How can I find a more authentic school for Tai Chi?

I dislike Americanized forms of Martial Arts (No offense and not all). How can I find a class in Tai Chi that's more authentic and follows actual rules of Tai Chi instead of just teaching it as just an exercise and treating more like a full martial arts that's built upon many different patterns?

Where do you live? Outside of traveling to find a proper instructor, you're going to have to search in your area. The yellow pages, internet searches, word of mouth and looking through local parks (it might help if there was a Chinatown in your area - this is where I found my instructor) are possible methods. Unfortunately at least 95% of all Tai Chi schools in the West are watered down and only teach the health aspects of Tai Chi - this is an important part but is not the full curriculum.

If you cannot find a properly trained instructor with a good lineage, then you may want to look into other arts that may have similar if not the same principles of Taijiquan. Often it is more important to find a good instructor than a specific style. Good luck.

Depending of where you live there might be an authentic school for Tai Chi Chuan. There s a few important leanages here in the States springing from Cheng Man Ching, which is essentially a Yang style, as well as Wu, Chen, and Sun. Eventually, i think it depends on your personal search - checking out different teachers etc.

A good Tai Ji teacher will know both health, and self-defense aspects of the art.

yep thats the same problem i had.

you just have to look and interview the instructors to see what they teach and if they know what they understand what tai chi really is,
ask if you can watch a few classes.
it is better to spend 3 years search for a qualified instructor then to study under a poor instructor.

try emptyflower.net and go to their Instructor directory or locate an instructor. or you could have put your town into the question and we would have searched it for you. ^^;;

Google Erle Montaigue Tai Chi. He is the first Westerner to receive a masters ranking from China and he learnt directly from the Yang family in China.....the guys who do Yang style Tai Chi.

Listen to Sifu Blue Siytangco.

Seek and you will find.

try googling chen style taichi