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Practicing Tai Chi Chuan as a martial art - Which benefits do you get?

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  • Practicing Tai Chi Chuan as a martial art - Which benefits do you get?

    Dear Shaolin Wahnam Family and Forum Members

    I am preparing an article on the benefits of practicing Tai Chi Chuan as a martial art.
    I have some first ideas. But I thought that together we could gather even more good points.

    Would you be willing to share:
    • What benefits you get from practicing Tai Chi Chuan as a martial art?
    • Or if you don't - what benefits do you think you could get from practicing Tai Chi Chuan as a martial art?
    • Or if you think the opposite - that one should not practice Tai Chi Chuan as a martial art, then please share why you think so.


    I am looking forward to your experiences, thoughts, opinions...
    Andrea
    Last edited by Andrea; 21 June 2015, 10:13 PM.
    Enjoy some Wahnam Tai Chi Chuan & Qi Gong!

    Evening Classes in Zürich
    Weekend Classes in other Swiss locations


    Website: www.taichichuan-wahnam.ch
    Facebook: www.facebook.com/Taichichuan.Wahnam.ch

  • #2
    These are excellent and very important questions that any and every Tai Chi (Chuan) practitioner should ask themselves.
    Sifu Andrew Barnett
    Shaolin Wahnam Switzerland - www.shaolin-wahnam.ch

    Flowing Health GmbH www.flowing-health.ch (Facebook: www.facebook.com/sifuandrew)
    Healing Sessions with Sifu Andrew Barnett - in Switzerland and internationally
    Heilbehandlungen mit Sifu Andrew Barnett - in der Schweiz und International

    Comment


    • #3
      To me, the most obvious thing is that practicing it as a martial art makes it 100 of times easier to understand the movements and techniques. Without the martial aspect, it's very easy to just not understand at all the technique, and thus doing it wrong.

      Also, if it's a martial art, it needs to be practiced as so, right? :-D

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by rodrigo View Post
        To me, the most obvious thing is that practicing it as a martial art makes it 100 of times easier to understand the movements and techniques. Without the martial aspect, it's very easy to just not understand at all the technique, and thus doing it wrong.
        Yes that's a good point. The techniques become alive when one knows the application. And they are no longer just random movements.

        Originally posted by rodrigo View Post
        Also, if it's a martial art, it needs to be practiced as so, right? :-D
        One should think so . Yet the majority of practitioners do not know the application of the forms they practice daily. It's a bit like playing tennis against a wall only and ignoring the fact that it is meant to be played with a partner.

        Andrea
        Last edited by Andrea; 23 June 2015, 08:59 PM.
        Enjoy some Wahnam Tai Chi Chuan & Qi Gong!

        Evening Classes in Zürich
        Weekend Classes in other Swiss locations


        Website: www.taichichuan-wahnam.ch
        Facebook: www.facebook.com/Taichichuan.Wahnam.ch

        Comment


        • #5
          Hi Andrea, a great way of self defense for self and loved ones.

          James

          Originally posted by Andrea View Post
          [*]What benefits you get from practicing Tai Chi Chuan as a martial art?
          Aaahhhhh!

          Comment


          • #6
            Thank you for opening up this thread! While Taijiquan is not my specialty, I've been lucky enough to meet many practitioners within and outside of Shaolin Wahnam who practiced Taijiquan and/or Tai Chi dance for various reasons. I'd like to share some experiences I've had regarding the practice of Taijiquan and Tai Chi dance outside of Shaolin Wahnam for exposure's sake, to see if any of this helps the article in question, and to maybe stimulate some discussion.

            My first exposure to Taijiquan was a master teaching master Cheng Man'ching's interpretation of Taijiquan at a public park in Indiana about seven years ago. The master himself sometimes discussed combat application and his students practiced Pushing Hands for fun on occasion, but the onus of the class' practice was "practicing Taiji slowly for health." Interestingly, a friend-of-a-friend who was taking lessons from this master told me that she attributed the curing of her "lazy eye" to dedicated practice of this master's material. The students there did not care about Taijiquan combat application, though they enjoyed Pushing Hands as a fun game. This was long before my own introduction to internal training, so I did not really know what to "look for" regarding Taijiquan practice, but I was happy for that person not needing surgery for her eye.

