Once in a while, I get really bored with my workouts. You know, after a while it gets to be the same old, same old stuff. It is always weights or cardio machines or the same stuff over and over again. I have worked out for years and sometimes it is nice to have something different to sink your teeth into when you go to the gym. Or it is also nice to have something fun and invigorating to do at home. Something that gets you started off on the right foot in the morning.
I recently found something that fits that criteria and it is called Tai Chi. You may have heard of it. It has been around for centuries. Tai Chi is a Chinese martial art but different from regular sparring types of kung fu. Some people may call it a soft style of martial arts and I think they have a point because you can't really whack a guy with Tai Chi. But that doesn't matter because the point of this exercise is to help a person relax and to inner reflect, if you will. How to do Tai Chi correctly and effectively is a simple matter of finding the right instructor.
You see, Tai Chi is all about finding the right balance within yourself, your ?Chi? or spiritual center. Most people do not do Tai Chi for any martial arts benefit. I know I did not start it for that reason. I did it to have another form of exercise in place of regular boring stuff I was sick of. The thing is, I discovered that it really does help you find peace and improve your balance.
Tai Chi is based on using the whole body, even the inner strength of the mind and breath, all together as one unit. Think of it as standing yoga or a combination of that and ballet. Maybe it seems silly for a tough guy like me to say I do something similar to ballet, but I tell you, it is not only relaxing but challenging as well. Some people call it moving meditation. Because that is what you are doing. You are moving your hands and arms and legs together, but you are relaxing your mind at the same time to allow deep meditation.
Tai Chi patterns are easy to learn and hard to master. They are very flowing and smooth and develop the internal flow or Chi or your body and soul. It was tough for me at first, doing all those weird poses and repetitive moves, but it got easier and much more fun once I got the hang of it. I knew I had to be bad before I good be good.
There are a wide range of videos out there to help you get started and I tried quite a few before I got hooked on one instructor that really blew me away. You have to find someone that knows what they are doing and can really relate to you what Tai Chi is all about.
Here is what really struck me...it's something I can do for my health for the rest of my life.
22.Self Defense Applications
- A Tai Chi teacher does not have to teach self defense to students who do not want it but any real teacher of Tai Chi who can impart the real knowledge of Tai Chi to others must have at least a basic understanding of how the movements are really applied and be able to demonstrate it. This is a necessity as the moves can only be truly understood if the practitioner knows the basic fundamental applications for the move. Without this knowledge the Tai Chi instruction really is a case of the blind leading the blind.
Any basic Tai Chi instructor knows a minimum of 9 - 10 different applications for each and every move and the applications range from very simple to very sophisticated. An advanced teacher will often know a minimum of several dozen or more applications for each move that will include but is not limited to throwing, grappling, striking, seizing, controlling, pressure point strikes, take downs and slipping/warding off (soft blocking).
Tai Chi began as a martial art and is still practiced as such by the Chinese and any real teacher of the art is going to have been exposed to this part of the discipline.
23Many other items to numerous to include here and that can be found by reading quality books on the subject and by searching and reading online and by checking back with us as we continue to write and offer articles for the general public.
This article only covers a small fraction of what the art of Tai Chi really has to offer. We will be going into more detail on some of these points in future articles and hope to shed light on other aspects of Tai Chi training that have not been addressed here.
Tai Chi is Internal Kung Fu. A quote I have heard from more than one of my teachers about this is that ?Many people have the choreography. Not many have the Kung Fu.? One of the major concerns/gripes of our Tai Chi teachers is that many people learn a Tai Chi set of moves, practice it a bit and then start teaching Tai Chi and that somehow over the last 45 years this has become acceptable in America.
This is the equivalent of someone going to a Karate class getting their white belt and then opening their own school offering Karate classes. The average American would find this unacceptable and would not attend such a school opting instead to go to a school where the teacher has at least a black belt from someone who is truly qualified to bestow such a rank. We believe the same standard of quality should be true for Tai Chi instruction as Tai Chi is a martial art that has amazing health benefits based in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
A person claiming to teach Tai Chi or who is offering Tai Chi classes who does not have knowledge or direct access to most of the training methods and principles mentioned in this article is simply not qualified to teach even basic beginning Tai Chi.
To Be continued in ?How to find a Tai Chi Instructor (Part6)
Both Yoshi Kundagawa & Richard Clear are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Yoshi Kundagawa has sinced written about articles on various topics from Fitness, Recreation and Sports and Fitness. Yoshi I. Kundagawa is a freelance journalist. He covers the mixed martial arts industry. For a free report on visit his blog.. Yoshi Kundagawa's top article generates over 18100 views. to your Favourites.
Richard Clear has sinced written about articles on various topics from Family, Family and Culture. has over 30 years of continuous study in