Based on the Taoist philosophy of the yin-yang principle, tai chi chuan is characterised by slow, continuous movements harmonised with breathing to circulate chi or “energy”.

History and Philosophy

Tai chi chuan means “supreme ultimate fist” and is a Chinese martial art so old that its origins are lost. According to Chinese medical and philosophical theory, chi is the internal energy that is present in all living things. Practicing tai chi regulates chi which in turn maintains health.

History credits Chang San Feng, a student from the famous Shaolin Temple as the founder of tai chi but most tai chi practitioners assert that the true source was the Wu Dang Shan monastery located in central China, during the 15th century.

During the Qing Dynasty, a tai chi practitioner named Yang Lu Chan was ordered by the Manchu to teach the imperial family and their bodyguard. Yang disclosed only a portion of the art, teaching the complete system only to close family and trusted students. Tai chi chuan’s popularity grew among the court nobility, but only spread to the rest of China during the 1920s when the health benefits of the art were recognized. The once secretive art became a national exercise. Since the 1960s, it has spread around the world and is the most widely practiced martial art.

Tai chi chuan training

Tai chi focuses on the development of internal aspects of the human body – breathing, flexibility and the mind. Beginners first learn to relax and maintain good posture. They then learn a form, which is an unbroken sequence which may consist of more than 100 postures and movements that is the heart of tai chi. Practitioners later learn Pushing Hands, an exercise in which two partners gently push and yield with their hands against each other's arms.

In a combat situation, tai chi chuan teaches practitioners to relax and become fluid in their movements, allowing for smoother action and a quicker response. In tai chi, self-defence is a reflex action rather than a repetition of technique.