Tai Chi Martial Applications
Tai Chi Chuan, it cannot be denied, was created as a martial arts. The term “Tai Chi Chuan” means “Supreme Ultimate Fist or Boxing.”
As the art gains in maturity and popularity more and more tai chi practitioners are able to learn and investigate the benefits of training and practising all aspects: hand and weapon forms together with all aspects of partner work including martial applications.
Often there is a perception, that fighting applications is violent and not the domain of those who may have accessed the art for qualities such as relaxation and stress-reduction. However without having a knowledge of the purpose of the various movements and postures in the Hand or Weapon Forms there could well be a lesser understanding of the fuller aspects of the arts.
Learning applications can yield many benefits including: increased confidence, better body awareness, improved reflexes and ultimately developing the ability to remain relaxed and centred in times of conflict.
Tai Chi Martial Applications is not about attacking others but more concerned with reacting effectively when threats are presented, being physical, psychological or emotional. Through training these aspects you will learn to understand the inter-change of Yin/Yang in a practical sense whilst maintaining and strong, connected centre and fluid, effective movements.
Over the course of these pages we will try to represent all styles and approaches to the work of martial applications through articles, images and videos; contributions are also welcome.
Video “Tai Chi Application Film”
below is a short film showcasing a range to tai chi martial applications.
Push Hands
Partner Work
Push Hands – A Beginners’ Guide
Author: Ronnie Robinson
Images: ITKA
- Tai Chi Application Raise Hands
Add some intention and meaning to your meditative form by… - Tai Chi Application Ward Off RightThe application can represent a Pulling movement, underlining the direction of the protecting right hand – up and out (peng).
- Playing around with Tai Chi applicationsStay tuned for our series on form and application
- Stepping – Tai Chi AspectsTai Chi Aspects Tai Chi Aspects are single images and concepts on which one may concentrate while doing the form. They are tools for form refinement and are meant to encourage discovering, trying out of alternatives and learning. The videos on Tai Chi Aspects have been developed in the course of our “Tai Chi at… Read more: Stepping – Tai Chi Aspects
- #MartialMonday 17 – PushPush! #Martialmonday is back with one from the archives. The next movement in the form is the „push“. It can be trained as an endless circle, using a simple exercise. Partner Exercise for Push One partner pushes the shoulders – the other neutralises. Then the roles are changed. Working with the changes in the circle… Read more: #MartialMonday 17 – Push
- #MartialMonday #16 – How to communicateHow to communicate across styles and traditions? The Chinese internal arts have a rich heritage of family styles, styles derived from monasteries and increasingly – in China as well as abroad – independent approaches, based on individual experience or scientific knowledge. So, what is true and what is real? And do THEY even do Taijiquan?… Read more: #MartialMonday #16 – How to communicate
- #martialmonday 15 – Small is beautifulSmall is beautiful – #martialmonday 15 – press #2 A hardly discernible movement with a big effect – that is one ideal of Taijiquan. How to achieve this? Long hours of practice is the short answer. A longer answer would be: by starting big and gradually getting smaller and smaller. To illustrate this approach, we… Read more: #martialmonday 15 – Small is beautiful
- High time to push!High time to push! – Push Hands Meeting Hannover, Germany This week, our #martialmonday team is demonstrating the rules for free pushing hands at the International Push Hands Meeting in Hanover, Germany!We are celebrating our 20th anniversary this year and we are looking forward to meeting more than 100 old and new Taiji friends for five days… Read more: High time to push!
- #MartialMonday 13 – Indirect Force#MartialMonday 13 – Indirect Force – Application Press Indirect force The mysterious jin energy can be translated as a practice goal: not to use raw power. This does not mean not to use all one’s strength, but to develop a second nature. This second nature uses force in a non-violent way. Non-violent in this context… Read more: #MartialMonday 13 – Indirect Force
- #martialmonday 12 – pulling – application (block and) punch#martialmonday 12 – I’m stuck! v. I’m off then. The point of attention in pulling – application (block and) punch This week we start from another practical application of the movement pull: both hands punch. The exercise For the exercise, we need to build fists instead of the open hands in the form. In the… Read more: #martialmonday 12 – pulling – application (block and) punch
- #martialmonday 11 – Form application – pull#martialmonday 11 – With my back against the wall! How should I react? Form application – pull It is fairly easy: Today, we will work on the application „pull“. The posture pull offers two alternatives: to box and to pull. We will opt for the second alternative as a foundation. Avoiding two points One general… Read more: #martialmonday 11 – Form application – pull
- #MartialMonday 10 – Ward Off Left & Right#Martialmonday – Dealing the punches or taking them? – Form application Ward off left and right In the form, the movements “Ward off left” and “Ward off right” are movements to protect oneself. More precisely, one protects one‘s space: The space between arm and body is a space that no one should enter without permission.… Read more: #MartialMonday 10 – Ward Off Left & Right
