It has only been in the last half-century that tai chi became known more for health than self-defense. A look at Chen style (the oldest known form of tai chi), shows that the martial roots are more noticeable, because of explosive fa jing movements and a much higher ratio of hard-to-soft applications including punches and elbows. In America, however, Chen style is much less common than Yang style and other forms of tai chi, because it is harder to learn and requires greater physical ability.

With the popularity of Yang style, which tends to be softer and less invasive, the martial aspects of tai chi were rarely taught. Most tai chi styles have excellent self-defense applications. They are simply much less obvious. Along with the missing martial self-defense reality of tai chi, there also exists a great deal of misconception and misinformation about how to obtain both the internal and external aspects of the system.

Vicious Techniques
Tai chi has vicious physical applications, which include eye strikes, throat strikes, groin slaps, neck breaks, simple knockout strikes, finger and small joint breaks, dim mak and advanced energy strikes that penetrate deep into the body. All parts of the body are used; techniques feature striking with the open hand, fingers, punches, elbows and knees, forearms, shins, the head and back, as well as seizing, grappling, throwing and breaking.

Fa Jing—Explosive Energy
Fa jing means explosive energy. The most impressive fa jing demonstrations show a practitioner bouncing an opponent several feet into the air or even though it appears he has hardly moved. 

In some of our Clear's Tai Chi Fa Jing video clips on Clearstaichi.com, we show the energy flowing into someone and as well as the healing aspect when energy is removed.                   
There are a variety of different expressions of fa jing. Some of the types of fa jing we teach are how to fa jing with breath; compression; contraction and expansion; sudden change of body state; peng, lu, ji, an, root bounce; coiling; waving; and no distance hitting.

Jing Expressions
There are 36 primary kinds of jing expression and many other methods and jings. These include the eight original jings: peng, ward off; lu, roll back; ji, press; an, push; tsai, pluck; lieh, split; zhou, elbow; and kao, shoulder and back. These expressions are not postures, but rather physical expressions/jings/ directions of force. Other jing expressions in our tai chi include, compression, rooting, electric, jian si jing, silk reeling; ting jing, listening; hua jing, borrowing power; floating, spiraling, ghosting, underwater and four ounces moves 1,000 pounds jings.

Tai Chi’s Dim Mak Strikes
Tai chi specializes in feeling deep inside a person—from the organs to the spine, from the brain to the mind’s intent. This is the first key to high-level ability for dim mak and healing. Tai chi training also teaches how to transfer whole body weight and power to anywhere inside the person’s body. This is the second key to high-level dim  mak training.

This training includes interrupting the opponent’s thoughts and mind. Tai chi dim mak strikes include  1-hit and 1-touch knockouts and the delayed death touch. Tai chi training also includes specialty palms such as cotton palm, vibrating palm and internal iron palm. This type of strike can do major damage. However, in our system, as well as all real “internal” higher level tai chi, this training includes hitting lightly and making the strike go wherever you intend it to go. This kind of light-contact strike leaves no visible marks. However, if your whole body weight is transferred to the spine or an organ, the effects can be lethal. The damage from a touch/strike can only be seen when surgery or an autopsy is performed.

Iron Body
Tai chi methods in this system include steel wrapped in cotton and golden bell. This type of training protects you when you’re attacked. Your attacker will feel like a heavy metal crowbar covered with a thin sheath of cotton just hit him. The more he hits, the  more he hurts.

Tai chi training includes learning to instantly negate the strikes and methods listed above. This is among the most-overlooked aspects of tai chi. While it’s impressive to knock someone across a room with a mere touch, it is equally impressive to reduce the damage done by such a strike.

Healing
Each tai chi jing has a healing aspect, which takes the same energy used for fighting, but applies it in a different way to aid health, longevity and healing. Part of the advanced training includes feeling deep inside and reversing the affects of strikes and physical trauma in yourself and others. As you become healthier, more responsible and a better healer you also learn the deeper combat aspects of the art. This is priceless, because most of us will not be assaulted more than once or twice in our lifetime. However, old age will be with us for many years. The tai chi health plan is appealing, available people of all ages and much less invasive then other alternatives.                                  

Bio
Richard Clear is among the foremost authorities on combat tai chi internal energy applications. His video examples, blogs, books and DVD’s are available at www.clearstaichi.com.