i'm gonna take tai chi

[mongoose]

i gonna start tai chi lessons for anxiety and stress reduction. the instructor is supposed to be the best in the city. i already took a free class and it was cool. he also stresses the self defense aspect of it.

anybody else take tai-chi.

 

[Soshyopathe]

I know a little. The most important thing is to believe everything he says. Tai Chi is not for sceptics. Also, don't count on the self-defense to come in handy for many years.

 

[mongoose]

yeah that's what i heard. in the meantime i'll stick with .357 chi. just kidding.

 

[Chewy Bagel]

I heard Tai Chi is awesome for kicking some one's ass underwater or in slow motion

I think taking any kind of martial arts is a great idea for anyone looking to improve themselves mentally and physically. Also, it adds one more facet to your personality.

CB

 

[Golden Arms]

Are there any good-looking chicks in martial arts classes or are they usually divided by sex?

 

[86]

sounds interesting -- I may do this....what exactly do you look for in a Tai Chi instructor/studio? or is it just word of mouth?

 

[mongoose]

yeah it was about equal. the girls were cool too.

hopefully you can find a teacher that has direct lineage to some family and/or style of tai-chi. of course knows the sequence of all the moves and performs them correctly. in the more advance stages knows the combat aspect of the art (boxing). teaches a technique called pushing hands (how to feel out your opponent).

it's a soft art, but the teacher was applying some of the graceful techniques with speed and force and it was some serious sh!t.

 

[Soshyopathe]

Yeah, it's a soft art, but Jiu-Jitsu also means "The Gentle Art." It's about as gentle as a meat grinder. The Tai-chi depicted on TV or movies is not the combat style. It's a soft art in that you don't oppose the force, but redirect it and blend with it. That's why it takes forever to be effecitve, but when you get good, it's some of the coolest stuff you'll ever see.

 

[Saine]

I'm not going to be ignorant but I hear people say Tai Chi was used in real combat, any proof of such?

 

[Soshyopathe]

Uhhh, yeah.

My sensei knows it. Remember, the Tai Chi you've probably seen was not combat Tai Chi.

 

[mongoose]

i took my first class last night. it wasn't that easy. the warmups are pretty tough. weird body movements. it was cool though.

 

[rben69]

You will not learn how to defend yourself with tai chi.

It is an art for health, not self defense.

-Ben

 

[Saine]

Originally posted by rben69
You will not learn how to defend yourself with tai chi.

It is an art for health, not self defense.

-Ben

Exactly my words. There is none for self defense.

 

[Kuen1]

OK OK...Tai Chi IS a Martial Art. All of those slow, swaying movements that we see are in fact applications that can be used for fighting. Every single move? No. Why is Tai Chi done so slowly? Because it is teaching the student to develop and manipulate large amounts of energy so that when they are done with speed on an opponent they send him flying to the ground. Tai Chi is one of the "internal" arts along with Hsing-I, and Ba Gua. ALL of those are combat systems. What has happened is that many "teachers" have destroyed those systems and turned them into pretty looking dances that are used for "health." Yes, health, relaxation, and developing Chi etc are core aspects of the above three, and the same holds true for many other systems. Tai Chi, Ba Gua, and Hsing-I were formed by Taoists. The other Chinese systems came from Shaolin and were formed by Buddhist Monks, and started as excersises for the Monks after long hours in meditation. So...these philosophies are deeply rooted in many systems. Unfortunately many systems have lost their "teeth," and have become dances and empty forms which is why there are tons of so called Tai Chi schools. So...to conclude my little rant. Tai Chi is in fact a combat system, BUT people will most likely have a hard time finding a teacher that really teaches how to get down with it.

 

[Soshyopathe]

Originally posted by Saine
Exactly my words. There is none for self defense.

You're such a jackass. You have no idea what you are talking about, for reasons stated by Kuen1.

 

[rben69]

You fight how you train, you train slow movements and not against a resisting opponent... you think your gonna learn to defend yourself?

You may argue that it takes a long time to learn to defend yourself with tai chi... maybe... what if you need to defend yourself now and not 50 years from now when youve mastered tai chi?

-Ben

 

[Kuen1]

"You fight how you train, you train slow movements and not against a resisting opponent... you think your gonna learn to defend yourself?
You may argue that it takes a long time to learn to defend yourself with tai chi... maybe... what if you need to defend yourself now and not 50 years from now when youve mastered tai chi?

-Ben"

OK Ben. First, you should do a little reading on the subject of Tai Chi. I'll help you out on this though. If you had read my post you would have noticed that I said "...Why is Tai Chi done so slowly? Because it is teaching the student to develop and manipulate large amounts of energy so that when they are done with speed on an opponent they send him flying to the ground." The forms of Tai Chi are done slowly. They are done slowly in order to learn how to generate large amounts of energy, and to train the entire body to be relaxed and fluid etc etc etc. Most Chinese systems use a type of energy in their stikes and movements called Jing (sp?). Bruce Lee said it best by stating that it's like a chain with a metal ball at the end. Think of how that works and you'll understand how a system like Tai Chin functions. So...the forms and movements are done slowly as explained above so that when it comes time to act the movements are fast, explosive, and very powerful.
Next. Tai Chi DOES train against a resisting opponent IF one finds a legitimte school. There are Push Hands drills, applications against punches, kicks, grabs, etc. I have personally seen demos by my own Sifu who taught me Wing Chun, and who teaches the Yang Short Form of Tai Chi. I also visited a school of the Chen Ming branch of Tai Chi and straight up asked a senior student to defend against some basic attacks. I threw basic strikes like jabs and hooks etc and the guy was a GHOST. I got hit rappidly about 3 times , and sent to the ground each time. When I lunged in to hit him he was gone, and I was on the ground. I guess you could go to that school and tell him that Tai Chi is not really about combat. Come down to Dallas and look up Authentic Kung Fu in Fort Worth, or the Chen Ming guys in Plano.
So...with all of this being said. One has to find the RIGHT school that teaches a Tai Chi that still has its teeth. It does not take "50 years" to be able to defend yourself with Tai Chi if you have the right instructor AND the right frame of mind. But, Tai Chi is not only about fighting so if one is looking for a system that teaches self defense immediately then they need to look into a less complex system.

 

[mongoose]

that was a great post. i believe i found a good teacher, because he is already instilling self defense and punches. He spoke of pushing hands for the more advanced students.

besides, it's cool to do.

 

[Kuen1]

"that was a great post. i believe i found a good teacher, because he is already instilling self defense and punches. He spoke of pushing hands for the more advanced students.
besides, it's cool to do."

Sounds good Mongoose. If your instructor has an emphasis on applications and Push Hands then you have most likely found a semi decent school at the very least. The main thing is that you're getting what you want out of it. Some people are not really interested in the fighting aspect of it, some are. Tai Chi is not only about combat, and it develops a ton of additional benefits besides being able to block a punch. Calming the mind and body, learning to relax the body as a whole, proper breathing, increased circulation of blood and oxygen through the body, and increased balance to name a few. Plus it looks cool and it's something that you'll be able to use and continue to develop even into old age.
Anyways...train hard and enjoy it.