On Aug 21, 2010, at 6:13 AM, CJ Rhoads wrote:
Which brings up a question I’d like to ask the list; should Taijiquan (T’ai Chi Ch’uan) really be considered a fighting art?
Michael Phillips:
C J, et al - I think the answer to this question has several subdivisions, such as :
1) Was taijichuan originally created to be an extremely effective martial art?
Given the content of all the written material that has come down to us - such as Chen Hsin's book, Wang Tsu-yueh's treatise, Wu Yu-Xiang's "Eight Body Methods", Li I-Yu's "Song's of the Postures", the "Forty Chapters" transmitted thru the Yang and Wu families, the "Sparring Hand Essentials" and the "5-Character Formula" by Li I-Yu, Wu Yu-Xiang's "Four-Character Secret", etc., etc. - since ALL these traditional texts speak of an "opponent" and methods for countering this "opponent", it seems obvious that the movement-process that we today call TCC was originally created to serve a "martial" purpose.
2) Is TCC currently still mainly taught and practiced as a martial or fighting art?
I think the answer to this question is, not really - or at least not by many TCC practitioners.
This "not really" answer has two further subdivisions:
1) There are those who incorporate combat methods that are not within the traditions of TCC or do not follow TCC principles into their practice and yet still mistakenly claim that these methods fall under the heading of "TCC".
2) The great majority of modern TCC practitioners are focused on a kind of taiji "movement-arts" based practice - they learn a form, and maybe some do a kind of stylized "push-hands" practice that follows set patterns and which has no more martial energy than dancing the minuet - and that's just fine, since that's all they signed up for - it's exactly what they want out of their "TCC" practice.
3) Is there any real value to this modern, more "health" oriented version of TCC?
My experience is that there is great value to being engaged in a movement-art of some kind, especially as one grows older - but for general health purposes, almost any movement-art will do, from "TCC" to country swing-dancing.
To orient oneself in space and time while maintaining a certain "pacing" and "rhythm" involves whole-body integration, memory, moment-to-moment adjustments in timing and balance, etc., etc. - all very good things...
And of course, the closer they adhere to the original TCC body-integration requirements, the greater and more rewarding the benefits of their practice become.
I've seen many out-of-shape older students begin with Qigong classes and strengthen their bodies enough to begin basic form practice, and then gradually move on to incorporate more and more of the deeper and more "internal" aspects of TCC into their practice.
As my best teacher frequently used to say, "It's not where you begin, but where you end up that matters."
4) As for the "gateway" to the more martial aspects of TCC, my view on this is probably well-known to everyone on this list:
The traditional TCC "family" forms that have been handed down to us today were all created by people who had some chi in their bellies, and the deeper meaning and function of these forms cannot be comprehended by someone else unless they ALSO have some chi in their bellies - these forms can only really be understood by people who have also succeeded in "Sinking the Chi" - period.
If someone wants to understand such things as: how relaxation creates power, how and why "The waist is the Commander", what "Peng" energy really is, and how the integration of relaxation, peng, and the waist as commander "generates" the Six Harmonies, you've got to have some chi in your belly - none of these things will ever reveal themselves to anyone who has not achieved this basic requirement of "Sinking the Chi".
Without STC it is not even possible to "enter the door" to authentic TCC as it was traditionally practiced, or "internal" movement of any other kind.
