Choosing the path of defending oneself can be correct
Offline Choosing the path of defending oneself can be correct
Some history about Chen family Taijiquan-
First it must be made clear that Taijiquan was developed by a retired soldier, a fighter who had knowledge of martial arts as well as Chinese medicinal and cultivational practices. It was primarily developed as a martial art practice with the intention of making the best use of the human body's cultivational facility while practicing. It originally was not developed with the idea of giving old people a method of moving slowly in the morning to alleviate arthritis although it can be used that way.Taiji quan is over 300 years old as a system and takes its roots from further back. the system was developed in northern central China by a retired general (or some sort of soldier official) Named Chen Wang Ting, who had a great and broad martial arts skill. He Mixed his vast skill with ancient Daoist and Buddhist breathing and meditation methods as well as traditional medicinal theory and Qi gong.
Chen Wangting, Ninth Generation member of the Chen Family, served as a professional soldier for the Ming Dynasty fighting rebel forces. He was exposed to a variety of battlefield martial arts, which were more important militarily before the gun appeared on the battlefield. Despite his background and perseverance, in 1644, Chen ended up on the losing side. Rebel forces began to gain an upper hand, and soon thereafter the Ming Dynasty fell. It is then that Chen Wangting likely retreated to Chen Village and developed the comprehensive martial art and internal training system we now call Chen Style Taijiquan.
A third branch was headed up by another fourteenth generation member of the Chen family named Chen Youheng. Chen Youheng developed what many see as the first New Frame of the style. This New Frame was not a watering down of Chen style by any stretch of the imagination. Instead, it was viewed as an even more martial rendering of the style adapting to the ever changing face of military hand-to-hand combat. This approach was exemplified by his offspring, Chen Jishen and Chen Zhongshen who were recognized as warriors who successfully stood up to the Taiping rebels during the reign of the Emperor Hsien Feng. Some accounts credit Chen Zhongshen specifically with adding further developments of a "Big Style" that emphasized a martial prowess, and made the style more practical and adaptable to battlefield considerations.
Henan and its neighboring North China provinces of Hebei, Shandong, and Shanxi were home to a strong martial tradition, for a variety of historical and social reasons. First, they lay in the path of repeated waves of barbarian invasions from the north, the latest of which ruled from Beijing as the Manchu, or Qing (Ching), dynasty. Second, the area was riven by clan and sectarian rivalries which often turned violent. Third, the region was rife with banditry and crime. Barriers to class mobility and the practices of polygamy and female infanticide had created a huge surplus of destitute, single, and alienated young men; to many of them, the attractions of a swashbuckling life of crime and pillage proved irresistible.
http://www.chinafrominside.com/ma/taiji/chenboxingmanuals.html
Chen Fa Ke-
(1887-1957), seventeenth generation descendant of Chen clan, famous Chen style Taijiquan master, Chen Chan Xing's Great grandson. Chen became famous in his hometown for victories in lei tai (free fighting) competitions held in the county and for defeating opponents armed with spear and sabre while Chen stood barehanded(after he rejected the post offered to him by Han Fuju, local warlord). In 1929 , through Chen Zhaopi's recommendation , Chen Fa Ke left Chenjiagou and went to Beiping (today's Beijing) to teach Taijiquan . Very modest, used to say about himself "No Good" and for this reason became known as "Chen No Good". Many times challenged by martial arts practioners (including Bagua and Chinese wrestling experts) , defeated them in great style, without hurting anybody
Chen Zhoukui, Son of Chen Fa Ke
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrAczAE66w0
A site with photos of Chen Fa Ke, the last great Chen style master, and clips of his grandson-
http://www.taijigongfu.com/gallery.html
Tian Xuchen, student of Chen Fa Ke I believe, demonstates first Taijiquan routine
http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=5725315778623154817&q=chen+tai+chi
Lei Mu Ni demonstrates the 2nd Taijiquan routine, Cannon fist
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPYtoFllHy8&search=chen%20taiji
Feng Zhiqiang
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4w_62WX9Rk
Article about Chen Zhou Kui, son of Chen Fa Ke
http://www.chenstyletaichi.com/english/pages/a_zhaokui.htm
Grandmaster Ma Hong demonstrating New Frame 1st road routine. "The best xinjia(new frame form) player in the world" 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz5tPB9U1DI
More Ma Hong
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1tQk920wFo&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANuuFvHsrJQ&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hcv8xjLPwiU
The whole body is connected as one solid unit, but also moves like a worm or whip at the same time
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFhkDe9x0Jk
Old Frame 1st road routine demonstrated by Zhu Tian Cai
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6ZwM7Nlgs0
Zhu Tian Cai demonstrating more
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeJDZ10Vsp4
Chen Zheng Lei demonstration
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVGg1lrjAcM
Short Taijiquan clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfHBXHqVUzk&search=Tai%20Chi
form video-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0D0Iko2pMo&search=Tai%20Chi
Cannon fists. The power hits and moves fast like a cannon, and sometimes it's really cool because it moves like a wrapped chinese fire cracker--
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYkftdgHDJI&search=Tai%20Chi
Chen Xiaowang demonstares Old Frame 2nd road routine, Cannon Fist.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4040779796257295654&q=tai+chi
http://www.dao.pl/galeria/video/cxw001.zip
