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The Martial Arts Aspects of Tai Chi
Tai Chi - aka T'ai Chi Chuan - is a traditional Chinese approach to exercise, meditation, and personal growth. Tai chi's training forms are well known to Westerners as the slow motion routines that groups of people practice together every morning in parks around the world. It has become very popular in the last twenty years or so, as the art's reputation for ameliorating the effects of aging becomes more well known. Hospitals, clinics, community and senior centers are hosting Tai Chi classes around the world. As a result of this popularity, there is a developing separation from those that practice Tai Chi for self defense and those who are interested in its benefits to their physical and mental health. Because there is no universal certification process, practically anyone can call himself a "Tai Chi" instructor. This is especially prevalent in the health maintenance field. Few of these teachers are aware of the martial arts applications of Tai Chi, and are not qualified to teach those aspects. The Mandarin term "tai chi chuan" translates to "great extremes boxing," with an emphasis on finding balance between two great extremes - Yin and Yang. The philosophy of the style is not to directly fight or resist an incoming force, but to meet it with softness and remain in physical contact until the force of attack exhausts itself or can be safely redirected - the result of meeting yang with yin. Done correctly, achieving this yin-yang balance in combat is a primary goal of Tai Chi training. In the martial arts aspects of Tai Chi pushes and open hand strikes are more common than punches. Kicks are usually to the legs and lower torso, never higher than the hip. The fingers, fists, palms, sides of the hands, wrists, forearms, elbows, shoulders, back, hips, knees and feet are commonly used to strike. Blows to the eyes, throat, heart, groin and other acupressure points are only taught to advanced students. Most Tai Chi teachers expect their students to thoroughly learn defensive or neutralizing skills first, and a student will have to demonstrate proficiency with them before offensive skills will be trained. Weapons training and fencing applications in Tai Chi employs the straight sword known as the "jian" or "chien", a heavier curved saber, or "tao", a folding fan called "san", a wooden staff known as "kun", a 7 foot spear and 13 foot lance both called "qiāng". More exotic weapons still used by some traditional styles of Tai Chi are the large "dadao" and "pudao" sabers, halberd, cane, rope-dart, three sectional staff, wind and fire wheels, lasso, whip, chain whip and steel whip. There is also an emphasis in the traditional schools that one is expected to show virtue, heroism, protection for the defenseless, and mercy to ones opponents. These attributes of Tai Chi are often brought out in the martial arts films of its' famous practitioners like Jet Li, Jackie Chan and Donnie Yen.
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Contributor's Note
I adapted this intel about Tai Chi from my Martial Arts web site. I feel that is was important for many people to know that Tai Chi is not just a health exercise program.
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May, 2012
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