# The truth on Self-Defense and TaijiQuan / Tai Chi Chuan



## Old Happy Tiger (Friday at 1:16 PM)

Many people out there think Tai Chi Chuan (TaijiQuan) is not effective for self defense. There is a few reasons why. One reason, is their own instructor was not trained in real world defensive applications from the form (and when I say “form” applies to the three main family style of Chen, Yang and Wu). Some people find it hard to believe, but it is true that some instructors out there were never taught Tai Chi Chuan (TaijiQuan) and self-defensive applications…. To be clear, there is nothing wrong with people practicing Tai Chi Chuan (TaijiQuan) for health reasons (I am one of them) but not knowing how to apply real world self-defensive applications they are only learn “half” of what they are practicing.

Younger MMA fighters out there, love to see Tai Chi Chuan (TaijiQuan) practitioners get beaten up on YouTube because again, those Tai Chi Chuan (TaijiQuan) practitioners never learned or practiced Tai Chi Chuan (TaijiQuan) applications in a real world sparring environment. It’s also sad to say that some Tai Chi Chuan (TaijiQuan) practitioners are not even taught push hands or even weapon sets by their instructors. And again, there is many instructors out there that were never shown by their own Tai Chi Chuan (TaijiQuan) instructors that taught them (for whatever reason). Some instructors may “hold back” all of that information regardless if it limits a student experience as well.

I learned Yang style Tai Chi Chuan (TaijiQuan) from two instructors from direct Yang lineage. One instructor, knew push hands and would show the class with another instructor, but that is all they would not have the class practice it. And the same with self-defense applications and weapons.  My other instructor, was VERY into showing real world self-defense applications, also practicing the form the “old way” taking individual movements from the form and practicing, not just from beginning to end of the form. Also holding them for health benefits like Qi-Gong (Chi Kung).

I’ve actually used Tai Chi Chuan (TaijiQuan) in the past to defend myself, more than one time in my life. Would I enter a MMA ring and go toe to toe with someone? No I would not… But to get some distance between me an attacker, or to redirect an attacker applying an application, I would do it again.  I’m am not a “tough guy” and I don’t go around trying get into fights out there, I will tend to avoid them all together. But from what I was taught, and what I have done in the past defending myself, I know that Tai Chi Chuan (TaijiQuan) does work in self-defense applications.

Thank You for reading my post today.


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