Tai Chi,good self-defense art or not?

[kingoftheforest]

What form were you doing to get this?…and on a side note, I think I got you beat in the shake department (This is kind of an inside joke with me Boar and King; My form use to shake a little)

Alittle...didn't somebody try to put a spoon in your mouth while you were doing your form?

[knifethrower]

I used to do taiji but honestly, I got bored...

With the class you were in or the form you were doing? If you were bored with the class you were in, then I’m glad you quit.

I also meditate every morning an evening, 40 minutes total.

If you do 40 minutes of meditation a day, I don’t see how you can get bored with 20 Minutes of Tai Chi.

For me the question is always, "Am I going to learn how to fight in this school?" And usually the answer has a lot to do with the people, atmosphere, etc...

People do Tai Chi or stay with it for the wrong reasons. Wanting to be around good people or people you want to train with is a bad reason to do Tai Chi. Going to a good dojo with a good atmosphere is not a good reason to do Tai Chi. Wanting to learn how to fight or wanting to have good health is not a good reason to do Tai Chi. The only reason anyone should want to do Tai Chi is because it is a fuking blast; if it’s not a blast then your doing it wrong. Boar says health is a side effect so to speak…I think self-defense is also a side effect. Boar may shoot me down for that but I won’t know about it because I’ll be too busy having a fuking blast

So who gets to decide what is real taiji and what is fake taiji?

You do…

it isnt hard to tell whats real if you know what you're looking at.

That’s also a good answer too but in the end the decision is still with you. I don’t know if you still want to do Tai Chi anymore or not but if you do this is where I started

http://j-zone.org/erle/

Erle teaches the whole damn Yang Ching Fu form for free by vid. You will also want to read every article he wrote

http://www.taijiworld.com/Articles/newarticles.html

His diet is a little weird and I tried it for a year and stopped. You’ll also need to do this stuff

http://www.taijiworld.com/Articles/reasons.htm

Forget looking for a teacher. Don’t worry about what a teacher can teach you…put that pressure on yourself but, be careful. If you do this stuff wrong you can hurt yourself. Stop if something hurts

I forgot the other reason that I stopped, and that's because I got really sick of the pulsating ST36 point, and losing sensation in my hands, and getting all shaky, and all. Instructors telling me to put my hands and feet in warm water didn't cut it for me as an explanation. I still do it though.

What form were you doing to get this?…and on a side note, I think I got you beat in the shake department (This is kind of an inside joke with me Boar and King; My form use to shake a little)

But I do try to do qi gong warmups each morning, though I alternate with active isolated stretching depending on what my body needs.

I don’t want to get too weird (way too late for that) but, if you do Tai Chi right, the form will decide what your body needs.

[BoarSpear]

So who gets to decide what is real taiji and what is fake taiji? I mean, if it's anything like other martial arts, I bet there's a whole slieu of people who think THEIR school and THEIR style is the only REAL taiji and the other schools and styles don't work.

The priciples and theories are the same, if you dont follow them you arent doing the art, its pretty simple really.

What works is relative to how its taught, and who is applying it, but the forms and the guidlines that govern them arent secret, it isnt hard to tell whats real if you know what you're looking at.

[treelizard]

It matters if you lie about what you are teaching, im sure The Gracies have won many fights, that doesnt qualify them to teach taiji

So who gets to decide what is real taiji and what is fake taiji? I mean, if it's anything like other martial arts, I bet there's a whole slieu of people who think THEIR school and THEIR style is the only REAL taiji and the other schools and styles don't work.

[medic06]

Proof that some "real" MA-ists go to Bally's... or used to, anyway...

I've never been inside of one, especially after hearing some of the horror stories. When I needed to hit the gym I would go to the college athletic complex.

[BoarSpear]

If someone can fight and teach others to fight, does it really matter?

