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Tai Chi Chuan

In 1988 while attending a Martial Arts camp in the Hudson Valley I was introduced to Tai Chi Chuan by Sifu Joseph Calkins of Fort Lee, New Jersey. It wasn’t until 1992 that I began formal study in Tai Chi Chuan. To this day, I continue to practice Tai Chi. The techniques and principles compliment any style of martial art. My training in Tai Chi has not only improved my health and wellness, but it has also helped me with a better understanding of the other “Arts” that I train.

There are many websites that can educate you about Tai Chi. I offer the information below as a general introduction.       

Tai Chi Chuan (which translated literally means The Great Ultimate Boxing) is what is known as an internal martial art, where superiority over an opponent is not gained by the use of brute strength, speed and power, but where the harnessing of internal energy, or Chi, is used.

It is said that in Tai Chi we should seek stillness in movement. This is more eloquently put in the following saying:

"Be still as a mountain, move like a great river"

While the body moves, the spirit is still and calm. When the body is still, the spirit moves and the chi flows freely. When all aspects are brought together, we have Tai Chi Chuan.

What is Tai Chi?

Tai Chi Chuan is many things. It is probably best to explain in the same order as people discover it, that is the physical form first. Most people are attracted to Tai Chi when they first see someone practicing the slow graceful movements of a form because they think it is good for relaxation and a nice gentle form of exercise: this is true. A comparative handful people see Tai Chi as a means of obtaining spiritual enlightenment and achieving a connection with the universe: this is also true. The fact is that Tai Chi can be both of these things and everything in between.

At a beginner’s level the movements of the form are taught in such a way as to keep the body relaxed and flowing. As well as being beneficial to the health this way of moving is designed to allow the internal energy, or "chi", to flow freely around the body. As this skill is gradually acquired the benefits to the health become greater, and the effectiveness of Tai Chi as a martial art increases. Once a degree of mastery has been obtained over the transmission of internal energy, then Tai Chi can be used at one of it’s higher levels, that is to heal both ones self and others.

It is impossible to explain what Tai Chi is in a few paragraphs. Many books have been written on the subject and none of them could hope to give a complete answer. Tai Chi Chuan is a journey: how far you travel along it’s road is up to you.

Why are there different types of Tai Chi and what does this mean?

In Tai Chi a fixed pattern of moves is called a form. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of different forms including empty hand forms, sword forms, stick forms, solo forms and two man fighting forms. However when people refer to different types of Tai Chi they usually mean family styles. Because Tai Chi was always taught as a jealously guarded secret, at one time it was only taught to members of the same family, and gradually similar but separate family styles developed.

Among main styles of Tai Chi are Chen, Wu, Yang and Sun. The most widely taught is Yang style as this was the first to be taught outside China in the early part of the twentieth century.

Is Tai Chi a martial art or a form of exercise?

It would be incorrect to say Tai Chi is either one thing or another. It is a form of exercise, but to treat it as exercise alone would be to ignore all the other aspects and subsequent benefits. In the same way it cannot be practiced purely as a martial art as to make the art effective, other aspects have to be incorporated into training. One of the most common errors is to ignore the martial aspect. It seems that a large number of western "teachers" view Tai Chi as something of a new age exercise and teach it as such, which again comes back to the fundamental of not getting the complete picture.

Tai Chi is there for everyone, but to learn real Tai Chi don’t allow yourself to be selective. To get all the benefits you must study all the facets. You will never understand a book if you ignore every third page.

What are the benefits of practicing Tai Chi?

The benefits of Tai Chi are too numerous to list. If practiced regularly and correctly then the benefits are enormous. The whole of a Tai Chi form is designed to direct internal energy around various parts of the body in sequence. The internal energy, or chi, repairs, realigns and re adjusts the body as it goes and, if you think of the human body as being a car, it is a bit like fine tuning and adjusting that car every day so that it always operates at its optimum. Healthwise, Tai Chi is not a quick fix and the greatest benefits will be achieved long term.

Among the most apparent health benefits are an increase in general health and fitness, greater stamina, longevity, greater mental clarity and calmness and increased physical capabilities (it is not uncommon for a Tai Chi practitioner in their seventies or eighties to have the physical capability and energy of someone twenty or thirty years their junior).

Sifu Joseph Calkins

Fort Lee, New Jersey