TAI CHI

Don't be fooled by what people say tai chi is, and what tai chi isn't.

First, tai chi is a system of theory, not an exercise or martial art.
Roughly translated, tai chi means, "Supreme Ultimate." The best
literary references for this are the "Tao Te Ching" and the "I-Ching."

Next, Tai Chi Chuan is the martial art based on "tai chi theory."
It is one of the sisters of Wudanquan martial arts. Because "tai chi"
commonly refers to the exercise and martial art, we will do the same.

Tai chi isn't as old as some people profess. The oldest
records of tai chi only date back to the early 1800's's, to a tiny
village in China called "Chenjiagou." The common story about
the origin of tai chi coming from Zheng San Feng has been
widely debunked with comprehensive articles like Stanley Henning's "Ignorance, Legend and Taijiquan."

However, do understand that tai chi is the culmination of 7000
years of Taoist research, medical practice, breathing technique,
movement patterns, universal theory and self-defense. It is the
most developed and beneficial exercise in the world. Time
Magazine called it "the perfect exercise."

It is commonly said that authentic tai chi masters are martial artists,
and that their lineage is the first thing to consider. So if you start
with the Chen Style tai chi, it would be the most authentic. Although
Yang Style is the most popular, the real deal is hard to find. Yang
Cheng Fu was ordered to teach the emperor's bodyguards and
his personal army ; Yang's response was to water down the forms
and teach bogus tai chi. This tai chi is common Yang Style.

What makes good tai chi is adherence to a specific set of principles.

Master Fu once said:
"More than 90 percent of all tai chi is bad. What it mean—‘bad,’ that when you see someone do tai chi, they don’t follow the principles. You don’t know the principles yet, but you can look for yourself if the tai chi is good or bad. When you look, look at the waist. When the tai chi is good, (they) always turn the waist. When the tai chi is bad, the arms move but the waist doesn’t turn, or the waist only turns sometimes. That’s principle. In good tai chi, the waist always turns."

With practice of tai chi and the Wudang Internal arts, even someone
sickly and week can increase his or her performance to that of a
high-level athlete. An athlete can increase his performance manyfold.