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Taijiquan is a Taoist internal martial art. One account of the history of Taijiquan credits its development to the Taoist immortal Chang San-feng, who is said to have drawn the inspiration for the art by watching a fight between a snake and an aggressive eagle. Chang San-feng was reportedly a master of Shaolin Kung Fu who reached an extraordinary level of cultivation through Taoist internal practices. Another account of the history of Taijiquan is that many different Kung Fu masters developed it over a long period of time; as a synthesis of internal meditation and martial technique. Either way, the written history of Taijiquan goes back about 300 years and it was not until the turn of the 20th century that it was introduced to the general public.
Taijiquan is a very unique and powerful art, for both internal power and longevity. Taijiquan is a martial art which embodies Taoist philosophy. When Taijiquan was developed, the martial arts were very aggressive. One's proficiency was measured by the strength and aggression of attack, in terms of the Taoist principle of yin and yang this was a purely "yang" conception of martial arts. What was revolutionary about Taijiquan was the incorporation of the yin element to fighting. In Taijiquan one uses a balance of yin techniques with yang techniques, a balance between yielding and attacking. It is for this reason that Taijiquan is described as "a needle hidden in cotton" or "hardness concealed in softness".
Presently Taijiquan is rapidly growing in popularity for the tremendous health benefits which come through practice. Clinical studies have shown that Taijiquan practice can lower blood pressure, reduce nervous tension, and benefit the immune, digestive, cardiovascular and respiratory systems. At this time, over one hundred million people practice Taijiquan on a regular basis.
The heart of the Taijiquan system is the practice of the single Taijiquan form. The form practice of Taijiquan is the foundation of the training. Though Taijiquan is done slowly, the movements are very difficult and strenuous. Regular practice of Taijiquan greatly improves the functioning of the bodily systems and is an highly evolved form of self-defense. |
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Tai Chi Chuan (Tàijí – 骷极 or táijíquán – 骷极拳) is a Chinese martial art. A common misconception is that tai chi is not used for fighting – it can be, and it can be very effective.
To the unindoctrinated, a person practicing tai chi looks as if they’re fighting an invisible person in super-slow motion. Hence tai chi also came to be known as ‘Chinese shadow boxing’ in the West.
Head to any park near the centre of Beijing between 5 and 8am and you can’t avoid seeing rows and rows of Chinese practicing the ancient martial art of tai chi as their morning exercise.
‘Tai chi chuan’ translates to ‘supreme ultimate fist’. This sounds like a violent fighting technique, where brute force counts. Tai chi is not like this at all. The ‘tai chi diagram’ is the Chinese name of what we in the West know as the symbols of Yin and Yang.
Tai chi is actually all about balancing Yin and Yang, hard with soft and speed with slowness, and not to do with iron fists punching through brick walls. Tai chi can be extremely effective in a fight, but it teaches students how to read their opponent, absorb their energy, and counter, not how to win through strength.
Over time many varieties of tai chi have developed, but the basic characteristics are the same – tai chi is a soft martial art, which views meeting strength with strength as the worst possible tactic. Some versions of tai chi use weapons, including swords.
In combat situations, tai chi masters rely on sensitivity to sense their opponents attacks and strike first. When counter striking, the body must be in a state of minimal tension, hence tai chi’s characteristic softness.
Tai chi movements are slow and gentle different from the fast and forceful movements of Shaolin Kung Fu.
A characteristic and easily recognizable tai chi exercise involves two people brace hands, and alternately attack and yield. This improves the ability to sense an opponents actions, and teaches how to absorb and redirect attacks.
Masters of tai chi claim that it improves the flow of energy around the body, sharpens the mind, and leads to spiritual development and increased longevity.
Although many see tai chi simply as a way of keeping fit, masters heavily emphasize the spiritual and philosophical aspects of the art.
In tai chi, Qi Gong (chi kung), the principles of Yin and Yang, and the ancient teachings of Chinese scholar Lao Tzu, father of Daoism, and his classic Tae Te Jing (Dao De Jing)- ‘Ethics’, are all also of paramount importance.
Many masters claim that the physical aspects of tai chi are useless without a correct understanding and application of the philosophy, theory and mental aspects of tai chi.
Qi Gong (chi kung) in Tai Chi
Tai chi without qi gong would be nothing more than an elaborate dance. Qi gong (also written chi kung’) would translate literally to something like ‘the art (gong, kung) of energy (qi, chi)’ and is really an umbrella term referring to all the different systems that develop cosmic energy, particularly for combat, health, and spiritual and mental cultivation.
Tai chi teaches breathing techniques and demands that practitioners visualise cosmic energy flowing into them as they breath in, and down into their arms and hands as the breath out.
Yin and Yang in Tai Chi
Tai Chi is also sometimes known as ‘yin and yang boxing’, and with good reason. Yin (Yīn 阴) and yang (Yáng 阳) are among the most widely known of Chinese concepts, but are often misunderstood. A full discussion of yin and yang would take us far away from the subject of tai chi. In short, yin and yang are not, as is popularly believed, fundamental opposing forces which constitute the universe. They are, rather, symbols representing the way things compare to each other. They emphasize the fact that hot is only hot relative to cold. Yang is only yang relative to yin.
Yang represents, among other things, up, masculinity and light. Thus the sky (which is up) is yang when compared to the earth, but on a cloudy and overcast day it can be yin when compared to the lighter earth. The same cloudy sky is yang in comparison to the even darker night sky.
Tai chi combines and balances yin and yang. Tai chi movements are at once slow, soft and gentle (yin), but are also capable of being fast and forceful (yang). Physical movements (yang) is countered by breathing techniques and visualisation (yin).
In combat situations, strength is met with softness. An opponent’s straight, sharp (yang) punches are met with flowing, circular deflections (yin). Circular, flowing yin attacks are countered with straight direct yang thrusts.
Tai Chi and the Tao/Dao
Taoism (or Daoism) is a major Chinese philosophy. Its foremost authority was Lao Tzu and his classic the ‘Dao De Jing (Tao Te Jing)’ – ‘The Book of Ethics’. The Dao De Jing was written around 2600 years ago. Much of the philosophy and practice of tai chi, basic principles of combat like not struggling, and not initiating an attack, derive from the Dao De Jing.
Tai chi masters imitate the softness of like water, which can rust metal, put out fire, wash away earth and erode stone.
Section 78 of the Dao De Jing reads:
Of the softest things in the world,
Nothing is softer than water,
Any hard objects in the way,
Will be defeated by water.
But water never changes.
Hence soft defeats hard,
Weak defeats strong.
Everyone knows this,
But few practice it. |
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