Chen-style Taijiquan FAQ

The most widespread forms of exercise, which are usually called Taichi (according to an outdated transcription method), could be understood as slow gymnastics. Originally, Taijiquan was, as the name suggests - the "quan" the name refers to fist fighting - a martial arts system. The development towards simplified forms of health probably came from the strong element of body work, which was integrated into the Taijiquan exercise system at an early stage. Be that as it may, we practice a martial art that can be strenuous to train. And partner training can sometimes be rough, depending on the goals of the trainee.

The slow execution of the movements is not an end in itself, but a necessity in the exercise process. We practice the first form slowly because we want to meet a variety of requirements for posture, body mechanics and the management of our attention. This can be overwhelming even with slow movements. Later in the training, movements are carried out in a more dynamic and explosive manner.

This question is asked often, but strictly speaking it makes no sense. Kungfu - actually Gongfu according to modern transcription - is a collective term for Chinese martial arts. Taijiquan is a single training system from it. A similar question would be about the difference between a BMW and a car. More information about Gongfu in general can also be found on this page.

This is also a difficult question, as the term Qigong is very broad and includes very different exercises. Historically, the answer would be no. Taijiquan was originally a form of quanfa (fist fighting method) or, as it is now called, wushu (martial art). Qigong refers to individual exercises and exercise systems that focus on regaining, maintaining and caring for physical and mental health. Taijiquan can also be trained for this purpose, but includes significantly more content that has been influenced by the context of martial arts.

This is a complicated topic. Self-defense is a legal term that has been deliberately kept very open. Physical threat or confrontation can occur in very different situations and take different forms. We do not train specific self-defense (e.g. against attacks, sexual violence or similar). The focus of Taijiquan is more on an abstract concept of physical conflict, which individual practitioners can then use and transfer for themselves.

No, even if many people claim that. Taijiquan attempts to achieve a kind of physical transformation through intensive body work. This also requires strength training, but in a specific way. So it really depends on the type of strength training. Body building exercises are not helpful here - functionally oriented strength training is. Core strength in particular plays a very important role in Taijiquan. Targeted strength training can be very helpful here.

In China, a distinction is often made between internal and external martial arts. The terms are problematic because they are politically and ideologically charged. The distinction only emerged in the 20th century, when more and more intellectuals, researchers and authors became involved in martial arts practice. A simple but very beautiful definition of the idea behind internal martial arts is the following: In internal martial arts we concentrate on the movement and force progression in the body, which then leads to movement in space. External martial arts would proceed exactly the other way around.

Many teachers advertise exactly this. In fact, such a promise is a bit tricky. Taijiquan was never intended as a method of physical rehabilitation. Of course, the training concept, or at least parts of it, can also be used for this. Depending on previous damage, practitioners have to be very careful. Our traditional Taijiquan in particular can be very physically demanding. It is easier to use Taijiquan for prevention than for actual rehabilitation.

Unfortunately this is not possible at the moment. As soon as the option is available, it will be added to the website here.