As a t’ai chi instructor in Greeley, one of the questions I often hear among my students is if t'ai chi is an effective form of self-defense. When asked, my response is, “Well, yes—and no.”
When I first began my study of t’ai chi ch’uan more than 40 years ago in the early 1980’s it was the Golden Age of Martial Arts in the United States, with thousands of schools flourishing throughout the country. People flocked in droves to learn Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Brazilian, and Israeli martial arts styles—each of which touted itself to be the very best self-defense system in the world.
T’ai chi was among these schools of self-defense. And while it is simply referred to as “t’ai chi” by many, the missing word, “ch’uan,” is key. Ch’uan means “fist,” and when paired with the prefix of “t’ai chi” the phrase is generally translated as, “Supreme Ultimate Fighting.” This rather grandiose label has led some to maintain that t’ai chi ch’uan lies at the kernel of all the other Chinese martial art forms of the time, which is not true, as discussed below.
“Supreme Ultimate” Martial Arts
While t’ai chi ch’uan is said to date back to the 15th Century, many other Chinese martial arts predate it, including the Five Animal systems, from which t’ai chi ch’uan borrows many of its movements, or “postures” as they are called. Indeed Snake, Tiger, and Crane postures appear throughout ‘tai chi ch’uan.
And thus, it was believed that because t’ai chi ch’uan was an amalgam of the very best fighting forms of its time, it deserved the descriptor of “Supreme Ultimate.” Those who achieved mastery in this system were invincible, an accolade they earned in fight after fight.
Self-defense in the earliest days of t’ai chi ch’uan was a brutal affair. Stories abound of the hapless criminal seeking an easy victim who chances upon a mild-looking master of t’ai chi ch’uan, and dies horribly when his mild lamb transforms into a ferocious tiger who callously takes his life.
Indeed there is the gruesome tale of the founder of the Yang family t’ai chi ch’uan school, Yang Luchan. The story has it that while he was taking a stroll with his grandson, he was attacked by a bandit demanding his purse. The elder Yang smiled and asked, “Grandson, would you like to hear the swallow sing?” Without waiting for a reply, he savagely attacked the bandit, driving his fingers into his throat. As the bandit died choking on his own blood, he made a series of chirps that sounded like a swallow in full song.
Having heard such bloodthirsty tales as these, I eagerly applied myself to mastering t’ai chi ch’uan. While practicing, I imagined myself dispatching countless villains using postures bearing the fanciful names of Repulse The Monkey, Bend Bow-Shoot Tiger, and Snake Creeps Down.
The Truth About Self-Defense and T’ai Chi
About two years into my studies, my school was graced by a visit from Grand Master Pang Jeng “Ben” Lo, who put on an amazing display of self-defense. Whenever he gave a workshop, it was Master Lo’s custom to encourage any local fighter from nearby martial arts academies to come to the class and attempt to defeat him, no holds barred.
In an incredible display of expertise, I watched Master Lo quickly and effortlessly dispatch challenger after challenger, laughing at their ineptness, and thoroughly humbling them with his skill.
My wonder at Ben Lo’s effective use of t’ai chi ch’uan for defending himself continued throughout the workshop until one of my classmates gushed, “Master Lo, isn’t t’ai chi truly the best martial art for self-defense?” Ben reflected for a moment, then said (and I paraphrase here since it was so long ago),
“Have any of you seen the movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark? Do you remember the scene in the marketplace when the bad guy with the big sword confronts Indiana Jones? What happened? The bad guy growls and shows off with his sword until Indiana Jones calmly shoots him with his gun. Now that bad guy clearly was a master of his weapon. He probably studied many years to achieve this level of skill. But he was brought down in an instant by a man standing twenty feet away. So while t’ai chi is very good for self-defense, no martial art can stand up to a gun.”
My classmates and I stood there, stunned and silent. Then it slowly dawned on us that no matter how hard we trained, no matter what level of self-defense proficiency we achieved, we would be defeated by an attacker with a superior weapon in an instant.
T’ai Chi as Self-Defense Today
Which brings us back to the question that started this article—is t’ai chi an effective form of self-defense? I suppose that in a bare-knuckle bar fight, someone trained in t’ai chi ch’uan could more than hold his own against an ignorant, drunken lout.
But in this day and age, when so many people are walking about armed with powerful handguns that they are fully licensed to carry and conceal, and more than willing to use, even the best t’ai chi ch’uan fighter would stand little chance.
And even if through luck and skill the martial artist could defeat the untrained man with the gun, the victor in this imagined encounter could still lose. For in this litigious age, the prospect of eventual defeat in the legal system looms when he is sued by an enterprising plaintiff’s attorney.
So when my students ask me about the effectiveness of ‘tai chi ch’uan as a self-defense system, I share with them my Ben Lo story and encourage them to appreciate the martial arts roots of t’ai chi ch’uan, but to study it for its many health benefits, and relegate its tales of heroism to the lore of ancient China. To read more about the various health benefits of Ruler T’ai Chi™, check out my recent blog post.
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