Question

[kam79]

How to tell if any of the internal styles are right for you? and if you where looking for a more combat(not self defence) art would it be worng to over look Taiji?

[bamboo_ leaf]

Kam79,

I think all arts practiced in the correct way will provide you with the abilities that you speak of. Some may approach it in a more direct way then others.

The key IMHO is finding a teacher that can really help you to find the art within your self.

You might want to look at many classes do some reading and really try and get a feel for the teacher and students. look at the art and really think about if it's something that calls to you.


The beginning steps are often the most important ones.

take your time and really look around.


luck in your jounery :)

[taooftaichi]

Since, the CMA usually identify only 3 internal arts, you have just a few options in checking out styles. (I'm not at this time including those arts which say they also have internal, although usually thought of as external arts.)

Do some research to learn more about the theory and practice of these arts. Many first time students have ideas about these arts based on Kung Fu movies, which are definitely far from reality, and have a rude awakening when they begin actual classes. So know what you're getting into.

Read articles and books, check out some videos and attend any available short term workshop or seminars that will expose you to the arts. After a short time you will start getting a feel for which art may be best for you.

Now it's time to take some classes...Visit more than one school and observe a class or, if possible take a trial class. How do you feel about the school, the instructor, other asst. teachers (sometimes you end up working more with assts. than with the school Master), and about the other students. If your feeling is positive, sign up. Avoid signing up for a lengthy contract.

Know that there is a transitional period (which may last several months) where you are becoming familiar to the school, art and workout. After a reasonable time you will actually be able to accurately decide if this is the art and school for you.

Don't be discouraged if you can't find the "perfect" combination-sometimes you just don't have that many choices. The true growth and benefit always comes from within anyway. Your teacher is just a guide for you.

[kam79]

Is taiji a good way to let off some steam and/or agression(sp?)?and can some one give me some good sites where ican read up on taiji and maybe see the forms?

[Prairie]

All martial arts, including taijiquan, are effective for combat if practiced with honest intent towards combat. From my experience observing martial arts schools, many instructors are either phoney or don't teach what they know. One must be very careful to search out a proper instructor that can and will teach combative applications.

There are FAR MORE than 3 "internal" styles - if we want to use the "internal" term.

Styles like Liu He Ba Fa, Tzuranmen, Seng Men, Mizhongquan, Hung Ga - all are dramatically "internal" to the untrained eye.

Now if you're looking for combat kung fu, I'd start by looking for a teacher that DOES combat kung fu.

When I open my own school, I'll be teaching combat kung fu (Seng Men) the way my teacher taught me.

[count]

Great point HKV;)

[kam79]

HuangKaiVun,Thanks for the info the reason i asked if it was good for combat not self defence is that i dont have the luxary of a being in a big city so i dont have that much of a choice. i will search the styles you said but i am willy to bet that there are none around ....agian thanks
later
(sorry for the spelling i am rushing)

[shaolinboxer]

Remember, Aikido is also an internal style ;)..and there are many styles of aikido.

[kam79]

I am not only looking for internal style's but all i can find are taiji,pai lum,and some kung fu place i cant tell ya the style cause they have given me like 3 different names so i dont know(i am not going there for reasons i dont want to type all out)...i will probly have to take up karate wich doesnt bother me just thought fung fu would be a bit more interesting to me and i know kung fu isnt like what is seen in the movies by Jet li.
This isnt somthing i decided yesterday i have been looking and going to places and looking on the net for info about styles but it does get a little hard to make since out of it all at times..

"Don't be discouraged if you can't find the "perfect" combination-sometimes you just don't have that many choices. The true growth and benefit always comes from within anyway. Your teacher is just a guide for you."- taooftaichi
Iam not really worried about finding the perfict combo in a teacher just a legit one.

sorry for being kinda long and badly typed
later

[shaolinboxer]

Karate is excellent, depending on the school. What style of karate?

[kam79]

it would be uechi-ryu karate

[baguatc]

Kam:

E-mail or phone Yau-Sun Tong in Halifax. His contact information is at his website:
http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~taiji/

He mainly teaches Chen-style taijiquan (including self-defense qinna applications) but he may also teach (or know of teachers in the area) xingyiquan or baguazhang or another art. He's from China but has pretty good command of English.

Good luck. Hope you're staying warm up there.

[kam79]

baguatc, I have been talking to him threw email,Hes been really nice and helpful i cant make the travel to his school and was condering privite lessons.but dont know how often i would need them i am gonna write him back though he seems like a nice guy
thanks for the help

[taooftaichi]

Sorry for any confusion. I did not mean to diss any of the many internal arts ( which some may also say include judo, ninjutsu, ju-jitsu, go-ju, shaolin, etc., etc.).

I just wanted to keep it simple for a beginner. And the reality, as he posted later, that there were probably not many choices of teachers of internal arts in his area. Thank you for pointing out some of the others, it is posible that some of these arts are being taught more widely in this day and age and people should be more aware of these arts.

(As an aside what do you think about the many teachers of what are usually considered to be external arts often describing their art as having "internal aspects", which might be advanced conditioning exercises, meditations or breathing methods. Right now, to avoid unnecessary discussion, I acknowledge that many practitioners of the various internal arts will list countless other criterion for identifying what is "internal" in martial arts. This has been a heavy object of discussion in the past on this and many other boards.)

[Ray Pina]

Taiji is deadly in the right hands, so are all styles. The secret, forget style, find a great teacher.

Now, all things being equal, I would go past Aikido and go to the source of that art, Ba Gua (aikido's founder spent much time in China and returned with a new art, whola! Aikido). Some major differences in small details make a difference. I do like aikido though, speaking od ideal situations here.

No matter what you do, look for the source in style (where does it come from, what are its principles) and teacher (who did he learn from). What you don't want is Joe Joe's American karate, brought o you by Sensei Joe, student of Sensei Tom, student of Sensei Di(k, student of Sensei Harry. I'd even be warry of COmbat Gung-Fu, though I believe the gentleman above has good credentials. That is just a title, what is at its source. What methods. Be careful, and spend all your time now looking, for it will be made up when training with the right person.

Make sure you are training smarter, not harder. Be healthy, be wise. Things to look out for: a sensei who says, "Do it harder. Do it faster."

These are bad principles to rely on, for you will surely not be the hardest or fastest in life. Find a good way and good luck.