Although it is only becoming recognised as such taiji is a very effect martial/self-defence art. Each posture has basic and advanced applications, on top of these there are the ‘mother’ applications. More important than the applications is the ‘Way’ in which we move using taiji. The ‘form’ teaches us to move is a relaxed manner and , after some time practising, the postures also become a reflex action this is one of the ways we gain speed and power. As we do not use muscular force this is a great self-defence art for people of all body sizes and levels of fitness. Practising the ‘form’ also improves our balance, timing and co-ordination which are invaluable for any martial art.

Click here to see some applications.

Dim Mak

Translated means ‘striking the vital points’. This is a method of accessing some of the vulnerable points on the acupuncture meridians. These have an extreme effect on the human body when struck on their own or in conjunction with other points.

Click here for the WTBA point-location book.

Fa-jing

The explosive moves throughout the form are where we gain the power to use dim mak. As just about all fights happen at close range we have to be able to deliver power from short distances. With fa-jing the power comes from the waist, using the body as a whole unit (as opposed to isolated muscle groups) and relaxation, so that we only use the muscles we need and so that different muscle groups are not working against each other.

Fighting Forms

As well as learning the applications to the form there are also a number of fighting forms we can learn. These include:-
Large san-sau – a 2 person set
12 dim mak kata’s – 12 very short explosive forms ( a few seconds each), these can also be done slowly for self-healing.
12 qi-disruption kata’s – these are the origin of all the internal arts and each one contains some Qigong.
There are also a number of ‘reflex violence’ methods which train us to attack repeatedly with sub-conscious reactions.

Click here for the WTBA ‘reflex violence’ book.

Weapons

As with most other martial arts taiji has it’s weapons namely straight sword, broad sword and spear, as these are obsolete as weapons in modern times (thankfully) they are mainly practised for their health benefits. We also train with a 4ft staff which is very practical as it could represent a snooker cue or piece of pipe etc. As well as working with and defending against a knife, as we all progress.