            My first Taijiquan sifu (a direct disciple of a famous Yang style Taijiquan master who has written many books on kung fu and who is now living in California) was very firm in his belief that Taijiquan is an internal art and that all practitioners should have internal force. As a result, he taught me Reverse Breathing at the Goat Stance and had me practice it, along with some dynamic qigong patterns, for a few months before formally beginning to teach me his version of the 108 pattern Yang Taijiquan set. However, this sifu, interestingly, did not believe in using Taijiquan as a martial art, despite his own master being one of the few modern masters who have retained Taijiquan's combat application! My old Taijiquan sifu did not believe Taijiquan to be effective for fighting; he emphatically told me that if I wanted to learn internal self-defense, I should instead learn a "close-fisted style" like Xingyiquan or Shaolin kung fu. I am not sure why he said so; he believed that Yang style Taijiquan was meant for developing internal force, health, and vitality. He did not talk about any spiritual benefits while I was learning from him. I learnt from him for a short time in 2011, shortly before taking my first course by a Shaolin Wahnam instructor.

            An interesting encounter that I had regarding Taijiquan was with my old Baguazhang sifu back through the first half of 2012. In addition to Baguazhang, he also teaches Chen style Taijiquan, though using a different set of body mechanics and principles than the orthodox manner of doing things. This school does not believe in training zhan zhuang at all or cultivating internal energy for combat purposes; they rely entirely on (their admittedly very good) body mechanics and alignment for power and performing some rather good displays of release force. As a result, the Taijiquan students of that school, while they may possess some knowledge of Taijiquan combat application (more than most schools that I've visited in person), they have no internal force and their stances are about what you'd expect from a people that trains in this manner.

            My latest encounter with a Taijiquan master outside of Shaolin Wahnam took place some time in October of 2014. This master, who predominantly teaches another style of kung fu for self-defense, has a "Chi Kung and Tai Chi for Health" class that is mainly attended by some older folks who are mainly interested the health benefits of the practice (the ones who are interested in the self-defense aspects tend to go to the other, more combat-oriented self-defense class). In addition to teaching a version of the Eighteen Lohan Hands, this master teaches a version of the Short Yang Taijiquan Set. The students at this school, unless they also take the self-defense class, do not use kung fu stances in their performance of the Taijiquan set or do anything "martial" with the set. The philosophy of this class, from when I spoke with the master, was predominantly clearing blockages and building energy for health by way of the Eighteen Lohan Hands and their Taijiquan set. Interestingly, every member of the class there, which had eight people when I visited, had certain "qigong attainments," e.g. good health, awareness of their energy, and the ability to both circulate and transmit it.

            Anyhow, those are some of my experiences. Hope they help!
            I like making silly videos (including kung fu ones!) every so often on YouTube and taking pictures of weird things on Instagram.

            Comment


            • #7
              Thank you, Andrea Sijatneui, for starting this interesting thread.

              When practicing a martial art (including Tai Chi Chuan) one develops the skills of
              • quick reaction
              • quick decision making
              • instantaneous change on changing circumstances


              These important skills developed in martial arts training can be transferred to daily life.

              Practicing Tai Chi only in solo performance may produce the mental clarity necessary for those skills, but as their actual application won’t be trained its effect won't be there.

              Best wishes,

              Leo
              Sifu Leonard Lackinger

              Shaolin Treasure House

              Shaolin Wahnam Wien & Shaolin Treasure House

              Comment


              • #8
                Dear Shaolin wahnam family,

                Recently Tai Chi Chuan has benefited me in protecting my father my self and my property from a would be car thieve
                who also confronted my father with a screw driver in hand.Like his friend the guy had many opportunities to leave but for some reason chose not to.


                With out going into all the details I will just mention the main parts. I first approached the guy in a very non threatening manner and making him feel I would be no harm but quickly switched tactics by stepping into a right bow arrow and hitting him with a straight left punch quickly followed by a right yellow bee I repeated this before the guy hit the ground. He was on his right side when I pinned him down and told him to give me the screw driver he refused so I punched him in the left side of his face then quickly moving my self up towards his head I stood up and stamped down on his ribs on his left side. He turned on his back from the pain I quickly stamped onto his solar plexus knocking the wind out of him he dropped the screw driver and a small package of other tools. I kicked them away and I then applied Chin Na on him until the cops arrived.


                What I've realized from this experience is since learning Tai Chi Chuan I have a lot more power in my punches that wasn't there before. I felt very rooted. It really surprised me the speed at which I was able to throw the punches. I was able to walk bare footed over all the broken glass from a window he smashed without sustaining any injury. The flow of everything from beginning to end I hardly had to think about it at all. Feeling extremely aware off every subtle movement the guy made it was like he was moving in slow motion, to my surroundings and sounds all seemed very clear at the time.

                Sifu teaches us about the flow method to experience this directly in a real life situation really strikes it home of how effective it is in overwhelming your opponent.


                I feel very blessed that I was able to protect my father thanks to Sifu's teaching and the skills he so generously passes onto us.

                Thank you Sifu,


                Shaolin Salute,
                Brendan


                Comment


                • #9
                  Dear Brendan, what a great & inspirational story of the Art!

                  Lovely!

                  Best Wishes
                  James
                  Aaahhhhh!

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