Don Tow's Website

Many people in both East and West only know that Taiji is a health exercise, but they do not know that Taiji is also a martial art, good for self defense. Just during the last couple of months, I have encountered many people, including Caucasians and to my surprise also many Chinese and Chinese Americans, who have the above belief. When I mentioned to them not only that Taiji is a martial art, it was invented as a fighting art [1], they were startled to learn that.

One reason for the above mis-conception is that they know or at least have seen that Taiji involves slow and soft movements, and they thought that such slow and soft movements cannot be good for self defense. This article provides a short explanation of why Taiji is an effective martial art.
Read More »

Three Major Components of Taiji Practice

There are three major components of Taiji practice:  Forms, Push Hands, and Meditation.  Everyone who has ever practiced Taiji knows about and has practiced the Forms component, i.e., engaging the body in various sets of prescribed movements, and depending on the level of practice, perhaps integrating with breathing techniques.  Most people who are interested in Taiji from the perspective of martial arts probably also know about and have practiced the Push Hands component, i.e., engaging with another practitioner in various choreographed or free-style arm and leg movements trying to execute some of the martial applications of Taiji.  However, many people who practice Taiji may not have engaged in the Meditation component, even though they might have heard about it.
Read More »