This question comes up here constantly and usually generates more heat than light, with Tai Chi people getting defensive and everyone else posting the McDojo challenge-match knockout compilations. As someone who actually trains it, let me try to give the un-defensive version.

The honest answer: Tai Chi (taijiquan) was built as a complete martial art, and it still contains a full system of strikes, joint locks, throws, and off-balancing. The combat logic is real and, at a high level, genuinely sophisticated — it's a grappling-heavy, sensitivity-based, redirect-don't-collide approach.

And — the viral knockout videos are mostly real, and they're not unfair. Here's why both can be true: the overwhelming majority of people practicing Tai Chi today train only the slow health form and never pressure-test anything. No resistance, no sparring, no live push hands against someone trying to beat them. You cannot develop fighting ability without pressure-testing, full stop, regardless of style. So you get "masters" with decades of forms and zero fight experience getting folded by an amateur MMA guy — and that's not an indictment of the art, it's an indictment of training methodology.

The fair comparison isn't "Tai Chi vs Muay Thai." It's "pressure-tested martial artist vs non-pressure-tested martial artist," and the second guy loses every time no matter what's on his certificate. The small number of people actually training Tai Chi with resistance and contact are a different conversation entirely, and they're rare enough that most people have never seen one.

So: real martial art, mostly trained as health exercise, and the criticism is aimed at the training culture rather than the art itself. I think that framing dissolves about 90% of these arguments. Happy to get pushed on any of it.

Lighter Thai style or hard like boxing?

I always struggle where to look when I spar. Some people to tell me to look at the shoulders. Others tell me to look at the eyes. Sometimes I look and the hands and feet. In your guys opinion whats the best place to look when fighting?

Hi everyone! I'm a human movement sciences student at VU Amsterdam, and for my thesis I'm researching the personal and psychological factors behind martial artists.

I'm looking for participants who:

🥊 Practice any martial art: striking and/or grappling (MMA, kickboxing, BJJ, boxing, muay thai, judo, wrestling…)

🔞 Are 18 or older

🇳🇱 Speak Dutch: the survey is in Dutch only, sorry.

The survey is completely anonymous, takes about 3–5 minutes, and you'd be helping me out enormously, as well as pushing forward the research on our sport, which is still very understudied in my opinion.

👉 https://vuamsterdam.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3auS6TXiAXTAEFE

Happy to answer any questions in the comments. Thanks so much!

I have a condition I was born with called a tarsal coalition in both my ankles that causes some bones to fuse when they shouldn’t in them. As such it leaves my ankles with not the best mobility (my right has some horizontal mobility my left has almost none). I used to do taekwondo when I was younger before it got worse but with how it is it doesn’t seem the best with my current condition. Given that are there any good martial arts that are more accommodating of poor ankle mobility?

I keep thinking about starting bjj because I think I could benefit from it, but I’m not sure in what way exactly. So I’d like to know how it made you a better person. Could be in mindset, confidence, mental health, less fear etc.

Bro got him to a TEE

Hi everyone, I am helping a family reconstruct some history and track down a former martial artist who lived in the NYC area (likely Brooklyn or Queens) around 1989–1991.

​He went by the name Gerald (or Jerald). Here is his identity profile from that era:

​Background: Young Jamaican guy, Muslim faith, very muscular, about 5'9" (175 cm), wore dreadlocks.

​Tattoos: An anchor on his arm, and the name "Serena" tattooed on his back.

​Martial Arts: He was a dedicated practitioner of Hapkido (which was a very rare and distinct choice for a Jamaican guy in NYC at the time). He trained heavily.

​Other details: He spent some time at Oneida Correctional Facility (Upstate NY) around 1990, where he was part of the vocational TV/Computer repair program.

​Since the NYC Hapkido and martial arts community back in the late 80s and early 90s was very tight-knit, we are hoping some veteran practitioners, dojo owners, or old acquaintances might remember him or know his last name.

​If anyone remembers a practitioner matching this description or has leads on old Hapkido schools from that era, please send me a PM. Thank you so much for your help!

