons training as well as historical swordplay.
Center Director, Scott M. Rodell, studied with notable masters, Wang Yen-nian, T.T. Liang, and William C .C. Chen. Over the last 28 years, the Center has grown from a local group into an international school with branches and affiliated school across the US and Canada, Northern & Eastern Europe and Australia. Today, Center director Scott M. Rodell & senior students, hold regular weekly classes in Washington & lead over 25 seminars a year in Europe, Australia and America.
Classical TaijiQuan (T’ai Chi Ch’uan)
Taiji Quan (Tai Chi Chuan) is an classical Chinese internal martial art that, when practiced regularly and correctly, reduces stress and helps to improve physical fitness, concentration, and overall health for all ages. Center Director Scott M. Rodell has 20 years of Taiji experience under masters Wang Yen-nien, T.T. Liang, and William C.C. Chen.
Chinese Historical Swordsmanship
Center director, Scott M. Rodell, is an internationally recognized expert of Chinese Historical swordsmanship & the author of “Chinese Swordsmanship, The Yang Family Taiji Jian Tradition.” While many contemporary schools of Chinese martial arts practice various sword forms, few practice swordsmanship. At GRTC we strive to achieve the complete sword art, moving beyond simple form practice to free swordplay in a manner that is both effective, adheres to the principles of taijiquan & is historically accurate.
Neigong
Traditional Taoist NeiGong (internal work) Meditation in the Jin Shan Pai (Gold Mountain Tradition) for students who have demonstrated sufficient skill and disciple.
More Information:
Come out & Support your classmates playing in the Full Contact Chinese Swordplay Tournament This Saturday January 28th at Noon in Chantilly, Virginia at the Northern Virginia Sportsplex ( http://www.northernvirginiasportsplex.com/). Then on Sunday (1/29) we’ll have our annual Push Hands Open Practice for all levels. at the DC Center, starting at 10, followed by pizza & Kungfu Movies. http://www.northernvirginiasportsplex.com/www.northernvirginiasportsplex.com
A Happy Chinese New Year to All! 
Taiji Spear is the last part of the system that a serious student learns. The reason for this is, the heavier the weapon, the softer the student needs to be to handle it properly. So few students make it to spear training. This video of Baji Spear play is very typical of of the way the long, pike like spear is used, including in our Yangjia Michuan Taijiquan system (???????). http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=F5ksPwIEdEI  ??????????????????????www.youtube.com ????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????A??B??????A??B??????A??B????????????????????????????????????????????????????...
All seminars taught by Scott M. Rodell unless otherwise indicated.
January
14 & 15 – Senior Students Winter Retreat
28 – TCSL Tournament, Northern Virginia Sportsplex, 14810 Murdock St, Chantilly, Virginia
February
18 to 26 – Chinese Swordsmanship including advanced students training, Tallinn, Estonia. Contact Anne Likold, 372/5342-6046 GRTC Eesti (English, Russian, Spanish & Estonain spoken), Great River Taoist Center Estonia
March
24 & 25 – Idaho, Chinese Swordsmanship Seminar, Contact Mark Duffner, 208-255-8099
April
21 & 22 – Chinese Swordsmanship, Toronto, Canada, Contact: Poney Chiang, +1 905-513-6888
28 & 29 – Chinese Swordsmanship, Amersfoort, Netherlands, Contact via email
May
2 – Manchu Archery Workshop, Zeist, Netherlands, Contact via email
5 & 6 – Chinese Swordsmanship, Bad Krozingen, Germany, Contact Dirk Kaestner, Mobile 0151-404-31796
19 & 20 – Chinese Swordsmanship, Mendon, MI, Contact Jim Carlson, Rou He Dao Guan, Mobile +1 269-580-3817
June
9 & 10 – Chinese Swordsmanship & Taiji Saber Form, Portland, ME, Contact Elmo Mackay
23 & 24 – Chinese Swordsmanship, Fairbanks, AK, Contact: Tim Walker, Northern Taijiquan
TBA – European TCSL Tournament
Continue reading “2012 Seminars and Events” »
 Scott M. Rodell executing Snake Creeps Down Scott M. Rodell has studied martial arts since the age of nine. He has dedicated the last three and a half decades exclusively to study of Yang Family Taijiquan (T’ai Chi Ch’uan). Rodell spent many years traveling to find and study with the best teachers in this lineage to fulfill a person goal – renovating Yang Family Taijiquan. He sought out teachers known for certain specialties, pulling together elements of the system that have become separated and fragmented. Rodell has been privileged to receive instruction in Push Hands and Free Fighting from William C. C. Chen, Sword and Push Hands from T.T. Liang and the Yang Family Michuan Taijiquan, form, applications, push hands, fan, sword and spear, from Wang Yen-nien.
Rodell is the Director of the Great River Taoist Center. The Center was founded in 1984 and now is headquatered in Washington, DC and has branch and affiliated school across America, Northern and Eastern Europe and Australia.?He began teaching international in the Russia at the request of the Soviet Wushu Federation in 1991. In 1992, the Moscow branch officially opened as a branch of Great River. For fourteen years, Rodell taught across western Russia before turning over the Russian Branch of GRTC to his disciple student, Albert Efimov. While in Russia, Rodell has made TV programs about Taijiquan for Moscow’s learning channel and Sochi local Television and has been interviewed by various daily newspapers. Rodell is also the author of three books, “Chinese Swordsmanship – the Yang Family Taiji Jian Tradition,” “Taiji Notebook for Martial Artist” and “A Practical Guide to Test Cutting for Historical Swordsmanship.”
Rodell is best know internationally for his work reviving Chinese Historical Swordsmanship. Considered the leading authority on Chinese Swordsmanship, Rodell travels frequently to Europe, across the US and to Australia and Canada to lead seminars in this art. Currently, he teaches over 20 seminars a years. Over the years Rodell has taught a wide variety of classes to a diverse audience including Vietnamese refugee children, jail inmates, seniors at the Library of Congress, in addition to his regular weekly classes.
Rodell was one of the first ten Americans to enter the door of the Jin Shan Pai, a traditional school of Taoist Nei Gong. Rodell, initiated into the Jin Shan Pai by Wang Yen-nien, is a sixth generation teacher in this tradition.
Tournament Record – Partial List:
- USAWKF Northeast Regional Competition, June 24 & 25, 1995, NYC
- Men’s Advanced Light Weight Restricted Step Push Hands Champion
- Men’s Middle Weight Moving Step Push Hands, Third Place
- International Taiji Quan Championship, Republic of China, Second Place, Men’s featherweight Push Hands, 1990
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