ONLY REAL MEN DO TAI CHI

Martial arts are both forms of exercise and self-defense. Some of the martial arts developed thousands of years ago as methods of conditioning, both for the mind and the body.

Chinese martial arts, colloquially referred to as kung fu (/ˈkʌŋ ˈfuː, ˈkʊŋ/) or gung fu (Chinese: 功夫; pinyin: gōngfu) and a more recent term wushu (simplified Chinese: 武术; traditional Chinese: 武術; pinyin: wǔshù), are a number of fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common traits, identified as "families" (家; jiā), "sects" (派; pài) or "schools" (門; mén) of martial arts. Examples of such traits include physical exercises involving animal mimicry, or training methods inspired by Chinese philosophies, religions and legends. Styles that focus on qi (chi) manipulation are called internal (内家拳; nèijiāquán), while others that concentrate on improving muscle and cardiovascular fitness are called "external" (外家拳; wàijiāquán). Geographical association, as in northern (北拳; běiquán) and "southern" (南拳; nánquán), is another popular classification method

Kung fu and wushu are loanwords from the Chinese culture that, in English, are used to refer to Chinese martial arts in general. However, the Chinese terms for kung fu and wushu have distinct meanings.

Kung fu/Kungfu or Gung fu/Gongfu (功夫, Pinyin: gōngfu) is a Chinese term referring to any study, learning, or practice that requires patience, energy, and time to complete, often used in the West to refer to strictly to Chinese martial arts. It has only in the late twentieth century, that this term was used in relation to Chinese Martial Arts by the Chinese community. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the term "Kung-fu" as "a primarily unarmed Chinese martial art resembling karate." This illustrates how the meaning of this term has been changed in English. The origin of this change can be attributed to the misunderstanding or mistranslation of the term through movie subtitles or dubbing from the popular ‘70’s and ‘80’s chop-saki films we have all loved to watch.

In its original meaning, kung fu can refer to any skill achieved through hard work and practice, not necessarily martial arts. The Chinese literal equivalent of "Chinese martial art" would be 中國武術 zhōngguó wǔshù.

In Chinese, Gōngfu (功夫) is a compound of two words, combining 功 (gōng) meaning "work", "achievement", or "merit", and 夫 (fū) which is alternately treated as being a word for "man" or as a particle or nominal suffix with diverse meanings (the same character is used to write both). A literal rendering of the first interpretation would be "achievement of man", while the second is often described as "work and time/effort". Its connotation is that of an accomplishment arrived at by great effort of time and energy. In Mandarin, when two "first tone" words such as gōng and fū are combined, the second word often takes a neutral tone, in this case forming gōngfu. The word is also sometimes written as 工夫, this version often being used for more general, non-martial arts usages of the term

Originally, to practice kung fu did not just mean to practice Chinese martial arts. Instead, it referred to the process of one's training - the strengthening of the body and the mind, the learning and the perfection of one's skills - rather than to what was being trained. It refers to excellence achieved through long practice in any endeavor. This meaning can be traced to classical writings, especially those of Neo-Confucianism, which emphasize the importance of effort in education.

In the colloquial, one can say that a person's kung fu is good in cooking, or that someone has kung fu in calligraphy; saying that a person possesses kung fu in an area implies skill in that area, which they have worked hard to develop. Someone with "bad kung fu" simply has not put enough time and effort into training, or seems to lack the motivation to do so. Kung fu is also a name used for the elaborate Fujian tea ceremony (kung fu cha).

However, the phrase 功夫武術 (kung fu wu shu) does exist in Chinese and could be (loosely) translated as 'the skills of the martial arts'.

The term wǔshù literally means "martial art". It is formed from the two words 武術: 武 (wǔ), meaning "martial" or "military" and 術 (shù), which translates into "discipline", "skill" or "method." The term wushu has also become the name for the modern sport of wushu, an exhibition and full-contact sport of bare-handed and weapons forms (Chinese: 套路), adapted and judged to a set of aesthetic criteria for points developed since 1949 in the People's Republic of China.

Quan fa/ chaun fa (拳法) is another Chinese term for Chinese martial arts. It means "fist principles" or "the law of the fist" (quan means "boxing" or "fist" [literally, curled hand], and fa means "law", "way" or "study"). The name of the Japanese martial art Kenpō/ Kempō is represented by the same characters.

