The System
The People
The Difference
Tai Chi United is a precision martial fitness academy built for serious movers. Here's who we are and why we built it.
Meet the Founders
Master Damian Neve and Sifu Shirley Ha - united by a shared mission to make Tai Chi the most compelling movement discipline for people who take their time and their body seriously.
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DAMIAN NEVE
鬼手
Master Damian Neve is a martial artist, functional movement expert, and the founder of Tai Chi United - bringing forth a precision training framework that decodes the biomechanical principles of classical Taiji for the modern times. With over 30 years of coaching experience and over 40 years of training across multiple lineages of martial arts from Korean Special Forces, Taiji Chuan, Boxing, Kickboxing, Wing Chun, Aki-Jujitsu, Mizongyi, and more. While working as a manager at Weill Cornell Medical College, Damian became an apprentice of a master of medical Chi Gong and Tui Na which included training in Ch'an and Pureland Buddhism. Damian is a 2nd generation student of Grandmaster Won Kook Lee, Sgt. Lee Jin Ho of the "ROK Tiger Div," William CC Chen, Cheng Man-Ching, 3rd generation student of Huo Yuanjia.
Damian spent many years training in New York's Chinatown and the Midtown Taiji Association, developing his form through push hands applications against masters and practitioners. He was known to take all challengers. The applications that worked in real life ultimately became the foundation of Tai Chi United's curriculum and proprietary forms.
Damian served as a Tier III Coach and Master Instructor at one of the most elite fitness facilities in the world - where he developed supplemental curriculum for personal trainers across national certification programs spanning anatomy, kinesiology, and program design. He has coached fighters, athletes, C-Suite executives, supermodels, and specialized in calisthenics and post-rehab. Damian's work sits at the intersection of combatives, classical martial arts, and functional movement science - a combination that positions him as a singular voice in performance-based martial fitness.
At Tai Chi United, Damian hosts monthly seminars, oversees instructor training, teaches private lessons to advanced students, and conducts training retreats in Wilmington NC.
CREDENTIALS
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5th Dan Black Belt — lineage of Grandmaster Won Kook Lee & Sgt Lee Jin Ho, ROK Tiger Division
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Functional Movement Systems Certified Specialist (FMS)
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NCSF Certified Personal Trainer
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Kettlebell Athletics Coach
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Triggerpoint Performance — Myofascial Compression Certified
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Former Tier III Coach & curriculum developer, Equinox
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Founder, ExpertMovement — functional conditioning & fascial fitness
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SHIRLEY HA
佛心
Sifu Shirley Ha (Chock) is a U.S. National Grand Champion in Wushu Tai Chi, a corporate wellness educator, and one of the most widely recognized Tai Chi instructors in digital media. She is an innovator who took Tai Chi online when COVID hit and became Twitch's first monetized channel streaming internal martial arts - earning a spot on Bustle's Top 10 Fitness Channels in 2021 and building a global platform of 200K+. Her video courses have been widely viewed by practitioners on every inhabited continent.
Shirley has built a reputation that extends beyond the traditional training hall delivering leadership, productivity and stress management programs to large corporate clients including Yale University, Bank of America, Pitney Bowes, Medtronic, and others. Known publicly as the "Stressbender," Shirley has established herself as a pioneer in the application of internal martial arts principles to modern professional life - combining her martial arts background with a decorated career in senior finance leadership.
Shirley has been featured in national media such as the New York Times, Business Insider, BuzzFeed, PopSugar, and more, and is a frequent guest on Connecticut local news. Shirley began training with Master Damian Neve after years of competitive Wushu Tai Chi training left her with significant knee damage - and his training system restored her knees and unlocked her abilities to advance her skills to the highest level.
At Tai Chi United, Shirley teaches weekly group classes and private lessons. She is the bridge - taking the system Neve created and bringing it to students worldwide who are ready to learn it.
CREDENTIALS
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U.S. Female National Grand Champion | Multiple regional tournament grand championships
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Working Mother Magazine — Working Mother of the Year
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New Haven Business Magazine — Power 25, Class of 2023
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Two feature articles in Business Insider
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Featured speaker - International Festival of Arts & Ideas
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Over 7 million views on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram
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15 years Wushu Tai Chi training under former 6x China National Wushu Team member
RECOGNITION & MEDIA
New York Times Business Insider BuzzFeed LADbible PopSugar Well + Good Bustle
THE COMMUNITY
You Found Your People
Our students are professionals, former athletes, and lifelong learners who want precision training — not a passive experience. They want to understand the why, feel the difference, and keep moving at a high level for decades.
