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Tai chi?
The most common internal martial art is tai chi.
However, when modern people say 'tai chi' they usually mean tai
chi for health: the peaceful
slow motion exercise and
that is not martial.
A complete art
Tai chi chuan (dynamic balancing boxing) training is thought-provoking and
insightful; with lessons about living, as well as about combat.
There is nothing macho, aggressive, confrontational or competitive about
tai chi.
Health, wellbeing, character development and
philosophical study are just as important as
combat
skills.
Stamina & endurance
Tai chi training is renowned for improving stamina and endurance.
Students can concentrate longer and sustain prolonged physical activity without
fatigue.
They gain the ability to withstand hardship and cope with difficulty.
Adapt, change & improvise
Modest and understated,
tai chi is the
perfect antidote to the
pressures
of modern life.
The training
encourages people to consider how they live their lives and open-up
to new choices, options and alternatives.
Journey
Tai chi is ultimately a journey of discovery; simultaneously uncovering the
art
and ourselves.
The subjects and insights revealed in our training have ramifications beyond
class.
We can take new skills, methods and attitudes into all aspects of
life.
When to start?
The young are impatient and expect instant results.
The old are lazy and just want to
talk.
The best age for learning
an internal martial art is after the teenage
years and before the onset of decline.
Easy ride?
Every Chinese martial art
is hard to learn.
Hard, soft, internal or external. There is no easy martial art.
Yet, people sign up for tai chi expecting an
easy ride.
Tai chi is internal. Internal is advanced. Advanced means harder to learn, not easier. Tai chi is not the
soft option.
Students of the martial arts
in the West feel that they must use their art to
fight, or at least to
compete, to show people how good they are. In tai chi, this is
unacceptable, because that is against the principle of tai chi.
(Gabriel Chin)
An attitude
Martial training has an attitude, a state of
mind.
It requires tenacity.
A student of
tai chi seeks hard work.
They want to work, grow and endure. They are not
weak.
They are not seeking an easy ride.
They would sooner
walk.
Deliberate practice
Hard work alone is not enough, though.
Simply working hard will not necessarily lead to progress.
It needs to be deliberate, focused improvement designed to improve your
practice by developing key skills outlined by
your instructor.
The student must implement corrections, study the recommended books,
undertake assignments and challenge their comfort
zone.
3 methods
Our students study 3 kung fu
methods:
Chin na (seizing)
Shuai jiao (take downs)
They all use the body in an internal way. Chin na and shuai jiao are fighting methods rather than a separate system.
Page created 25 March 1994
Last updated
23 October 2023
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