The Art of War (from Wikipedia.com)
Various forms of Taichi (Taiji) have been taught in St. Louis over the last 30 years or more. Still, most St. Louisians who have heard of Taichi think Taichi is just a workout regimen or simple recreation. The truth is that Taichi is a martial art which is good for all ages to learn and practice. It can build up one’s strength and stability; it teaches practitioners how to develop self-defense skills.
The philosophy of Taichi self-defense is rooted in The Art of War written by Sun Tsu (Sun Zi) dated more than 2200 years ago. Sun Tsu has been considered one of the greatest military geniuses in the world, and the Art of War was adopted during Operation Desert Storm ( the first Gulf War) planning. All Taichi forms have self-defense moves and Push-hands actually requires practitioners work with an opponent to understand the dynamics of attacking and defending using Taichi movements.
The Art of War has 13 chapters and begins with strategy setting or planning. A skillful Push-hands practitioner can survive attack from a powerful opponent by using proper strategy. The Art of War explains how one’s opportunities come from the relative weakness of the enemy in a given area. It further elaborates the dangers of direct conflict and shows how to win a confrontation by defusing it and maneuvering it. There is an old saying that advises using 4 ounces of strength to defeat a thousand pounds. Push-hands teaches practitioners how to lead an opponent to “emptiness” and then strike. The founding fathers of Taichi had a deep appreciation of Sun Tsu’s thinking and approaches. They designed and developed various Push-hands movements to combat various attacks. Some hard styles of martial arts have incorporated Taichi’s movements for self-defense. Below are a couple of good examples of Push Hands found on www.youtube.com which depict how to ward-off, roll-back and other defensive movements.
Dan Barbatti, a certified Taichi instructor, is facilitating a push-hands practice session at Bally’s on Dorsett in Maryland Heights. Dan stated that Push-hands should be a very good regimen for women who want to learn self-defense. Dan explained using the techniques of “stickiness” and “yielding” provide women great advantage for self-defense. But due to lack of understanding, all his students except one are male adults so far. 
Comments
Hey I am famous !
So cool! But will it slim me down???
It is clinically proven that Taichi burns more calories and fat than other aerobic regiments. It also helps to develop strong core and slim down the waist line.
I love that bamboo plate with Chinese words. Thanks for sharing the tips about how to live longer and heathier.
Taichi has embodided rich traditional Chinese culture and philosophy. I am having a great time doing researches on it and sharing it with the community.
Please provide references for your claim that Tai Chi burns more calories than other exercises.
Chris, thanks for your question. I participated the International Taichi Symposium recently held at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Gloria Yeh, from Beth Israal Deaconess Medical Center and Dr. Nisha Manek from Mayo Clinic stated that Taichi burns more fat and calories than some aerobic regiments. I am in the process of getting more detail info and I will publish this later.
Way to go Dan!!! Another great article, Violet. Keep it up!
Great article!
Violet, I understand you say it is clinically proven. I am asking you which clinic proved it, and where they published the results.
Sorry, nevermind, I didn't see that comments here are printed in reverse order.
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