Is Taiji a striking art?

[PalmStriker]

COMBAT ZONE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5PYoIqay84

[Graculus]

When someone revelas their murderous intent to you, that awakens both fear and murderous intent in yourself. This way you have borrowed his 'ShaXin' and can use it to kill him.

When you know someones intent, then you know yours must match his or you will lose, in this way you can borrow his intent. This is part of the same principle. But you can not know this for certain until he revelas it. That is why you should not reveal first. What if you reveal first but fail, then you have already lost, he will borrow your intent and use it against you.

But, of course, if your intent is stronger than his, you defeat him anyway. And more to the point, you can defeat him with your intent. If you train your 'shaxin' it is likely to be stronger. As Hirayama Shiryu put it,
"My swordsmanship is for slaying the enemy brutally. You must use this feeling of ferocity to penetrate directly into the enemy's heart and mind....it is said there is no other technique."
...with the idea being that in so doing you overwhelm your opponent before you start to fight. This is also true to what I was taught regarding CMA.

As regarding attacking, obviously, you don't want to get into fights, but if you are in one, you don't want to lose. Attacking first has different pay-offs depending on the level of your opponent. If their defense is weak, you may as well get it over with straight away. On the other hand, if their defense is good, it might be necessary to draw them out to reveal an opening, and I believe this is when you would not want to strike first.

graculus http://www.ichijoji.blogspot.com

[PalmStriker]

slow moving old ladies in park wearing funny clothes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI4U7hvP9dM

[Kellen Bassette]

slow moving old ladies in park wearing funny clothes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI4U7hvP9dM

Wasn't that the Shaolin Hooker Slayer?

[kfman5F]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jw5mn15xv5o

[Lucas]

How to cook with levitation via electromagnetic induction.

[David Jamieson]

Tai Chi is a synthesis of martial art and meditation. That's why it can be both at the same time depending on who is doing it.

[RD'S Alias - 1A]

I think first we need to understand the goal of a striking art, vs a takedown art.

In a striking art, the goal is to deliver punishing blows to effect a knock out or daze the opponent so they cannot go on.

A takedown art seeks to do the same, only they debilitate the opponent with a very nasty throw. Any striking, if used at all is just to help soften the opponent, or jockey for position.

Tai Chi is neither. It's based on the old Song dynasty military arts. These arts would use superior position to enter in close to the opponent and disrupt thier structure with some sort of uproot, which was then followed by a scissoring style of takedown (not a throw). The finish would generally be done with a boot knife.

The boot knife was a tool of last resort in the military...so was going empty hand.

A scissoring style takedown would be one where you enter from the side sliding your thigh under thier hip to use as a see saw fulcrum, as you bring thier upper body over and down, and their lower body either stays in place, or rises in the opposite direction.

The idea is to place the opponent down, hard or soft, but in a position where you can pin them with your shins or kneeling long enough to draw your backup weapon and kill them with it.

They wanted to get the opponent disrupted off balance and off his feet, as fast as possible because they generally found themselves suddenly disarmed against an opponent who still was. Any strikes that were employed were to soften, or jockey for position so as to either avoid the opponents weapon, or get in place to bring them down.

Tai Chi, is nothing more than a softer, more gentleman's version of that.

An example could be:

Sword is swung. You duck, it missed you. You are at a distance, so you rise, and side kick to keep the opponent from recovering from his miss long enough so you can close the gap to hit him a few times as you move to the 45 degree angle and enter for your take down.

The take down is essential here, because your opponent was just a bit out of range to land full power strikes, and is now moving back as he tries to regain composure. Your kick was at least good enough to buy time.

You are on a power forward position, and can close the gap faster than he can retreat. A scissor style takedown at this point is your highest percentage way of getting the weapon out of play. The entry for one allows you to further jamb your opponent up and limit his weapon use.

Now, if you look at Tai Chi forms, you really don't see much in the way of effective fight ending striking..although striking is there. You also don't see the hard core shuai Jiao style throwing...it leaves you too open against a weapon.

What you do see, are endless set ups, and entries for uproots and leaver style take downs.

If you picture a desperate man, facing a sword wielding enemy who was just disarmed in the heat of things, and it's do or die before the enemy can come around for the next swing, Tai Chi makes much more sense.

It's fast, but soft yielding takedowns, as apposed to the direct brutality and hard throws of shuai Jiao because it has to stay out of the way of big weapons in play.

