Does tai chi have limitations

Answer 1

The human body has a total of 27 weapons if you count the body parts that come in pairs and their potential uses, in addition to the human brain itself. Given this, no Martial Arts style has any real limits; take 27 weapons, and only 30 techniques, for an even number make it 33, for a total of 60 weapons, both the weapons that exist anatomically, and 33 ways they could be used. If from the alphabet you get the myriad of combinations that result in the English language and the other western dialects, martial arts also, are similarly limitless. Its not the styles that have limits, its the people who practice them. Ahem; "the infinite applications of a martial arts style, can only be unlocked unless a person trains hard enough, so that in time, the techniques become as much a part of them, as thinking, feeling, walking and breathing, that is why therefore the optimal age to begin martial arts training, is the age of 5." Indeed, take into consideration, people who learn their non-native language in adulthood, as opposed to people who learn their native and one other language in childhood; people who have spoken a language since early childhood, will speak it naturally, without effort or problems of any sort. However people who learn it in adulthood will speak the "broken" version of it, likely for the rest of their lives. Because it is a complete system, as complex, with as many rules, and rules that support rules, as any language, a martial art can be thought of as a "language." Again, learn a language in adulthood, and you will speak a broken, accented version of it, likely for the rest of your life unless you make an obsessive effort, to correct even the TINIEST mistakes, even then, even if you eliminate all accents, the language will STILL not be as much a part of you, as the language you have spoken and used since childhood. With martial arts its the same thing; you can not completely and totally master them, unless you have been doing them your entire life. The only way, to master a martial art completely, make it a part of you, if you are an adult, is to engage in extensive meditation. You have to "take out the garbage." See its easy to learn things as a child because your brain is still growing, and actively seeking data, by which it can interpret other data, the brain's hardware, is hardwired genetically to communicate with other brains, that is why it will readily pick up on language. Because in effect, language affects how the brain grows, it becomes a part of the person. Again, in adulthood, you will never speak a language, as effortlessly and naturally as a native speaker, if you did not grow up with it. Even if you work and study so hard, you eliminate all accents and imperfections, some degree of effort, a concentrated effort of translation will take place, it will not be as totally effortless as it is with a native speaker. Long before the Chinese were exposed to languages other than east asian, the ancients observed this, and they reasoned that the only way martial arts could be a part of the person, is if training began early. If you began martial arts training as an adult, regarding becoming a master, give up, let it go, its hopeless, if you are planning to do it through practice. You will alway speak a "broken" version of Kung Fu, the way an adult speaks broken English or whatever, if you did not start as a child. If you wish to be a master, you will have to emphasize spiritual purification because physical training is hopeless. Okay its necessary, but you will not achieve mastery that way. A native speaker, is able to tap the limitless potential of a language, write stories, essays, research papers, poems, movie scripts etc, because the language is a part of them. A master of Kung Fu who has practiced his whole entire life, can readily tap the limitless potential of his style, because its a part of him, as much a part of him as his own skin. Let me put this into perspective; you have a man, who takes up martial arts at the age of 21. He just got out of the Marines by the way, he's ripped to shreds, fit, flexible and STRONG as an ox. Said man takes up Shaolin Kung Fu, under the instruction of a Shaolin monk, who has practiced since he was 4. An MMA turd shows up, challenging Kung Fu to a fight. The Marine, now 27 years old, has practiced Shaolin Kung Fu, trained hard for 6 hours a day, dedicating all free time (no T.V., no Video Games, and even no girlfriend) to Kung Fu training. He easily defeats the MMA turd, however NOT without some effort, mentally speaking. He had to combine relfexive reaction, with logical thinking, although his technique was perfect, his form was flawless, there were occassions where the moves did not flow flawlessly one into the other, he had to actually think and anticipate his opponent's attacks on occassion. Dejected and pissed off, the MMA turd leaves saying "I'll be back with my coach!" Next day, Fedor Emanialenko shows up, along with the MMA turd who fought the Marine. Fedor Emanialenko says "alright Marine lets see what you got!" and, the Marine holds his own, but in the end Emanialenko mops the floor with him. He hesitated too much, although mostly flawless, there was occasional sloppiness and lack of precision, enough mistakes with executing certain crucial moves that WOULD have won him the fight, that cost him the match. He just could not stay calm and focused enough. See that's the kicker; the only way you can stay perfectly calm, and perfectly focused in a fight, is if the moves are a part of you. With tongue in cheek let me use a video game example; when I use Ryu, because I've used the character since I was a kid, most of the time, I simply react. I don't even think about it, and all the "ingenious" stuff I pull off, using "ingenuity" while playing as him, it all occurs naturally. I use other characters though and I waste precious seconds thinking "alright, how do I do this, how can apply that....." Both with Ryu, and with other characters, I'm calm, but see, focus and calm are pretty useless, if you can not use them with techniques that naturally flow. With real life martial arts, the stakes are much higher. Because of this, our Marine lost the fight against Fedor. However, now its the Shaolin monk's turn. Thinking it will be an easy fight, Fedor Emanialenko half-assedly gets his guard up. Fedor gets sent flying about 10 feet, and, it happened so fast, no one could see what the hell happened. Fedor, angry and shocked gets up saying "alright! I wasn't being serious! lets do it one more time!" The Shaolin monk says "alright....." And, once again, Fedor gets sent flying 10 feet, and also, once again, it happened with such ridiculously tremendous speed no one saw what happened. How did the Shaolin monk do it? Same way you respond to people when they speak to you; as easily, and naturally as that. You understand