Chen Bing demonstrating cannon fists
http://chitaichi.com/data/chenbing.wmv
http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-3439629164104286975&q=chen+tai+chi
Chen Yu demonstates a little bit of New Frame 2nd routine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SSiRbTAn3A
and-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hQ4B1A9iHk
Weapons
Broad sword
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqvLKroFVcQ
Double Broadswords
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEK93v0dVjA
Example of Long Pole shaking
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQoWDLmXuvY
http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-58...&q=chen+tai+chi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzsZN8KIuzw
Spear
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQNO2FB0JFQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmxOyOzRr8s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLjUnmpQqP0
Example of Halberd
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZAxdE_qowo&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bI8UreOBGgA
Straight sword
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WOz1PCMkao...chen%20xiaowang
Double straight sword
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFBXJH7KiBk&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBIcuRhPc-g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFBXJH7KiBk&mode=related&search=
Little kid doing Long Broadsword
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_yzKs-CXrI...ch=chen%20taiji
Taijiquan application clips
Some joint seizing and wrestling throwing applications
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNjYAboN9kE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRd8xnYVoS8
I like the one legged standing in this clip, the man's waist and legs really are powerfully and strongly rooted into the ground. To be like a statue, or building, or bridge. Stable and rooted to the ground with straight up and down upright posture, and can never be made to lean over, tip over, or collapse. But also able to rotate and turn like a a wheel or ball in any direction flexibly and relaxed. To be able to remain relaxed and unaffected while being pushed, if one side of the body is attacked the other side of the body is not even affected and remains relaxed. He can't be moved back, his leg can't be lifted or sweeped etc.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldH40uF_f28
This Taiji video is really cool. Well, it's really boring for the first 5:00 minutes becasue it's just talking in chinese, so just ignore that and just let it fully load up. But at the 5:00 minute mark it shows something pretty cool. It shows 3 people pushing against a Taijiquan martial artist all being thrown down backwards at the same time. It makes no difference how hard someone pushes, how big they are, how strong, or where someone pushes or attacks like the legs, chest, waist, back, it doesn't matter. A Taijiquan martial artist cannot be moved or pushed backwards and can always return the force back to the opponent. Many people do not believe it is possible unless they see it in person for themselves 5:00 to 5:20
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBrqH6j24uw&search=Tai%20Chi
Demo of some Push Hands, very cool, a women is throwing around a man. At around 1:15 is really cool
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngRuqWtVfNU&search=Tai%20Chi
You have to be able to intercept someone's strike and put your structure down on it to take their shoulder down, out, and forward, and then send them flying back. Covering up your head and face or trying to go toe to toe probably isn't smart and is vulnerable in reality-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbCV3Vj9fhQ
Qinna joint locking. Again, you have to be able to intercept and catch someone's strike if they try to hit you. You have to be able to touch somon'es arm and instantly they go down to the ground or their knees buckle. You have to be able to catch a punch and instantly take their shoulder out of joint or send them flying.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wexTjQ54KM
Energy, short shaking power with any part of the body in any direction. Though humans can never gain shaking power like an animal like a mule or dog, it can still be quite violent
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfHBXHqVUzk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxxebP0u31g&search=taijiquan
fighting technique demos--
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QlKVog58WE
Push Hands training
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAicu-IPjMw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J85ARLul9h8&mode=related&search=
Taiji Push hands and wrestling training as a competition. To throw the opponent either down to the ground, or flying off the platform.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phLBusl2BRA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMx_S0HzwHI
Tai Chi tricks
http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=3308028374750317361&q=tai+chi
Throwing applications
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KZmOjypXiQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cf_jZAWuMs&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50voqEzGOdQ&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrOQck45We4&mode=related&search=
fighting applications even in old age
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wfKH6IRqmI
Some huge guy pushing against aTaijiquan practitioner
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpdzhYjx_zw...related&search=
knife vs. knife
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8cjegjBSlU&mode=related&search=
and-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QlKVog58WE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgedIB3NEOo&mode=related&search=
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So uhh, do you ever intend on making a relevant post on this board?
Definitely, but it really can't be done in one day, a context and way to understand things has to be established first.
But anyways, what do you think about the differences in opinion amongst relgions as to the issue of self defense or fighting to defend yourself?