What Is Tai Chi Chuan?

What is Tai Chi Chuan?

Tai chi chuan is the name of a discipline that describes what is known as an internal Chinese martial art. An internal martial art is one that has not been designed to be used in combat. Rather, Tai Chi Chuan was created to promote health, longevity, balance and a sense of overall well-being. The movements have been designed so that they can easily be performed by anyone - young or old.

There are many different styles of tai chi chuan but most modern routines can be traced back to the family who invented it in the 1820s. The family's name was Chuan and that is why that name is addended to the end of what is normally just the term "Tai Chi." Tai Chi Chuan is a Mandarin term and it translates in different dialects to mean "supreme ultimate boxing" or "boundless fist".

The concept of Tai Chi Chuan is to demonstrate the principles of Yang and Yin duality using physical movements. The discipline involves learning solo routines that are known as forms. It is derived from a branch of tai chi invented by Yang Chengfu called Neigia, which means the "soft" or "internal" branch. Aside from helping a person manage stress it also produces a state of mental serenity and clarity.

Those witnessing Tai Chi Chuan will tell you that it looks like a series of martial arts poses that are practiced in slow motion and that is exactly what it is. In fact groups of people practice this en masse in parks all over Asia, Europe and North America every morning.

However not all types of Tai Chi Chuan are performed in slow motion. That is strictly a form that is practiced by the public. There are more rigorous forms that are performed at a faster pace called Yang, Wu and Chen.

In essence this type of Tai Chi can be said to have three aspects. The first aspect is the health aspect as the movements help relieve the symptoms of physical stress. The second aspect is meditation as it helps focus and calm the mind. The third aspect is self-defense in combat, although this aspect is downplayed in the watered down version of solo routines that are taught worldwide. There is simply no need to use this type of routine in combat and you really only see war like Tai Chi Chuan moves performed in movies. . You can wear whatever you like to perform the stress relieving routines of Tai Chi Chuan. However if you do research on tai chi chuan you will notice that some martial arts schools make people wear a uniform during practice. You actually don't need to dress like you see Chinese students dressing to perform Tai Chi Chuan but it is highly advisable to wear loose clothing with cotton fibers that let you "breathe" and flat soled shoes. You can buy these flat-soled Tai Chi Chuan shoes that are made of black canvas in any China town.