Leaf Tai Chi

Internal and External Martial Arts

Tai Chi Chuan, or Taijiquan—Tai Chi for short—is an internal martial art. Martial arts are divided into internal and external approaches, though these aren’t strictly separate categories but rather two complementary methods of study. The complete martial artist should study both internal and external aspects. Martial arts shouldn’t necessarily be understood as disciplines for learning to harm others, but rather as tools for gaining control over one’s mind and body, to achieve self mastery.

A simple way to distinguish these two approaches is to understand how they relate to our sphere of action—the space around the body within which we can physically interact. While external arts focus on repelling anything that enters this field, internal arts focus on welcoming the opponent and then using their energy against them. This requires balance, sensitivity to one’s own body structure and movement (both your own and your opponent’s), as well as delicacy and precision in execution.

Think of Bruce Lee, the icon of Chinese martial arts, who in his films fought and defeated opponents with kicks and punches. He knew Tai Chi very well, and one of his most iconic phrases—”be water, my friend”—is decidedly a concept drawn from the internal aspect of martial arts.

We might view martial arts as the study of interaction, where interaction is what happens when two spaces come into contact. It can be violent and fast, taking the form of combat, or soft and slow. Even in the latter case, it remains a form of confrontation, and just as confrontation is an interaction, interaction is, fundamentally, a confrontation. Consider a verbal interaction, which despite requiring no physical collision can constitute a real attack. In all these cases, we’re essentially talking about an exchange of energy between two worlds, between two spaces.

The Origins of Tai Chi

The study of Tai Chi therefore begins with rebalancing the person before addressing actual combat. Imagine a warrior preparing for battle with armor and weapons, but suffering from a herniated disc—clearly fighting in such conditions is unthinkable. Before developing external attack and defense techniques, it’s necessary to take care of the body and make it a harmonious and efficient system that integrates body, mind, and spirit.

Tai Chi borrows certain principles and exercises from Qigong, a discipline of traditional Chinese medicine dedicated to energetic rebalancing of the body through physical exercises. In Chinese tradition, there’s the concept of Qi—the vital energy that flows through the body and, in truth, is present in all things. When Qi becomes blocked, creating stagnation, problems arise such as irritations or other physical issues.

Precisely because of this capacity to promote health, in the 1950s a simplified version of Tai Chi was created for the entire Chinese population—a form that could be accessible to everyone. This version is today probably the most widespread and well-known, so much so that many people are unaware that Tai Chi actually originated as a martial art.

The origins of Tai Chi are debated, and there are are different styles, united by the same principles, that are studied with different approaches. Among these, the Yang style is by far the most widespread.

Tai Chi also has a spiritual dimension, connecting to Taoism through, but not limited to, the principle of Yin and Yang. These two opposites constantly balance each other, transforming into one another and giving rise to all existing things. For there to be harmony, Yin and Yang must be kept in balance, so for the proper functioning of the body both must be present in equal measure. These are universal principles that represent any pair of opposites: Yang is the masculine principle, Yin the feminine; Yang is fire, Yin is water; Yang is hot, Yin is cold; Yang is light, Yin is shadow. Taoism interprets all of existence through this lens and exalts the naturalness of living. The central concept is that of “non-action”: not forcing anything that isn’t in one’s nature, not pushing events nor compelling oneself to behaviors foreign to one’s most authentic essence.

What You Study in Tai Chi

Among the various concepts encountered in studying Tai Chi is structure—the ability to hold the body in a particular shape. It’s related to posture and the ability to “open” the body, meaning to activate its parts in different directions without points collapsing toward one another.

We must also discuss micro-tensions. Everyone has habits, a way of moving that depends on their personal history; particularly if there have been traumatic events, physical or otherwise, these tend to leave traces that translate into tensions. We’ll call them micro-tensions, not because they’re very small, but because they go unnoticed, being part of habit, in contrast with the tension we create voluntarily or that we feel in a muscle under strain at a given moment. Micro-tensions are always active. With Tai Chi, we work on these, releasing them and giving the body more freedom of movement and efficiency. Think of someone who has an iron ball chained to their foot trying to run. Their speed will increase both by exercising so much they can drag the object by force, but also simply by unhooking the weight from their leg.

To release tensions, it’s first necessary to become aware of them, so we work on developing sensitivity. This work will help us better perceive our body and movement, both our own and others’. Structure, movement, and sensitivity are closely linked. The Tai Chi practitioner’s goal is therefore to release any tension not necessary for executing the movement, while maintaining a coherent and solid structure to avoid weak points. The structure must therefore be solid but not rigid, capable of remaining intact while being mobile. Sensitivity in interaction will serve to identify weak points in one’s own structure before they’re attacked by the opponent’s incoming force, and to find weak points in the opponent’s structure, thus exploiting them to one’s advantage.

How Tai Chi Is Practiced

Tai Chi is an extremely varied discipline, applicable in martial, meditative, or simply health exercise contexts. Consequently, there are numerous practice methods. The approach proposed here integrates these three aspects, aiming to unify body and harmonizes body, mind, and spirit in an organic system, through meditation, physical exercise, and energy management.

Practice begins with standing meditation, aimed not only at improving concentration but also at refining bodily sensitivity to identify micro-tensions. This is followed by work on mobility and balance through mechanically simple exercises that nonetheless require the body to move in a unified way, challenging the student according to their level. These exercises have no fixed requirements: each person starts from what they can do and, listening to their body, finds the direction to improve progressively. Attention isn’t focused on reaching a final position, but on what happens to the body during the movement itself.

Each exercise presents layers: as you progress, increasingly subtle details are added. Instead of accumulating hundreds of different exercises, you learn a few, each enriched over time with details that will be gradually integrated, thus deepening bodily awareness and movement quality.

The practice then includes performing the form—that fluid sequence of linked techniques that constitutes the most iconic image of Tai Chi: a long, slow dance, but also a precious training tool. Each movement of the form has a precise martial purpose and is studied separately, particularly in partner work. Here techniques are isolated and applied in an interactive context where one partner exerts pressure on the other’s structure. This work, called pressure testing or testing, pursues the same goal as standing meditation—releasing tensions—but with an external force in action. The intent isn’t to oppose force with force, where the stronger would simply win, but to find a way to deflect the opponent’s energy without direct collision, using one’s own structure to redirect it and fluidly return it to the opponent.

There are more refined practices for intermediate and advanced levels, such as more complex forms that require the use of voice or implements like weapons, as well as partner exercises to improve various aspects of interaction, both martial and otherwise.