Real Tai Chi?

[mantid1]

I have heard so many coments about "Real Tai Chi" and was just wondering if anyone could give me a definition of real tai chi.

It seems everyone thinks that they have the real deal. What is it? Just doing the form? Push hands exercises? Free style push hands? Do you ever teach punching and kicking drills up to speed like Mainstream kung fu styles?

If you never drill the techniqes up to speed how will you apply them in a real self defense situation?

Most of what I teach is the form and some basic push hands drills. Many of the people who do it are older and do not care about the fighting anyway. To be honest, they have a hard time just with the form.

I had one young man who wanted to learn to fight with the tai chi. So I broke it down just as I do my kung fu style into drills using punches, kicks, two person drills, push hands drills and throws. After about a year I threw him into the san shou class to fight. He did very well against the kung fu students. Was it Tai Chi or just san shou? Not sure. His movement was a little different than the others but at least he did fight.

Has anyone ever been abe to see CC Chen's daughter or other students fight san shou? Did it look like just another san shou fight or did they display thier style by the techniques they used? Just wondering. They are the only school I know of the does that type of fighting.

[TaiChiBob]

Greetings..

Has anyone ever been abe to see CC Chen's daughter or other students fight san shou? Did it look like just another san shou fight or did they display thier style by the techniques they used? Just wondering. They are the only school I know of the does that type of fighting.

I have seen both Tiffany and Max fight and i've trained with WCC Chen.. Tiffany, moreso than Max, has elements of Taiji in her approach to fighting.. but, at combat speed Taiji is difficult to discern by the untrained eye.. Max is quick and smart (and his arms are unnaturally long).. it is in the training environment that you see the development of Taiji skill into true combat skill..

Be well..

[Ray Pina]

Been focusing on Taiji. All I can say is that it's teaching me to coordinate my body better .... get power all the way from the foot and ankle up through the knee, into the waist, hips, shoulder, elbow, wrist, fingers.

Now I see why you train it slow, so you can feel each part. I train it like I train everything else, walk back and forth focusing on getting a good drive off the leg, hanging time, feel the connections. I learned not to tense the arm, that it won't increase the mass only slow it down. So I go back and forth doing pong (sp?).

My master hasn't taught me the form, just breaks out sections, shows me the idea, the power, and how to train it. Then we train it.

As for fighting, I add everything I learn into my fighting and take it with me. What part is taiji, what part is Hsing-I, Ba Gua. It's hard to say from looking on the outside. But when I'm using rib and a certain ****ing power in the clinch, I learned that from Hsing-I. When I use wave punching, hitting from relaxation, I learned that from Taiji.

Doesn't matter what it is or how it looks to someone else. When you beat them, then you have the right to say what it is.

[neilhytholt]

My master hasn't taught me the form, just breaks out sections, shows me the idea, the power, and how to train it. Then we train it.

That school you go to sounds like a really good school.

[Ray Pina]

I'm definitely happy with it. It fits my personality and I know I'm becoming a better martial artists, and person, as the days go by. The next few months are going to be big for me, with some big fights I want to participate it. But then again, I guess any fight you commit to is big

[bamboo_ leaf]

(What is it?)

the ability to understand and demonstrate what empty and full mean how open and close work. These are things that can be used martially but are not martial in themselves.

If one is seeking the end result seeks to make it into something they feel works its called missing by an inch is just as much as a thousand miles. Unless one is very clear its quite hard and requires a good teacher or guide to help you find taiji in yourself.

[bamboo_ leaf]

ah but it does matter. Read some historical accounts of the yang family before saying this, or some of the other taiji masters, from other taiji family styles.

They were very careful to show that what they did was very different from what everyone else was doing at the time. Had they used the same things that others used only with more speed and strength no one would really have thought much of it

[RiceWine]

If you can be a bad ass with it then it would be the real deal. =)

[DarinHamel]

You can practice the individual moves as two person practice if you looking for drills. There are eight basic hand techniques and five basic stepping methods. I suppose "real" tai chi are those 13 basic forms.

[TaiChiBob]

Greetings..

There are very few people alive that i consider sufficiently authoritative as to define "real Taiji".. and, i haven't seen any of them post here..

I don't think Taiji is confined by descriptions and words.. i think it is revealed through practice and guidance by someone who demonstrates many of the characteristics described in the "Classics"... Sometimes, i think that even a good teacher may not "have it", but is capable of guiding others "to it"...

It is a teacher's best effort to empower their students beyond the teacher's level..

I know how Taiji has been revealed to me, and i believe it is real.. but, i have seen it revealed to others differently, and it was still real.. we know its authenticity when we cross-hands.. there are few, if any, that can express observably "real" Taiji through forms..

Taiji can be expressed through the way one lives their life.. but it is like a tire uninflated.. the life lived in Taiji fashion would be observably impressive.. except for its functionality.. then, when appropriate conditions are available, the one living the Taiji life might cross hands with another for sport, or play, or.. real.. Then, we see how much air the tire can hold, we can tell if it's functional.. Then, at its highest potential, even the crossing of hands is unavailable because the Taiji player neutralized the problem before it got that far.. "real Taiji".. wins the battle before it's fought..

So, how do we tell? We experience it, and, somehow we just "know".. we can deceive ourselves with so many opinions of others, but.. within each of us, when we feel it and experience it, we "know" it....

Be well..

[DarinHamel]

Amen to TaiChiBobs post.

[neilhytholt]

Greetings..

There are very few people alive that i consider sufficiently authoritative as to define "real Taiji".. and, i haven't seen any of them post here..

...

So, how do we tell? We experience it, and, somehow we just "know".. we can deceive ourselves with so many opinions of others, but.. within each of us, when we feel it and experience it, we "know" it....

Be well..

So many words, so little demonstration, so few concrete names of who these real teachers are.

[Scott R. Brown]

So many words, so little demonstration, so few concrete names of who these real teachers are.

I have a nice idea!! If you would like to know something, how about trying a little courtesy? Have you ever tried asking?

I heard it works pretty well! You are more likely to get your question answered and you won't look like such a D!CKHEAD!!

[Blacktiger]

Oh brother dont even bother

[neilhytholt]

I have a nice idea!! If you would like to know something, how about trying a little courtesy? Have you ever tried asking?

I heard it works pretty well! You are more likely to get your question answered and you won't look like such a D!CKHEAD!!

Honestly, I've already searched for the teachers, and IMHO there is nothing to taiji except for long fist and some push-hands.

Best teachers at last count:

Marin's teacher in China. Chen Yu. Marin's page : http://www.taijigongfu.com/
Gin Soon : http://www.gstaichi.org/
Chen Xiaowang: http://www.worldchentaichi.com/Chen%20Xiaowang.htm
Dan Docherty: http://www.taichichuan.co.uk/
Yang Jun: http://www.yangfamilytaichi.com/

All of these people are just human and none have ever shown any fighting ability greater than or equal to the MMA folks.