in Qi Gong, Tai Chi Chuan
From Martial to Pussy Art: How Tai Chi Lost It’s Martial Spirit
From Martial to Pussy Art
If you ask the lay person what comes to mind when they hear the words “Tai Chi”, they most probably going to tell you that it evokes images of old people performing slow movements. But this is not Tai Chi or Taiji Quan. And if you were to say that it is a martial art, some would laugh.
Others would obfuscate the situation and talk about “Taiji” and “Taiji Quan”. Taiji refers to supreme polarity from which everything derives, where one side is yin and the other yang-the combination of the two opposing and complimentary forces.
Taiji Quan puts an emphasis on the concept of Taiji, and this is one of the reasons why it is called Taiji Quan. Prior to that, it had other names. One of its old names is “Shisan Shi”-thirteen postures or dynamics.
The thirteen are the 8 principles of force or jin and the 5 elements or phases, which can be interpreted as five principles of footwork or stepping. However, we will not dig deeper into the concept as that is a subject on its own.
Nonetheless, the common term “Tai Chi” usually refers to the martial art. And is spelled Tai Chi Chuan or Taiji Quan (pronounced “Tai Chi Chuan”)
What brought the art into prominence was a man named Yang Lu Chan, who show cased his martial prowess by defeating fellow pugilists in Imperial China, in Beijing. This led to him gaining a position as a martial instructor in the imperial court.
So, it is no secret that Tai Chi is a martial art, but what has watered down the art are various factors. Amongst these factors is during the beginning of the twentieth century.
A lot of its later practitioners stopped pressure testing themselves.
This could be to lose face maybe, regardless of the reasons on pressure testing. The art lost its essence.
Through struggle or pressure testing one begins to understand the art’s concepts better.
Also, pretending that it is only for health, is another lie, that has killed the art.
The other problem is secrecy, which could be what led to lack of pressure testing.
If your business was caravan body guarding, secrecy makes sense. As your martial ability is how you made a living, and not divulging these “secrets” makes common sense.
But those who became dedicated teachers in the dawn of the 20th century, did no favour to the art by holding back even its most fundamental concepts which makes one a competent pugilist.
And those who cracked the code, carried on this behaviour of secrecy that the art that was passed one was watered down.
Fortunately, a few experts that knew the art managed to pass down, keeping it authentic.
Like all martial art, tai chi involves hard work and pain. It may benefit your health, but it was birthed in combat.
Comments
Leave a Comment