Hot Sports: Learn all about T'ai Chi Kung Fu-Print

Hot Sports: Learn all about T'ai Chi Kung Fu - By: http://www.exercisearticles.net/penname.php

Although T'ai Chi (also commonly spelled "Taiji") is technically a form of Wushu, it merits its own listing because it
differs from most other forms in significant ways. T'ai Chi is made up of slow movements and breathing exercises designed to
allow the chi (life energy) to flow freely throughout the body. This, in turn, reduces tension, clears the mind, helps blood
circulation, improves posture, and promotes good health in many other ways. The central concept of T'ai Chi is that the mind,
body, and spirit must work together to defeat an enemy- and enemies can be violent attackers, physical ailments, or mental
illnesses. Chi is developed in most forms of martial arts- called "ki" (pronounced "key") in Japanese and Korean styles- but
is not focused on as much in any style as it is in T'ai Chi. Though the movements of T'ai Chi are an effective means of self
defence in their own right, a practitioner who has studied for a number of years can control her or his chi to the point of
being able to use it as a weapon by "discharging" it into an attacker. This release of power is forceful enough that small
women can knock enormous men off their feet without the use of muscular strength. Similar Styles:. Qi Gong (also commonly
spelled "Ji Gong" or "Chi Kung") - Also technically a form of Wushu, Qi Gong is made up of slow movements designed to allow
the Chi to flow more easily. Shintaido - Japanese style developed in the 1960's around the same principles as T'ai Chi.

History of T'ai Chi Ch'uan

T'ai-chi ch'uan (also spelled taijiquan and taiji chuan) is an ancient Chinese martial art that comes in so many variations that it's often confusing to the layman. Some styles can trace their lineage back to the founding of the art, while others date back to the early part of the 20th century. Some stress competition, while others emphasize health or self-defense. Obviously, without the proper information, choosing the one that is best for you can be a daunting task. This article will present an overview of the major styles of tai chi, and after reading it you'll be able to understand how one style begot another. And you'll be able to more easily choose one that is right for you.

All forms of modern day T'ai Chi originated from my ancestor's way of the fist as can be clearly seen by looking closely at two of the modern styles, the Chen and the Yang. There is some controversy as to who taught who when it comes to these two forms but it is my belief that the Chen family first of all learned some of my ancestor's forms and then one of the original Yang people firstly learned that form. Then, one of our students, not one of our family members visited the Chen Village and began to teach both the Chen leaders and the Yang visitor. We are told that the Yang visitor became very good at our family form and then left the Chen village returning at a later stage to teach the Chen family his form of T'ai Chi.

Today, the Yang style of T'ai Chi is no more known to the masses but a newer easier form is only known to the masses. My family form is not known to the masses, only to my family members and we have taken a vow to never reveal the secrets of our inheritance. Some have come to our village and begged us to show them, many from the West have come and we have only shown them the first two or three forms. The other nine forms are kept for our own family. Many people ask me and other elders of our village why we do not wish to share our T'ai Chi with the rest of the world and my answer is always the same. Look what the rest of the world has already done to the Original Chen and Yang styles, it is almost impossible to see any resemblance to the Original forms but a few of the explosive movements inherited from our original forms. This is my answer, our family forms are precious to us, handed down from generation to generation through the hundreds of years and we do not wish this form to be taken up by people in the Western countries so that they are able to claim all kinds of lies about our style and their own knowledge. Only in our situation are we able to train our children in the true boxing of T'ai Chi Ch'uan, the children grow up knowing this form and it has become a part of their lives. In the West, people want to learn their forms in one or two years and this is wrong, there can be no inner mind learned in this way.

T'ai Chi dim mak

A practitioner of Dim Mak is supposedly capable of inflicting serious harm to an individual by disrupting their qi or energy flow throughout their meridian channels, causing stagnation of qi, which in turn can lead to injury or death.

The technique depends on the ability to strike precise locations along an appropriate meridian at an appropriate time of day during which specific points are "open" and are thus vulnerable to attack. In these circumstances, certain vital points move throughout the day, and must be struck in relation to their position in the body at that particular time of the day, taking into account the circadian rhythm and associated changes in blood flow on near the skin surface to have desired effect. Thus, it is an easy matter for a novice to learn the stationary vital points, but to understand and use the "fatal" moving points in combat is akin to a relatively inexperienced person who can see the electronic elements in a diagram, but without the deep understanding of what they do individually or with each other.

In T?ai Chi we try to use the least amount of energy to gain the greatest amount of work. To do this we have to know how to use the body and not just the arm to punch.

