Good article. Reminds me of one of Bruce Lee's statements, "Trying to learn to fight without sparring is like trying to learn to swim on dry land." It isn't about slow or fast forms, large or small frame. I think those ideas are a blend of marketing and misconceptions. Sort of like the joke one of my staff gave me one time, "I know Tai Chi. We can take this outside but it is going to have to be in slow motion." We can practice slow or fast for different purposes but combat skill development requires simulated combat at minimum.
The platform doesn't accept paypal - but you can use your paypal account to pay via Stripe. If that doesn't work for you send me an e-mail and we can find a work around.
We adopted a fairly traumatized dog and TC has been very helpful to me in winning her trust. She trusted my wife immediately...fell in love right away...but with me she's been way more cautious. I probably remind her of someone who was mean to her when she was younger. She's definitely a smart once burned twice shy creature. I've learned to avoid direct eye contact and signal in any physical way I can that I love her and will not hurt her. This I do with my whole body as TC has taught me to do everything that way. Body to body, that's the way that's worked best. Cheers and good on you for making this video. ;~) Your dogs are great.
As TaiChi is not used by MMA then it is seems it is not useful for real fighting. Similarly TaiChi fighters simply revert to kickboxing. Therefore all talk of "fighting" means a certain culture of people who try to make applications with TaiChi and learn through them, but are not actually fighting. If TaiChi was ever a deadly fighting art it could only conceivably be through "magic power". A TaiChi means literally the flow of the forces of Yin and Yang then this is likely. To learn such a thing is almost impossible for modern people who loathe all such ideas.
The name Taijiquan is an idea, and the translation you give is a little simplistic. Chinese martial arts names don't have to be taken as prescriptions for every aspect of use either - consider the number of styles named after animals for example. Taiji fighters kickbox at range, but grapple and throw close up. This is true of all Chinese styles (when not using weapons). I know several people who compete or have competed using Taiji in full contact contexts (and won) whether sanda or MMA. I know still more who have used their skills in situations that are not sporting. What makes the greatest difference to the functionality of the Tai Chi is how it is trained - some people train to fight others don't.
If one can use the dantian for real it means the body is operating at a higher level which comes with increased speed and power... but how many can say they pump chi from the dantian these days (its part muscular in nature)? In addition no matter how powerful one is even a mechanical device if pushed over on the ground will have difficulty using that power as the added power goes through legs to the ground like any puncher. The principles and conditioning of internal martial arts can be experienced applied to all movement its superior sports science technique. Its rare someone can do the exericses properly and start to develop something. Internal martial arts like Bagua once used to guard the emperor, and I-Chuan were used and tested in the past but even I-Chuan creators realized people were less and less able to perform even the essence. This is also why even less esoteric practices like horse stance are misunderstood as simply stability exercises and not performed much anymore.. when done correctly its the basis of power and health which again is just a part of fighting which most do not have anymore. Many bagua people who could do amazing things also believed in magic and where shot during the boxer rebellion.
This could easily fit in a Taiji lesson as well. If you labelled this as "Real uses of Taiji circular dynamics", I would have believed that too. 😂 (speaking as a Taiji practitioner). I've always suspected bagua and Taiji to have a common root, which has somehow been lost to history, before the emergence of the "officially recognised" beginnings of both systems. Their cultural bases and the ways they work overlap so much. Where they perhaps diverged was that in Bagua the circles are more emphasized, whereas in Taiji the circles are made subtler, but still present. And then both systems absorbed different stuff from their environments due to being finally systematized in different places.
Dear Sir, As you know, Sir, masters have always been searching some ways of preserving their knowledge often in boooks mostly written in CAPITAL letters and depicted in static positions. So, forms came handy mainly when teaching beginners the ALPHABETS of Karate, which were practiced dynamic and later on in applicative demos, called BUNKAI. This phase already involves that siutational awarences, personal fitness and timing you have correctly amphasized as the requisites of proper use. What I really do not understand you, talking for five minutes/out of roughly 6 against forms, and ultimately bringing up the simplest forms of simplest styles to train or so. With over 30 year of active Karate, I ´d rather remain with Kata, is an accepted tool of forming the propers stances and basics actions, enabling some tailoring to the practitionerś physical sturcuture and mental needs to remain fan of the style chosen or admired. Pauol,68, retired instructor of Goju-ryu Karate
Thanks for your comment Paul. My point was not that forms are bad, but that they are not a substitute for bunkai (why capitals?) or kumite if the goal is combative skill. The other point is that people market forms as 'special combat forms' which are often just a slightly different way of performing a form. They imply in doing so that the form is the key ingredient for combat, and that the uncooperative partner practice that brings forms to life is unnecessary. As I understand it within the Okinawan styles the idea of working on each kata for several years before moving on to the next was not solo practice, but an exploration of how to use each movement in different ways with a partner and of how to develop the power for each movement through supplementary exercises and the use of equipment. "and ultimately bringing up the simplest forms of simplest styles to train or so." I didn't understand this sentence of yours The systems that I practice have extensive forms - dozens in our Baga and Xingyiquan, but that does not mean people who practice simple forms (or no forms) can be combatively competent. I am sorry if that was not clear to you from the video.
That's certainly a step in the right direction! I will add that people will argue about the definitions of what it means to 'function' - it needs to be defined by context...
