T'ai Chi Hapkido-ish?

[tbubb1]

Hey, I started experimenting with T'ai Chi, but decided that I'd rather work on that if I can find a class for it in my area (books and DVD's suck lol), but I really liked the idea of the slow movements and flowing techniques. Now I know that hapkido is based on flowing circular movements as well, so I'm wondering if it'd be beneficial to practice hapkido on my own very slowly in a crazily relaxed manner? But...there aren't any forms in hapkido...

So should I flow from one technique to the other in order very slowly and in a relaxed manner?

Would it work to practice my kicks, hand strikes and blocks like this? Thanks for your input.

[evilkingston]

i'm sure that IHF hapkido has weaponforms, and i saw a lot of hapkido styles WITH FORMS on a the first link in this initial post: check it out

http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24432

:D

[iron_ox]

Hello all,

It is always worth practicing slowly, but there is no need to practice a "hyung" of techniques together. Since Hapkido is about fight resolution, one good technique os enough - so practice the precision of individual techniques and I am sure that you will get good results.

A note about Tai Chi from a personal perspective - take it for what it is worth - as an opinion, I don't want to get flamed over it: Tai Chi is very powerful as a restoritive style, I tried it for about 8 months once. But, both parts, the slow motion long forms and the push hands components must be practiced together - I just did the slow long forms (for lack of a more simple definition) - I felt great for a while, then started to feel "ill" - so I figured I'd better do more practice - and got more and more ill - so I quit and the illness stopped - without both sides of the Tai Chi "coin" eg push hands as well, the build up of energy in the body is not a good thing. Hate to refer to this, but MANY of the well known dabblers in the west that do Tai Chi (generally without the push hands as part of their practice) have died at a very early age from cancer.

[tbubb1]

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand that's kinda scary. So what about Qigong then? Will I get sick if I continue to do Qigong w/ expelling all of the energy I generate?

[iron_ox]

Hello pretendingtodie,

I honestly don't know - that was just my VERY unscientific look at my experience with Tai Chi.

In terms of Kihap exercises, I tend to see those as fill-ups after a hard workout, or an additive prior to a hard workout, I rarely use them alone.

Again, just my opinion.

[domino8]

Hello all,

It is always worth practicing slowly, but there is no need to practice a "hyung" of techniques together. Since Hapkido is about fight resolution, one good technique os enough - so practice the precision of individual techniques and I am sure that you will get good results.

A note about Tai Chi from a personal perspective - take it for what it is worth - as an opinion, I don't want to get flamed over it: Tai Chi is very powerful as a restoritive style, I tried it for about 8 months once. But, both parts, the slow motion long forms and the push hands components must be practiced together - I just did the slow long forms (for lack of a more simple definition) - I felt great for a while, then started to feel "ill" - so I figured I'd better do more practice - and got more and more ill - so I quit and the illness stopped - without both sides of the Tai Chi "coin" eg push hands as well, the build up of energy in the body is not a good thing. Hate to refer to this, but MANY of the well known dabblers in the west that do Tai Chi (generally without the push hands as part of their practice) have died at a very early age from cancer.

Could you expand on this statement? What oncological studies have you carried out to substantiate this claim or which ones have you read that have lead you to this conclusion? I'm interest in which types of cancers you have linked to people who do Tai Chi forms without push hands?

Paul

[iron_ox]

Could you expand on this statement? What oncological studies have you carried out to substantiate this claim or which ones have you read that have lead you to this conclusion? I'm interest in which types of cancers you have linked to people who do Tai Chi forms without push hands?

Paul


Ummm, as I said one post later, this is not scietific at all. I also did not say that everyone that has died from cancer, in addition to doing Tai Chi did not do push hands. However, in general, I have found in the last 25 years of my experience in the martial arts, that westerners do only the long forms and not push hands - certainly of those few that did push hands, even fewer did the more "combat" oriented stuff I saw with some old timers while in San Francisco in 1982. I had never seen a combat side of the art until then - fascinating really.

Sorry, no oncology here, but famous folks, Jane Hallander would be one, and I have known a few in the Chicago area through my wife, a physician herself.

I am not trying to cast aspurtions here on Tai Chi, it is obviously very potent, but just adding that it should be done in its entirety.

Sorry for any confusion or misinterpretation from what I wrote that would lead you to believe otherwise. :)

[domino8]

Ummm, as I said one post later, this is not scietific at all. I also did not say that everyone that has died from cancer, in addition to doing Tai Chi did not do push hands. However, in general, I have found in the last 25 years of my experience in the martial arts, that westerners do only the long forms and not push hands - certainly of those few that did push hands, even fewer did the more "combat" oriented stuff I saw with some old timers while in San Francisco in 1982. I had never seen a combat side of the art until then - fascinating really.

Sorry, no oncology here, but famous folks, Jane Hallander would be one, and I have known a few in the Chicago area through my wife, a physician herself.

I am not trying to cast aspurtions here on Tai Chi, it is obviously very potent, but just adding that it should be done in its entirety.

Sorry for any confusion or misinterpretation from what I wrote that would lead you to believe otherwise. :)

Cheers :)

Paul

[nzric]

It's dangerous to imply that tai chi, or any martial art (or exercise) leads to health problems, without fully qualifying it first.

A lot of people are only introduced to tai chi AFTER they have health problems from a bad lifestyle or injuries built up after years of sports and/or hard martial arts. This is one reason why you'll find many tai chi people with health problems, especially in the west.

Tai chi is an exercise regime. It should be part of a healthy lifestyle and anyone should consult their doctor before they try to routinely do any new exercise. And yes, unless you're a geriatric, you should definitely pair slow forms with more strenuous exercise.

[Kosh]

I know someone who studied taichi under his uncle. The taichi most people think of, slow movements etc, is only part of it. He studied it as a fully rounded martial art and ive notice some strong similarities between taichi and hapkido.