If we do not use any muscle power at all and just have a totally re- laxed arm, we are able to turn the waist so that the arm will throw out at great speed like the principle of the whip. The handle and larger part of the rope is not traveling very fast but at the end when the whip cracks, that small end piece is like lightening and has much power. This is because there is a lot of energy being concentrated down into a small area. We use this same principle in punching. All we have to do is to control the fist using the least amount of muscle power so that it hits its target. In T?ai chi we use the last two knuckles, i.e. the ?weakest? (or are they). Most so called ?hard styles? look in amazement when we use these knuckles to punch very hard objects with no damage to the bones. Wing-Chun uses these same bones but with the fist closed tightly so as not to damage the bones. After many years of practice we are able to use these knuckles without causing injury through lots of practice

Yang Cheng-Fu had one student by the name of Cheng Man-Ch'ing (1901-1975) who became the greatest master of his time. With his master's permission, he shortened the form to 37 postures and made it the most popular of all the forms practiced today. Cheng came to the United States to teach and took on students of all backgrounds, which is one of the reasons his particular form is so popular today. Most people originally knew it as the Yang Style Short form, but it has come to be known by Cheng Style Tai Chi Chuan. His form is characterized by its upright spine, "lu" or "roll-back" energy, and its powerful softness. It is Professor Cheng's style of form and push hands which are taught and practiced by the Patience T'ai Chi Association.

Ch'en Style

Another candidate for the role of t'ai chi founder is Chen Wang-ting. Some believe he created the art based on his military experiences, his study of local boxing methods and his gleaning of classical texts like Ch'uan Ching (Boxing Classics), which was written by Chi Che-kwong (Qi Jiguang) (1528 - 1587) as a compellation of known methods.

Chen developed several forms, and his family passed them along only to its members. At the 14th generation, around the late 1700s and early 1800s, Chen's style spilt into the "old-frame" and the "new-frame" versions. The New frame was taught by Chen Yu-pen, and the Old frame by Chen Chang-hsing.

It was at this time that an outsider learned the art and started opening it up to the rest of the world. These days, students can learn several versions of the Chen style - including the old frame, new frame and modern forms- as well as offshoots which developed in towns located near the Chen family village. There are many variations of Chen style.

The Chen form requires the body to be straight and upright. Variations of the horse stance are emphasized. In the most popular version, which was taught by Feng Zhiqiang, the basic stance has the toes pointing outward slightly. Other forms use a parallel-foot horse stance. In all reputable versions, the knees are positioned directly above the toes. Most movements are executed with a sideways orientation - as if one's opponents are standing to the side. The two of the most famous and highest level teachers today are Chen Xiaowang and Feng Zhiqiang who teach different versions of Chen style.

A novel part of the Chen style is the multitude of explosive movements: jumps, strikes and kicks. There is an emphasis on "silk-reeling energy", or the spiraling energy that flows from the feet to the hands. Even thought the art is performed quickly, the practitioner should remain loose and relaxed. Any tension or disjointed movements mean it is being done incorrectly. It is difficult to practice the Chen style correctly because of the ease with which excessive force and muscle tension can creep into its movements. Perhaps this is why some hard stylists can do impressive imitations of this style - but without using the correct concepts. It may also be the reason the Chen style appeals to martial arts students who need a tangible sense of speed and force.

Yang Style

Yang Lu-chan (1799 - 1872) learned the old-frame style from Chen Chang-hsing. Many stories tell how this took place. A popular one holds that Yang wanted to learn the art, but the Chen family would not teach outsiders. So Yang took a job as a servant for the Chen's and learned t'ai-chi by watching through a crack in the wall. Afterward, he would practice what he learned when he alone in his room. One day he was discovered and asked to spar with the other students. He easily defeated all of them and was taken under the wing of Chen Chang-hsing, who then taught him the whole old-frame style. Yang is said to have spent the next six years studying under Chen. (Some historians say he studied for 13 years and others 18 years)

Yang eventually returned to his hometown of Kuang Ping (also spelled Guang Ping) and taught the old-frame Chen style. He later traveled to Beijing and became a military martial arts teacher for the Manchu government. After he altered the sequence of the movements in his form, it later became known as the Yang style.

Some modern practitioners claim that Yang watered down the art he taught to the Manchus and reserved a different version of it for his townspeople and family. But this may be just a selling point for those who insist they teach the only "authentic" form.

It is important to remember that Yang played a pivotal role in opening the once-closed art to the outside world. Two facts are significant: He learned the old-frame Chen style, and he was never beaten in combat. Even as a beginner, he defeated all of Chen's students. For those who claim he didn't learn all the secrets of the Chen family, this action speaks louder than any speculation. Because of his victories in challenge matches, he acquired the nickname "Yang the Invincible". Nevertheless, he always avoided hurting his opponent in a match. Two of his sons carried on his art and family tradition: Yang Pan-hou (a.k.a. Yang Yu) and Yang Chien-hou (a.k.a. Yang Jian). The senior Yang also taught Wu Yu-hsiang and was friends with Tung Hai-chuan, who was the founder of pa kua chang (bagua zhang) another major "Internal Style" of kung-fu. It would be easy to speculate there was some influence of pa-kua over the Yang's t'ai-chi ch'uan and Yang's t'ai-chi ch'uan over Tung's pa-kua chang.

