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Tai Chi
Tai Chi, or “Supreme Ultimate Fist,” is a Chinese martial art developed around the 1500s. It is used for self-defense and has health benefits. The five major Tai Chi styles are Chen, Yang, Wu/Hao, Wu, and Sun.
155 Questions
What is the difference between Tai Chi and Qigong?
No, they are very different, though there is a distant historical relationship.
Yoga is a series of positions that stretch and exercise the body.
Tai Chi is a series of motions that stretch and exercise the body. Tai Chi is also a marital art and can be used for self-defense.
Does tai chi use a belt system?
No. There is no gradation system in Tai Chi. You can win competitions though. In some schools there is a sash system. It usually is three, one that is worn by students, yellow, one that is worn by an instructor, red, and one worn by the master, black.
What do men wear when doing Tai Chi?
A Tai Chi uniform; you can google it and it should take you to martial arts or Kung Fu supplies outlets that sell them. The material ranges from cotton, to polyester, to the same material used in professional basketball shorts, don't know the specific name for it but it has a glossy look to it, its supposed to be breathable, and, the most expensive ones are made of silk. Its not a luxury kind of silk mind; the ever ingenous Chinese, have found away to take the silk extracted from silk worms, and make clothing designed for athletic purposes (namely Tai Chi). It is highly breathable, highly resilient, and I think it will even withstand a washing machine. There are many ways to weave silk, and since China is pretty much the authority on silk weaving they have discovered all sorts of ways. Again though, a silk Tai Chi uniform is ridiculously expensive; you're better off just buying a breathable cotton fabric Tai Chi uniform.
How can you learn Tae Kwon Do self defense moves?
Self defense is one of the primary reasons that people become involved in the martial art, and learning to defend yourself will be among the first things that your teacher should teach you. It requires the tutelage of a qualified instructor (check credentials to verify authentic knowledge of Taekwondo, and authorized organizational authority to teach). It cannot be learned adequately through reading, either online or in a book, and videos only show things without personal instruction. Sometimes an additional partner is needed to practice on while the instructor teaches and makes corrections.
It also requires a basic ability to move and use your body without losing balance and concentration. It is important to first warm up, and stretch to make the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints flexible. You first learn the basic components of each move, then practice them repeatedly with a partner until they flow smooth. At first, they should be done slowly for correct form, then gradually increase speed until it is fast enough to be effective in real life self defense. Initially the resistance of your training partner should be minimal until proficiency is gained, then intensified until it is as close to a realistic attack as safely possible without injuring your training partner. All of this must always be done under the close supervision of your instructor.
To enhance your self defense training after you have attained sufficient proficiency, you can train while wearing a variety of clothing as you would in your daily life, and practice indoors as well as out. Training carefully on a variety of terrain, with different obstacles to avoid, in various weather conditions, and against multiple attackers (unarmed and armed with safe training weapons) will prepare you for any encounter. Your choice of techniques and tactics should be altered according to the above conditions.
Proficiency at self defense skills requires a lot of practice of effective skills. Attending class more often will help to guide you better. However, it is important to understand that any real-life self defense situation can be potentially dangerous, or even deadly. No amount of self defense training will make you infallible, or bullet-proof. Part of self defense training is learning to avoid dangerous locations, people, and situations. It is safer and wiser to avoid a conflict by being alert to your surroundings, observe people and be able to read their attitudes and intentions, and to be a pleasant person who is not naturally aggressive, and does not provoke aggression from others. It is best to walk away (while remaining safe and alert), or talk your way out of a fight. Physical combat should ALWAYS be a last resort, and then it is applied only to the level necessary to protect the innocent, and neutralize a situation.
Tai Chi is a practice that has existed for centuries. It is believed that theories and practice of Tai Chi was invented by the Taoist Monk Zhang Sanfeng in the 12th century, and many different styles have been adapted since then.
How much does tai chi lessons cost?
