Fantasies, fictions & facts: Answered Questions about Tai Chi Chuan

Table of Contents

[Note: Tai Chi Chuan will be herein referred to as TCC in this document]

Fantasies

  1. Fantasy #1: TCC will turn me into some metaphysical superhero

Fact: no, it simply refines the resources already present in the human body

  1. Fantasy #2: TCC will grant me mysterious/mystic abilities (see A.)
  2. Fantasy #3: TCC will grant me superior fighting abilities.

Fact: Like anything in this life, one has to actually work hard at anything, in order to accomplish one’s goals. If you practice arduously enough, & make the effort to integrate it into your already extant combat skills, it will boost them tremendously. But only with hard work. Conversely, if you’ve never practiced any sort of martial art, you will have to put a great deal of effort into learning multiple skill sets (i.e., push hands, da liu, fighting sets, etc.)

  1. Fantasy #4: TCC is a penultimate panacea, able to cure disease and injuries.

Fact: In all actuality, while TCC can indeed boost circulation (thereby increasing the healing rate), there is no medical evidence to support any sort of miraculous recovery from intense injury, cancer, etc.

  1. Fantasy #5: TCC will turn me into someone special.

Fact: You were born someone special. TCC will help boost your self-esteem, but the truth is we’re all as unique as snowflakes.

F: Fantasy #6: TCC will imbue me with mystical powers/abilities

Fact: See answer to Fantasy #1.

Fictions:

  1. TCC is simply an exercise

Fact: Anyone who says this has either

    1. Only observed it, never practiced it, or
    2. Has only touched the very tip of the iceberg

      TCC is a holistic art that requires both physical as well as mental disciplines.

  1. TCC is only for elderly folks

Fact: It is open to all ages, fitness levels, and body types.

  1. TCC isn’t a fighting art

Fact: There are many folks (myself included) who would be more than happy to prove otherwise. Like the entire village of Chenjiagou, George Xu, Ma Hong: a long list of them, many of them superior to myself.

  1. TCC is only for combat

Fact: TCC can be an either/or combination. One can practice it as either. If the individual wants to practice solely for health, that is entirely up to them. Likewise, as a martial art.

  1. TCC helps moderate a number of issues with the body, such as weight control, addictions, etc.

Fact: while this is partially true, a person shouldn’t rely entirely on TCC alone. Case in point: Yang Cheng-fu became terribly obese as he grew older, and subsequently modified the form to exclude jumping, powerful strikes, etc. Case #2: Cheng Man-Ching was well known as having a penchant for alcohol, which killed him when he drank some bad wine. In the book, The Tao of Tai Chi, it states specifically that the individual has to practice moderation, because TCC can only pick up so much slack. There are quite a few high-level folks in TCC, for instance, who do indeed smoke.

F. TCC is easy to do.

Fact: it requires considerable effort to not only

Back to top

Facts:

  1. TCC has been medically proven to improve heart problems.
  2. TCC has been proven to be a stress reduction technique.
  3. TCC can lower the blood pressure.
  4. TCC can heighten reflexes, senses, and sensitivity to an unusual degree.
  5. TCC has been clinically proven to improve balance in senior citizens.
  6. TCC is a very powerful martial art, capable of enhancing combat abilities.
  7. TCC teaches the individual intense interaction with his/her environment.
  8. TCC instills the individual with calmness, and confidence.
  9. TCC is indeed a martial art.

Back to top

Origins:

Shrouded in mystery, confusion, and further impacted by the Cultural Revolution, accounts vary widely (and in some cases, wildly) as to who created it, when it came into being, and where TCC derived from.

I defer humbly to the Chenjiagou (Chen Village) origin, as they are the only ones with a written, formal account of the origin. All else is unsubstantiated hearsay.

Here is a link, for the inquirer to pursue: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tai_chi. Also, the Chenjiagou home page is at http://www.chenvillage.com/.

Back to top