When I began my martial arts career, I spent the first 15 years training in Tae Kwon Do, and Japanese Karate systems. When I first decided to seek out tai chi training, frankly I was quite skeptical. My first tai chi teacher was William CC Chen. When I expressed my doubts to him, he asked me to punch him full force anywhere on his body. I was reluctant, but did it. Repeatedly, each punch harder than the last, and every time, he absorbed shots that I knew in the past had downed fellow students in my karate/tae kwon do classes. Then I asked how slow movements could be useful in training power and striking ability. He just grinned, said, "like this!" and POW. His very close punch lifted me off the ground and I was sold.
Over 20 years later, again, I was seeking out instruction in Tai Chi and this time I sought out Master Yu Guo Shun. As I participated in his class he demonstrated application after application for movements out of the form. This time I was older and wiser, and no one had to get punched, and I didn't receive any strikes, but I knew the real deal when watching it now, and I was seeing a true expert in fighting ability. Chen style tai chi is the original tai chi and from our schools of training, sprang up the Yang style, and from the Yang style sprang up the Wu styles and subsequent Sun Styles of tai chi.
I believe strongly that with the appropriate teacher who understands and can explain what his meant to be happening, and that with proper practice, Tai Chi Chuan can be a very functional and usable martial art for fighting. Check it out! Especially Chen Tai Chi.
J
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