Tai chi chuan has a close relationship to Chinese ancient Taoism, under the guidance of which a series of practice methods were formulated for learning and practicing the martial arts. It is characterized by its method of attacking, by accumulating and using power versus force, by being soft when attacked with hard and redirection of the energy directed toward us. Moreover, this kung fu style, yes tai chi is kung fu, is a developed training process to cultivate and shape, breath, strengthen the three riches of the body mind and spirit, improving the quality of the complete man (and woman) and the prowess of the human being.

Due to the slow pace of tai chi which is favorable to relax the nervous system both physically as well as mentally, tai chi has been proven (with clinical trials even) to show its health and fitness benefits. In the recent years, it has been increasingly popular because more and more people are conscious of their health. In the practice process, tai chi emphasizes the movement of chi (vital life force energy) in order to balance the breath and blood, as it improves the physical functions. Therefore, it is suitable for people of all different ages and with different physical conditions, and especially wonderful for those in America age 40 and older.

As the culture of the west continues its fast paced approach to life, tai chi is an ideal practice for people under pressure teaching them how to care for themselves against stress learning how to relax. According to Healthy People 2000, a report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, stress has a great impact on our health. The report goes onto reveal that it is estimated that 70-80% of all visits to the doctor are for stress-related and stress-induced illnesses and that stress contributes to 50% of all illness in the United States. In turn the cost of job stress in the U.S. is estimated at $200 billion annually, including costs of absenteeism, lost productivity, and insurance claims. A simple practice of tai chi could help individuals eliminate stress related illness in their lives. At THE WAY TAI CHI SYSTEM © we recommend a minimum practice of 15-minutes a day of tai chi practice for the improvement of health.

But tai chi, or more correctly tai chi chuan, is also an effective martial arts practice for self-defense. If you want to learn tai chi for martial arts, you're in the minority of tai chi practitioners and I think you could say you are in a minority of kung fu practitioners in general. THE WAY TAI CHI SYSTM © shares the martial side of tai chi. The skilled tai chi practitioner Chang I Chung once said, “Everyone wants to be healthy but only some want to know how to fight”. Those interested in pursuing the martial applications of this beautiful kung fu methodology from a good teacher will automatically secure health benefits in addition to fighting skills… the ultimate package deal. Keep in mind that the opposite is not necessarily reciprocated as practitioners focusing on health and relaxation won’t necessarily become better fighters.

Tai chi chuan, translates to “supreme ultimate boxing or fist”, and at its most advanced level, a martial art. So, how is it possible that such a slow-moving exercise can be a martial art? One answer is, moving slowly trains you to move quickly. Tai chi is a very precise art, involving highly coordinated movement. It creates muscle memory. Doing the form quickly is not helpful in achieving the level of coordination necessary to perform Tai chi in its martial context. Essential details get lost. Tai chi is truly a martial arts discipline- the key word being discipline.

Another response to the question is that the postures in the forms have martial applications. All that is needed is a teacher who knows them and can explain them well. Some of them are obvious, like a punch or push. Some of them are not and require a skilled teacher to share their more “hidden” interpretations". Techniques are really secondary to the practice itself. Tai chi is about how you train and the mindset you cultivate.

Tai chi as a combat martial art goes against most people, especially men’s, instincts. As mentioned earlier with its foundation in Taoist philosophy, tai chi seeks to blend yin and yang, soft and hard, yielding and resistance. In time you’ll be able to master tai chi for both health and martial ability taking four-ounces to move one-thousand pounds.

There will always be the ignorant martial artists who feel tai chi is a weak and ineffective martial art. And no matter what is said thy will say that tai chi or tae kwan do, or whatever style they have their bias against, is a poor art compared to their prejudices.

Our walk down the martial path is individualized, and certain arts, styles and teachers appeal to different individuals. Tai chi chuan is just one option, but the best option for many. I approach tai chi chuan as a lifelong study… a study of more than martial application and health improvement; a study of life itself. It is my assessment that tai chi can be as lethal as other martial arts, I would even go so far to say that it is better than most, but to be effective you do have study the classical training progression, which few in the west are willing to assume. Tai chi is a martial art that truthfully is more difficult to apply than a hard style like karate initially, but with consistency and time it transcends into one of the most effective of all the classical martial arts disciplines.

Only Real Men Do Tai Chi.

-sifu

THE WAY TAI CHI SYSTEM http://dovertaichinh.jimdo.com/