jet li - taiji zen. thoughts?

Discussion in 'Internal Martial Arts' started by jkdbro, Feb 13, 2014.

  1. jkdbro

    jkdbro Banned Banned

    hey all!

    this is my first post in here. i've been practicing JKD for a few years, but i just recently started practicing tai chi. i'm a major jet li fanboy, and when i heard he was coming out with his own style i had to check it out. this video gives a pretty good overview:

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdbFUWCnvCg"]Jet Li - Taiji Zen Company Vision - YouTube[/ame]

    or here's their website - Link removed

    i've been learning online but i don't know much about tai chi so i can't tell if their system is any good. what do you guys think? (cross posting this in the kung fu, beginners, and tai chi sections)
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 13, 2014
  2. aaradia

    aaradia Choy Li Fut and Yang Tai Chi Chuan Student Moderator Supporter

    As I believe the moderators will only allow one thread to continue, due to the cross posting policy on MAP, I'll respond here. I am guessing this is the one they will keep open.

    Jet Li is absolutely my favorite Martial Arts film actor. And he was/ is a great Wushu martial artist.

    But I am not a fan of online courses. I am disapponted he is choosing to promote the concept. Video's do not allow for an instructor to watch you and give feedback and input on your moves. To me, this is critical in learning Martial Arts.
     
  3. taiji48

    taiji48 Valued Member

    Traditional Taiji is like plain yogurt.

    TaijiZen is like yogurt with strawberry at the bottom, and a lot of sugar of course.

    Some people like plain yogurt, because they know it is 100% good stuff.

    Others need to be coaxed into having yogurt, because they have sweet tooth.

    Taijizen is doing a great service to an over-stressed, over-westernized generation of young Chinese people, so that they can be coaxed into rediscovering the treasure in their backyard. And it won't be bad, because it has very competent Chen style Masters on board.

    But if you are enjoying plain yogurt already, you may want to keep it.
     
  4. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    Please don't post the same thread across several forums.

    Please read the ToS, as this is what you'll be bound by.
     
    Last edited: Feb 13, 2014
  5. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    Watch out for those sugar coated martial arts. :D
     
  6. taiji48

    taiji48 Valued Member

    Haha! martial arts for the plus-sized and diabetic - is it politically incorrect?
     
  7. AndrewTheAndroid

    AndrewTheAndroid A hero for fun.

    I Can't get on YouTube but from what I've seen and read it looks to me like it's just going to be another watered down version of tai chi to sell to the masses. I also take issue that they are promoting the false origins tc.

    I also take issue with statements like "over-westernized." Western influence has done a lot of good over here despite what some ignorant locals and self loathing laowais might tell you. I am not going into specifics now, I am just tired of hearing how crap western culture is and how great and altruistic eastern culture is.

    Back on track now. If you want get younger people more involved in tcq then, I think their marketing strategy is way off. I think it would be far more beneficial to the art to get people in the ring. Get some guys with a tc background into some mma events like k1 or ufc. They don't even have to be pure TC guys, as nobody is a pure stylist anymore in those events.

    I'd also like to see more TC in movies. Good movies. Not the hokey, cartoony crap its been in lately. Boxing has the Fighter, and Rockey. Karate has the Karate Kid. MMA has Warrior. And even WWE, I repeat WW Frigging E has the Wrestler. Where is the Taiji film? The last objectively good tc movie came out about 20 years ago, it was called Push Hands and it was more about an old man adapting to America than it was about tc specifically. Also, almost no one has heard of it despite the fact that it was directed by Ang Lee.
     
  8. philosoraptor

    philosoraptor carnivore in a top hat Supporter

    Tai Chi Zero and Tai Chi Hero were pretty good and fun!
     
  9. AndrewTheAndroid

    AndrewTheAndroid A hero for fun.

    Yeah. They were entertaining but there were some things about them that made me hate them. Such as introing the actors over an hour into the film and having lu yang be basically brain dead.

    They were good in a Van Damme Street Fighter kind of way and not in an Oscar winner kind of way. I don't really see that series inspiring many people to sign up for taiji classes.
     
  10. taiji48

    taiji48 Valued Member

    WhitePanda, I agree with you. And i want to take back the word "over-westernized" in my previous post. I think "over-commercialized" is probably a more accurate word.
     
  11. ap Oweyn

    ap Oweyn Ret. Supporter

    Damn. I was about to say Push Hands. I was feeling all smug for having watched Ang Lee movies that WEREN'T The Hulk or CTHD.

    *sigh*

    Does give me an entertaining idea for a thread in the Movies section though.
     
  12. EmptyHandGuy

    EmptyHandGuy Valued Member

    Man of Tai Chi is quite good.
     
  13. 47MartialMan

    47MartialMan Valued Member

    Until they got a mouth full of tooth decay from all of the sugar-coating :)
     

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