Si Fu Christian Hong Kong 2008.
Tai Chi is not just an exercise for calmness and relaxation. It is a complex and highly developed art. It gives the practitioner a feeling of enjoyment and satisfaction which goes beyond that offered by other forms of exercise. This is because Tai Chi movement is smooth, refined, elegant and creates balance of energies both internally as well as externally. The practitioner will eventually sense the chi (energy) circulating within their body which will enable them to achieve the understanding of circulation through the body, he can use this Chi in self defense.
The principle that Tai Chi uses for fighting is different to external martial arts which rely on muscular force. Tai Chi uses the principle of soft against hard and weakness to defeat strength. The more one person practices, the better one will become and the defense capability will grow with age, instead of weaken.
However because martial theory of Taiji Quan is complex it is more difficult to comprehend and will take a longer period of time to reach martial capability. complementing Tai Chi with hard styles will give a better understanding towards martial arts.
Within the Art of Tai Chi there are several styles or branches which vary in focus and movement – the underlying theory is the same throughout all the styles of Tai Chi, but their application and practice differ.These are all named after the families that developed them:
- Yang Style
- Chen Style
- Wu or Wu / Hao Style
- Sun Style
- Wu Style