I love the question as to which is better, Karate or Tai Chi Chuan, because it is a bogus question. The fact of the matter is that they are two sides of the same coin. This is one of those things that most people don't understand.
To describe the art of Karate one would first think of it as linear, for everyone has the rather false idea that Karate is nothing but straight lines. Second, one would think of explosiveness, for the violence of Karate emanates outward from a central point. And, there isn't a clearly definable third point to be argued over here.
To describe the harmonious Tai Chi internal art one would say circular, for the movements of the art loop and twine like a snake in love with itself. Secondly, one would say slow motion, and here is the first point of contrast to be made between the two arts. For people usually don't understand what an explosion actually is.
An explosion is a rushing out of energy in all directions from one central point. The question I pose here is...what is the speed of an explosion? We have set ideas, probably established by the violence we expect from such an event, but the truth is, there is no set speed to define an explosion.
Thus, in TCC there is an explosion, but it is slow, sustained, and controlled. Now, both arts get their power from the explosion. Both have power, you see, but it is in the function where we have the seeming divergence of arts.
Tai Chi accepts the attack, and circles it back into itself, and expels or otherwise handles it. Karate accepts the attack, and destroys it. It may seem rude, but we don't care about that; we care about the fact that real karate is not herky jerky angles. Bad Karate is, but the real and good stuff is smooth and liquid, and the movements of the body are filled with subtle circles.
The real problem here is that people tend to set their ideas in stone as to what a Martial Art is, and they categorize and label, and they usually miss the point. The best martial arts I ever saw was my Korean Karate sensei, who was as liquid as greased oil. He just used the explosions and circles and angles like a master of TCC, but in a different application.
The real key here is to define the direction of the attack, and then decide which art is appropriate to your whim and the moment. And, here is something, can you change your Tai Chi Chuan into hard explosiveness? Or, can you change your Karate explosiveness into a harmonious handling of violence?
To describe the art of Karate one would first think of it as linear, for everyone has the rather false idea that Karate is nothing but straight lines. Second, one would think of explosiveness, for the violence of Karate emanates outward from a central point. And, there isn't a clearly definable third point to be argued over here.
To describe the harmonious Tai Chi internal art one would say circular, for the movements of the art loop and twine like a snake in love with itself. Secondly, one would say slow motion, and here is the first point of contrast to be made between the two arts. For people usually don't understand what an explosion actually is.
An explosion is a rushing out of energy in all directions from one central point. The question I pose here is...what is the speed of an explosion? We have set ideas, probably established by the violence we expect from such an event, but the truth is, there is no set speed to define an explosion.
Thus, in TCC there is an explosion, but it is slow, sustained, and controlled. Now, both arts get their power from the explosion. Both have power, you see, but it is in the function where we have the seeming divergence of arts.
Tai Chi accepts the attack, and circles it back into itself, and expels or otherwise handles it. Karate accepts the attack, and destroys it. It may seem rude, but we don't care about that; we care about the fact that real karate is not herky jerky angles. Bad Karate is, but the real and good stuff is smooth and liquid, and the movements of the body are filled with subtle circles.
The real problem here is that people tend to set their ideas in stone as to what a Martial Art is, and they categorize and label, and they usually miss the point. The best martial arts I ever saw was my Korean Karate sensei, who was as liquid as greased oil. He just used the explosions and circles and angles like a master of TCC, but in a different application.
The real key here is to define the direction of the attack, and then decide which art is appropriate to your whim and the moment. And, here is something, can you change your Tai Chi Chuan into hard explosiveness? Or, can you change your Karate explosiveness into a harmonious handling of violence?
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Which style is better, Karate or Tai Chi Chuan. Head on over over to Monster Martial Arts and find out more.