The origin of the tai chi chuan

The true origin of the Tai Chi is become blurred from the time, the legend and the pride of the several schools. It came from the dreams of a taoist monck, called Chang San Fen? It was the Chen family to invent the art during the dynasty of the Ming? Or a passage master taught it family to the Chen? If nobody to of the certainties, one what is sure, the fight and the war existed very before that it came developed to the Tai Chi Chuan. Therefore we can conclude that the Tai Chi Chuan has its origins in more recent methods of combat. Most important than these anicient systems it was the Shuai-Chiao (once called Chiao-Ti).

The Shuai-Chiao (pronounced Shuai-Jiao), is the most ancient method than combat that is known, going behind of 2500 years, at the time of the leggendary yellow Emperor Huang-Ti born in the desrt of the Gobi. The Shuai-Chiao was one feracious art with fight and knocking down techniques understanding to defeat more fastly and decidedly possible. A successive method of fight was the Shaolin Chuan, developed from the buddhist moncks near the temple of the Shaolin during the reign Zhi Zheng (the XIV sec.) in the course of the dynasty of the Yuan.

Many of the techniques found in the Shaolin Chuan, have their inheritance in the Shuai-Chiao while it is possible to attribute to the origins of the Tai Chi to a particular system as the Shuai-Chiao or Shaolin Chuan, is a clear demonstration that these anicient methods formed the origins of the Tai Chi Chuan. The test finds in the shapes (Chi Pen Tung), the ancient techniques of the Shuai-Chiao and of the Shaolin Chuan they are hidden inside of practical of the styles of Tai Chi. As an example, if a large one teaching knows the applications originates them of the Shuai-Chiao, it can discover to the true methods of the positions of Tai Chi that developed from the Shuai-Chiao.

An instructor of the sort is Chang Tung-Sheng, imbatteble champion of shuai-Chiao of all China and founder of the Chang-Shih Tai Chi Chuan. From the first young life, Chang travelled through China studying with the best masters of the Shuai-Chiao, most famous to the those times it was Zhang Feng Yan that had learned the style Pao-Ting Kuai Chiao from equally the famous Ping Jing Yi, at last married the daughter of Zhang Feng Yan, an only privilege classified the better student.

Today, remained imbatteble, it is considered from the greater part of largest Chinese teaching between combatant of last the three hundred years.

Although the extraordinary abilities to Chang were the result of the training of the Shuai-Chiao, he became an expert also of other systems. He studied Shaolin Chuan, Pa Qua Hsing-I, Lo Hang and Tai Chi Chuan. Chang admitted not to have been endured impressed from the Tai Chi during its life. He said that the greater part of the methods of Tai Chi Chuan had been modified in the course of the time, therefore their scope originates them, that one of the fight, had gone lost.

The emphasis, noticed, had been placed too much heavy on the health and the development of the Who Kung. Chang supported that it was possible to gain much good health and development of the Chi Kung from the classic techniques of combat, and did not understand because the combative nature of an art had to suffer of.

Chang had met many masters of the degrees higher, than several styles of Tai Chi, but nobody impressed he like great combatant. When the famous "Getlteman of the sword" only met general Li Ching Lin, the famous sir of the sword was provoked its interest in the Tai chi chuan. Chang observed that the Tai Chi Chuan of Them Ching Lin was more in harmony with what he considered a good employment of fight and a good development of Chi Kung.

The Tai Chi of Them Ching Lin was a taoist version that went back to the period in which the Tai Chi did not have a particular name or style. In the book "Wu Chi Chuan" of Leo Wang and Lu Yi Su, the Wu chi chuan comes defined the first system of Tai Chi. The ancient art did not exist neither in taoist shape neither in buddhist shape and came, second the superstitions, practiced subsequently from "Yang Lu Chan". The Wu famous Chi chuan became as Tai Chi Chuan and with the development of several the taken styles family names. One says that the Chen family has founded the first true style of Tai Chi chuan, than later on it generated the styles Yang, Wu and Sun, and all took the name of their founders.

The style of Lin Ching Li was in some way similar to the positions of the Wu chi chuan originates them. But more meaningfully, those positions were similar to those sights in the ancient art of the Shuai-Chiao. Chang recognized the classic authenticity of the style of Lin Ching Them, and was in agreement in exchanging the applications originates them of Shuai-Chiao with the Tai style Chi. Later on Chang eliminated from the style some movements, than he considered superfluous weak people and. The example more obvious than superfluous movement was introduced in the famous position of the "Snake that comes down slowly".

With the new doctrine the general Lin found its Tai Chi the much most useful one, in how much it hour knew its true ones employs of combat, therefore like the more common aspects of the Chi Kung and the personal defense. Lin Ching Li, like the greater part of the professionals of its time, possessed a style of Tai Chi classic, but it was unaware of its ancient applications. Today little and changed, while the greater part of teaching of the Chen styles, Wu or Yang, know several applications for their movements, little know the directed methods of Shuai-Chiao that pregave whichever other system of known combat.

The greater part of masters of Tai Chi is getting lost one of the more important aspects of the Tai chi chuan, the knocking down techniques. Masters today of Tai Chi chuan train themselves to reject, to hit, to push and also to land! The knocking downs of the Shuai-Chiao aim to put combat outside or to kill an adversary, is if he in motion finds that to earth. A simple push will not obtain this result.

Chang recognizes that pushing that occupies the own position in the Tai chi chuan, but supports that the art goes more in depth for anyone is interested to the combative abilities to the art. Practicing would have to know the many applications of the style Chen, Yang, Wu, and to practice several to the common movements of Chi Kung to all the styles. And the origin is the Shuai-Chiao, in the within of the Tai Chi chuan.

Considering that the applications of the style of Chang can be attributed to the first days of life of the Shuai-Chiao, its method is one of the anicient and more correctly accessible classics. And if the name of Chang is express to pronounce, the techniques are survivors to thousand of years and tests of combat. The Shuai-Chiao originates completely remains intact through the centuries, although its styles came incorporate in the Wu Chi to you chuan that it was gone developing, that it made them more Yin (delicate) in how much opposite to the Yang (hard in nature). To the end, however, the Wu chi chuan changed therefore a lot that all the applications of Shuai-Chiao were lost.

All the Tai Chi is good. But for those that have it appeal to to search the source of the Tai chi chuan, the style and the theory of Chang look illuminated in the origins of the Tai Chi can more be one. A pause of reflection then adds: The Tai chi chuan always has been rewarding and amusing for me, therefore like is useful in my combats. But only after to have uncovered it upgrades them hidden of the Tai Chi has realized really how much can be effective. He is incalculable for those who are interested in the use of the Tai Chi, to examine the relation between the Tai Chi and the Shuai-Chiao.

Only recently the relative information to the formidable Shuai-Chiao style and its relation with the inner arts have become the western world accessible. But it is sure that this will change.Until the legend of great master Chang Tung-Sheng (nicknamed the Flying Butterfly) will remain strong, expert practicing will follow it of sure.