In China you can learn it for free if you can wake up early enough. Actually, that also goes for any major U.S. city with a large Chinese community, if you can wake up early enough you can get free lessons. However if you are too lazy or "unsincere" to do it the hard way, you can purchase Terry Dunn's DVD "Tai Chi For Health" I believe its called. You can always google Terry Dunn and look for his DVD; its only 20 bucks and very easy to find. If you have a Hastings or Barnes and Noble near you, and I BELIEVE Barnes and Noble MAY sell DVD's and movies now, then you should be able to find it. Been a while since I been to Barnes and Noble; the closest one is in Spokane Washington and that's like 3 hours away. There is the $20 DVD you can buy or, you can get on Tai Chi magazine's website, and look at DVD libraries with greedy Chinese turds wearing expensive silk Tai Chi uniforms offering low quality Tai Chi lessons for up to $400, the total cost of the DVD library. Remember, if you live in a major city with a large Chinese community, all you need to do is wake up ultra early, and go to a park. As they say "when the pupil is ready the teacher will appear" right? Whoever you encounter, that will be your teacher; remember, if a man or woman, regardless of their age, has the kind of discipline to wake up that early to do Tai Chi Chuan, if they have that kind of discipline, it probably means their skills are formidable. Remember that; one of the things that separates a high level expert from a wannabe, even a wannabe who receices instruction in a school, is the ability to get up to train at 5 a.m. Serious martial artists, all wake up early; never forget. Actually serious ANYTHING; Arnold Swarzennegger, back when he was a bodybuilder he was a real turd. He was cocky and overconfident in his younger years and he displayed this in the more or less autobiographical movie "stay hungry." He was at his very worst, when he was juicing up; steroids gave him a size of I think 240 lbs of solic muscle. Okay moving on to the point; "the governator" said, that he could tell "losers" from "champs" apart, by what time they went to the gym. The people who trained with him in the early hours of the morning, they all had a trophy in something; be it Mr. America, or Mr. Europe, or whatever. All other bodybuilders who did not train early in the day, they were all "loser wannabes," now, these are Arnold's own words, I'm not making this up hey if anything I think he used even more derogatory language, I'm actually being nice compared to the way he was. Myself personally the bodybuilder I look up to is Charles Atlas; not only did he stay in shape until the day he died, unlike Arnold, but in his prime and without steroids he was stronger than him too, and not nearly as massive. I am personally more impressed with all the "Superman" types of the world, than with the "Hulk" types. In the world of strength training, you are either the "Hulk," or you are "Superman." Those are the two breeds of strong men, the "Superman" type is becoming increasingly rare. A "Superman" bodybuilder is exactly as the nicname implies; someone who is disproportionately strong for their size, just like the famous comic book superhero. A "Hulk" type bodybuilder is someone who is strong because they are so freakin' huge. In modern day comics, Hulk is in fact stronger than Superman, at least the standard version, BUT, even at only his golden age of comics level of strength, Superman can still hit the Hulk hard enough to cause pain. If you do strength training you need to decide what manner of shape you want to be in; do you want to be "Superman," or do you want to "Hulk" out? You can't have both; its biologically impossible. In classical bodybuilding, the "Superman" bodybuilder was considered the greater achievement of fitness. Back to the "5 a.m." point, Atlas woke up every morning at 5 a.m. and if you were an early bird yourself, if you lived in or near Conney Island New York when Atlas was alive, people could see him working out on the beach. Residents of Conney Island who stayed near the area said "you can set your watch by that man." Just letting you know, Tai Chi Chuan is one of those things that requires a similar level of commitment; if you want a truly skilled and competent instructor, you will have to train yourself to wake up that early. When Arnold calmed down as he got older, the language he used in his Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding was "I can tell who is serious, and who will quit, by how early they get up to work out." Again, that pattern of thought is not unique to Tai Chi; all endeavors requiring high discipline, men who follow said endeavors, have the same mentality. Those who wake up early and last at least a month, will stick with it, those who don't will quit within a month. Famous Karate instructor Hidetaka Nishiyama awarded black belts faster, to people who trained with him in the early morning sessions; Nishiyama's Karate school in Los Angeles, I believe had 5 a.m. sessions. If you attended those, you could earn your black belt faster because Nishiyama sensei would "know you're serious." Even going to bed on time, even getting your 8 hours, being well rested, and heck, even having a girlfried or wife who gave you a good @$#%# the night before and you are REALLY well rested, etc, etc, even with all those benefits, one of the biggest hardships a human being can endure, is waking up at 5 a.m. Waking up at 5 a.m. is a difficult thing to do even if you are emotionally stable, well balanced, and healthy. Because it is a hardship in a way, many top people, Bodybuilders, Martial Artists, Yogis, people known for outstanding skill, they feel that a personw willing to endure THAT hardship, the hardship of waking up early, will endure ANY hardship to succeed at whatever discipline they choose. If you just up and quit, when all that is asked of you is that you get up early, then you won't have success. A famous Scottish merchant, I believe it was the man who wrote the treatise on free market capitalism of all people, once famously said "I can tell the size of a man's income, by how early he wakes up." Pointing to the fact that only men who learn to consistently wake up at 5 a.m. will see a large income, those who don't, won't. I know it was an overly long answer but, food for thought. Myself I am trying to train myself to wake up at 4:30 a.m., mostly without success. Haven't given up though; I think I have tried well over 1,500 times, each time ending in miserable failure. However I'm not giving up.
Is there a shark style Kung Fu?
Not one that has any references that I've seen. I have a library of over 100 martial arts books and never seen that listed.
What is better wing chun or shaolin do?
no martial art is better than another because they are both forms of art they are about self expresion so it is more about the person. this is like asking if ink is better than paint or is guitar better than violin.
