Tai Chi exercise is becoming increasingly popular in Chinese society and western countries. It is characterized by its leisurely, graceful movements, making you wonder what they are doing. As a result, in this post, I am trying to do my best to make things obvious for you by responding to the most frequently asked question on Tai Chi, the topic I am going to cover are:
- What is Tai Chi?
- Tai Chi style and their difference
- Why should you do Tai Chi, and what are the benefits.
- Is Tai Chi as effective as martial art? can it be used in self-defence?
- What is different between Qi Gong and Tai Chi
What is Tai Chi?
Tai Chi, or Tai Chi Quan, was originally a martial art that adopted the Tai Chi philosophy. The Qin Dynasty transformed into a meditative exercise that promoted mental and physical wellness.
We don’t know when or where Tai Chi originated. The earliest known Tai Chi style is Chen Style Tai Chi, developed by retired army general Chen Wang Ting ( 1580-1660). The earliest Tai Chi style, Chen Style Tai Chi, combines martial skill, Daoist Qi Gong meditation movement, and Yi Jing Tai Chi philosophy. So, in Chen Style Tai Chi, there is still a lot of explosive force training that aims to produce tremendous blows.
Until Chen Chang Xin (1771-1853), the sixth generation decided to break the rule and pass on to Yang Lu Chan (1799-1872), who had no direct relationship with the Chen family.
Yang Lu Chan then opened his school in Bei Jing to educate more students. Since so many of his students were royal family members who couldn’t manage the brutal training of Chen style Tai chi, Yang decided to modify the training technique to a milder version, which became Yang Style.
Although other styles of Tai Chi exist, such as Wu style Tai Chi, Yang style Tai Chi remains the most popular.
So, which is best? If you want to treat it as a martial art, you should try Chen style; if you want to improve your health, you should learn the Yang styl
Tai Chi style and their difference:
There are four main Tai chi styles: Chen, Yang, Wu, Sun. Historically, Chen Style Tai Chi is the first Tai Chi, Yang Style derived from Chen, and Wu Style Tai Chi derived from Chen & Yang. Sun Style Tai Chi Combine the movement of Xingyi and Baguazhang, which is the two other internal martial art.
In my personal opinion, If you’re solely interested in Taiji’s “health” benefits, any of them will work. It’s really the martial arts’ quality and style of movement distinguish them.
Yang style is characterized by smooth and graceful movements. On the other hand, Wu style is characterized by short, linear movement. Chen style has a lot of explosive power training. Sun style Tai Chi combines Baguazhang and XingYi and has a faster pace than Yang and Chen.
Why Should I do Tai Chi? What is the benefit of Tai Chi?
Tai chi is a low-impact exercise appropriate for people of all ages and fitness levels, including the elderly. Tai chi is a low-cost exercise that requires no specific equipment. And it can be done anywhere, indoors or outdoors. You can practice alone or in a group.
According to research, when you learn Tai Chi properly and practice regularly, you may find benefits as follows:
- Relaxation and relief from stress
- Promote a positive mood and stamina.
- Improve the Flexibility and balanced
- Relief joint point
- Reduce the risk of falling in elderly
- Improve sleep quality.
- Promote immunity.
- Regulate blood pressure
- Strengthening muscles
- Boost overall health
To find out more about the health benefit of Tai Chi, click here
Is Tai Chi as effective as a martial art? Can it be used for self-defense?
First, I have to say that I am not a martial artist; I teach people Tai Chi to promote health. I just share my own perspective. Therefore I could be incorrect; I am just offering what I know.
Training Tai Chi alone isn’t good enough for self-defense or stage combat, but some Tai Chi techniques can be a good supplementary tool in your toolbox, just like any other martial art.
There are two reasons why I believe it isn’t a realistic martial art for stage combat or self-defense. First, as mentioned in the last chapter of this article, the first Tai Chi style, Chen style Tai Chi, was founded by a retired army general 400 hundred years ago. The battle situation is different from the stage fight or street fight; for example, Tai Chi stresses sinking Chi, bending the knee to lower center of gravity, which might be problematic in a stage fight, unless you are attempting to wrestle with someone.
However, the sinking Chi technique is really important if you fight on the ancient war field. Imagine over a thousand troops fighting on the field, and if you trip over and fall on the ground, people behind you would stamp on your body, which is lethal.
So standing upright and constantly retaining balance was extremely important in the ancient war field. Perhaps that is why Tai Chi is an excellent approach in reducing falls in the elderly.
To summarise, if you want to fight on stage or learn self-defense, Tai Chi training alone isn’t enough. It’s a good idea to start with a professional coach in MMA, UFC, or self-defense instructor to teach you the fundamentals of combat, and if you want to take a step forwards to improve your technique, you might want to learn some Tai Chi as an additional tool in your toolbox.
what is the difference between Chi Gong and Tai Chi?
Tai Chi and Qi Gong are both stress-relieving and health-promoting exercises. So, what’s the distinction?
The first distinction is in movement; Tai Chi consists of continuous motions, whereas Qigong can be classified into active Qi Gong and passive Qi Gong. Active Qi Gong consists of a single move repeatedly, whereas passive Qi Gong focuses on meditation or breathing exercises.
The second obvious distinction is that Tai Chi began as a martial art, but Qi Gong was designed primarily for healing and well-being. Aside from that, they are both beneficial to health and equally effective.
