The irony of anti-athleticism of the taichee hippies

[everything]

One of my pet peeves around the tai chee hippies is their anti-athleticism. I heard a tai chee hippie mention something about dumb jocks and wrestlers. The irony is that IMA seems to improve athleticism. To me it at least improves coordination, speed, and timing through better ability to relax. That is transferable to pretty much any movement activity. I can't stand this stupid attachment to some kind of superhero power for nerds that beats all athletic attributes. So frigging stupid. Yes, training skills can be better than natural strength, power, and speed, but c'mon, let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Anyway, just had to get that off my chest.

[cerebus]

You just don't understand. It's all about the CHEEEEE......

[neijia_boxer]

I've known so many Tai chi hippys that put down cardio vasular work. one even said it created more carbon in the body as much as a cigarette ?!?!

one guy who teaches and is a believer in non-cardio and tai chi started going to our boxing class. i think he had a rude awakening seeing he didnt have any stamina and endurance, he has gotten better a little at a time.

[Darth Rock&Roll]

people will find all sorts of ways to justify their inadequacy.

that's just how people are.

[everything]

lol yeah. admittedly and sadly perhaps my pet peeve is due to seeing too much of the taichee hippie in myself:

- likes to hug qi? check.
- thinks 4 oz over brute strength is cool? check.
- wasn't that athletic back in the day? check.
- self-described nerd? check.

D'oh!! but still i draw the line at being anti-athletic. there is taichee hippie and then there is taichee hippie.

[Methods]

I remember, geez, it had to be 10 or so years ago when a somewhat well known teacher in San Diego (I will not mention names) found out that I worked out by running, biking, surfing, weight lifting and I was somewhat a push up fiend. He stated " You will ever reach a high level of Taiji if you keep that kind of work out in your training regimen" - lol
I replied " so, is your taiji a high level?, he answered "I would think it so", I replied, then I will continue to work out.

PS - oh, he also found out that I like to work on my own motorcycles saying that the oil on my fingers will disrupt my chi - I really really dislike Taiji people...

[everything]

yeah the thing is I like taijiquan and I agree, just like in many arts, you shouldn't get in the habit to "muscle" things by overly tensing up muscles around bone to do something. I just don't like the weird attitude some of the hippies have and I don't see how surfing, etc., would lead to too much tension. oh well just goes with the territory. i'm not flat out switching to bagua or xingyi just b/c of this weirdness but sheesh.

[Methods]

Dont get me wrong, I absolutely love Taiji, big Fan!, but non the less most of the people doing it even these big named masters are god damned kooks to say the least.
My teacher used to just shake his head in amazement when we would go to the park and see these Taiji classes being taught and the dumb ass drills and such that they would pass off as Taij, and guess what, many of those by-products are now teachers and some with big names.

[everything]

Not sure why this problem only seems to happen with taiji. I don't know what to do about it except log on to RSF and complain about it. Maybe I should go push hands with the hippies and don't worry about it. I have gotten to do that before with form hippies with no interest in even push hands, and I felt like king of the dorks. My modest skill seemed really good to them - flattering for the ego, but at the same time depressing because they might as well have only one day of training so pushing them means nothing. If I ever get to teach, I ain't letting my students be so crappy. If I teach form hippies, I'm calling it qigong. I don't want them claiming in utter ignorance they're learning taiji "quan". Ok, whew. Feel better now.

[meeks]

replied " so, is your taiji a high level?, he answered "I would think it so", I replied, then I will continue to work out.

*pimp smack!* well said!


I've met people that felt because a taiji instructor smoked or drank alcohol that their shit wasn't real. idiots. it's not call tai 'qi'....

[cerebus]

Well, I'm a bit of a Tai Chi hippie these days. And my push-hands sucks. But I enjoy it nonetheless, even though Qiflow, Fuga and Tastydurian push me all over the place during push hands...

[meeks]

[Fubo]

It's interesting how some people dismiss a practitioner's skill because they are physically strong, in shape and have good cardio. A similar topic was discussed on the Shen Wu board recently regarding back handed comments about international level Judoka and strength... comments like "oh, he's a really good athlete", the intention being that their ability is based on strength and not skill. What the people that make these kinds of comments miss is that to compete at that sort of level requires not only great athleticism, but also great skill... they won't be there if they only had one or the other.

Miles Vives, a BJJ black belt and Mauy Thai/MMA instructor, brought up similar points on his blog about how some BJJ instructors would comment about how so and so's JJ is low level because they seemed be really physically strong, thus must be using strength (sound familiar?).

I wonder how these Tai Chee hippies would feel if they experienced the extreme strength of Yang Lu Chan... after all, he was known to have extremely strong forearms from carrying coal.

[KEND]

Unfortunately the down side of being a taichee hippie is that the form is almost invariably poor, bad posture, lack of core strength, not moving as one piece, chi stomach etc. which does more harm than good.
I saw a manifestation of this at last years world TCC day where the guy started lying down, performing some sort of yoga before getting up and performing the form with his students, the form needless to say was not very good, ovextension, bent over postures etc abounded. A friend, who is a serious TCC practitioner could not believe what he was seeing

[Methods]

Truly though guys, most and Im talking 98% of Taiji practitioners are Taichi hippies. Fuck, how many people you know who can fight with the skills if any acquired from an Taiji instructor much less defend themselves.
Bullshit push hands is a drill, and most that practice push hands only learn the drill, not real time and fighting. I have seen push hand tournaments as well and they are a joke. The more time the teacher wastes on this push hand drill the less time a student learns Taiji. This is across the board and everywhere.
Outside of my own teacher I think I have met maybe three people who actually knew Taijiquan, therefore most if not all if looking at majority are hippies, plain and simple....If taiji is watered down i believe it has become the best representative of the Pacific Ocean..

True that Meeks... I remember once I was out with my bros before I was married having a few and a couple of people rolled in that I knew from Hippi ass Taiji / Taoist circles spotted me throwing a few back and chasing the ladies. They couldnt believe it, matter of fact one pulled me aside and asked if I was worried about negative chi - lol