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I fail to see the controversy or even the surprise. Fighting is a skill like any other: learnt by trial and error. Tai Chi's curriculum, for all its benefits an

I fail to see the controversy or even the surprise. Fighting is a skill like any other: learnt by trial and error. Tai Chi's curriculum, for all its benefits and martial origins, does not include fighting. The article talks about judo, karate etc in the same breath. Most commercialized/popularized martial arts face the same issue: they are tightly regulated and "exhibition" driven. The rules of judo competition, for instance, disallow large parts of the judo curriculum. As a result those parts are rarely taught, and only taught to very high ranking folks. This causes judo to lose part of what makes it a martial art. Given enough time, it might (d?)evolve into something akin to Tai Chi.

rsync 9y ago
"Tai Chi's curriculum, for all its benefits and martial origins, does not include fighting." This is not really true ... You are correct that all Tai Chi that you see being practiced and essentially all Tai Chi practitioners are basically doing standing yoga exercises. However, there are people studying Tai Chi stances and movements and their application to "real" fighting. I am very, very much opposed to the bullshit in martial arts and I am happy to see frauds exposed ... but as a mixed martial arts and BJJ player, I do find value in Tai Chi movements and practice - and not solely for relaxation and meditation.