If you spend some time browsing youtube comments our hanging out in martial arts message boards you’ve probably seen a lot of vitriol being thrown at the Internal Arts.
Even if you stick to internal arts and Tai Chi groups there can be a lot of debate about what’s legitimate, what’s not and why most Tai Chi is garbage.
It can make you wonder what’s wrong with the martial arts today?
…and is Tai Chi going to be increasingly ignored as nothing more than an inferior form of yoga for old people?
Don’t worry, people are just louder than they have been in the past.
And as Tai Chi people it’s our job to be just as loud.
More people than ever have heard of Tai Chi and access to Tai Chi training is greater than it’s ever been.
Tai Chi does need a little help from you though.
The quality of a lot of Tai Chi out there is lacking.
The more we can improve it, the more benefits people will get, the longer they’ll stick with it and more new people will take up Tai Chi.
Now here’s the trick…
Don’t criticize other Tai Chi folks.
All too often it’s not MMA or RBSD people attacking Tai Chi. It’s often other internal martial artists.
They complain about the poor state of Tai Chi and then criticise other Tai Chi people for doing it wrong.
This doesn’t work.
In fact it only serves to fragment Tai Chi and it weakens Tai Chi as whole.
Many popular arts have fallen to infighting and petty politics amongst its practitioners.
Don’t let this happen to Tai Chi.
All you have to do to improve the quality of Tai Chi as a whole is to improve your personal Tai Chi practice.
Lead by example.
Continue to learn and practice and inch by inch you will get better and better. (and in Tai Chi an inch is all it takes to toss someone effortlessly.)
…and as you get better others will want to know how and you can help them.
Between the free Practical Guide to Internal Power and all our youtube videos we’re working to make it as easy as possible to find good resources to learn from.
All you need to do is train.
Grab a partner and put in some regular work with The Practical Guide to Internal Power.
https://www.cleartaichi.com/free-online-tai-chi-course
…and when you want to dig deeper, we’ve revamped and upgraded Clear’s Tai Chi Online where you can access the entire level 1 & 2 curriculum.
You are oh so right!
I think in Taijiquan it is about learning to stand well and being flexible to move whenever needed. Being calm and present at the same time. However, those people who do all the negative comments, they may have a standing point, but they do not seem to be flexible, calm and present.
So yes, let’s shout out loud about Taijiquan and that it benefits you NO MATTER which style, which form, which lineage your master has! Only your own practice matters.