Learn basic fan techniques in preparation for the form. Chinese straight sword and the fan are both are traditional tai chi weapons and practiced across many styles. When a student reaches a certain level in their open hand tai chi practice (ie. not with a weapon in their hands), it is time to start practicing these defenses.

It is recommended spending between 3-6 months practicing basics with any weapon before starting with the form. This may seem like quite a long time but the fan especially takes quite a lot of practice to get used to it. What looks quite easy often is a little trickier than you first think.