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?

[RD'S Alias - 1A]

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...

Yes, Daggers come out!! Soldiers weapon of last resort!

[RD'S Alias - 1A]

Yes, absolutely correct!

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

[RD'S Alias - 1A]

Yes, another way to put it!

Tai Ji is a balance act.

or centering act.

We have to consider dissolution or neutralization of the opponent's jin first.

Thus

We have hua da, hua na and hua shuai.

Hua Jin first that is.

[RD'S Alias - 1A]

Shoule be:

It's very hard (if not impossible) to neutralize when your opponent

- punches at your face, or
- grabs you with both hands.

Accept and redirect the blow. As he is recovering from it bring your arm down as you grab him, and violently jerk his arm down with your motion. This will disrupt his structure and thinking. Opponent is neutralized.


Now move in and continue the disassemble of his structure as before.

If you miss, follow his hand back to it's chamber and push on it directly in. This will cause him to tense his guard. Now shove it sideways to disrupt his continuity. You are now chambered for a short quick palm to the face. Opponent is neutralized. You now have just enough time to continue with preferred takedown attempt before he regains composure.

In my case, I would blow directly through them as I collapse thier structure and conclude with Hairimau style ground work...but then I don't know conventional ground work and Harimau is just mean.

[mawali]

Taijiquan has everything! Whatever you can do best, it makes sense to incorporate into taijiquan training and conditioning. Better yet, learn a new skill.

If you can kick, then incorporate leg techniques to throw, deflect then hit, grab and punch, etc. I cannot believe that people make rocket science of this.
Despite my older teachers rarely hit me, then did deflect, parry, used feet to 'confuse' then push. An age thang!

[bawang]

I think first we need to understand the goal of a striking art, vs a takedown art.

In a striking art, the goal is to deliver punishing blows to effect a knock out or daze the opponent so they cannot go on.

A takedown art seeks to do the same, only they debilitate the opponent with a very nasty throw. Any striking, if used at all is just to help soften the opponent, or jockey for position.

Tai Chi is neither. It's based on the old Song dynasty military arts. These arts would use superior position to enter in close to the opponent and disrupt thier structure with some sort of uproot, which was then followed by a scissoring style of takedown (not a throw). The finish would generally be done with a boot knife.

The boot knife was a tool of last resort in the military...so was going empty hand.

A scissoring style takedown would be one where you enter from the side sliding your thigh under thier hip to use as a see saw fulcrum, as you bring thier upper body over and down, and their lower body either stays in place, or rises in the opposite direction.

The idea is to place the opponent down, hard or soft, but in a position where you can pin them with your shins or kneeling long enough to draw your backup weapon and kill them with it.

They wanted to get the opponent disrupted off balance and off his feet, as fast as possible because they generally found themselves suddenly disarmed against an opponent who still was. Any strikes that were employed were to soften, or jockey for position so as to either avoid the opponents weapon, or get in place to bring them down.

Tai Chi, is nothing more than a softer, more gentleman's version of that.

An example could be:

Sword is swung. You duck, it missed you. You are at a distance, so you rise, and side kick to keep the opponent from recovering from his miss long enough so you can close the gap to hit him a few times as you move to the 45 degree angle and enter for your take down.

The take down is essential here, because your opponent was just a bit out of range to land full power strikes, and is now moving back as he tries to regain composure. Your kick was at least good enough to buy time.

You are on a power forward position, and can close the gap faster than he can retreat. A scissor style takedown at this point is your highest percentage way of getting the weapon out of play. The entry for one allows you to further jamb your opponent up and limit his weapon use.

Now, if you look at Tai Chi forms, you really don't see much in the way of effective fight ending striking..although striking is there. You also don't see the hard core shuai Jiao style throwing...it leaves you too open against a weapon.

What you do see, are endless set ups, and entries for uproots and leaver style take downs.

If you picture a desperate man, facing a sword wielding enemy who was just disarmed in the heat of things, and it's do or die before the enemy can come around for the next swing, Tai Chi makes much more sense.

It's fast, but soft yielding takedowns, as apposed to the direct brutality and hard throws of shuai Jiao because it has to stay out of the way of big weapons in play.

no.

khkjhkh

[RD'S Alias - 1A]

no.

khkjhkh

If you can't see this, you are not looking closely enough.