What makes Tai Chi Tai Chi?

[Ben]

I've been thinking about what makes Tai Chi Chuan, Tai Chi Chuan. My answer up to this point has been that if it adheres to the principles of Tai Chi then it is Tai Chi, if it doesn't then its not.

Then I thought about a new Tai Chi student who has a short time in and hasn't mastered the principles. They are trying to do Tai Chi and through no fault of their own haven't got "there" yet. Can you really say they aren't doing Tai Chi?

In your opinion what makes Tai Chi what it is? At what point in someones practice can they be said to be doing Tai Chi?

If this belongs in BTDT then please move it on over.

[Ian]

Jimmy Jam.

Silks.

Long, tedious debates about what constitutes true tai chi.

See what I did there?

[mixjourneyman]

You put your left yin in and take your right yang out, you add some silk reeling and move it all about.
You do your right brush knee and your left ward off, you dance the taiji pokey and....

Ok, you got me...

What is this tai chi you speak of?

[gretel]

ok, i'll try to be serious.
if the teacher's Tai Chi is based on the principles, then even the beginning students are learning to do tai chi. they aren't there yet, and they may not get there, but they are on the path.
my 2 cents.

gretel

[Bao]

What makes taijiquan taijiquan in someone's eye does not need to makes taijiquan in someone else's eye. What makes true taijiquan is based on a person's level, years of training and understanding. It is based on cultural and social differencies, and has changed over the years. Even if there are principles which are the same, the understanding of those principles might have changed?

So what makes taijiquan? I practice something and I call it taijiquan, that is enough for me.

[qiphlow]

What makes taijiquan taijiquan in someone's eye does not need to makes taijiquan in someone else's eye. What makes true taijiquan is based on a person's level, years of training and understanding. It is based on cultural and social differencies, and has changed over the years. Even if there are principles which are the same, the understanding of those principles might have changed?

So what makes taijiquan? I practice something and I call it taijiquan, that is enough for me.

bao has put his fist under the elbow of the correct.

[Chris McKinley]

Colored silks, baby! It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that brocaded silken sheen. Also, ladyfingers and tea, preferably green or white tea, whichever is most pretentious at the time.

[Doc Stier]

What makes taijiquan taijiquan in someone's eye does not need to makes taijiquan in someone else's eye.

Q: How many Tai-Chi Chuan practitioners are needed to change a lightbulb?

A: Well, actually only one, but there will usually be several others standing around saying...."That was OK, I guess, but in our style we would do it like this instead."

Doc

[Ben]

So what makes taijiquan? I practice something and I call it taijiquan, that is enough for me.

I agree with you Bao. I guess I have too much time thinking about things and not enough time practiciing. I'm hoping to remedy that soon enough. Thanks everybody!

[SPJ]

Actually it is a common question.

Brother A said. Tai Chi boxing is like water. You yield when and where there is resistence. Like water curcumvets the rocks and keeps flowing. You go when and where there is the least resistence or easy to go again like the water flows.

Brother B said. Tai Chi is like a yin yang yo-yo. We have to learn the yin and the yang of fighting postures/moves. Most important of all, how to change between yin and yang just like a yo-yo rolling and changing.

--

Both are correct.

so what do you think Tai Chi is?

--

[mixjourneyman]

Actually it is a common question.

Brother A said. Tai Chi boxing is like water. You yield when and where there is resistence. Like water curcumvets the rocks and keeps flowing. You go when and where there is the least resistence or easy to go again like the water flows.

Brother B said. Tai Chi is like a yin yang yo-yo. We have to learn the yin and the yang of fighting postures/moves. Most important of all, how to change between yin and yang just like a yo-yo rolling and changing.

--

Both are correct.

so what do you think Tai Chi is?

--

An ancient method of indoctrinating people into homosexuality via "thenthitivity" exercises.

Does anyone else remember that article?

[internalenthusiast]

ok, i'll try to be serious.
if the teacher's Tai Chi is based on the principles, then even the beginning students are learning to do tai chi. they aren't there yet, and they may not get there, but they are on the path.
my 2 cents.

gretel

assuming the teacher is good, and has an ability to teach to an advanced level, i like gretel's answer.

i also like SPJ's answer.

[Ian]

Tai chi is whatever youtube clip looks badass to the viewer.

It can be any move by any fighter from any style. Usually the moves are said to be "in" tai chi. E.g.

-Mayweather's jab-cross is clearly IN brush knee twist step.
-If you don't see the mechanics of Buakaw's roundhouse kick IN snake creeps down, you're clearly low level.

Similarly, any clip that looks shit to the viewer is "not tai chi."

Usually the question is phrased, "where's the tai chi?" This is often in in reference to clips of other tai chi schools, but can include other IMA schools which don't even claim to be tai chi in the first place, but hey whatever.

So there you have it. Tai chi is awesome, and anything that's awesome is tai chi.

[Dmitri]

(Ah, where's Mike Sigman when you need one...? )

I think one can be considered as "doing tai chi" when he or she can convince enough people of that.
And when he or she gets them to pay for learning it, then he or she has become a master.

[GrahamB]

Like everybody says, there's no common accepted answer.

Here's my two-cents.

Personally, I look at the name of the art "Tai Chi Chuan" as an indicator of the most important quality, so it's about TaiChi and Yin and Yang, rather than external 'look'. If somebody is correctly separating Yin and Yang in their body and movements, and in their fighting strategy (no double-weighting) for most of the time (nobody is ever 100% all the time) then I think they can be said to be "doing" Tai Chi Chuan.