It matters if you lie about what you are teaching, im sure The Gracies have won many fights, that doesnt qualify them to teach taiji

[treelizard]

You need to be more concerned about them continuing to bill you for years after you have cancelled your Bally's membership

Proof that some "real" MA-ists go to Bally's... or used to, anyway...

[treelizard]

just because someone can fight doesnt mean the art he is teaching works...it just means he can fight

If someone can fight and teach others to fight, does it really matter?

[BoarSpear]

Western docs are standard fare, and I will even dare to say that I believe most acupuncturists are harmless in comparison. Bottom line, does it work? Warm water does.

Btw, the best CMA player I know, crazy spec ops guy out in Ohio I might train with this fall, would have laughed at your question about how long he does his form, what his lineage is, etc. He always just kinda blinks at people describing their lineage and secret techniques when they walked into his kwoon, dojo, whatever, back when he had one. He would say, "That's all very nice, but can you fight?" The rest is just detail. And I have a hard time believing that people who can and can't fight are neatly divided by their style, lineage, etc. In fact, I'd even venture a guess that some of the people doing what you'd classify as "not taiji" can fight, too.

For me the question is always, "Am I going to learn how to fight in this school?" And usually the answer has a lot to do with the people, atmosphere, etc. There are a lot of bad ass technically proficient martial artists who can kick ass and take names that I could never train with for various reasons... What works for one may not work for another... etc...

Secret technique? hahahaha i say it all the time, the "secret" to the martial arts is practice.....

just because someone can fight doesnt mean the art he is teaching works...it just means he can fight

[medic06]

At Bally's?

You need to be more concerned about them continuing to bill you for years after you have cancelled your Bally's membership

[jubaji]

are you really this stupid, or do you just have a problem being honest?

What expierence do you have practicing Tai Chi that makes you an expert.

Where have I claimed to be an "expert"?

[treelizard]

Western docs are standard fare, and I will even dare to say that I believe most acupuncturists are harmless in comparison. Bottom line, does it work? Warm water does.

Btw, the best CMA player I know, crazy spec ops guy out in Ohio I might train with this fall, would have laughed at your question about how long he does his form, what his lineage is, etc. He always just kinda blinks at people describing their lineage and secret techniques when they walked into his kwoon, dojo, whatever, back when he had one. He would say, "That's all very nice, but can you fight?" The rest is just detail. And I have a hard time believing that people who can and can't fight are neatly divided by their style, lineage, etc. In fact, I'd even venture a guess that some of the people doing what you'd classify as "not taiji" can fight, too.

For me the question is always, "Am I going to learn how to fight in this school?" And usually the answer has a lot to do with the people, atmosphere, etc. There are a lot of bad ass technically proficient martial artists who can kick ass and take names that I could never train with for various reasons... What works for one may not work for another... etc...

[BoarSpear]

Hmmm, warm water to open the meridians seems to be pretty standard fare around the acupuncture/shiatsu people I know

Keep in mind Mcdonalds and cable tv is "standard fare" across America, the "standard fare" Taiji teachers and "healers" arent the ones I would trust with my welfare

... And I get the shakiness and pulsation after acupuncture, too. No herbs or caffeine involved. Even gotten it just from watching a class. Apparently I'm "sensitive to qi."

uh huh, thats what I hear about George Dillmans people as well.

[treelizard]

http://theheathledger.blogspot.com/2006/03/fake-tai-chi-helps-area-man-foster.html

[treelizard]

Shakyness, losing sensation in your hands, pulsating st-36...lay off the caffiene and wierdo herbs...that aint Taiji....soaking your hands and feet in warm water? Where the hell do these people come from??? If its causing all that its obviously incorrectly taught or practiced...Taiji improves your health, it doesnt destroy it.

Hmmm, warm water to open the meridians seems to be pretty standard fare around the acupuncture/shiatsu people I know... And I get the shakiness and pulsation after acupuncture, too. No herbs or caffeine involved. Even gotten it just from watching a class. Apparently I'm "sensitive to qi."

I did quit though...