There are hundreds of forms of martial arts spanning the creation of mankind. Some place the emphasis on strength, some skill, some even on the spirit world. One age-old, practically untraceable martial art form incorporating all of the above is Taijiquan - a fundamental style in essence, centred on the equal division of elements - of the yin and yang.
Taijiquan is a kung-fu-style Chinese martial art, the name meaning The Cosmos Fist Technique.' Literally speaking, 'Taiji' (tai chi) means 'the grand ultimate' and Taiji is frequently used/ found in numerous Chinese disciplines. When one uses the name 'Taijiquan' they are speaking of the martial art, but 'Taiji' is used in philosophy, military strategy, feng shui and even metaphysics. Taiji, along with other Chinese studies, is based around the concept of the yin and yang, which are two complimentary yet simultaneously opposing aspects of reality existing together.
Many people unintentionally confuse Taiji with Taijiquan when they use it in the abbreviated sense. Westerners in particular can be held accountable as there are people who say they 'practise Taiji', which is Taijiquan without the martial arts aspect. To learn the way of Taijiquan, the key rule is that for all the yin, you need a yang. For example, it is a common misconception that Taijiquan is a soft, almost delicate art. This cannot be the case as to have the yin/yang effect; you need to have soft elements counteractive with the hard.
If it sounds confusing then don't be disheartened as much of the Taijiquan training involves teaching of the internal spiritual self. A student of Taijiquan must acknowledge the physical movements of the art; yet also appreciate the energy flow and strength from within.
It can be argued that to properly understand Taijiquan is difficult - in the sense that no one knows its true origins. Taijiquan was developed centuries ago, and history says that rather than it having one creator, many people influenced the style. There are no records to substantiate this claim, as the earliest mentions of Taiji used in conjunction with a martial art dates back to the Tang Dynasty of 618-906 in China. Post Tang Dynasty, the next apparent record of the martial art Taijiquan (rather then the mention of just Taiji) relates to the years 907-923, which was the Liang Dynasty. Over the thousands and thousands of years, one name commonly aligned with Taijiquan is Zhang San Feng, who lived in the 13tn century. He is noted only as 'user' of Taijiquan, but not as the creator.
History does note the actual creation of alternate Taijiquan styles, as to practise Taijiquan effectively you need to apply it to your environment. Zhang San Feng (credited above as a 'user' of Taijiquan) is said to have established one of the oldest forms of Taijiquan called Wudang Taijiquan, back in the 13th century. From here we move to the years 1600-1680, when a man called Chen Wang Ting adapted Taijiquan into a style of martial arts called Chen Style Taijiquan. From there it is recorded that, from 1799-1872, Yang Style Taijiquan came about, not surprisingly named after its creator, Yang Lu Chan. From 1813-1880, a man called Wu Yu Xiang combined the two aforementioned styles to develop Wu Style Taijiquan. Next we have Wu Chuan You (who was a descendent of Yang Lu Chan, credited for Yang Style Taijiquan) who, between 1834-1902, developed another Wu Style Taijiquan. Moving along the timeline to 1861-1932, we encounter Sun Lu Tang, who created a Sun Style Taijiquan by combining the styles ofTaijiquan, Baguaquan and Xinyiquan.
The history surrounding Taijiquan is long, complex and confusing. But as they say, with every yin there is a yang - so as hard as it is to understand the origins of the art, it's relatively simple to see the benefits ofTaijiquan training. You'll not only learn a little about ancient history, but you will also experience improved health. Taijiquan works around three essentials to a person: body, energy and mind (known as jing, qi and shen.) You can relate these three essentials to your everyday health, regardless of whether you practise Taijiquan. (Remember, Taijiquan is the Taiji with martial arts incorporated.) If any of these three elements are not aligned, then it's likely a person will suffer illness.
This theory of body-alignment is practised to this day through other 'arts' such as holistic therapy. For this reason Taijiquan is a popular form of martial art that impacts your health, both in a mental and spiritual capacity. You can gain exceptional skills in the area of self-defence, and perhaps be amazed that this is all taught in a gentle, delicate way. Taijiquan is not an art judged on strength in terms of physical size or attributes. Many of the Taijiquan teachings relate to inner strength, therefore regardless of shape, colour or size, to be a successful user of Taijiquan, you must be able to master and understand your inner self.
The key to remember is that you cannot just think of Taijiquan as a holistic, spiritual embodiment. Ultimately it is a fighting method, or more accurately can only be used as a fighting method, once you have equally proportioned the two aspects. To use Taijiquan is to be a physical and a spiritual fighter. In the most simplistic of terms, it is what life is all about - a harmonious balance of the yin and the yang. KFS
