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Any T'ai Chi practitioners here?
I've decided I need to get rid of some of my Western angst and tension so I picked up a book on it.
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/00...CLZZZZZZZ_.jpg
Like I expected, the author is a bit of a weirdo but it seems pretty good so far. If any of you have tried this martial art, please let me know how it went for you and if you have any advice for a novice.
Thank you for helping me on my path to enlightenment.
:blankg:
T'ai Chi takes a while to fully master, but when you got it you really are something (martial arts wise). :thumbsup:
What did you think of Kung Fu? I'm considering taking some after I get a good feel for T'ai Chi. They seem a bit related.
I'd say you're right that T'ai Chi is about fitness, but more holistic than just physical fitness.
Kung Fu isn't one martial art, Kung Fu is a collection of Chinese fighting sports/systems and consist of 100's of styles. T'ai Chi is a Kung Fu style too.
There are two major streams: soft kung fu like T'ai Chi (the idea is an iron bar wrapped in cotton) and hard kung fu (just an iron bar ~:) ). Prepare yourself for a lot of serious pain when practising some hard styles.
Many kung fu styles are based on animals: tiger, monkey, crane, snake, mantis. There's a best kung fu style for you, as there are so many. Look around what best suits your character, physics etc, as it takes a while to master any style.
Tai Chi is a great fighting art to my knowledge. Sparred against one or two of their practitioners and seriously got beaten. It's all about ''tendon strength'' as opposed to muscle power. Of course you do use your muscles but they don't seem all that tired when sparring. Although as a person who is very hard in approach (Karate and kickboxing as well as a spot of Krav Maga recently) as opposed to using Chi, which is internal enery. The soft method is certainantly very strange at first but it definitely has it's advantages.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gelatinous Cube
An example of ''chi'' is the one inch punch as popularised by Bruce Lee. You can send people flying with this technique literally. I have been on the wrong end of this one a few too many times for my own good I'd say.
I'd say stick with a soft art. As Tosa said, it hurts to train in a hard art. Never done actual gung fu apart from the odd bit of Wing Chun sparring and Chi Sau every now and then...Quote:
What did you think of Kung Fu? I'm considering taking some after I get a good feel for T'ai Chi. They seem a bit related.
They are related in a big way but different. Most of the kung fu styles are hard, that makes them all about muscle power and speed. That's not the greatest bit of news for the average girl or boy...
I personally recommend Aikido. It is also soft, has no competition and in the dojo you usually have a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. It is not so much about fitness but control of your body.
there are "hard" styles of aikido too, just fyi. i'd recommend aikido too. i've done more of that than anything else; back in the day, i did some judo and brazilian jiujitsu also. "soft" aikido certainly has more in common with tai chi than any of those others.Quote:
Originally Posted by A.Saturnus
Yes, I can recommend Aikido as well, I tried it and liked it. Also did I try some iaido - which is basically aikido with weaponsQuote:
Originally Posted by A.Saturnus
Have fun!
Are you more interested in the holistic aspect than the martial training? In my experience, though it is most definitely martial in origin, most T'ai Chi is taught with the former in mind. You will find that most practitioners are either quite ignorant of T'ai Chi's martial side (thinking of it solely as a kind of Chinese yoga), or know of it but aren't interested. T'ai Chi practice consists mostly of long sequences of prearranged movements which do not need a partner. There are partner exercises, but they usually take second place to the solo forms. At first glance they are unimpressive. However, most have combat application and a good teacher will make no secret of it. At higher levels weapon forms should be offered.
A friend of mine trains in the park with just such a teacher. There are some elderly people who just come for the workout, but he often demonstrates the joint-locks, force redirections, and strikes that are concealed in the forms.I think he is of a rarer kind, however. It may be hard to find such a teacher, so if you are primarily interested in the martial aspect, you might check out some other (usually harder) schools of Kung Fu. No matter what you do, beware of charlatans. The "McDojo" phenomenon extends to the Chinese arts as well.
As was suggested, Aikido might also be of interest to you. It's "soft" like T'ai Chi (strikes are almost completely absent); its primary tools are throws, pins, joint manipulations (all grounded in the principle of using the enemy's force against him). It's holistic benefits are praised by many practitioners, yet there is no grey area: it is overtly martial in all cases. Most exercises are done with partners. Like T'ai Chi, weapons may be introduced at higher levels. There are three main styles: Aikikai (New York), Yoshinkan (hardest), and Tomiki . All are offshoots of the teaching of the founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba (quite a character). Thought of Aikido as a means of cultivating harmony in the world and brotherhood among men. Good dojo's are easy to find since the international organizations governing them are robust and wide-reaching. There is also much quality literature.
Big_John mentioned "hard" Aikido. This might be Aiki-jutsu (I hope I'm assuming correctly, Big_John), which is the direct ancestor of Aikido. It is a samurai art hundreds of years old, and schools are uncommon within Japan, let alone without (though there are some, maybe one near you). I believe there is only one remaining school of aiki-jutsu, the Daito-ryu , whose central figure was Sokaku Takeda. He was a young boy during the late years of the Meiji Restoration, so he was brought up in the traditional manner befitting a samurai child, though he lived as an adult during an area when such things were disavowed. He was the teacher of Morihei Ueshiba. Their philosophies differed: Sokaku travelled Japan picking fights and making mortal enemies. Aiki-jutsu training reflects this. The idea is to get your opponent into a position where you can readily knife him.
Shop around a bit for good teachers. Take intro classes if offered, talk to students, instructors, etc. Most institutions are businesses, however, and they want your money. If you can find a teacher in a local park (for T'ai Chi) it would be ideal. Teacher-student relationship isn't based on payment. Much more relaxed. And such people usually don't have an agenda (some organizations can be cult-like...watch out). The best way to sound out good instruction (if you're paying for it) is to engage the headmaster in conversation for a while and then suddenly attack. Not just once. Go nuts. If the school's worth your money, the teacher should be able to subdue you without difficulty (the best will not have not use much force at all). A good teacher will not mind your doing this. ~;)
Have fun too, eh?
Never thought of doing that ~:). It's a nice selection procedure. The surprise element is very important here, do not challenge him and avoid signals. If he's really good, he'll look through you before the fight starts. His own skills shouldn't be decisive though, he has to be able to teach as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by Taohn
Very good advise. You need to compare a few.Quote:
Shop around a bit for good teachers. Take intro classes if offered, talk to students, instructors, etc.
Interesting.
*pictures herself walking into a T'ai Chi class led by a pudgy, middle aged American and tackling him*
I think I will look into the Aikido, but also stick with some of the T'ai Chi I've been learning for now.
Thanks for all the input!
For a hard MA try Muai Thai. I started practicing some in June and find it very good (and tough). I can raise my legs now a whole foot higher that 2 months ago...
It is hard and aggressive though, and I'm considering going back to Taekwondo for the winter...
Aikido is really beautiful. And it doesn't hurt.
Capoeira is awesome also.
Hehe...been playing Tekken 5 a lot lately, I even tried to do the same moves as the character I'm playing....LP, LK, LP, RP, RK, d+f+RK
Tai Chi is fun, my sensei mixes alot in with the Shotokan. But if you get bored try a weapons class. Bo staff is ever so fun