OK, I do understand the sentiment and for most people that is true, however Tai Chi is way more aggressive than Karate. I used to say that in a fight I'd use Karate if I wanted to defeat an attacker and Tai Chi if I really had no choice but to seriously hurt or kill them !!!

By the way, I am not 'knocking' Karate, which I loved and practiced for 32 years, eventually being ranked as a fifth degree Black Belt ('5th Dan').

Tai Chi presents a fascinating paradox in martial arts. Often marketed as a gentle, flowing practice ideal for seniors and those seeking stress relief, its serene exterior masks a combative core of remarkable potency. This dichotomy creates misunderstandings about the art's true nature and capabilities.

The Peaceful Facade
In a Tai Chi class, you'll generally see people moving with deliberate slowness, their bodies relaxed as they flow through circular movements resembling a choreographed dance more than combat training. This peaceful exterior has led many to adopt Tai Chi purely for its health benefits:
 ⦿ Improved balance and flexibility
 ⦿ Stress reduction
 ⦿ Enhanced circulation
 ⦿ Joint mobility maintenance
 ⦿ Mindfulness development
Whilst all those things are completely true, it can lead to a common misconception about Tai Chi's true nature. While the practice can certainly be less physically taxing than karate's dynamic movements, the martial reality of Tai Chi tells a different story.

The Martial Reality
Tai Chi was developed as a sophisticated combat system. Its principles utilise physics and biomechanics to generate devastating power while appearing deceptively gentle. Unlike many hard-style martial arts that rely on muscular strength and explosive speed, Tai Chi's power is produced by structural alignment, weight shifting, and whole-body connectivity.

Several key elements make traditional Tai Chi potentially more destructive than many perceive:

Internal Power Development
Tai Chi's slow-motion training develops 'jin' - internal power that transmits force efficiently through relaxed tissues. This power generation doesn't rely on muscular tension but rather on the practitioner's ability to unite body and mind. When applied in combat, this allows for powerful strikes from extremely close range with minimal telegraphing.

Joint Manipulation and Destruction
The circular movements and subtle angles in Tai Chi forms contain applications designed to control and destroy an opponent's joints. Many techniques target vulnerable areas like the elbow, knee, neck, and smaller joints, using leverage rather than brute force to create structural damage.

Vital Point Striking
Traditional Tai Chi includes precise strikes to nerve clusters, pressure points, and vulnerable anatomical targets. These attacks, when properly executed, can cause disproportionate damage compared to the apparent effort expended.

It must be said that training is not easy as it is not just about knowing where (and how) to hit but also one needs to develop the correct mindset so that under the pressure of combat, the practitioner's mind remains clear and calm enough to actually be able to select targets and apply what are relatively difficult techniques.

Historical Context
Understanding Tai Chi's violent potential requires historical context. Developed during turbulent periods in Chinese history, Tai Chi was created for battlefield survival and protection in life-or-death scenarios. The Chen family, who are credited with Tai Chi's earliest documented form, were known as formidable warriors who used their art effectively in combat.

Only in recent centuries, particularly during the 20th century, did Tai Chi's health aspects gain prominence, partially due to political and cultural factors that discouraged martial training. This transformation has obscured the art's lethal origins for many modern practitioners. Indeed, I know many Tai Chi teachers that have no idea at all of the art's combat effectiveness.

Modern Training Realities
Today's Tai Chi landscape presents multiple training approaches:

Health-Focused Practice: The most common approach emphasizes gentle movement and mindfulness without combat applications.

Form-Based Traditional Training: Includes combat principles but may lack practical application methods.

Pseudo-Combat training: Includes partner drills, pushing hands and application practice but watered down so as to allow for competition and safe practice with a lot of the theory of combat completely removed.

Combat-Oriented Training: Incorporates partner drills, pushing hands, and application practice along with principles and theories of combat to develop functional fighting skills.

The Ethical Dimension
The duality within Tai Chi raises important ethical questions. Traditional Tai Chi masters often emphasized moral development alongside physical training, recognizing the responsibility that comes with potentially destructive knowledge. The violent aspects were balanced with philosophical teachings about restraint, harmony, and using force only as a last resort.

In today's society where (depending on geographic location) the ability to use a knife or a gun may supersede the need for unarmed defensive methods, it can be argued that ethically the instructor should look at Tai Chi as a means to improve the peacefulness of students not their fighting ability.

And what of market forces? If students only want to learn the 'soft' side of the art, does the instructor have a duty of care and a responsibility to try and teach them the combat side, or is the instructor, who is generally paid for their services, ethically bound to deliver what the customer wants to pay for?

Bridging Understanding
For practitioners seeking Tai Chi primarily for health, is there any need to focus on combat applications? The gentle practice of Tai Chi offers tremendous benefits regardless of martial interest. However, understanding Tai Chi's complete nature provides deeper appreciation for the art's principles and it also gives insight into the art's use of body mechanics. This is most useful in order to aid the practitioner in safeguarding themselves against errors which could lead to, or worsen, injuries to the bones, muscles, joints, or connective tissues.

The Combat Paradox
Hard styles like Karate often focus on decisive victory through knockout or submission - defeating an opponent without necessarily causing permanent harm. Their techniques are generally more straightforward and designed to end conflicts quickly.

Tai Chi's combat applications, conversely, can be devastatingly efficient at creating structural damage. The art's focus on close-range control, joint manipulation, and precise targeting of vulnerable anatomy makes it potentially more dangerous when applied with martial intent.

That is not to imply that one art is better than the other and nor does it mean that Karate is without killing techniques or that Tai Chi does not have 'peaceful' ones. But as a general rule, the art that looks outwardly the most violent (Karate) is not actually the one designed to do the most harm!

Conclusion
Tai Chi is a deep art. It is simultaneously a healing art, a moving meditation, and potentially one of the most violent fighting systems ever developed. This paradox doesn't diminish any aspect but rather highlights the art's remarkable depth and adaptability.

Whether practiced for health, self-defence, or personal growth, Tai Chi offers layer upon layer of discovery that can engage you for more than a lifetime. The gentle exterior and violent potential represent different aspects of a comprehensive system designed to cultivate both peace and power - a balance that makes Tai Chi unique among martial arts and worthy of continued study and appreciation.

The reality for most of us is that we will never experience the art's full combative potential. Without specific training in applications and fighting methods, the violent capabilities remain theoretical rather than practical. Of course, that is completely OK if your interest is just in health and wellness, although personally, I do rather like knowing that if ever something bad should happen 'on the street', I at least have a chance of surviving!