defining tai chi chuan

Discussion on the three big Chinese internals, Yiquan, Bajiquan, Piguazhang and other similar styles.

Re: defining tai chi chuan

Postby river rider on Fri Jun 06, 2008 7:04 am

in the early part of the 20th century you have people like Sun Lu Tang and Yang Cheng Fu seeking to use taiji as a tool to address perceived mental and physical problems in their society. to me, at this time, the art split into two related but different streams. some people successfully merge the two, but most stick with one or the other, with the majority following the health/meditation branch. there is also a fantasy/bullshit branch (everything has this) which is fed by people from both sides. I am always amazed at how much the practitioners of one branch seem to dislike their counterparts in the other. and adherents of other arts make their arguments by addressing the branch furthest from their own practice, with fighters using examples from the health/meditative side to criticize taiji and people practicing other meditative or health arts zeroing in on taiji's martial side to criticize.

taijiquan is a valid fighting art. the historical record and contemporary practice are full of examples of this. comparing different MAs is a tricky process. I feel that skill and success in fighting is more about the practitioner than a specific art. I also think that when talking about fighting, you have to realize that combat and sportfighting are very different things. most of these arts were designed for combat originally, and not all have successfully transitioned to sportfighting. many discussions I read ignore this difference... for instance, discussions about taiji's lack of groundfighting training.

tai chi is a valid practice just for health purposes, and is equally valid as a form of meditation or spiritual development. many knowledgeable practitioners of these disciplines have invested insight talent and wisdom into developing tai chi into an effective tool for these goals. many tai chi practitioners report convincing success in the use of this tool. it is not needful nor helpful to view this development as a debasement of the original art... you just need to be clear about your own goals and pick the path that leads there.

as I mentioned above, the two streams are not mutually exclusive. you can do both... but 99% of practitioners never get but a few steps down either road. it is interesting to note that other MAs also feel they incorporate fighting/health/spiritual advancement in their art. Gichin Funakoshi had a vision of his shotokan karate that mirrors many of these issues... arguing that the real goal of his art was personal development on physical and spiritual levels, with the same ulterior motive of seeking benefit for his people and nation. the discussion of how this did and didn't work for shotokan is similar to our own.

had the grandmasters of (fill in with your own MA) been positioned similarly, and attracted the same large horde of practitioners, we would probably be having this same discussion about that art. know what you want and pick the path that goes there... show respect to those who follow another path to another goal, you cannot make your practice better by attacking others. and remember the classic yin/yang symbol... these two points of view, goals, whatever, are ultimately paired... you can focus on one or the other at one level, but you and your practice will only be whole when both are present.
river rider
Anjing
 
Posts: 163
Joined: Tue May 13, 2008 1:22 am
Location: dow mt, WA, prev FL

Previous

Return to Xingyiquan - Baguazhang - Taijiquan

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 26 guests