So you mean a champion boxer who shadow boxes, practicing his ideas for the fight is unrealistic, or a wrestler who does drill after drill preparing for the match, is unrealistic. Just commenting from what you said at 0:43. Have you had any fights? Peace
Do you know any champion wrestler or boxer who drills with the expectation that their technique would be infallible? It would make for a very short drill one combination to Ko, tap, pin. When combat athletes drill it's in part in preparation for things going wrong - not over committing, switching from attack to defense. Yes, I have fought.
Forms can help, having the right idea on how to practice (the form) and you don't need to spare all the time, and in my case no sparring at all. Well for me a combat form (as I learned form a champion fighter) should be specific to a real fight / defense situation, which means that some movements may need to be removed, and again how you practice the form. From competition to real life self defense, I've done well for myself. Preparing to make a few vds soon (taijiquan & bagua zhang, + shuaijiao). Peace
I don't disagree that forms can be useful, just that they are oversold on this specific subject. The thing is Fred you came to these forms with combat/sparring/fight experience already. You had something solid and in your body/imagination to work with. Sometimes I ask student to imagine pulling on a rope for various movements. It's clear from their hand/body position that they have never pulled a rope, let alone traded blows or grappled. Many/most people coming to Tai Chi just don't have the physical references that a form can polish, but not replace.
I feel like it works both ways. Doing the form correctly is a great exercise for health, however, to do the form well enough to get the health benefits, a knowledge of the applications is what is needed to get the postures right
i didn't pay you the fullest of my attention but this question of whether Tai chi can be used in combat is what i want to figure out for myself and for my focus of it, hence websearching, hence being suggested this video. and i basically got what you meant, though i'll rewatch. cool hat, thanks for the nudge into expansion
30 percent of tang Soo do is yang style tai chi; master wong shows good Chen and yang tai chi application; but you need a instructor teach this; and a partner to train with; to install muscle memory techniques.
Yes. Taijiquan has been the base of my practice for some time, a long with Bagua and Shuai jiao. I've had competition experience as well as real life experience. I did well for myself in all situations. I'll be doing a video or two on using Taijiquan coming soon. Peace
Guns and pepper spray, among many other tools, pretty much make traditional martial arts impractical for self defense. But guns and pepper spray cannot transform someone the way traditional martial arts, and especially internal arts, are able to. Long term practice of internal arts can transform a chaotic mind that cannot cope with stressful situations into a mind that remains calm and centered and flexible in dealing with difficult situations. Such qualities are extremely useful in everyday life. The problem with MMA and boxing is that they make a person too aggressive. They are very useful for self defense and take much less time to be able to use than an internal art, but guns and pepper spray are much more effective. Even an old lady can use a gun or pepper spray.
MMA etc MAy make fighters more aggressive, but not necessarily. In sparring fighters often need to think very coolly and tactically in chaotic situations. It is typically beginners who rely on aggression. All combat sports have a 'chess' element. One of my old bxing partners used to say 'It's chess at 100mph, innit'. BJJ has this quality in abundance with the sheer variety of entanglements possible, but also moments of stalemate with little movement that allow strategising. Internal martial artists often only practice their calmness in calm situations - which has the advantage of encouraging a deepening of the state. Combat athletes get to practice calmness in hot and wild contexts. They also need to constantly run a line between winning/playing hard and not breaking/injuring their training partners. There IS an issue that fighters apply their tools inappropriately, the more 'invested' they are in their skills the more they will default to using them. This can lead to stabbings where walking away was possible. But this is not an issue limited to combat athletes. It is usualy addressed by scenario training - which is rarely an element of MMA or IMA
Excellent demonstration of applying the same principles in various contexts. This is what makes principles valuable. The principles are simpler than the sum of their applications and if you understand them you can apply them in many different situations. Efficient informational processing.
Isn't the key feature of the arm movements while you walk that they... er... move? They swing. The 'reciprocal arm swing' is what keeps you balanced and from falling over. Whereas in bagua, your arms often hold a fixed position as the legs mud step around a circle.
What I am attempting to get across is that the reciprocal arm swing (which is about more than balance - it's a key pattern that grew out of quadruped and earlier locomotory modes) is integrated into the shape of circle walking, direction changing and power generation.
Just add my 2 pence: when your arms are fixed you should still notice the waste twisting against the fixed upper posture because you’re walking around a circle and the footwork
i not recall name of this i learnted from some one. beside few in ymca and friends in various arts. i liked and showed this to son and some. in early 70's about time learn boxing, i practiced this in sum exageration slow to fast against sister n siblings. Last showed son decade ago, sticky hand, deflect, catch, throw, gets into position to break limbs if needed.
As someone who has studied the same system (not this one) all my adult life, I watch your video on mute and just watch the way you move. It's shows, at your age, how well you still move: quick, balanced and fluid. Your strikes go exactly where you know they are going, almost effortlessly. Any young fool who comes at you with a big right hook punch is going to regret it. And considering that's 85% of the population, I imagine you are ready for the rest as well. It's unfortunate the young don't have the well enough developed third eye to see the value in traditional martial arts.
Seems a lot of people have an inflated ego about their fighting art. It’s not magic and doesn’t make you invincible, it may give you the upper hand, nothing else. Hope you’re well Ed… we met many years ago in France.
I got that same reaction from a camel once training Xing Yi quan... they respond much differently to taiji quan, kind of interesting, the difference in energies the animals pic up.