my point now? In the same way, for example, a young healthy male will get an erection if he sees an attractive and naked young woman, a Shaolin monk will respond to an attack, just as naturally. In the same way a young man responds quickly to an attractive young woman, a Shaolin monk will respond quickly to a bad physical encounter with an assailant. All logic, "strategy" and "anticipation" of attack, will all flow together, harmoniously and effortlessly. The only way a grown adult who started late, will achieve similar levels, is by emphasizing meditation. Again with just training, its pretty hopeless. Miyamoto Musashi for example received SOME training as a child, but it was not in the use of the Katana. The truth is Musashi did not take up a Katana until he was 16 years old, by which point the majority of young men belonging to Samurai families, had already been practicing Kenjutsu for just over 10 years, from the age of 5. Chronologically, the difference between a 5 year old and a 16 year old may not be that much, but, regarding the way time is measured in martial arts, that is actually quite a bit of time lost. Nevertheless, Musashi faced, and defeated men, some of which had 20 years of practice on him, who had been practicing sword fighting since the age of 5. Achieving mastery is not impossible, but it requires an exceedingly arduous programme of meditation, meditation, and MORE meditation. With training alone, it is IMPOSSIBLE, to defeat a martial artist who has been training since the age of 5. You will no more defeat a Kung Fu man, or even an MMA man, who has been doing that stuff since the age of 5, any more than someone who took up a foreign language as an adult, will speak said language like a native speaker. From a material view of the world, speaking from the nature of how the brain develops, as well as the nervous system it just isn't possible. You can forget those inspirational "anything is possible" stories, with training and drilling alone, it just can not be done. With meditation though, if you are sincere and make an ernest effort, as Musashi's example showed, the impossible suddenly becomes possible. Again, many of the men Miyamoto Musashi defeated, some of them were in their 40's, and they had been training in Kenjutsu, from the age of 5. Musashi himself was in his late teens to early 20's, and he fought his last duel at the age of 29. In fact, the first man he killed in an actual sword duel, was in his mid 30's, Musashi himself was just a kid, aged 16. At the age of 12, due to the trauma of a bad childhood, Minamoto Musashi killed a Samurai, whom he witnessed mercilessly beating a child. Watching a child be beaten like that, reminded him of his own experiences, so he took a log intended for use as firewood, and beat the Samurai over the head with it until he killed him. Because to kill a man in Feudal era Japan, you had to have either the permission of the Daimyo, Shogun, Emperor or your commanding Samurai, or in a duel, Musashi had commited murder. It was only okay to end a Samurai's life, if you obtained special legal permission, or, in a duel. Peasants, Samurai could kill with impunity, they did not need permission to kill them, other Samurai though, it had to be through a duel, or special permission, which Musashi did not obtain. Musashi's uncle, his mother's older brother, a Daimyo, even though it was his own nephew, because he had commited a crime, he was forced to follow the law, and thus he sentenced Musashi to death. Musashi's mother tearfully pleaded with her brother to spare him but, he would have none of it. That is when the Buddhist priest Takuan Soho stepped in. Takuan, a well respected Zen Buddhist scholar and priest, persuaded Musashi's uncle to spare him, on the condition that he would be locked away in solitary confinement, forced to meditate, and study Buddhist scripture. For three long, lonely years, Musashi was locked away, visited only by his mother, who served him his food, and Takuan, who pleaded with the boy to study Buddhism and to meditate. After ABOUT (don't quote me on this; not too sure) six months of screaming in rage and banging on the walls where he was locked away, he eventually gave up, and started meditating and studying. For most of the time though, all he did, for the better portion of 12 hours of the day, was meditate. No martial arts, no swordplay, just meditation, and Buddhist scripture, and that's it. At the age of 16, he was able to defeat, and kill, a swordsman in his mid 30's, thus still strong, still in good physical condition, who had been training since the age of 5. Even though Musashi himself, had not gotten any sword or martial arts training from the age of 12, around the time his father mysteriously vanished. Musashi's father, was not a very nice man; he had only married Musashi's mother to secure power, but he never really loved her, on top of that rumors persist, traditions persist that he abandoned his family, and was eventually presumed dead, killed in battle. In other words he DID receive training as a child, but only very briefly, not long enough to significantly affect his skill with a sword. Musashi's "secret weapon," was meditation. If you wish to unlock the limitless nature of Tai Chi Chuan, the way Musashi tapped into the various possibilities of the use of a sword, then, like Musashi, most of your time should be spent meditating, NOT doing martial arts. Again if you are a grown adult, or past the age of puberty (puberty can start as early as 12, even in boys), there are too many inner demons, too many mental blocks not to mention the fact that neurobiologically, your brain is pretty much fully developed. Size wise, its not fully grown yet, your neurons need to get bigger but for all intents and purposes by the age of 12, all fundamental and necessary connections, specifically language connections or anything else you may have learned, have already been formed, thus, if you did not begin martial arts practice earlier than that age, it will never come naturally. Relying on the material approach, will only take you so far. Take it from a mistake I myself made; doing Kata and Basics for 3 years of my life, got me very little progress, it was hopeless, because I am a grown adult, I am not a 5 year old child, just starting to learn Kung Fu. The only thing that has brought me progress, has been meditation. Musashi's example is important, because it shows that the Chinese convention that "you must begin at the age of 5" is not always true. Now, let me reemphasize, I know this has been a long answer but let me emphasize that one more time; if you have not been studying since an early age, total mastery is an impossible dream. Unless you meditate, and emphasize that over physical training. If you are a grown adult, for every hour of martial arts practice, 2 hours of meditation. [[User:67.148.120.72|67.148.120.72]]stardingo747