History of Tai Chi
When
literally translated Tai Chi Chuan is "Supreme Ultimate Fist" It is an internal
Chinese martial art often practiced for health reasons.It is also typically
practiced for a variety of other personal reasons: its hard and soft martial art
technique, demonstration competitions, and longevity. Consequently, a
multitude of training forms exist, both traditional and modern, which correspond
to those aims. Some of tai chi chuan'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, particularly
in China.
Today, tai chi has
spread worldwide. Most modern styles of tai chi trace their development to at
least one of the five traditional schools: Chen, Yang, Wu/Hao, Wu and Sun. The
term t'ai chi ch'uan literally translates as "supreme ultimate fist", "boundless
fist," "great extremes boxing", or simply "the ultimate" (note that 'chi' in
this instance is the Wade-Giles version of the Pinyin jí, not to be confused
with the use of ch'i / qì in the sense of "life-force" or "energy").
The
concept of the Taiji "supreme ultimate" appears in both Taoist and Confucian
Chinese philosophy where it represents the fusion or mother of Yin and Yang into
a single ultimate, represented by the Taijitu symbol. Thus, tai chi theory and
practice evolved in agreement with many of the principles of Chinese philosophy
including both Taoism and Confucianism.
The philosophy of Tai
Chi Chuan is that if one uses hardness to resist violent force, then both sides
are certain to be injured at least to some degree. Such injury, according to tai
chi theory, is a natural consequence of meeting brute force with brute force.
Instead, students are taught not to directly fight or resist an incoming force,
but to meet it in softness and follow its motion while remaining in physical
contact until the incoming force of attack exhausts itself or can be safely
redirected, meeting yang with yin. Done correctly, this yin/yang or yang/yin
balance in combat, or in a broader philosophical sense, is a primary goal of tai
chi chuan training. Lao Tzu provided the archetype for this in the Tao Te Ching
when he wrote, "The soft and the pliable will defeat the hard and
strong."
Tai chi's
martial aspect relies on sensitivity to the opponent's movements and center of
gravity dictating appropriate responses. Effectively affecting or "capturing"
the opponent's center of gravity immediately upon contact is trained as the
primary goal of the martial tai chi student. The sensitivity needed to capture
the center is acquired over thousands of hours of first yin (slow, repetitive,
meditative, low impact) and then later adding yang ("realistic," active, fast,
high impact) martial training through forms, pushing hands, and sparring.
Tai chi
trains in three basic ranges: close, medium and long, and then everything in
between. Pushes and open hand strikes are more common than punches, and kicks
are usually to the legs and lower torso, never higher than the hip, depending on
style. The fingers, fists, palms, sides of the hands, wrists, forearms, elbows,
shoulders, back, hips, knees and feet are commonly used to strike, with strikes
to the eyes, throat, heart, groin and other acupressure points trained by
advanced students. Joint traps, locks and breaks (chin na) are also used. 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 extensively trained.
There is also an
emphasis in the traditional schools that one is expected to show wu te, martial
virtue or heroism, to protect the defenseless and show mercy to one's opponents.
In
addition to the physical form, martial tai chi chuan schools also focus on how
the energy of a strike affects the other person. Palm strikes that physically
look the same may be performed in such a way that it has a completely different
effect on the target's body. A palm strike that could simply push the opponent
backward, could instead be focused in such a way as to lift the opponent
vertically off the ground breaking their center of gravity; or it could
terminate the force of the strike within the other person's body with the intent
of causing internal damage.
Weapons
training
Applications
employing the straight sword known as the jian or chien or gim (jiàn), a heavier
curved sabre, sometimes called a broadsword or tao (dāo, which is actually
considered a big knife), folding fan also called san, wooden staff (2m. in
length) known as kun, 7 foot (2m) spear and 13 foot (4m) lance (both called
qiāng). More exotic weapons still used by some traditional styles are the large
Dadao or Ta Tao and Pudao or P'u Tao sabres, halberd (jǐ), cane, rope-dart,
three sectional staff, Wind and fire wheels, lasso, whip, chain whip and steel
whip.
Breathing
exercises
nei kung
(nèigōng) or, more commonly, ch'i kung (qìgōng) to develop ch'i (qì) or "breath
energy" in coordination with physical movement and post standing or combinations
of the two. These were formerly taught only to disciples as a separate,
complementary training system. In the last 60 years they have become better
known to the general public.
Modern
Tai Chi
With purely a health
emphasis, Tai chi classes have become popular in hospitals, clinics, community
and senior centers in the last twenty years or so, as baby boomers age and the
art's reputation as a low stress training for seniors became better known.
As a
result of this popularity, there has been some divergence between those who say
they practice tai chi primarily for self-defense, those who practice it for its
aesthetic appeal (see wushu below), and those who are more interested in its
benefits to physical and mental health. The wushu aspect is primarily for show;
the forms taught for those purposes are designed to earn points in competition
and are mostly unconcerned with either health maintenance or martial ability.
More
traditional stylists believe the two aspects of health and martial arts are
equally necessary: the yin and yang of tai chi chuan. The tai chi "family"
schools therefore still present their teachings in a martial art context,
whatever the intention of their students in studying the art.
What Styles We Teach at Hidden Fist
At Hidden Fist Martial Arts we teach 'Chi' Style of tai Chi we focus our efforts upon using Energy style techniques within our Kung Fu and Multi Disciplined martial arts training, It consists of Slow movements and relaxed techniques building upon a persons internal energy and inner self.
If you would like to learn Tai Chi as a form of martial arts we can recommend this style as a building block for everyday tai chi and promote the use of it during everyday life. For further information on the sessions available with our club,' please visit our website page at: www.hiddenfistgoochikf.co.uk
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