Which do you all prefer? Which is the best suited for practical every day combat?

Wow...what a question...

Both are excellent for defense...
Both hold to the tenet that avoidance of conflict is best...

Depending on the school, Aikido is probably more philosophical/spiritual...but, TaiJiQuan also has its roots in ancient, yielding philosophies...very tough to decide...

I'm sorry I can't help you...but I do encourage you to fully engage in whatever art you choose (either art)...either one will get you where you want to go.

:asian:
chufeng

I have to agree with Chufeng. It's going to depend on your teacher. Is he/she teaching the art realistically?

There are a number of substyles/variants of both, varying in 'hardness' and self-defense applications.

Originally posted by SRyuFighter
Which do you all prefer? Which is the best suited for practical every day combat?

Why the question? What's the basis for the answer?

It's alot easier to give an answer when the question is understood. You might think that the question is easy, but it isn't.
Your question indicates that you think that Aikido and TaiChi (some spell it Taijiquan, and I don't know why), are realted in some way, probably the internal aspect, since it's posted in this forum. But they are as different as they are equal.

As pointed out, in each style there are a great deal of variation (I'm guessing here on taichi, so correct me if I'm wrong).



/Yari

i wanted to know for the internal work.

Originally posted by Yari
...and TaiChi (some spell it Taijiquan, and I don't know why

The difference in spelling comes from the fact that "tai chi," "t'ai ch'i," and "taiji" are all incorrect "spellings" since the actual sounds that are represented by those usages of English letters are in fact depicted by characters, not letters... So, depending on what method of romanization being used (Pinyin, the official version used in China, or Wade-Giles the standard non-Chinese form), the spelling varies...

Taijiquan, still pronounced the same as the other versions, is the "officially" correct spelling...

Gambarimasu.
:asian:

i wanted to know for the internal work

Then Taijiquan is a better choice...neigong and qigong are part of the curriculum.

:asian:
chufeng

As others have already mentioned, it all depends on the the teacher, the style, and ultimately, on you.

I hear that Yoshinkan Aikido is a 'hard' style compared to the other styles of Aikido.

I hear that Chen style Taijiquan is more combat oriented than the other styles of Taijiquan.

I would go with the Taijiquan because of the health exercises and all.

Peace and good luck.

go with the tai chi chaun, you may find with a good teacher it will encompass aikido, there is chin na in tai chi which is a large part of aikido, plus other things. I plan to start studying tai chi as soon as possible. It all takes time to learn but in the long long run you may be better off with tai chi( with a good teacher of course if you can find one).

in my view aikido is more effective in a street altercation but i dont like akidos locks cause often the have two limbs trapping one of the opponents which in my opinion is not a good idea

I participated in Aikido for just one month and enjoyed it. Hands on was paramount. Very little was practiced alone and in the air. There's a cooperative style of participation that is very effective for learning and exposing faults in applying your technique. While I did not take Aikido long enough to get any real lasting benefit I do now have a better understanding of the art. If able I would spend a month or so trying Aikido. Make your decision after that. Aikido has much to offer.

Originally posted by bob919
in my view aikido is more effective in a street altercation but i dont like akidos locks cause often the have two limbs trapping one of the opponents which in my opinion is not a good idea

I agree with this. Using two arms to hold one isn't the best, but sometimes nessarly.

/Yari

Once pattern I've come across is that all the new age and/or bullshido/generic taiji is spelled 'tai chi'

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