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Posted

O.k. I'm not a kung fu practitioner, i study karate but (correct me if I'm wrong, cause I'm trying to find out about things) T'ai Chi Ch'aun is a kung fu style and tai chi is short for t'ai chi ch'aun. When you learn a beginners kata does one of them have you move back in forth in different rows shaped like an I? My techer makes us learn "tai chi" katas and I get the feeling that they are not real. Could any of you give me some feedback? :karate:

 

 

Boards don't hit back.

-Bruce Lee

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Posted

There are many styles of Tai Chi...

 

From the point of view of Sun Style and Shaolin Style, the answer is no you do not move in a 'I' shaped pattern.

 

Also there is no real "beginner's kata". You will learn 1 to four sets for tai chi, many being quite long. Also 1 - 2 sets may involve a broadsword, or a straight sword.

 

 

Posted

Yes tai chi is short for t'ai chi ch'uan. Many 'new age' practitioners have tried to ignore the combative roots of the style. It could be called kung fu because this is just a generic term meaning 'hard work'. T'ai chi ch'uan has similar roots to kung fu but was not influenced (as far as I know) by Boddhidharma, the monk who brought Shaolin to China. Tai chi has Taoist roots and kung fu has Buddhist.

 

 

Posted

o.k. From these posts I'm concluding that the "tai chi" katas that my shihan is teaching me are makeshift and I would not learn them if I were to take actual t'ai chi ch'aun. :karate:

 

 

Boards don't hit back.

-Bruce Lee

  • 3 years later...
Posted

Tai Chi doesn't have "katas"

There are 5 main styles of Tai Chi that all have different forms.

In Yang Style Tai Chi, we have a 37 movement "form" we learn.

The form consists of differnt "postures" and moving from one posture to the next very slowly and smoothly. I hope this helps answer your question.

"The journey of a 1,000 miles starts with but a single step."

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