What Is Tai Chi

According to the Wikipedia, Tai Chi Chuan is an internal Chinese martial art. This kind of martial art often practiced for health reasons.
In chinese term, Tai Chi Chuan means a supreme ultimate fist, boundless fist or great extremes boxing.
The legend said that the creator of Tai Chi Chuan is a Taoist named Zhang San Feng. His another name is Can San Fung or Thio Sam Hong (in Hokkian Term). He is the founder of Wu Tang Bai / Bu Tong Pay.

There is a lot of Tai Chi styles, but there are only five major styles of Tai Chi chuan martial arts :
1. Chen Style
2. Yang Style
3. Wu or Wu/Hao style of Wu Yu-Hsiang
4. Wu style of Wu Ch'uan-yu and Wu Chien-ch'uan
5. Sun style
The name of the style itself originated from the Chinese family name of the founder. These five style also recognized by international community as being orthodox.

Nowadays, Tai Chi often used for improving health, but actually Tai Chi can also be used as self defense in combat. The principles of combat in Tai Chi is to combine beetwen Yin(receptive) and Yang(active). Tai chi's martial aspect relies on sensitivity to the opponent's movements and center of gravity dictating appropriate responses. Take down the opponent done by "capturing" opponent's center of gravity upon contact and effectively affect the balance of the opponent.

Tai Chi uses fingers, fist, palms, forearms, sides of hand, hips, elbows, wrist, knees and feet to strike. Joint traps, locks and breaks (chin na) are also used.
Most Tai Chi master require their student to learn defensive or neutralizing skills first before learning offensive skills. It's because the philosophy of Tai Chi is not to use hardness to resist violent force. students are taught not to directly fight or resist an incoming force, but to meet it in softness and follow its motion while remaining in physical contact until the incoming force of attack exhausts itself or can be safely redirected.
In addition to the physical form, martial tai chi chuan schools also focus on how the energy of a strike affects the other person. Palm strike can be performed in such a way that it has a completely different on target's body. A palm strike could used to simply push or break their center of gravity or terminate the force of the strike with the intent of causing internal damage.

There is some benefit by practicing Tai Chi. It once said that those who practice tai chi regularly will develop a healthy body and an alert mind. The improvement in their health will better enable them to concentrate on their routine tasks and to make effective decisions, all of which leads in turn to a greater success in their chosen career.

By practicing tai chi, the central nervous system will be stimulated by the tranquil state of mind and dedicated concentration on the movements which result from the performance of the Hand Form.

Tai chi acts as a catalyst in that when performed by our body it causes certain beneficial reactions. As our muscles move they exert pressure on our veins, forcing our blood flow towards the heart, improving our circulation. Meanwhile, the deep breathing necessary for the performance of the Hand Form causes the diaphragm to expand outwards and downwards and contract inwards and upwards, and this movement of the diaphragm gently `massages' the liver and the intestines.

Those who suffer from indigestion will benefit from practicing Tai Chi Chuan. Tai chi chuan exercise will enable stomach muscles improve the digestion, leading to an increased appetite and the prevention of constipation. Middle-aged and elderly people will find this of particular comfort.

Nowadays, along with Yoga, tai chi is one of the fastest growing fitness and health maintenance activities in the United States.