Violent Tai Chi
By Robert Agar-Hutton ? 2019
I will start by explaining what a fight is, and what self defence is, and why they are different and then, I’ll get into why generally Tai Chi is no good for fighting but great for self defence. And I’ll also cover the exceptions to the rule, and I’ll do it in a very short essay. So, obviously I will have to leave a lot out.
A fight is when two people consent to engage in physical conflict, it may be in a competition, or it may be two people (generally young men) who drunk or sober are going to prove that “I’m tougher than you.” It is consensual violence.
Self defence is when one person threatens or enacts violence on another and the ‘victim’ needs to defend themselves.
Tai Chi generally needs a conscious ability to enable the body’s movements, so a drunk fight hampers that ability. A competition tends to hamper that ability because of the razzle-dazzle and pre-fight nerves involved.
In a self defence situation, Tai Chi can be effective because the timeframe may be fairly short. It’s techniques are often quite simple to use and highly effective, as the keystone to Tai Chi is biomechanical efficiency. That’s not to say that it doesn’t exist in other martial arts - just that it’s a primary part of Tai Chi. As a quick example - a boxer’s jab (which is efficient in-so-far as being hit with it hurts) is not primarily designed as a fight finisher. Whereas there is a simple application of the Tai Chi move ‘Part Wild Horse’s Mane’ that is designed to incapacitate an opponent with a single offensive technique.
The exceptions are that fighters with a HIGH skill level can use Tai Chi but (for example) in the UFC there have only been a couple. And in self defence the exceptions are people who have practiced Tai Chi but have predominantly done so in solo practice and who often are not even instructed in the self defence applications available.
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Chief Instructor at Chun Sit's Tai Chi & Kungfu School
6 年Tai chi is an art of many possibilities. It’s great for both fighting and self defense. Master Cheng Tin Hung won a gold medal for fighting in 1957. Over the next 40 years he had trained more than 15 gold medals fighters. His school was the only one that held this record. The secret? You must have gong training. “There’s a counter for every move; but there’s no counter for speed and power.” By Master Cheng