Internal Martial Arts

I was going to take either Chi Kung or Tai Chi and was wondering if anyone in here has taken any internal martial arts? ...not Karate or anything like that, but .... the ones i want to talk to know what im talking about. I just want to talk to someone who has taken anything of the such. Thanks.

from what i've heard Wing Chung (sp?) is the best hand to hand martial arts, but im not sure what you mean by Internal Martial Arts, but either way from what i hear, Bruce Lee either made this up, or studied it.

Its kind of like old peoples martial art, where they do kong fu reeally slowly, in big groups and breath in and out really loud and exagerated, i think..

rasoh8: That's Tai Chi. I think Ninjitsu is a sped up form of Tai Chi (but don't quote me on that). Apparently if you speed up the moves in Tai Chi they are lethal.

I want to learn drunken boxing :cheers:

ok sorry, this is gonna come off as rude, but its not.

There is no such thing as the "best" hand to hand style. It's all in who practices it.

Bruce Lee created Jeet Kune Do, and he studied Wing Chun a little bit. That's where he gets his "1 inch punch". Simple power generating exercise.

Ninjitsu is japanese, Tai Chi is chinese.
Ninjitsu is a stealth art (hardly no fighting), and Tai Chi is a fighting art, most people dont train in the fighting part of it, but it is a fighting art. You dont have to speed up Tai Chi to be lethal at all.


IMA are pretty good if you just want a health giving exercise. They're good for you and teach you a lot about your body, which helps you through your day to day life.

I personally dont take Tai Chi or Qigong, but I do study Jut Sow Tong Long.

Thanks for clearing that up dude, been years since I really heard about it, so I was a bit confused :)

I studied Shotokan for 12 years. I've reached Shodan level (1st degree black belt). It really helped me with confidence and self-discipline, not to mention kept me in GREAT shape. Shotokan is mostly about respecting yourself and your body. The fighting side of it focuses on power. Straight out power. You learn to take hits and deal hits. Great style to go with if you can take it.

Well, if you're going to take an internal style, I would suggest Chen style Tai Chi. It was actually developed for fighting, but now has developed the reputation of just being something to keep you healthy. The real problem is finding a good instructor, the style has become quite diluted so you must check who taught them to make sure you're getting taught the real style.

Yeah, Tai Chi is what I originally wanted to take. But one of my friends mentioned a place not too far from here that was really really nice and was Qigong. He said that the instructor(dont know how to spell the proper word) looked as if he was 100 year old chinese man, and all of his students were doing the real deal, so it wasnt a "fake" place.

And one of the big reasons i wanted to take it wasnt necessarily for fighting. I want to develop my Chi skills. But i also wanted to get in depth fighting too. But Chi first. I think.

With tai chi, you don't get into the fighting aspect of it until you understand the basic forms. So really, you would be focusing on the Chi aspect of it first, and later on get into the fighting and further chi developement with push hands training.

Blackblur-Shaolin Nei Jin Qi Gong is absolutely incredible. I would look into the school your friend mentioned. Problem is, good teachers are extremely scarce. Most people go with Tai Chi...

Jesus this thread is giving me a headache. I'll have a number 42 with fried rice, thanks Bruce.

Jesus this thread is giving me a headache.

Something OZ doesnt understand??? :eek7:
Hahaha, yeah i talked to my uncle who has taken a couple Gung Fu arts, told me that both Tai Chi and Qigong were both good things for me to get into. So ill visit both places, and see who looks more professional in their teaching methods.

If you want a hard ass workout, you can take Wah Lum Tam Tui Northern Praying Mantis Kung Fu. A style known to be very weight reducing and torturous on the legs. You'll develop chi in the process as well.

Tai Chi is slow, but after "" A LONG" period of time you will gain self control to a point of natural flow.

Jeet Kune Do is what I recieved my BB in, but have spoken with a few people who have taken Tai Chi and they enjoyed it, but you will have to have a high tolerence for patience.

As stated:With tai chi, you don't get into the fighting aspect of it until you understand the basic forms. So really, you would be focusing on the Chi aspect of it first, and later on get into the fighting and further chi developement with push hands training.

This statement sums it up..

Internal training or how you put it: internal martial Arts, would not fit into any specific style, but that of your own " PATIENCE." What could be described as a different focusing field. Another level of thinking one could say.

This is just my opinion, Jeet Kune Do and all the other martial arts have there positive aspects one of them being getting a person in tremendous shape. If you want to know good martial arts for fighting i suggest crosstraining. Like taking some grappling and some striking such as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Mauy Thai Kickboxing, Western Boxing, and Wrestling