Is Tai-chi is a good martial art for a 18years old guy?

Question

Ok so i've practice Karate for several years, Aikido and Aikibudo. I Meet a tai chi teacher who is now a friend of mine and give tai-chi a try. i was wondering is tai-chi a good martial art? I do enjoy doing tai-chi and the martial application of it comme naturaly. I've meet some unfriendly guy in a street the other day and the tai-chi baisic just came to the surface and help me defend myself. I Know that to learn martial tai-chi is something who take time. But with time can it be a good martial art to defend yourself? I've hurt one of my knee and that's why i've stop aikido and karate, with tai-chi i didn't have any trouble, in fact my knees just go better :) but i'm searching for a real martial art with i can defend myself and the other and in wich i can spend time to learn combat technic.

Well I've done 2 years of aikido but i stop since my teacher wasn't very good and because he didn't really like the fact that sometimes i use some technique that my tai chi master showed me and that i find more easy for me and my injured knee to use. So i just stop and he didn't show me energy work as I'm learning in tai chi. I've never really saw tai chi used in combat that's why I'm asking. As a former Karate student i tend to find tai chi a bit funny at first but I'm beginning to fall in love with this martial art. I know my teacher is a good tai chi master he learn taichi from Kenji Tokitsu. Are the style really different from each other, my teacher is from yang style . I know he teach mainly to older people who search in tai chi calm and health, he really enjoyed seeing a 18 years old guys who want to learn martial taichi. I've heard a lot about Cheng style but not a lot from yang...

Answer 1

yea i think its good its not physical but the moves are based of physical martial arts so it would help its also a good thing to help you relax and help you do things that are fustrating and you could go through it without any aggravation at all

Answer 2

It depends on the style of Tai Chi that you are learning. Yang Style is a combat form, there's also other internal arts such as Ba Gua and Xing-i, all of those are for combat, just because it's practiced slow doesn't mean it doesn't work. also there are fast forms in Tai Chi and you can play push hands to develop sensitivity and spar and shadow box at application speed.

It will take a long time to master Tai Chi though so it's not the quick path like boxing or kick boxing, but with an injury it might be the best bet to stick with Tai Chi for a while and give your body a rest, then you can decide how it goes from there, maybe you will love it and stick with it, or maybe you will try something new, at the end of the day every system that I've ever looked at has always taught me a few things to supplement what I know.

Answer 3

Tai Chi is short for Tai Chi Chuan and it began as a martial art. Today, however, most people who train and teach Tai Chi do so for the health benefits and not really for the self-defense aspect. There are still a few people in the world who still practice Tai Chi in its entirety - for both health benefits and self-defense. But they are very hard to find and that is part of the "cons". Most Tai Chi instructors were never trained in the combat aspect of Tai Chi although they may have some ideas as to the origins and purpose. To know a move is not the same as being able to apply it in real life situations, so this does not help you if your goal is to study Tai Chi as a martial art. The pros of Tai Chi is that it is something you can do into your elder years unlike other forms of exercises. And besides the physical, there are also the mental benefits. Tai Chi is often called meditation in motion and not without good reasons. -- "Is it very hard to master this martial art?" There is no such things as an easy to master martial art. Plus, no one totally masters a martial art. No one has complete and perfect knowledge of anything and that includes martial art. Martial art training is a life-long pursuit, not something you reach a level of mastery and stop. There is ALWAYS more to learn.

Answer 4

First, if you have studied karate for several years, you should be able to answer this question yourself.

Yes, Tai Chi is an effective martial art. A better question would be "Is the instructor I am studying from any good?" Tai Chi has several different aspects involving energy work, but these should be ne problem for someone that has done energy work in Aikido. You did that in Aikido, right?

Answer 5

If it is Chen Family Boxing, go ahead.

If it's any of the other styles, learn it but continue practicing your karate.

In China, young people are discouraged from learning Internal arts until they are older because they encourage physical activity that develops the sinews and musculature first.

Internal arts don't do much for the muscles and sinews because your power comes from your breath and your internal organs.

So do both. Always make sure your training is balanced in the principles of Yin Yang.

Answer 6

Tai chi is power between soft and hard "Yin Yang" so the highest power is inside your soft power like patient and quite and ease and self conifidence
u can be like the rock in front of kick boxer played , the water can break the rock .......

Tai Chi self defence and has techniques from inside u not main in your body

Answer 7

The quality and frequency of your training will far outweigh the style you train in.
Do yourself a favor, find a good school, not a good style.
never sign a contract, never pay for rank testing.
Always take free classes and check out all the schools in your area. Look for a clean school with respectable people.

Answer 8

No. Tai-chi no good. Unless you exercise and develop muscles. Like Bruce Lee, he admitted people waste too much time on skills. Don't forget the spiritual and physique involved. You need inner body strength, spiritual strength and external strength.

Answer 9

age no bar. It will give you inner strength & peace.