There's a coarse misconception in America that Tai Chi is only a set of exercises that emphasizes condition and well-being in much the same way that Yoga does. Unfortunately, this view is not only held by many in the normal public, but also by some who truly teach unavoidable aspects of Tai Chi. Although Tai Chi does have considerable condition benefits, it is also a deadly martial art that can be used for real self defense situations.
Tai Chi is truly an abbreviated form of the title of the art. It's full name is Tai Chi Chuan. In translation, this means Grand ultimate Fist. If population knew the full name of the art, it would be clear that Tai Chi is truly a fighting style and, what's more, a style that those who named it believed was best possible style for fighting.
Self Defense
But how does Tai Chi stack up against other arts when it comes to self defense? Self defense is a difficult topic to address because it is easy to believe that an art includes real self defense when in fact it does not. population who watch boxing or fighting matches might easily discontinue that someone who could compete in one of these matches must have real self defense potential or that in order to truly have self defense, you should focus on studying how to have Mma or Ufc fighting ability.
In reality, self defense is not much like an Mma or a Ufc fight. In fact, there are a lot of differences. In fighting matches, it is clear when a fight will take place and who is fighting. What's more, the population who set up the fights do their best to insure that fighters are relatively evenly matched in terms of weight. Participants select to fight and there are rules against unavoidable tactics so that competitors can walk away to fight other day without broken backs, gouged eyes or other serious injuries. These fights might last quite awhile as competitors exchange blows and wrestle to see who can overpower the opponent.
In street attacks, smart criminals do not attempt to play fair. In fact, quite the opposite. They want to avoid an exchange of blows so that they can get what they want without getting hurt. They will use surprise and will deliberately attempt to fight with someone who is weaker and smaller than they are. They may use weapons or team up with manifold opponents in order to fast overpower and harm their victim. Real street attacks can last for just seconds. There is not time for an exchange of blows. Unless you have the potential to fast knock out or injure an opponent with one contact, you do not have real self-defense ability. In fact, if you intend to exchange blows with an attacker the way you see arranged Mma or Ufc fights, unless you are very large and physically powerful, you might find yourself being fast injured or killed.
So against odds like these, how does martial Tai Chi compare? First, unlike other martial arts which emphasize maximizing corporeal strength, Tai Chi focuses on delivering as much damage as possible while using as dinky corporeal force as possible. This means that population who are older or weaker than your typical juiced-up martial arts guy can successfully institution the art. You may have seen demonstrations of an elderly master who, when charged by a much larger and stronger opponent, can send that opponent flying. This martial art gives real potential even when, physically speaking, the odds are bad.
What's more, Tai Chi can also allow its practitioners to deliver single-blow knockouts. Whereas other martial art forms can want an exchange of blows, a well-trained practitioner can fast take out an opponent. In a situation where there may be manifold attackers that must be dealt with fast so as to move on to the next opponent, this can make the contrast in the middle of life and death.
In order to use Tai Chi as a self defense art, you must go beyond the basic set of forms and get to the internal techniques that these forms are intended to use and also learn the combat applications of these forms and techniques. This might take years of study. However, because this art can be practiced by those who are older, this investment can yield of lifetime of safety rather than naturally creating a someone who is physically imposing in their youth but who does not truly have the potential to safe themselves later in life. Although you may be unlikely to see a master practitioner of this art competitive in the regulated ring of an Mma event, in terms of practical street ability, Tai Chi Chuan packs a real punch.
Combat Tai Chi for Self Defense