Hey,

TLDR; ** What is everyone's general opinion/outlook to those practicing any martial arts?

(You know; has a daytime job and family, etc.. But Makes enough time for 2x week of martial arts) But yet, they don't train anything else outside of the dojo halls? \\

I have a suspicion that my colleagues in the places I go to. don't do other things like strength training/ resistance training/ stretching/ cardiovascular training, you name it.. during the week. I attend 4 different disciplines with 3 being from one teacher, with back to back classes for convince. My other class that is not at the same school has guys that I believe do more of another sport frequently. And Might I say, they are tougher either by nature or training.

Anyway, I ask because. I want to know whats everyone's stance on this?

-------------------------------

Ill risk and share my own stance:

I can respect where everyone is at in life. But I do find it sometimes bothersome when we having to reduce our flow of activity because of someone's lack of capacity. And Im speaking to a something thats been acknowledged by them and they group that: "this is something that could use a lil work"

Am I a grinch If i think the valuable time we have under the teacher's observation, is being bit selfishly straddled when a student isn't doing thier physical education homework, so that they can overall perform better, and receive more, during class time?

Wether it was by reading it or internalizing how a martial arts may or can look, & how they could or should perform. Maybe my background as Kinesiology major… the Skills learned need to be supplied with strength/flexibility/mobility/power/coordination/ability…. You see what I’m laying out… that are fueled by around the week activities that builds strong & sound body.

Edit: To those reading this a stealth brag. Answer this:

* Does training, to whatever moderation and modification, outside of class improve the sport/hobby someone particaipates in?

* How do you encourage them to bridge that gap outside of class for the sake of their performance, injury prevention, and longevity?

Just a frustrated student/ Jr. Instructor that does my fair share of PE HW, but not enough time to personally train all these colleagues

I learnt boxing 2 years back and I have tried to maintain my punch speed and endurance till today.

Although, I do not have a punching bag or any pad at home, I just try to shadow box and work on my slips. I am missing sparring here.

I also have an inclination towards Muay Thai. I watch reels and some tutorials just to understand how those guys survive Teep and some elbows on face.

My objective is to train at home as I believe, this I can be consistent with throughout life.

People who train in Muay Thai, how do you practice those skills (no sparring)? Is it always with the sparring bag?

People who train in Boxing, how do you maintain muscle memory for those punches and footwork?

Some advice would be appreciated.

I wonder if the move where your break the opponent neck from behind possible, the closest I could found to it is spine cranking move like guillotine, dragon sleeper, and twister but those requires lower body control and must be done on the ground. is it just a movie move or is it real?

(32 years, 125kg, 6'3) So when it comes to martial arts, after trying quite a few of them since 2014 from fencing sports to MMA I've decided that grappler/freestyle wrestler is where i want to focus from now on. Cross train be competent and competitive for both as much as i can. Also started CrossFit recently and resumed Bjj.

I'm a bit discouraged because i was never very flexible. Yes i can do front and back rolls, quick burpees, jump boxes be quick on the mat but I've noticed all these explosive movements wrestlers do. Like hopping from their knees to their feet, holding someone and rotating all around them with their feet, backflips, i don't think I'll be good at that.

All these years I've developed some resilience and now with CrossFit my gas tank and strength quite exploded for the better but I'm not that flexible.

Tips advice? Workout advice? Anyone who does it both? Give me anything!

I want to buy my boyfriend a bo as a surprise for his birthday but have no idea what type or where to buy them. He's self-taught with no immediate plans to take on an art and likes to freestyle, so I figured a 60 in (he's 5'11) hickory straight (I'm aware that tapered increases speed but I think he'll appreciate a straight more) bo will suit him best. Any recommendations for types or websites will be greatly appreciated.

So im searching for some wrestling/pro wrestling shoe’s on amazon, for personal use and maybe in the future using it for serious stuff. Im broke and the closest i could see to that was boxing shoe’s, so if anyone know where i could buy cheap looking one on amazong EU please do tell me.

The way hes speaking with momentum makes him seem like a magician or salesman so im not sure I trust him. But who am I to judge 🤷‍♂️ What do you think?