How does Tai Chi Chuan rate as a martial art?

It is a controversial statement that when it comes to pure full-blown contact fighting, Tai Chi Chuan is the worst martial art to have at one’s disposal, and yet paradoxically, it is also the best. How can this be the case? Is there something missing from Tai Chi which other martial arts have?

Does karate and other ‘hard’ styles better prepare us both mentally and physically for confrontations, than the seemingly light and less strenuous practice of for example, Yang style Tai Chi?

Imagine your average Tai Chi practitioner and Thai kickboxer coming to blows. Who do you think would win?

I for one would probably pick the Thai boxer. Still, I hesitate – I say probably. Why not certainly? It
was not without reason that in 18^th century China, Yang Luchan, then a practitioner and teacher of Tai Chi Chuan, came to be known as ‘Yang the Invincible’. While this may say something about Yang’s own abilities, it does shed some light on the potential of Tai Chi to be a powerful martial art – if in the right hands.

A common mistake among martial artists is to imagine that it is essentially one’s style which determines the outcome of a confrontation. Though there be a touch of truth in this belief, there is more falsity than anything else.

The fact is that first and foremost it depends upon how skillful – and clever – one is, in actual confrontations. The development of the type of skill which Yang must have had, would have required extensive practice, and tremendous will power and determination. Without practice, one could be instructed by the gods, and in real confrontations be less than successful. Practice is the key, and after that – style comes into play.

Still, not all styles are equal. Some, like judo, are more suitable for competition on a padded mat. Even Thai kickboxing is meant for the tournament. In a real life and death encounter, there are no rules, and what makes Tai Chi a formidable martial art – if properly employed – is that in terms of fighting, it doesn’t restrict itself.

Tai Chi doesn’t teach us to avoid kicking the groin or striking the neck. It teaches how to swiftly avoid a dangerous attack and to use it against our adversary. Ethics is a personal matter. Between two persons, the same martial art may be used differently. This is never the case in a boxing ring where there are rules and referees.

What makes Tai Chi Chuan formidable is that it is a genuine martial art, with a sound strategy. What makes it the worst martial art, is that it is seldom taught or learned properly, for it takes many years to master, and few people have either the patience, the dedication, the time, or the opportunity to do so. These days one will be hard pressed to find another ‘Yang the Invincible’. Nevertheless,

Tai Chi’s potential to be used in such way remains as real as ever.

Tai Chi Fighting Strategy

There's a lot of mysticism surrounding Tai Chi Chuan, and as a result of this, confusion about the nature of its practice. In order to clear this up, it is necessary to get to the heart and purpose for which Tai Chi was developed, and the best way to do this is to look at its fighting strategy. If we look carefully, we will discern two essential principles at work in Tai Chi strategy.

First of all, Tai Chi is based upon allowing the opponent to attack first. This means that one would seek to take the initiative from a position of waiting - you receive the attack of the opponent. This doesn’t mean being defensive.

The attitude here is offensively remaining responsive to the opponents attack. One awaits the opponents move, then suddenly takes the initiative. This is the first principle. To take the initiative means to ‘get the better’ of your opponent or to gain the advantage, and the way that Tai Chi goes about doing this defines its second principle.

To understand this we must go look to the history of Tai Chi Chuan, going back to its roots in the Taoist concept of yin and yang. The general idea in this is that all of nature is based upon constantly change forces between opposites.

Thus in nature we see birth and death, good and evil, light and darkness, and each of these in reaching its extreme, gives way to the other. Tai Chi takes this philosophical concept from Taoism and makes it the basis of its system. In terms of fighting strategy, this means that in receiving the opponent’s attack, one attempts to lure his energy into emptiness, that is, to redirect it into a space where the energy now stands free and on its own.

The result is that the energy of the attacker – his movement, force, balance, strength – no longer belong to your opponent, and you yourself have the opportunity of taking control of it. This is what it means here to take the advantage – to seize the energy of your opponent and use it against him.

If we put together these two principles then we discover that the essence of Tai Chi, and the basis of its fighting strategy is to take the initiative from a position of waiting, using the opponent’s energy against him.

In actual combat, of course, one need not always wait for the opponent. You can strike or trip or kick if he is two indecisive or isn’t paying attention. Tai Chi as a martial art, however, is most effective when the above strategy is applied. It was designed to be used against brute strength and opponents with obvious physical advantages, for indeed there is always someone bigger, stronger, and quicker than yourself.

If one would seek to attain a high level of ability in Tai Chi, taking its fighting strategy as a guide, allow it to enlighten every aspect of your practice, to put reason into every movement, technique, and application. In this way you will attain clarity in your practice.