Tai Chi as a Fighting Art

**Cullion** · Posted On: 5/04/2007 5:03pm

Originally Posted by Locu5

So how do your TCC schools progress to/through push hands in relation to the IMA forms, etc?

I was taught freestyle fixed-step pushing hands (with as much 'brute force' as you wanted allowed), and then shuai-jiao rules free wrestling before being shown any of the form in my first class.

I sparred hard in loose San Shou rules after a couple of weeks.

We always do fixed-step free pushing hands (without any ritualistic arm-twirling to begin, you just get into a clinch and a stance and start) at the start of every lesson and the form to cool down at the end.

**meataxe** · Posted On: 5/04/2007 9:14pm

Originally Posted by Bamenwubu

I have found a good teacher of genuine, martial Yang Tai Chi Chuan. My teacher is not a "Master", but his teacher is and I train with him whenever he comes to our town or I go to his.

Who's your teacher?

**blugularis** · Posted On: 6/02/2011 8:22am

I seem to recall something in a don draeger book where he saw a tai chi guy come, and like throw, push or punch someone acrossed a room. He asked his teacher about it, and his teacher said that it was for a certain kind of person, so I wouldn't be suprized if it could increase your stances and pushing and "warding" abilities, to an extent, if practiced. My aikido sensei, who was called "aikido for the streets" by the Japanese cohorts, his father was a boxer and wrestler in south america, so he was always including the entering punch in his teaching prior to the aikido move, anyway, he says that a lot of the moves in tai chi are like moves in aikido and showed us some of them. I've also seen at least one teacher teach "both" here in Salt Lake. Back to Mr. Erle Montague, the reason I googled his name/bullshido" was I just found an old VHS tape in my old libary of him, and read it, and it says he was the "only" person who was "awarded the degree of master" by China!? LOL, then I checked his website out last night, and he goes on, and on, and on, about how he was teaching John Doe back in the early eighties, and that he could not have learned it from a book or tape, as...blah, blah, blah, and how he was a great master and the first and only and all this ****. Then I checked him on you tube, and he was waving some "bagui knives, the most deadly knife" around. He reminded me of the typical "kempo" teacher that talks a lot, and a lot, and a lot, of **** and waves his arms around, and stomps his feet and such, very flashy, but you never train or really learn how to fight, it's too hard to get past the dribble. I was thinking what Randall would think about those "most deadly bagui knives" LOL. Anyway, my BS filter went up, so I thought I would check him out on bullshido.

**Cullion** · Posted On: 6/03/2011 8:03am

Erle Montaigue died in January. Best left alone.

**waterfall** · Posted On: 8/07/2012 11:45pm

This will probably sound flaky. I think it really depends on the person. If the person is a good fighter that person can use tai chi to fight, and if they can be relaxed and issue power, too, then it has the potential to work really well. It also depends on the system and how practical it is. Some Tai Chi systems miss the mark on fighting or are solely focused on health. The thing about Tai Chi is that it makes you feel really good, happy, and peaceful. I think it has a greater use as a stress reducer and for its healing and spiritual benefits, but it is first a martial art. No matter what you study there will always be someone better, and its not necessarily the art, it could just be the talent of that person. Erle is well documented and and has the authority of his system. Its hard to judge based on video footage. I have to assume that he was pretty great. Although as with all, not unbeatable.