T'ai chi is dim-mak and to teach it at any other level is to deride this great martial art. I was once asked if T'ai chi was good for fighting. I told the inquirer that I thought not! And that idea has not changed much due to the fact that what most people are teaching as being representative of T'ai chi is just a very poor excuse for a fighting art. And so many are teaching at this level that most of T'ai chi nowadays is not good for self-defence. How can someone teach what he ore she calls a martial art when they have no idea of how to defend themselves!

T'ai chi dim-mak works at two levels. Firstly we have the level that can be equated to the very basic acupuncturist, the person who simply puts a needle into someone and walks away, returning some minutes later to remove the needles. Then we have the higher level acupuncturist who is able to use the needles as a conductor for their own energy, to put healing energy into the point to heal at the highest level. It is the same for T'ai chi self defence instructors. At the very basic level we have the dim-mak person who has learnt a few points that work and proceeds to strike at those points causing some damage. Then we have the person who is at the higher level able to put adverse energy into those points by using some simple body movements or "dim-mak shakes". You will notice that I have not even mentioned the level where we take each of the postures and use them in a self-defence way. This way is to invite disaster and is the most basic of all levels.

The swordless hand should be held with the first two fingers extended but relaxed. The ring and little fingers are flexed, with the thumb over the ring finger's second knuckle. This is called the secret sword, sword amulet, sword hand, sword fingers or sword-charm position. Some instructors teach that it can be used to poke specific pressure points or balance the energy of the sword.

Some tai chi teachers caution their students never to circle a sword over their head. They believe some swords have magical powers that can injure the spirit or soul of the holder. In the old school, there exists a belief that there are magical swords, which must be used correctly or they will injure the user.

The modern student has many reasons to learn the swords of' tai chi chuan. It is a developmental exercise teaching relaxation and extension of energy. The sword practice can be a tool for developing harmony in one's mind and body. It is a method for exercising the upper body. The form can be a way to improve empty-hand tai chi skills. And, perhaps most importantly, they can add a new dimension to one's tai chi training by linking the student with the history and culture of the art.

Core Concepts

Every martial art is built around certain core concepts. The art's training methods must reflect those concepts, and each movement must be in harmony with the whole. This allows techniques and transitions to flow smoothly. Not surprisingly, tai chi sword training has specific concepts that must be followed to retain the flavor of the system. Unfortunately many practice the form in a wooden and stiff way which does not reflect the tai chi chuan energy.

Tai chi chuan teaches its basic concepts through several chien solo forms. The most common is the Yang-style form composed of 64 or 56 movements. There are several variations of this standard pattern; that will depend on the school and their emphasis.

Tai chi chuan also has the simplified 33-movement sword form developed by a committee in mainland China in the 1950s. And the Ch'en family style teaches their own versions of this important sword form that has long and short versions and several variations as well. There are many versions of every sword form.

In its most popular form, tai chi incorporates choreographed sequences of slow, dance-like motions. Rooted in a philosophy of harmonizing opposites, tai chi was developed originally in the martial art tradition. Now, it is commonly used to promote general well-being.

?It's like a moving meditation,? says Miami journalist Susana Barciela, 47, a longtime devotee of tai chi. ?It brings energy to all the right places.? Florida physician Nilza Kallos practices both yoga and tai chi. She has witnessed their healing power firsthand. Kallos is a nationally respected breast health specialist who has watched her patients suffer through the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, and even die from it. She realized that her cancer patients and those in high-risk groups would benefit from a more holistic approach to their health, one that would complement annual mammograms and sonograms, and serve not only in healing but also in prevention. In 1999 she started the Within Wellness Center. It offers yoga, tai chi, meditation, nutrition consultations, massage, and even shamanic healing.

It is important for martial artists, especially of the ?internal schools? to be conversant with all of the regular kicking techniques in order to know how to defend against them. Too many Tai Chi practitioners use the old ?cop out? of ?if it isn?t in the form, I won?t use it?. What happens of course is that his opponent uses a kick that he is not fa- miliar with and so he is struck! I don?t believe in using high flashy kicks but I do think that it?s necessary to know how to use them. The most devastating kicks are low to the legs; these are almost impossi- ble to defend against especially if used in a defensive mode. T?ai chi does have some of it?s own kicking techniques. These are usually kept low and simple and only used when we know that they will work. Usually we will use the excellent hand techniques for some time, this puts our opponent at ease in thinking that we do not use kicks, then we will put in a stomach heel kick or one to the chest and it usually works.

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Taiji training can be done in any city in the world and I encourage you to visit out martial arts directory of Taiji to find a school near you!