'Da bo chi' is Welsh for 'Goodbye'
Da bo chi is a contraction of "Duw bu gydach chi"meaning "God be with you"
Chi blocking is not as important as un blocking Chi. One must learn how to unblock the energy fields in our meridians in order to enjoy life. Why would you want to block chi? That is not healthy, but I can still tell you how you can do it, if that is what you decide... But your energy would be better spent learning how to un block your energy fields.
Kindly,
How did okonkwo feel that he had proved that when a man says yes his chi says yes also?
By working hard to become a well-respected man in his village, he had become just that.
However, the case where he said yes, but his chi did not also say yes, was when he was exiled. This was a case where Okonkwo said yes, but his chi denied him the same affirmation.
Is there a form of tai chi or yoga that can be self-taught?
The simpler styles of Yoga, as some can be dangerous without the aid of an instructor, can be self taught, as well as the Yang, Hao, Wu, and Sun styles of Tai Chi Chuan if all you want to do with them is exercise. However the Chen style of Tai Chi is very, very dangerous, as it uses a lot of leaps and squats requiring guided specialized conditioning under expert eyes. If you do not have a teacher closely observing your stances in the Chen style, you can very easily blow out your knees. Its the same thing with Shaolin Kung Fu; its more advanced routines can be very dangerous if you do not build up to them under the watchful eye of a teacher.
However, the other 4 schools of Tai Chi, are benign enough to be self taught. If you wish to learn them as martial arts you need to;
1) Condition yourself to eventually hold mabu (google it) for 4 hours.
2) Practice the given Tai Chi routine for at least 3 hours a day every single day.
3) Push hands with a more advanced student, or your teacher, once a week, to gain a feel for how momentum applies to the human body.
If you do not meet all 3 of those requirements, no Tai Chi style can used as a martial art. Additionally like all Kung Fu, Tai Chi Chuan uses chin na, advanced joint locking techniques reliant on momentum. If you do not know how to properly time when to lock a punch or kick, a chin na lock won't work. Chin na, operates on the principle of using an opponent's attack against them in order to trap them. Simply put, an attacker's attack helps you, the person defending, trap himself. The harder he strikes, the tighter and more painful the lock. Because a lot of men can strike with extreme power and speed however, the timing needs to be precise, consequently the need for repetitive drilling, and patience spanning years, decades even.
"The whip is made for whipping foolishly foolish fools spouting foolish nonsense." - Franziska Von Karma
What does 'when a man says yes his chi says yes also' mean?
Trust your conscience.
This expression also means that when a man says, "Yes," his spirit will also guide and lead him in his endeavor. It refers to not the speaking of 'yes' out aloud, but the speaking of 'yes' with one's soul and actions.
first things first you must fully understand that everything is energy even brainwaves (thoughts) so your intention to focus energy starts with thinking and believing you are focusing it with a great deal of concentration
basicly dedication, years of training and meditating will make you accomplish chi/energy focusing and directing
Why do you spell it Tai Chi when it is pronounced Tai Gik?
tai gik is the cantonese pronunciation. tai chi is mandarin.
How did Okonkwo feel that he had proved when a man said yes his chi said yes also?
By working hard to become a well-respected man in his village, he had become just that.
However, the case where he said yes, but his chi did not also say yes, was when he was exiled. This was a case where Okonkwo said yes, but his chi denied him the same affirmation.
What is the wood with which dojos are made of?
A dojo is a place to train or learn the way. They can be made of any material, or can simply exist outside.
Are there any bad side effects of doing tai chi?
Although Qigong and Tai Chi are miraculous healing systems, if done incorrectly they can have many negative consequences (which unfortunately is moderately common in the field, especially outside of China).
A Tai Chi Master, Bruce Frantzis authored a book titled "Opening the Energy Gates of Your Body" explaining one of the fundamental qigong forms that links into Tai Chi and every other Taoist practice. To combat the trend of "bad qigong" he added a section on how to not practice. To paraphrase a few parts:
The essential theory or idea is that when one does Tai Chi and Qigong, one should never strain or force anything to happen and stay within 70% of their total capacity. If this rule is followed, very few problems can occur-the vast majority of negative effects occur in people who practice Tai Chi or Qigong forcefully strain. Similarly, if something starts to hurt or feel as though it's being damaged, the best course of action is to stop.
The most likely negative effect of Tai Chi and Qigong is that a body part (especially the knees) can become damaged from being over strained due to movements being done with bad internal alignments that damage the body part. If alignments are taught properly (one of the main subjects of the Energy Gates book), this never happens.
If advanced Qigong or Tai Chi is done with an unqualified teacher who is not aware of common pitfalls to avoid, people can become mentally unstable (up to and including become crazy) as a consequence of their internal energy pathways becoming deranged.
Most of the other problems I know of are extremely rare, and the vast majority of the time Tai Chi is one of the most effective healing arts that can be studied for nearly any condition. However, that doesn't preclude it from being done with a bit of common sense! After all, any sport with movement requires basic precautions to avoid injuries.
