Liokault's Taiji Theories

Absolutely - the real problem is getting locked into duality (ie this vs that) - wasting lots of time and energy and not focussing on learning, changing and advancing ime/o
I know my existing limitations and am working to improve.
I've done 'delusional Taiji' lol but I'm now moving forwards slowly.
Letting go of old beliefs, theories and ideas can be painful and difficult - but being overconfident, egocentric and arrogant is far more dangerous for your health ime/o
:Angel:

 

Put some gloves on, find a person who will test you and your overconfident, egocentric and arrogant view of yourself will disapear in a relatively safe manner quite quickely.

If you are still overconfident, egocentric or arrogant you didnt put the gloves on of you only did so against your own students!

 

So what you're saying is that boxers and full contact martial artists are not overconfident, egocentric, or arrogant?

 

Not about there unbeatability.

 

Then I must be watching different fights to you...

 

you have to know you will win going into a fight. or you won't.

for what its worth, while we are sharing our meanlingless anecdotal evidence, i have met far less jerks ad <snip> in my time doing muay thai and boxing than I did when i was doing traditional arts.

 

Now you're talking.. I think most would agree that CMA seems to have suffered from poor tuition. You may too be able to point around a few TMA and pick dodgy ones out.

For what it's worth though, I'd take steve Rowe Esq. as my teacher in a blink..

...confidence is one thing & let us temper it then with humility.. unless you're Ali or something then you're forgiven.

only the dead and buried are unbeatable liokault, wake up man!!

 

Why is this post in the taiji thread? I've always considered taiji to be more important concerning health and well being than as a method of self-defense. When you see elder Chinese practing Taiji in the park I don't think they're doing it to prepare against a mugger.

 

That is a misconception that people have towards tai chi. People can practice tai chi just for its health benefit, but it doesn't mean the training and usefulness stops there. And the idea of misconception is partially what is driving this thread. The idea that the average tai chi practitioner isn't working with a viable version of tai chi. Which the debate is almost to the point of hysterically funny, since it seems like everyone is saying that about everyone else ( in the general sense, not specifically here ). Who to believe?

-- jolt

 

Pitfighter - I have a foot in both camps, (don't read anything else in to that, you'd be way off the mark!) as when I train with my teacher, we get to bounce each other around the dojo, but I also teach Taiji in the daytime to older people - or seniors, as you would call them. If you ever come across the term 'Taiji Chuan', you can be sure that it's being taught as a martial art, or at least it should be if the teacher knows his onions. I certainly don't teach my wrinklies how to throw each other around (the insurance would be astronomic ), and I enjoy both approaches to Taiji, both are perfectly valid. I did practice Karate for a while but found it damaging to the body - with Taiji you can practice without injury unless you come across the real headbangers.....Also don't forget that most of the chinese masters lived to a ripe old age, and didn't need to move fast to be effective.

 

It's ironic that having spent 40 years in full contact and the RBSD arts that I find myself having to slow the rantings of those that think it's the 'only way' to train. They disprove their own point by demonstrating arrogance in their opinions.

Patience and tolerance is accepting that there will be OAP's that simply want to live a bit longer and healthier, people with damage and sickness that can be alleviated with a bit of 'taiji light'. People that want a 'social activity' more than punching each others lights out. Not everyone that gets in a swimming pool wants to be an olympic swimmer.

High quality martial artists tend to not have too many students because they are too intense. Good RBSD instructors will only ever teach the 'trade' because who else can cope with that level of violence?

Sport martial arts at a high level requires an admirable level of fitness, skill and courage and is in no way sufficient training to deal with people that commit violent acts on a daily basis. You have to understand the environment, strategies and weaponary of the opposition and have technique to match.

The GOOD thing about taiji is that it has the depth and tools to be able to be used in all of these environments. To think that is the entirety of taiji is like a blind man holding an elephants trunk and claiming that he knows what an elephant is. I'm not saying that what liokault does is wrong, simply that he is narrow visioned - but then I probably was at his age.

 

Another 'I'm right because I'm old post'.

They are almost as your 'I'm right because I know someone who does bouncing’.

Funnily I was chatting to an origami teacher the other day, he was saying how an SAS guy in his paper folding class has found practical (although non specified) ways to apply it in the field

 

DITTO - WHAT HE SAID

All the best.

Robert.

 

Something I originally wrote years ago - though I did tidy it up about a week ago when I altered it to fit the style of my new site...

http://www.p-k-j.org/content/taichi01.html

All the best.

Robert.

 

Hi All,

Tai Chi for Self Defense is NOT the same as Tai Chi as a Martial Art - it's a sub-set.

Tai Chi as a martial art can be as hands on, hardcore, brutal, full contact as you wish it to be. Tai Chi for Self Defense is about being SMART and quick and clever and subtle and violent and brave and sneaky and....

NOT the same thing.

Self Defense is NOT about beating the whatsits out of someone because you are bigger and tougher than them - for it to be self defense it has to be taken as a fact that the attacker is stronger, bigger, tougher - otherwise WHO is the aggressor??? So if the attacker is bigger stronger etc... then the defender needs to be better trained and smarter - The best defence is not being there

- it's simply that the problem is that very few people (myself included) train in all the varieties of the art - probably because there isn't enough time in the day - So the bits that we do train in (individually) become to us THE TRUTH.... Sorry, no such thing

All the best.

Robert

 

It's a shame that your not able to actually answer the points and have a proper discussion. I'll finish on this thread here as there's no point in engaging in a slanging match.

 

Were there points there?

Please highlight them and I will answer

 

Nice article Robertmap - agree with your last posting also.
Steve - probably the best move imo

Lastly...
Being one-dimensional needs to be recognised as an actual disability imho...
...as does the little known learning disability of being able to write, but apparently unable to read....

roflmao

I'm off to wave my arms around in a stereotypically hippy way
(course I am )

:Angel:

 

don't forget the spaghetti sauce TB !