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This is the real thing. Tai Chi United has created a wonderfully systematic approach to learning Tai Chi. Using the principles inherent in universal sacred geometry, the practice builds strength and balance, as well as internal power, while always maintaining the martial aspects which are its roots. I highly recommend Tai Chi United and Sifu Shirley Ha!
JOHN
In-Person Student
I've been with Sifu Shirley through COVID, the location moves, the re-structures, and still now. The only thing that remained consistent is and always improving is Sifu Shirley. This is the Tai Chi martial arts school that I love and plan to continue and work to master through my old age. Love the art and the people. Come and learn and improve yourself in both alignment and fitness.
ANITA
In-Person Student + Training Retreat
I found Tai Chi United online when I was looking to shake up my Tai Chi ... not lose what I have, but to expand it. The amazing teaching skills of Shirley drew me in ... and the evolution of the school with Damian Neve makes me feel this is totally possible. This is not the slow stuff in the park. It's demanding and full of substance with practical methods demystifying this journey.
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BRENDA
Online Student
Have been practicing over 10 years with very qualified instructors. However, I am so grateful to have come across Shirley who takes Tai Chi and its principles to another level. Her teaching, along with Damian, are golden gems for the new but most of all for the very experienced. With Shirley's teachings you get to practice your tai chi every day as she applies it to real life situations.
GINIE
Online Student
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I highly recommend Tai Chi United and both Sifu Shirley Ha and Master Damian Neve for your Tai Chi journey. Shirley is an incredible teacher who very effectively describes, demonstrates and clearly identifies the essence of each move using extraordinary insightful day-to-day analogies. Hence every lesson with Shirley has become a uniquely rewarding experience for me in appreciating Tai Chi and all that Tai Chi has to offer. Master Damian Neve offered to evaluate my alignment posture and he recommended a number of daily exercises that I could use to address those alignment and posture issues. I sincerely believe those recommended exercises have made a significant improvement in my Tai Chi form and also in my day to day posture.
VICTOR
In-Person Student
I've been around the block a long time in martial arts and Damian's the real deal. Geometry + martial arts - all the pieces just make sense and I can understand the theory and applications. In the training retreat, it was cool to see what push hands was. Push Hands teaches all the principles and I was able to link it back to the form.
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TONY
Online Student + Training Retreat
Shirley and company bring authentic culture and movement medicine to our community with their classes (online and in-person) and welcoming spirit. They are an important part of my resource list for patients to improve their balance and healing the body-mind. I highly recommend this practice and community
DR. ARTEMIS
Naturopathic Doctor
This course and the whole series have completely changed my journey in martial arts. I can not put into words the rich depth that Damian has. I would 100% recommend this to everyone who believes and is thinking about being serious about their own journey. Thank you and a lot of respect to Damian and Tai Chi United for sharing this with everyone!!
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NASI
Tai Chi Fundamentals Series
This video is absolutely worth every cent. For anybody who wants to learn the "real" Tai Chi, beyond just doing the form in a park somewhere, this is the video to watch. Great job Damian, where the hell did you learn all that?
ALFRED
Secrets of Tai Chi Power
JOIN US
Train Your Way
Whether you're in Milford CT, Wilmington NC, or anywhere around the world - there is a place for you in our community.
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DOWNTOWN MILFORD, CT
IN-PERSON CLASSES
Train with us in-person in the brand new, state of the art facility inside Amae Collective in downtown Milford CT. Feel the corrections, build real relationships, and be part of something in the room.
✦ Weekday evenings and Saturday mornings
✦ Onsite parking lot and underground garage
✦ MTA MetroNorth Milford station
✦ All levels welcome - beginner to advanced
✦ 2 week access to review class recording
✦ First class free - no commitment
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WORLDWIDE - LIVE
LIVE ONLINE CLASSES
Join the same classes as in-person students — live, in real time. Online students get the same attention and corrections as in-person students. Be a part of our school community from anywhere around the world.
✦ Same schedule as in-person classes
✦ Interactive - Ask questions, get corrections
✦ Train from home, a hotel, or anywhere
✦ All levels welcome - beginner to advanced
✦ 2 week access to review class recording
✦ First class free - no commitment
III
ANYTIME - ANYWHERE
ON DEMAND
Lessons from Sifu Shirley Ha. Masterclasses from Master Damian Neve. Stream on your schedule. Mobility, Conditioning, Qigong, Fundamentals, Forms, Push Hands - the full system at your pace.
✦ Starter Content-Only membership available
✦ Best Value: Unlimited classes + content
✦ New content added regularly
✦ Secret Scroll training by Master Damian Neve
✦ Stream anytime, from any device
