What is taichi chuan?
We sometimes read publications that claim to shed light on what tai chi chuan is or is not.
If there were a single definition of what this discipline is, it would be a great help to the teachers who promote it to the public.
The many origins of taichi
There are many versions of the origins of taichi, from the monk who observed the fight between two bugs to the villagers who humbly defend their village, from the valiant general to the disciple who learned taichi between domestic chores like a spy.
A constantly evolving discipline
In reality, taichi, like many other martial arts, is not an object frozen in time, but rather an assemblage that has evolved through the ages. For example, it can be said that taichi was not originally a form of old-age gymnastics, since its martial gestures were borrowed from the warrior art of the Chen family, from the village of Chenjiagou. At the time, this art form lacked the “internal” dimension of taichi as we know it today.
Internal and external notions in taichi
The external concept is contrasted with the internal one: the former relies on brute force, while the latter is based on the development of more subtle biomechanical skills. Of course, bridges exist between these two notions, as it would be absurd to deny the value of a minimum level of muscle tone in any physical activity. Consequently, very elderly and less mobile individuals will find greater fulfillment in practicing Qi Gong rather than Tai Chi Chuan, a discipline that challenges balance, mobility, and coordination.
Evolution towards Yang and Chen styles
It was under the influence of a disciple who created his own style, known today as the Yang style, that Chen boxing evolved into the Chen style tai chi chuan we know today.
A history revisited through dynasties
But as we travelled through dynasties, periods of repression, the publications of various masters and the spread of taichi abroad, this history was largely revisited and embellished so that everyone could derive maximum prestige and success from it, so much so that within the same style of taichi, sometimes within the same clan, there can be great disparities in the transmission of a historical heritage and pedagogical content.
Taichi chuan: a martial art, not a combat sport
However, we can agree on certain points about tai chi chuan: today it is a martial art but not a combat sport, in the sense that few tai chi teachers and students in the world will train seriously to face the harsh reality of combat.
A technique based on body finesse
The particular technique of taichi is quite original, since it is based on optimizing the human body’s fine capacities in order to deploy maximum power using minimum muscular force. This is where it joins the notion of improving health, since emphasis is placed on postural alignment and balance, muscular relaxation, fascia sensitivity, unity of the body in movement and listening to its internal mechanisms. The relative slowness of taichi movements is not an end in itself, but a pedagogical means.
An accessible but often mislabeled practice
Yes, taichi is practised slowly; yes, it allows everyone to discover the discipline at their own pace and according to their own abilities, right up to an advanced age. But like other disciplines popular with the elderly, such as cycling, walking and swimming, it should be practised in an age-appropriate way, without being described as a discipline for the elderly alone. As you can see, it would be a gross error to associate taichi with gymnastics for the elderly. In any case, it’s a very simplistic image of a discipline which, to be mastered, deserves to be discovered from an early age, just like any other sport.
Taichi and the notion of internal energy
Tai Chi, described as an “internal” martial art, also incorporates notions of developing internal energy, associated with breath. This carries with it a certain mystifying aspect, a quest for superpowers, very much in vogue in current consumer trends. Thus, the public oscillates between seeking sensations associated with a mysterious internal energy and performance-oriented activities like CrossFit or Krav Maga. What these two seemingly contradictory pursuits have in common is a search for psycho-physical efficiency, the acquisition of a fantasized superego, with the ego placed at the center of all physical practice.
A detailed knowledge of the body
Tai Chi teaches a subtle understanding of the body and its capabilities, and it is through the acquisition of techniques and diligent practice that self-knowledge and abilities that go beyond muscular work are developed. The body is described as a bellows that activates breathing. Defining or fantasizing about energy, for me, is like praising the wind or air; it is everywhere. We can certainly deify it, but we can also simply use it for navigation, humbly. Besides, energy is hardly photogenic on TikTok or Instagram.
A rich and personal discipline
Tai chi chuan is a rich and complex discipline. Like any personal research or sporting activity, each practitioner is entitled to bring their own personal definition to it, provided that it does not completely distort the object of study.
