Taiji Boxing

“Slow is Smooth. Smooth is Fast.” - Attributed to NAVY SEALS training 

Besides being a healing system, taiji is a fighting system also known as “cotton boxing” from when it was used to fight pirates. Some of the training is done slowly to train body mechanics, fluidity, and strength. Taiji fighting speed is one of the fastest, including explosive striking methods known as “fa-jing.”    

There are a few reasons why taiji is sometimes not recognized for fighting capability.  For one, it is renown as a healing system, so most practitioners only see it as such and are not interested in learning beyond this aspect.  There is also a misguided opinion that if someone learns fighting applications for the long form and does push hands, it would somehow make them capable of fighting. Yet we can see a number of internet videos when such an approach faces a brutal reality, which does not help the taiji reputation.     

I and some of my students have a background in a variety of hard martial arts including mixed martial arts before we turned to taiji.  Taiji boxing is not designed as the first fighting art or an art that is quick to learn.  Traditionally, growing up kids would learn how to punch, kick, and grapple before starting to learn taiji.  Therefore, for those of our students who don't have much experience in fighting,  we give an introduction to basic fighting skills and tactics that gets them to speed and ready in parallel to learning taiji.  Also, while teaching taiji techniques we show the similarities and differences with more conventional fighting methods.  

Here are some features of taiji boxing: 

  1. Best fight is no fight: From our point of view, best idea of winning is to avoid a fight altogether which is a different mindset from competitive martial arts.  Therefore, we pay attention to de-escalation sequences and situational awareness, which is a part of our curriculum.  

  2. Fighting Style: Once a fight starts there are no engagement rules, as we do not recommend fighting unless you or another’s life and health are in serious danger.  Therefore, fighting systems like ours allow a number of techniques that are prohibited by MMA rules.  Such techniques often allow people who are smaller, weaker, or older to have a better chance to win a fight.  

  3. Bare hands:  Fighting with no gloves makes a big difference and we teach technique modifications for bare knuckle fights, for example, to minimize damage danger to hands during strikes.  Striking with bare hands allows a larger variety of strikes and different alignments of common punches to better target vulnerable locations.  It also allows effective use of taiji explosive strike body mechanics, fa-jing.

  4. Forms: Is doing forms good for fighting?  It depends.  If somebody is intensely training for a prize or competition fighting, doing forms takes valuable time when techniques and tactics could be practiced instead.  On the other hand, if somebody does martial arts as a long term interest, the forms slowly evolve from a simple sequence of movements to a multilayer experience that combines advanced body mechanics for movement and combat, fighting applications, supporting long term strength and fluidity, expounding breathing, relaxation, meditation, and self-acupuncture.  In addition, the aesthetic pleasure of doing forms correctly is associated with a dopamine fix that we all can use.  In our style, we practice long, slow forms, fast partner sets, and weapons forms.  Practicing forms also allows us to maintain skills while away from class.  

  5. Weapons: We teach weapons forms from our taiji system (broadsword, straight sword, spear), and from other systems when it is helpful for self protection and increases weapon fighting capabilities (knife, short staff, long staff, sword partner set). We also teach techniques of fighting with and against knives and sticks as we consider those two as the most practical and widespread weapons.  

  6. Environment Awareness: We teach how to assess the environment for the levels of danger and how to use it for defense.  Having eyes on your phone makes you an attractive victim while showing an attentive demeanor can either prevent an attack or give you time to prepare.  Being aware of exits, hiding places, paths to escape, obstacles and trips behind, and improvised weapons can make a big difference in outcome.

  7. Safer Sparring: Allowing self defense techniques in taiji boxing makes full contact sparring unsafe and impractical for our class.  Instead we use “Play Sparring” which is a training method that is getting more popular, including in MMA.  The idea is to optimize training efficiency by reducing the power and speed of strikes to the extent that allows both fighters to be creative in offense and defense without excessive concern about getting hurt which creates an optimal environment for learning, see this video for additional discussion.  We developed a “calibration drill” to be done in the beginning of a sparring session to set up agreed power and speed levels.  We also practice full power techniques and defenses against high levels of pressure and aggression on bags or with clearly defined movements.

So why study taiji boxing?  For one, it helps maintaining and improving physical and mental health along with fighting skills.  It can be practiced the whole life and never gets boring.  And you meet interesting people as you do it.