I don't intend this extremely short article to clearly define the immeasurable importance of the fighting aspects of Taijiquan, but it is my hope that some of the considerations that may enter your practice & thoughts as a result of having been introduced to these ways of thinking will enhance your practice. It is important for Taiji not to evolve in the hands of the 'new agers' & healing touch/Alexander Techniique/yogists, but instead to DE-volve into what 5000 years of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Meditation, Culture & scientific experiential practice had brought Taiji to Before it was introduced to the west in the '60's.

 
If you've played Taiji before...
I'm greatly pleased that you've had the opportunity to experience Taiji in your life, although I feel the reaponsibility to say that I wouldn't discount the seriousness & depth of Taiji study because of a singular experience. I have been exposed to much more Taiji than the average practitioner, & I must say that besides the Grand Canyon that separates the Taiji 'dancers' from the Taiji boxers, even amongst the true, legitimate Taijiquan (Grand Ultimat Fist or Boxing) practitioners from the old school, the variety of training methods, knowledge, & personal ability is as varied as the recipies for cookie dough! But, the practitioners may all be evaluated according to two specific pieces of criteria: their fighting ability & their complete study of the art.

Why fighting ability? Isn't Taiji supposed to be some kind of meditation thing? You know, like yoga? Yes & no. To limit either Taiji OR (Hatha or other popular styles) Yoga to 'some kind of meditation thing' is truly a dis-service to either art. It must never be forgotten that Taiji was popularized by it's founders & practitioners, the practice of which was ONLY recognized in martial-arts duels between representatives of the various styles of Taiji & other leading fighters. Tai Ji Quan in direct translation means 'Grand Ultimate Fist or Boxing'. Naming your style something like That requires a lot of put-up-or-shut-up on a regular basis. And indeed, these practitioners that have elevated their martial arts to such a high level were possessed of mental & spiritual skills that by far exceeded their physical techniqes. Neverthe less, fighting ability is important because it reflects a series of skills & accomplishments
- a body capable of combat is an Awesome thing, comparable to an olympic gymnast
- it shows an ability to express vigorous energies through the muscle & bone manipulations that are necessary for true-to-life survival against an opponent regardless of the enemy's skill level
- it shows the qi gong (vital energy skill) of the practitioner both to withstand & discharge vast amounts of kinetic energie via the flow & spreading of qi throughout their bodies
- it shows the psychic development of a practitioner in their ability to see the split-second punch or kick rushing towards them & in a thought all of the internal energy of their body flashes to that site in an instant, as well as in the case of that same practitioner seeing the 1/16th of a second opportunity to strike back & needing the same instantaneous accumulation of their entire bodies vital energy to strike back with a single, crippling technique.

The list of reasons why a true Taiji boxer must have an incredibly well developed totality of being is literally endless!  But we sited two pieces of criteria -  the second being their complete study of the art. Knowing 1 form or routine, short or long, does not make a Taiji teacher. Granted, The Long Form is better than the short forms that the Chinese Govn't have been promoting, but along with that 1 long form there should be a two man push hands form, TONS of auxiliary push hands training techniques, 3 weapons, & separate qi gong methods/forms. This wide variety of knowledge has been culled, as it has in any system of Chinese Kung Fu, to better serve the cultivation & development of the practitioner. A wide base of knowledge is essential to learning as much as is possible about all of the factors involved so that one can advance steadily in their progression.

My intention isn't to sell you on Taijiquan, far from it. But to better equip you for your search, it's best if you understand some of the criteria under consideration. The vast & great expanse that is Traditional Chinese Kung Fu is absolutely incredible. Knowing that the average Kung Fu form has 128 movements (not techniques, MOVEMENTS encompassing several techniques as part of a continuous flow) that involve a lot of intricate hand work & stepping in eight different directions (not simple 'H' & 'T' patterns as is found in many Traditional Korean & Japanese martial arts practices), & that the average kung fu system has between 5 & 15+ forms, & that most systems teach 18 individual weapons sets, many weapons being repeated with different accents on technique & conceptuality... one starts to realize the grandeur of the development of Chinese Kung Fu. Most Single Chinese Kung Fu systems are larger than the complete training of Tae Kwon Do, Tang Soo Do,  Jiu Jitsu, Shoto Kan, Isshin Ryu & Goju Ruy combined. This is NOT an exageration. And it's not meant to belittle the other arts in ANY way. I just want to make sure that you have an idea of what's in store for you when you begin to seek out good, quality Kung Fu instruction - FUN! Challenge! Serious study! Defeats, & ultimately Triumph! Oh, a lot of work, too. That is why the misnomer of Kung Fu is correct but not accurate. Kung Fu (Gong Fu) means roughly human skill acquired through great time & effort. That's what we are in pursuit of: just the ability to be capable of developing those skills.

Taiji, & other neigong (internal+skill) arts such as Bagua, Hsing-Yi, & Liuhobafa are all designed to work in a very wide-reaching, holistic fashion to develop the person's Inner Being.