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submitted: Aug 25th 2008 | by: RayLam | Total views: 1 | Word Count: 519 | |

Tai chi chuan is one of the famous branches of Chinese martial arts.It is well-known and widely practiced in the world today; however its origin is confused. There are many conflicting accounts as to its origin.

The most common of these accounts is that the founder was the Taoist monk Chan San Feng, who lived in the Sung Dynasty (AD 960-1279). The legend states that Chan San Feng watched a battle between a snake and a crane ten times its size. As the crane lunged at its prey, the wily reptile dodged and weaved, lashing back at its tormentor with relaxed lightning speed. Eventually the exhausted crane flew off for easier prey. In that instant the art of tai chi was said to have been born. Chan San Feng, a master of the bard Shaolin martial arts, applied the principles he had witnessed in the actions of the snake to his martial arts expertise.

As a martial art, Tai chi chuan works on a number of levels, but the principal aim is to teach practitioners to relax and become fluid in their movements. This allows for smoother actions and quicker response times. The objective is for self-defense to become a reflexive action rather than a repetition of technique. There is a variety of sensitivity exercises which allow the practitioner to adapt instantly to an opponent and to react in the most appropriate manner. Incoming force will, typically, be diverted, however slightly, and the corresponding opening in the opponent?s defense exploited. The level of response can range from applying holds and locks, to immobilizing an opponent, through to highly damaging strikes against nerve centres and acupuncture points (dim mak).

Yin and Yang are the complete polar opposite of each other: the softer, more pliant and yielding, more feminine and more negative aspects in anything are viewed as Yin while the more masculine, harder, more rigid and more positive aspects are seen as Yang. Both sides complement each other completely and together form a perfect whole. Things in the world, which are perfectly balanced and in harmony, will be at peaceful state. Half of certain organs and meridians are governed by Yin and the other half by Yang. The ultimate purpose of Tai Chi Chuan training is to strengthen Qi and maintain its smooth flow, thus Tai Chi Cuan can prevent as well as cure some illness.

Today, while traditional practitioners of Tai chi chuan are still in evidence, the majority practise the art in order to both maintain and improve their health and to provide an increasingly necessary antidote to the stresses and strains of modern day life.

Such injury, according to Tai Chi theory, is a natural consequence of meeting brute force with brute force. Instead, practitioners are taught not to directly fight or resist an incoming force, but to meet it in softness and follow its motion while remaining in physical contact until the incoming force of attack exhausts itself or can be safely redirected, meeting yang with yin. Done correctly, this yin and yang or yang and yin balance in combat, which means the goal of Tai Chi Chuan training is achieved.

About the Author

Learn about tai chi exercise and get a free Taichi Techniques ebook by visiting http://tai-chi-guru.info, a popular website that provides free Tai Chi For Health advice and resources.

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