ok, i think i see where your head is at, and the imagery of the word combat. thinking military, battlefield killing. ok, let's go with that and back to the differences between external and internal arts.
internal arts are trained by engaging constant and continuous conscious mind intent, using the brain to identify and respond to each catalyst during an altercation. external arts are trained by repetive reflexive reactions using neuro-muscular memory to predetermined actions on the part of the attacker (ie, right step through punch - i do this, or left straight wrist - i do that)
in preparing for war, a soldier needs to be trained very quickly to get out and fight. there is also a need to desensitize the young soldier to the idea of killing, to be able to be detached from the act of the kill so that he is not psychologically delayed from the act of killing one enemy, that he is killed himself by the next enemy. he must move as a machine. so, less brain, more neuro-muscular memory. more external, less internal.
in that way, yes, combat jujitusu, combat kenpo, combat krav maga, etc sounds more in line with that paradigm, but again, that is a paradigm built around the understanding of combat.
if your perception of combat is different, then combat tai chi or combat bagua, etc may not seem so out of place. there is nothing philosophically opposed in my understanding of taoism that precludes initiating, in fact isn't that the gua of heaven?
