Tai Chi!

[Vyze]

Hi. I've been very intrested in taking up Tai Chi as a secondary martial art (i currently do okinawan goju-ryu and have thoughs of doing hakakori[?] jiujitsu aswell!) I'm looking for something with health benefits, but most imporantly is practical in a real-life combat situation or sparring. How is tai chi at this? I've heard tai-chi chuan is the best style for what im looking for. Near me, there is only one tai-chi place, http://members.toast.net/aihanmed/ that i can find and i was wondering, if by their website, they seem to be good for the martial applicatoins of tai chi. thankyou for your help!

 

p.s. im also possibly intrested in taking Aikido(but the only aikido place near me teaches Aiki-jiu-jitsu, so id go with that) how is that for the martial application? do many aikido schools participate in sparring/tournaments?

 

thanks again

[lordtariel]

It's hard to tell from a website. You're really going to have to sit in on a class or two. Watch the students and watch the instructor. Talk to the instructor about their background as a martial artist. I recommend also checking out the Ba Gua and push hands classes. The style they teach, Chen, is the most overtly martial of the main forms so it looks promising. Tai Chi when taught correctly as a martial art is a powerful one. It has a lot to do with interacting with and redirecting forces, so it's a good accompliment to aikido or judo. It will also increase your root and ballance. As exercise goes, it can really build muscles(I've seen a video of a sifu doing his entire form underneath a table), but obviously don't really expect much in the way of cardio from it. The problem is that so few people who practice actually know it's secrets as an effective combat art. Also, it can take a lot of practice to make it effective as a system of defense. You won't come right out of the class ready to go. Hope this helps.

[dtstiachi]

hey Vyze

I would encourage you to try out Tai Chi. It will compliment the hard style you are doing nicely.

[Sohan]

I would take Aikido instead if you are looking for fighting practicality. It takes a LONG time to be able to use Tai Chi as a fighting art, and most instructors I have met just don't really understand Tai Chi well enough for it to be any more than a gentle relaxing art. If you don't have a good instructor, Tai Chi ends up being just like very slow karate. A good Tai Chi instructor who is highly recommended in the MA community will be worth every penny you invest.

Respectfully,

Sohan

[Eugeu_Ryu_Stylist]

It didn't take me long to be able to use Tai Chi in Combat. I have been studying for about 6 years now and haven't lost a match using it. I believe it is very effective. I practice Yang Style Taijiquan.

[Christoffer_kun]

okey,

i live in sweden. i know some taichi places, but they are occupied in great cities. far from me.

is it smart to learn from books and videos, cause i aint going 180 km every week. or is there any other way to learn Tai chi? please tell me.

[Ace2021]

"is it smart to learn from books and videos"

Smart, no. Is it possible...yes. my friend learned Jujitsu from books and videos and he can keep up with me fine.