How is Tai Chi useful against striking?
How is it useful against throws?
I already know that there's a form of Tai Chi that deals with different weapons. DUCHE, first off, don't use a term you don't know how to use. N00B means an asshole who says **** and doesn't ask for help when they need it. Second, Tai Chi is a MARTIAL ARTS meaning it's used for self defense or for combat. Tai Chi involves SWORDS as well, don't believe me? Look it up. So before you call me a N00B, look at yourself. Tai Chi is DEFINED as a Martial Arts, just because it's Westernized, doesn't mean that it's traditional styles no longer exist.
@ Master Scandal
It's not that I don't believe you, it's just that I've been having trouble reading books (Not to mention trouble obtaining books) because they do not discuss how well they do against certain aspects of Martial Arts. Before I asked what Martial Arts is, now I'm asking how effective it is against certain things, see? I have seen it effective against strikes, but grabs seems more broad in movement and outstretched to avoid a hand and use it's force against it, how does that work though? Sensei Scandal and Shihan J have given good answers.
Duche, you clearly don't know anything about Tai Chi Chuan. I always amazes me how many people are quick to jump in with an un-informed answer to something they clearly do not understand.
Tai Chi Chuan has everything in it that is necessary for self-defense. There are strikes and grappling as well as pressure point techniques. The way many people teach the art it can easily be misjudged as being of no value for self-defense. That is a big mistake made by many people. I'll admit that I was one of them for a long time. No longer! Tai Chi like any martial art can be effective if it's trained correctly.
I would say that if you want to use Tai Chi for self-defense you need to train it within a self-defense context, you need people coming at you swinging for the fences, you need contact training, making and taking hits. All that soft movement must also be balanced with some hard contact to learn how to use the movements (and the way of moving) correctly.
Like any well-rounded combat system, it does have ways of defending against strikes as well as throws. In terms of the grappling it shares some elements with aikido with the yielding and going with your opponent's force to gain an advantage and finish the job. Lamar, as a martial art Tai Chi Chuan utilizes something that we call "neutralization". Basically, if I am being attacked i won't resist your attack, however i will evade it, and move to a place where im even closer to you, while you cannot reach me - from there i can initiate any kind of attack. This idea will go for both striking and throwing. Also, it will make it easier if you attack me first, since now all my concerns are gone - im grounded and awake, while you are disbalanced tai chi is a devastating martial art.
the problem is people like duche have no understanding of , and think is is only an excise.
to understand the usefulness against throws you have to study it, the counters can not be explained in a few simple lines and there are too many variables.
edit:>> books, videos and the internet are for reference and not intend to be the solo source to learn martial arts, to learn any martial arts you need a qualified instructor Yes.Taichi for everybody in park or club mostly for health.
But the real taichi is not just only soft.It has Yin and Yang.That means
it always has opposite movement.Slow and Fast.Soft and Hard.they are always together.The one who doesn't know Taichi will say Taichi is useless.If you want to know the secret of Taichi you find it out.You won't understand or believe people what people say.Just find it out by yourself. So many different possible answers...
It depends on the position of the opponents.
Tai Chi can block, trap, deflect, redirect, lock, trip, sweep, throw, take-down or pull through (I've probably left out a few.)
Against throws: the thrower first needs to get a grip.
Push hands skills will allow a Tai Chi player to prevent a potential thrower from getting a grip in the first place.
Tai Chi also teaches weapons such as:
Jian (straight sword)
Broad Sword
Cane/walking stick (my favorite)
Short stick,
Bo/quarter staff,
Fan.
Fluidity of motion will often allow an unarmed person to merely get out of the way of an oncoming weapon strike. If the Tai Chi player is also armed, they know both offensive and defensive weapons tactics. (Provided they have studied weapons.)
EDIT:
re: "Slow Tai Chi"...
Tai Chi Chuan is done slowly to allow you use the "practice makes permanent" principle. The slow move is all about precision. Once you learn how to correctly make a move very slowly, you can execute the move at any speed because the imprinted body mechanics is there. All you need to do is speed it up in your head and your body will follow suit.
The better you get, the slower you can do it.
The slower you can do it, the more precise the imprint.
. @ duche - man, you're really a noob. Tai Chi is so much more than you know.
@ Asker - Do a search on here and you will see how many times this has been answered on here.
It just seems redundant to answer this question again for the 3rd or 4th time in a week.
Believe me - Tai Chi is a deadly art.
Edit:
I understand what you mean. I have seen Tai Chi used against all types of attacks - grapples, strikes, multiple, etc.
Your concern is that the way it is usually shown... a slow, soft movement, gives you the impression that it may fail against let say, an MMA fighter.
The slow movement is not the complete Tai Chi. You have to adhere to the principles of Yin Yang. So when you do real Tai Chi, you have to move fast, slow, soft, hard, rise, sink, etc.
The slow version is what westerners were taught. Now westerners are being taught the real thing.
Here is an example of how Tai Chi can be used -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93wy9FBFP...
There is still alot more than shown here. here is a video that is a LOOONG one, but the first 5 min or show is sufficient to see-
in the first part you see the move in "slo mo" then later it bieng performed in competition against an (obviously resisting) opponent.
http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?doci...
it is usefull against throws as depcited in this video, since if it teaches you (or should be teaching you) unbalancing techniques, then you would also naturally be learning to counter them and maintain your structure.
a common misconception about tai chi is that it is "only soft" that is baloney- it is not directly opposing an opposing force in the same direction that is a far cry from bieng "soft" as many will claim. think of it like stopping a boulder rolling at a target by hitting it from a different direction than it is rolling towards.
i don't take tai chi, but have played with and have been shown some things by my instructor that have added to my throw techniques.
i couldn't comment on how it would deal with striking, or with sword.
i think most tai chi classes that actually teach you to fight don't focus on sword training from a realistic prespective. those that tend to IMO- seem to be more likely to be a school more focused upon teaching you to dance around and look pretty rather than how to fight with either your hands/feet/body or a weapon. There are soft and hard techniques for Tai Chi, the modern version is more for health benefits.
The hard martial arts techniques have more striking , how they measure depends on how much sparring against resisting opponents.
Tai Chi does not have to my knowledge alot of grappling, so it wouldn't measure well against throws. man you are a noob, tai chi is to strengthen your focus and stuff not realy a martial art |
