Joe the Tai Chi Chuan techniques seem interesting can you tell me more about it, I had a hard time finding something useful on the internet.
I'm not the biggest authority on Tai Chi Chuan, I've only taken a few classes/seminars here and there, but here goes:
Tai Chi in a nutshell
Tai Chi Chuan is probably the most representative of Chinese martial arts. Legend has it that it was developed by a traveling monk, going across China, learning every style he could, and developed the ultimate style by mixing all the different ones he learned.
Today, Tai Chi Chuan is considered to be the root of all Chinese martial arts (popularly known as "Kung fu"). There are lots of schools of Tai Chi, and serious practitioners will generally learn multiple ones (but only master one). Most schools share a lot of similarities:
- Movements are practiced very slowly, which enables a lot of people to start (old people, people in bad shape, ...)
- Very high focus on philosophy (especially Taoism and Confuscianism) and deep study of the human body
- Infinite amount of real world applications
You probably seen very large groups of Chinese people practicing the slow gymnastics of Tai Chi together. For many people, it is the equivalent of a morning exercise routine that allows them to stay in shape, working different parts of the body in a serious but non-agressive way.
Don't be fooled by the slowness of movements, an hour long session of Tai Chi can be extremely physical!
Real World applications
There are many ways to apply the teachings of Tai Chi outside the limits of slow gymnastics. There are mainly 2 big schools of "real-world Tai Chi":
- Kung Fu (or sometimes called Wushu) consists of applying Tai Chi to fighting. There are of course multiple schools of Kung Fu, most of them were developed by observing nature. The styles are usually extremely aesthetic and physical.
- Qi Gong is the application of Tai Chi to healing and improving your body. Qi Gong practitioners aim at increasing their longevity and avoiding most "old people" sicknesses.
Tai Chi in Lebanon
Last I heard there were multiple schools offering Tai Chi classes, but I can only
STRONGLY recommend checking
Pathlessness. It's definitely a world class school.