A question about tai chi.?

Question

ok so i live in belevue nebraska and there is a new tai chi place near by. so i went to check it out the other day and i just saw a couple ppl standing around push each others shoulders for about 5 min. so i left. i thought tai chi was about slowness and relaxation. what exactly is it?

Answer 1

Tai chi is an internal martial art that allot of people (mainly americans) use to help with health and relaxation issues. The slow movements force the practitioner to build strong balance and endurance. These people (if practicing it correctly) were learning how kinetic energy flows through their body.

In China (where the art comes from, kinda) this is a martial art first and an exercise program second. In America (where many feel Tai chi is a load) this is an exercise program (mainly for the old or "green lovers") first and a martial art second.

This is often considered to be an "old man" art because the patience needed to actually get good at it as a fighting style is outrageous, not to mention that you usually need some prior experience just to understand whats going on.  

Answer 2

tai chi is probably one of hte most misinterpreted styles ever.

tai chi- the majority of it has been accepted as a "relaxation and excercise class for old fogies". this kind of tai chi application involves just moving very slow and amounts to low impact calestenics or aerobics done for health not to learn to fight- and this type of class generally doesn't promote itself as a martial art.

however tai chi is and was originally a fighting art (some teachers still teach it as such with varying degrees of skill and effectiveness).  schools like this typically advertise themselves as "combat tai chi" or some variation or play on that name.

it is considered one of the three internal chinese martial arts along with baguazhang and xingyiquan.

as for what you have seen, it was probably a tai chi school engaging in some form of "pushing hands" drill.

chinese martial arts in general have a high level of crappy teachers so if you want to find a good school, then you need to really look and do your homework.

I am not familiar with belvue nebraska or nebraska at all but I will say that finding a good teacher for a more obscure style (obscure as in stles that tend to have better teachers overall not the number of schools or how known it is) is going to be more difficult if not impossible if you are not in or near a large urban area.

And sadly enough- if you are in a completely rural area there is a greater chance that the teacher is just "making stuff up" or "teaching" what he saw off a video or a chop socky movie.

there are sensativity drills that would involve pushing and feeling your opponent's movements, but these should be incorporated into and teach real skills that can trasnlate to full resistance drills and sparring.

pushing hands has a place- i do it, i did a version of it in wreslting (pummeling drills), I do a version of it in xingyi (non-co op pushing hands) and i do a version of it in german longsword (winden), in each instance I have been instructed how and to include it into an actual fight.

I mention this because one of the main problems with "combat" tai chi schools is that many of them promote pushing hands or sticky hands or whatnot as a substitute for full contact drills and sparring. IMO- that would be like saying learning how to play only "quarter notes" is all you need to learn to play music. its a peice that should be incorporated into not in lieu of.

Answer 3

Tai Chi/Taiji is often translated as "grand extreme" as opposed to wuji which means "no extreme", and chuan or quan means "fist" or "boxing". Thus "grand extreme boxing", or taijiquan is a pugilistic art rooted in the Daoist concepts of the interplay and necessary balance of yin and yang.

it is helpful to think of yin and yang as a complementary opposites each necessarily relies upon, and gives birth to, the other. for example, a fundamental theory of taijiquan is that hardness comes from softness and quickness comes from slowness. in taiji practice, emphasis is placed on relaxing the body and calming and focusing the mind. taiji form movement is performed slowly, accentuating the intention, mechanics, accuracy, and precision of the motion. by practicing in accordance with taiji principles of softness and slowness, the practitioner will paradoxically begin to experience a quality of hardness and strength and efficiency of movement that is significantly different from that of ordinary natural ability.

to study the complete art of taijiquan it should be recognized that, notwithstanding outward differences in styles, there are fundamental types of exercises that must be practiced and universal principles that apply to these exercises. there is often misunderstanding of these principles, just as there are incomplete curricula and incorrect ways to practice.

of course, slow movement by itself is not so complete that it can yield all the gong of the internal martial arts. three essential pillars of taiji practice have evolved to form a complete curriculum:

qigong - principally wuji sitting and standing meditation

taiji form - mainly slow movement practice

push-hands  - two person balance, strength, and reaction training

in other words, that is tai chi

Answer 4

That's an exercise known as push-hands. The point of the exercise is to allow your body to learn how to "feel" the other person's intentions. It also helps you to learn how to receive and redirect these incoming/antagonizing forces while maintaining balance.

Tai Chi is a Martial Art as well as a Healing Art, so there is going to be martial application and exercise. When one becomes truely proficient, you will see that they are as relaxed as humanly possible in whatever situation. Don't make your assessment in only five minutes without at least talking to somebody to find out what the actions you see signify.

Answer 5

It is an internal art that uses total body mass to produce power. Find the right instructor and you have one of the best arts ever. Hook up with a bad instructor and you're just dancing.

Good Luck