What is Tai Chi?
Taijiquan (Tai Chi) is a Traditional Chinese Martial Art. Although the philosophical concept of Taiji is thousands of years old, historical evidence traces this style of martial arts back to the 1600s in Chen Village, China. There are many styles of Taijiquan and the Yang-style, which I teach, is the most popular.
Taijiquan is both a health practice and a martial art. You can study it as only a health practice by learning the form, breathing, and meditative techniques. Many people today study Tai Chi as only a health practice. You can study it as a martial art by learning and practicing the martial applications.
As a health and wellness practice, Taijiquan will improve your balance, flexibility, and sense of wellbeing. The slow movements will build leg strength and dramatically improve your balance. The focus on breathing and relaxation will help to cultivate calmness and lower stress. The slow movements of Taijiquan are a moving meditation. However, each movement is actually a martial technique.
Like other Traditional Chinese Martial Arts, you will memorize a series of movements which together are called a form. These forms represent the formal martial postures (techniques) contained within the art. By learning the form, you are learning the catalog of techniques emphasized within the art. These include joint locks, kicks, strikes, and take-downs. Knowing the form alone, does not mean that you know the martial art.
Like any martial art, learning effective self-defense requires practice to develop your skills. You will learn to practice the techniques faster and generate martial power. You will practice applying the movements so that they become automatic, like they do in any well-trained athlete. There is no escaping the need to practice applications and drill basic techniques if you want to become a proficient martial artist.
To learn more about Taijiquan, I recommend that you visit Wikipedia's page on Taijiquan, the recommended class resources, and the YMAA Retreat Center.
You might also find my article about the relationship between the study of Taijiquan and traditional East-Asian values of interest: http://broncoscholar.library.cpp.edu/bitstream/handle/10211.3/133652/Dunwoody79-95.pdf?sequence=1
Taijiquan is both a health practice and a martial art. You can study it as only a health practice by learning the form, breathing, and meditative techniques. Many people today study Tai Chi as only a health practice. You can study it as a martial art by learning and practicing the martial applications.
As a health and wellness practice, Taijiquan will improve your balance, flexibility, and sense of wellbeing. The slow movements will build leg strength and dramatically improve your balance. The focus on breathing and relaxation will help to cultivate calmness and lower stress. The slow movements of Taijiquan are a moving meditation. However, each movement is actually a martial technique.
Like other Traditional Chinese Martial Arts, you will memorize a series of movements which together are called a form. These forms represent the formal martial postures (techniques) contained within the art. By learning the form, you are learning the catalog of techniques emphasized within the art. These include joint locks, kicks, strikes, and take-downs. Knowing the form alone, does not mean that you know the martial art.
Like any martial art, learning effective self-defense requires practice to develop your skills. You will learn to practice the techniques faster and generate martial power. You will practice applying the movements so that they become automatic, like they do in any well-trained athlete. There is no escaping the need to practice applications and drill basic techniques if you want to become a proficient martial artist.
To learn more about Taijiquan, I recommend that you visit Wikipedia's page on Taijiquan, the recommended class resources, and the YMAA Retreat Center.
You might also find my article about the relationship between the study of Taijiquan and traditional East-Asian values of interest: http://broncoscholar.library.cpp.edu/bitstream/handle/10211.3/133652/Dunwoody79-95.pdf?sequence=1