TAIJIQUAN SELF-DEFENSE
Many people practice Taijiquan today as a health exercise, but it is as well a very effective internal martial art. The slow and soft movements may be difficult to accept as a fighting system for some people, but that's what it is and that's what it has been for many generations.
In traditional martial art training, the emphasis of Taijiquan is more on the preparation and development of internal power than the individual technique as in most external martial art styles. This is why it is difficult for a beginner to understand and see the technical skills in Taijiquan.
Taijiquan is based on the principle of soft overcoming hard. There is a belief that the principle of softness overcoming hardness means avoidance. This is not true, because nobody who is on the defense all the time comes out victorious. Taijiquan emphasis on soft and hard interaction is based on soft as in (yielding or deflection) and hard as in attacking, and the two components always go together.
Taijiquan emphasis on the techniques of yielding and attacking at the same time which means there should be defensive and offensive intention in each movement so that the counter-strike will be quicker and will seize the opponent's weak area before he can recover. This combination involves every part of the body, thus one must train the whole body to be sensitive, limber and flexible. This is different from most martial arts styles where offensive and defensive techniques occur separately.
To be able to strike continuously is something all practitioners would like to do. This does not give the opponent a chance to rest and recover. In many styles of martial arts, combination strikes are generally pre-arranged exercises to improve one's physical endurance and confrontation experiences. In Taijiquan training, one sees this combination as one circle. Half the circle is for offense and half is for defense.
Taijiquan sticks to the opponent's movement. This means one is sticking to the opponent whenever there is a chance to be in contact with the opponent's body. The goal is to get a superior position as the result of this execution.
Taijiquan movements are soft, relaxed and circular, with emphasis on yin and yang balance. This means all movements have both the soft and hard component power. When the opponent strikes, the soft component makes the opponent lose balance and the hard component strikes back. When the movement is circular, it does not overextend; thus, the body is balanced and is able to issue power to strike or to get a superior position. This is why in Solo Form Practice all the movements are circular. When one is balanced, one is able to move the feet to get a superior position and to avoid falling into an inferior position. This requires good skill, calmness and a limber body.