help out a guy who doesn't know anything about tai chi

[wingchunwsl]

all i know is that taiji chuan is also called tai chi and that it's an internal chinese martial art. could anyone explain in a deeper manner?

also, i heard there is chen style, sun style, etc of taiji chuan. but then i've also heard of tai chi. no specific name just tai chi. what's the difference? i'm sorta confused. any help would be appreciated.

[EARTH DRAGON]

please visit our web site and click the tai chi chuan button, it should answer most of your questions.. hope this helps you

http://www.kungfuUSA.net

[Ky-Fi]

I think this site is quite a good brief overview of Taijiquan:

http://www.shenwu.com/taichi.htm

[Daniel Madar]

If the person teaching does not know what type of tai chi they are doing, or don't know there are types, I'd steer clear.

Merciless is Mercy.

[wingchunwsl]

so if a school says it teaches tai chi- not a specific style like the wu, sun, etc. does that mean it might not be teaching a real thing? :confused:

[wingchunwsl]

thanks for the help. daniel, this school teaches northern shaolin long fist, tai chi, and praying mantis. they say they teach tai chi- no specific style. they also said they teach praying mantis and they said that there is only one type or praying mantis... so i don't know if this school is that great.

[Daniel Madar]

What form of long fist do they teach? Ask for the chinese name. There are only three or four forms of longfist.

Where in CA are you btw?

Merciless is Mercy.

[kungfu cowboy]

Um, sorry, that school is crap. There are several styles of mantis, longfist, and tai chi. I could maybe (but not really, no) see "Oops, forgot to ask sifu if that was Chen or Wu!", but the fact that they don't know what ANY of the names are for any of the arts they offer lends me to believe that there is statistical significance that they SUCK!! :mad:

[dz]

You might want to have a look at this website:
<a href="http://www.taichichuan.co.uk" target="_blank">Practical Tai Chi Chuan International</a>. It's my teacher's website (actually, it's one of his other students' site).

Regards,
Wai

[wufupaul]

http://sunflower.singnet.com.sg/~limttk/index.htm

"But I hope you leave enough room for my fist, cause I'm going to ram it into your stomach!"-Arnold Schwarzenegger

[Fu-Pow]

Yes, I agree style is of the utmost important. There are big differences between Chen and Yang style taiji for example. It doesn't mean a teacher can't teach both, but they should be saying "I teach Yang and Chen." Also big differences in mantis, northern or southern?

Fu-Pow

http://www.fongs-kungfu.de/assets/images/lionhead.gif

"Choy Lay Fut Kung Fu does not encourage its students to abuse or harm others with no reason. Nevertheless, in times when Kung Fu must be performed, Choy Lay Fut requires the student to change from a gentleman into a fierce and cold fighter."

-Lee Koon Hung,
CLF:The Dynamic Art of Fighting

[mantis108]

Northern Long Fist, Taiji, and Mantis and no specific identifier...? It sounds like a morden Wushu crap, that no one can tell if they are dancing or doing martial arts. I would stay clear of a school that said there is but one style of Mantis or Taiji for that matter. Smell really fishy there.

Mantis108

Contraria Sunt Complementa