Is Tai Chi a trick?

[master splinter]

no freakin way, who said that?
I went to a tai chi class where we did something like a 98 movements or something like that, it wasnt necessarily easy. i think that the results would come much sooner then that if supplemented with sparring and other various strength training methods.

And i think that one of the poular tai chi forms only has 24 movements and thats the yang short form(i think) which even if done over and over wont really do anything for you combat wise besides maybe help coordination and balance. It may have some cardio benefits but in my opinion, not enough to make a difference.

[Carona]

A few days ago I read something about some chinese officials admitting that to achieve the much acclaimed health benefits of Taiji you should practice daily minimum 3 hours for at least 10 to 30 years.

Might be easier to quit smoking and have a cup of tea instead. Or maybe taiji is not all about health and is actually about fighting.

mmmm.... could make sense....or is it a trick after all....haha

[kunoichi2003]

I don't think I have ever heard of a tai chi teacher that advocates violence. Most of them are peace loving hippies. A good teacher will teach you how to use the art to protect yourself, not how to go out and start a fight for no reason. My guess is that you have yet to meet someone who really knows tai chi.

Kunoichi

[onesp1ng]

both of you guys are killing me...\\

[master splinter]

happeh, most of your reasons are unrealistic, why? 1, people pay lots of money to attend martial arts classes. 2, people devote lots of time to martial arts classes. 3. if they didnt care, knew too much didnt want to be there or for whatever reason, they would simply just stop going. 3. if the students were mentally limited, i dont think that they would be in a difficult class without prior experience, 4. if the class is being troublesome it is your fault, maybe because you are not a good teacher. 5 there are students who know everything, they're called "assistant instructors". 6. arrogance exists in the martial arts world, deal with it.

when students stare that usually means that they are paying attention to you, why is that a bad thing?

to my standard. if the instructor is a faggot weenie who cant fight, how can he teach anything?

btw, you sound like you lost a few of your marbles... and i thought i was weird...

[zachsan]

I suspect the answer does have something to do with arrogance, Happeh. However I only see one self-appointed instructor on this thread.

[renato]

You take Tai Chi because you want to learn how to fight.

and you will. just not next week. Maybe next century. practice hard. this is not McDonalds. There is no Tai Chi in a box here.

What would be your reaction if someone told you that Tai Chi was a trick?

same as my reaction if someone said the sun was a trick. i'd just wonder what the hell they where talking about...

You take Tai Chi because you want to learn how to fight.

You should have started boxing instead...

The Tai Chi people manipulate your need to do violence by telling you that Tai Chi will help you commit violence more efficiently and with more power.

yes, those evil little tai chi people. does this have anything to do with Doc's post on those "evil little chinese people"?

What they say is true.

how can we be sure. truth is so subjective.

But there are things that also happen to you that they forget to mention to you. Or, they might even tell you the reasons to your face, but in your zeal to commit violence, you do not hear what they are saying to you.

or understand...

If Tai Chi was a trick, what would be the purpose?

to sell more Chen ZhengLei DVD's?

[Happeh]

Well. It has been a week. The replies are.....less than I had hoped for.

This situation is every instructors nightmare. A class of people that sit and stare. They never say a word. They just sit there and look. There are a few reasons why a group of people might act like this.

1) The class is apathetic. They don't really care about kung fu or talking about kung fu.

2) The class has no curiosity. They don't really care to learn new things. They are satisfied where they are.

3) The class is limited mentally. They do not have the necessary mental abilities to comprehend questions like the one in the title of this thread, or to consider the possible ramifications of the title.

4) The class is purposefully being troublesome. For whatever reason, the people are purposefully not speaking to be onery. To cause frustration.

5) The class is full of people who know everything. The question is boring because they already know the answer. Why bother talking about it?

6) Arrogance. The class feels they cannot possibly learn anything from the person who is speaking.

7) On the internet, there is a special case. Is there really a class? Because forums archive messages for months and years, a forums can look large and busy, when in fact there may be 5 people posting on a regular basis.


I wonder which is the case here?

[master splinter]

why do i feel like eating some doublemint gum?

[master splinter]

I say that you wont learn how to fight unless you fight. And if you wanna create violence then you're an asshole.
martial arts were created to end fights, not start them.

[master splinter]

I say that you wont learn how to fight unless you fight. And if you wanna create violence then you're an asshole.

[Uwe]

Lets not forget, that there are 2 ways for Tai Chi. The "elegant way" which is more related to well being as well as the combat version. Although both are called Tai Chi, there are quite a few differences.



Uwe

[Happeh]

I see lots of posts about physical facts. I think it is useful sometimes to forget about the facts and engage your mind on an imaginative or philosophical level.

What would be your reaction if someone told you that Tai Chi was a trick?

You take Tai Chi because you want to learn how to fight. The Tai Chi people manipulate your need to do violence by telling you that Tai Chi will help you commit violence more efficiently and with more power. What they say is true. But there are things that also happen to you that they forget to mention to you. Or, they might even tell you the reasons to your face, but in your zeal to commit violence, you do not hear what they are saying to you.


If Tai Chi was a trick, what would be the purpose?