gunit Posted August 19, 2003 Posted August 19, 2003 I personally think Tai Chi Chuan is the most effective and the most deadly martial art system in the world (maybe aside from Shaolin Kungfu). Each movement and pattern has a combat application. One pattern can be used to dislocate an elbow, block an attack, or throw the assailant. Of course, internal force is required to carry out the attacks/defense. It is a pity that tai chi chuan has been debased to a mere relaxing dance today.
kle1n Posted September 7, 2003 Posted September 7, 2003 tell me of a good fighter who only does tai chi? Be everything. Be nothing.
Nikkolaiashimon Posted September 8, 2003 Posted September 8, 2003 here is a great link about the combat applications of Taijiquan. http://www.wahnam.com/TheShaolinWahnamInstitute.htm go to the Taijiquan section obviously hehe. I agree that if you trained on how to use taijiquan effectively that it would be very useful in combat! Cry in the Dojo, Laugh on the Battlefield.
Kamidake Posted September 13, 2003 Posted September 13, 2003 I'll be darned. I certainly never thought of Tai Chi as having any combat applications, but they've got the pictures right there showing what they're talking about! That's why I like Karate Forums. I learn a lot.
SaiFightsMS Posted September 13, 2003 Posted September 13, 2003 There is more than one style of tai chi.
Drunken Monkey Posted September 14, 2003 Posted September 14, 2003 well, a lot of guys teach tai chi forms and tell people that they are for relaxation and health, spiritual blah etc etc. this is really a shame as tai chi actually has a lot of effective throws, joint locks and controls. y'know, this is one thing that really gets on my nerves. this misundrstanding of tai chi is because of people seeing a way of making a quick buck. as a result, the style that they rip off gets watered down and redistributed. it's happened in tai chi, karate, tkd, wing chun and if we're not careful, it could happen to all of them. a lot of guys go on to say how the modern mixed styles are the best etc etc but isn't a shame that these traditional arts that have existed for so many years are slowly dying? post count is directly related to how much free time you have, not how intelligent you are."When you have to kill a man it costs nothing to be polite."
delta1 Posted September 14, 2003 Posted September 14, 2003 The big reason Tai Chi got such a bad rep is that it became popular here in the 60's. At that time it was mostly taken over by the Hippies and the pacifist crowd. They totally ignored the martial aspects, even claiming there weere none. So it got a bad rep as a freak dance. But the root of the problem goes back further. When China started to be opened to the rest of the world, especially the West, the masters were afraid their arts would get out. The Chinese are an extremely closed, exocentric culture. They put out a lot of propoganda that Taiji was just a healthy ritual, hoping no one would take the art seriousely. Unfortunately, they have allways been good propogandists, and fell victim to their own trap as a lot of Chinese also believed this. And that is how it was originally presented to the West, and later what the peace movement of the 60's glommed onto. Disclaimer: unfortunately, I witnessed the 60's (looks for a barfing smiley). The rest of this is what I've come across in reading about Taiji. Freedom isn't free!
Drunken Monkey Posted September 14, 2003 Posted September 14, 2003 not sure how much of that i agree with. i've never really come across anything in chinese writing, legends or stories that doesn't tell of tai chi as being an effective martial art. post count is directly related to how much free time you have, not how intelligent you are."When you have to kill a man it costs nothing to be polite."
delta1 Posted September 15, 2003 Posted September 15, 2003 That's why the disclaimer. Maybe others have come across this, maybe not. Just throwin' it out to see. But I'll stand by the 60's part of the statement, based on my personal experiences. Freedom isn't free!
paolung Posted September 15, 2003 Posted September 15, 2003 i may step on a few toes here but i'm with kle1n on this one. how many folks here can name a single good (living) fighter who does only taiji? one of the reasons taiji is scoffed at is because alot of the taiji today IS for relaxation, it IS devoid of combat usage, and it IS taught that way. whether or not the "hippies" took the viciousness out of it, the fact remains- there are few (if any) proponents who can wipe the floor with a good fighter if they are only using taiji. i'm sure there are a few out there who can, but they are few and far between. there's even plenty of debate on how to use the apps, or if taiji is really a super-effective dim mak art, or whatnot... as for it's being "debased" or whatnot, compared to when? It's not like taiji ever "dominated" that i'm aware of....sure, chen village was famous for it's cotton fist fighting, and we all know stories of yang chen fu etc... but even one of the most famous neija masters, Sun Lu Tang, ended up creating his own synthesis of the 3 "sisters"...sun style taiji... which includes elements of xingyi etc.... "It is not how much you know but how well you have mastered what you've learnt. When making an assessment of one's martial arts training one should measure the depth rather than the length". - MASTER "General" D. Lacey
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