Sifu Robin Gamble executing a Taijiquan pattern, "Cross-Hand Thrust Kick", during a free sparring bout

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Many Taiji practitioners, especially in the West, do not realize that Taijiquan is a martial art. They perform Taijiquan external froms as a dance.

The All Britain Taijiquan Full Contact Sparring Competition, we believe, is an attempt to correct this mis-conception. We in Shaolin Wahnam would like to congratulate them for this effort.

The video clips here show typical bouts in the competition, where participants used Boxing and other martial techniques, except one who used Taijiquan stances and techniques. Can you tell which one of the competitors use Taijiquan instead of Boxing or other martial arts?

Although most of the competitors use Boxing or other martial arts in their free sparring, it is a step towards realizing that Taijiquan is a martial art. We in Shaolin Wahnam have much respect for them for demonstrating that Taijiquan practitioners are not just dancers but also fighters, as well as for their courage in taking part in free sparring competitions.

The other step is to use Taijiquan techniques instead of techniques of other martial arts.

The issue here is not whether Taijiquan is more or less effective than Boxing and other martial arts, but that since we practice Taijiquan as a martial art, we should use it for combat.

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Please click the pictures or the captions below to view the videos

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