TAI CHI CHUAN (Taijiquan)

Tai Chi Chuan (pinyin: Taijiquan; literally "supreme ultimate fist"), commonly known as Tai Chi, T'ai Chi, or Taiji, is an internal Chinese martial art.

Variations of Tai Chi Chuan basic training forms are well known as the slow motion routines that groups of people practice every morning in parks across China and other parts of the world.

There are different styles of Taijiquan, although most agree they are all based on the system originally taught by the Chen family to the Yang family starting in 1820.

Traditional Tai Chi Chuan training is intended to teach awareness of one's own balance and what affects it, awareness of the same in others, an appreciation of the practical value in one's ability to moderate extremes of behavior and attitude at both mental and physical levels, and how this applies to effective self-defense principles.

Tai Chi Chuan martial aspect relies on sensitivity to the opponent's movements and centre of gravity dictating appropriate responses. Effectively affecting or "capturing" the opponent's centre of gravity immediately upon contact is trained as the primary goal of the martial Tai Chi Chuan student, and from there all other technique can follow with seeming effortlessness. The alert calmness required to achieve the necessary sensitivity is acquired over thousands of hours of first slow, repetitive, meditative, low impact and then later adding "realistic," active, fast, high impact martial training; forms, pushing hands and sparring.

Tai Chi Chuan trains in three basic ranges, close, medium and long.

Pushes and open hand strikes are more common than punches, and kicks are usually to the legs and lower torso, never higher than the hip in most styles. The fingers, fists, palms, sides of the hands, wrists, forearms, elbows, shoulders, back, hips, knees and feet are commonly used to strike, with strikes to the eyes, throat, heart, groin and other acupressure points trained by advanced students.

There is an extensive repertoire of joint traps, locks and breaks (chin na), applied to lock up or break an opponent's elbows, wrists, fingers, ankles, back or neck.

Most Tai Chi Chuan teachers expect their students to thoroughly learn defensive or neutralizing skills first, and a student will have to demonstrate proficiency with them before offensive skills will be extensively trained. There is also an emphasis in the traditional schools on kind-heartedness.

Researchers have found that long-term Taijiquan practice had favorable effects on the promotion of balance control, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness and reduced the risk of falls in elders. The studies also reported reduced pain, stress and anxiety in healthy subjects. Other studies have indicated improved cardiovascular and respiratory function in healthy subjects as well as those who had undergone coronary artery bypass surgery. Patients also benefited from Tai Chi Chuan who suffered from heart failure, high blood pressure, heart attacks, arthritis and multiple sclerosis.

Tai Chi Chuan has also been shown to reduce the symptoms of young Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) sufferers. Tai Chi Chuan gentle, low impact, movements surprisingly burn more calories than surfing and nearly as many as downhill skiing. Tai Chi Chuan also boosts aspects of the immune system's function very significantly, and has been shown to reduce the incidence of anxiety, depression, and overall mood disturbance.

A pilot study has found evidence that Tai Chi Chuan and related qigong helps reduce the severity of diabetes.