Is Taiji a striking art?

[YouKnowWho]

Taiji has the following punching skills:

1. Vital punch (jab to the belly), Chang vital punch - YouTube
2. Deflect, grab, and punch (jab to the chest), Chang step out deflect grab and punch - YouTube
3. Bending bow and shoot tiger (cross), Chang bend bow shoot tiger - YouTube
4. Striking tiger (hook), Chang striking tiger - YouTube
5. Twin peak to the ears (double hooks), Chang twin peaks to ear - YouTube
6. Snake extends tone (uppercut), Chang snake extend tone - YouTube
7. Turn around hammer (back fist), Chang turn around hammer - YouTube
8. Fetching arm (hammer fist), Chang fetch arm - YouTube
9. Drop down hammer (downward punch), Chang drop down hammer - YouTube

Taiji contains all the boxing skill (jab, cross, hook, uppercut) and much more.

Taiji also has the following kicking skills:

1. Separate leg (toes kick), http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9Qn6NfU2_o
2. Turn around heel kick (heel kick), http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wklPFVHVBQA
3. Rooster on one leg (knee strike), http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwBSXaJw1HA
4. cross leg (reverse side kick), http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sATLJ79SEkg
5. Lotus kick (outside crescent kick), http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idEMJNi5AmY

I'll say that Taiji is more a striking style than a grappling style (no hip throw, no single leg, no double legs, ...). What do you think?

[PalmStriker]

Having sparred with a black belt status YangStyle practitioner a number of times in my early days I would say most definitely. You may have to initiate offensively for the most part but try not to get battered too badly doing so. (numbing your limbs targeting pressure points). I guess the fight's over since both of my arms are numb and only one leg to stand on, other one numb. "Hey let's go to the park and watch the grass grow". No thanks, I'd rather go to the park and watch the Yang Style Taiji people working out. Who was teaching YangStyle (Chinese Master) on the island of Oahu, Honolulu, Hawaii in the late 70's early 80's? Got to know 2 of his students in the States back then.

[PalmStriker]

Yeah, I think Taiji is more striking than Chin Na / grappling. Like Crane style, Taiji practitioners don't like being handled or having their feathers ruffled, (disadvantage) thus striking out to keep opponent at a distance. Rush in on them and they will dodge while targeting your vitals.

[PalmStriker]

Yeah, that be the kick you don't see coming as you rush in but feel as it thumps your chest. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idEMJNi5AmY

[PalmStriker]

Like the #5 Twin Ear Thumb Screws, yow!(followed by a knee to the chin).

[xinyidizi]

Taiji can be different things depending on how much your teacher knows about it or how much he wants to teach. Using the moves in the form for defining what taiji should be is wrong as the form is just for building the connections. The combat part of taiji starts from push hands and a wide range of both grappling and striking is covered there. In case your teacher is openly teaching after learning tingjin in different types of basic push hands he should gradually add qinna, grappling and striking(punch, elbow, shoulder, knee, ...) in the PH. When I trained my teacher used to choose the techniques we wanted to work on in push hands. This is a training method and after some time it will become sanshou. What taiji tries to do is to develop tingjin, smooth body movements and it never limits the techniques you want to use as long as they are effective.

[YouKnowWho]

Using the moves in the form for defining what taiji should be is wrong as the form is just for building the connections.

If we apply this standard (there are more besides the forms) on all TCMA styles then no style can be defined. Of course besides forms, we can have drills. Since those drills were not officially recorded, we don't know what they may be.

[TaichiMantis]

If you've ever been hit by my Sifu's fist, palm, wrist, or even finger strikes you'd know it is a striking art and those are all in our first form, tai chi jeung (mor wan jeung) . Advanced class is used to teach the applications of the form with partners doing drills with each other that include strikes, kicks and chin na.

And then there is push hands, and after that the daggers come out...

[mickey]

Greetings,

It depends one one's sense awareness; e.g., the move twin peaks to ears conceals a head butt. Some of those applications start to change when taken through a simple 90 degree rotation. Grappling starts to appear, as well as throws.

mickey

[bawang]

tai chi grabbling is the funniest thing in kung fu

[lkfmdc]

You can't get the right answer if you ask the wrong question

ALL CMA is supposed to be "ti da shuai na"

So all are supposed to have striking and grappling

Clearly, too many CMA have lost all their wrestling

Clearly, Taiji has lost its way....

Bawang is correct, Taiji root is in standard "long fist" of the north.... and theory is just stolen from General Qi's books - OH (edit) he took away his informative post to put up something stupid, oh well......

But "push hands" is basic practice, and real push hands is wrestling

[lkfmdc]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LrLPA1akdk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19QB2goi49c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABfWCfex7ss

funny thing, this is more practical than most CMA today, yet most taiji guys hate it and say it is bad

[bawang]

OH (edit) he took away his informative post to put up something stupid, oh well......

beucase john wang made this thread like 200 times. chen taichi salute shows exactly where it came from, its a taizu longfist salute

when tai chi people insist tensing up muscles is forbidden, and say punching is external, what else can you say, the conversation is over before it started like an aborted fetus

when tai chi families lift weight in secret and say they got big from swallowing air, what dialogue can there be

[xinyidizi]

But "push hands" is basic practice, and real push hands is wrestling

What do you mean by real PH?

PH is a training method for learning tingjin and teaching both grappling and striking as well as neutralizing basics in a controlled environment. After that it's about sanshou.

[lkfmdc]

What do you mean by real PH?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNAV_AurtKI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zeqVJKg55g

some of the problems with modern taiji