Taeguks compared to Tai Chi

[nicerdicer]

Hi folks!

I read somewhere that Taeguk means (roughly translated) tai chi. I love to see how graceful Tai Chi practitioners move and I want to add this kind of movement to my skillset. Now before I go out to study Tai Chi, could I just Practise Taeguk poomse? Do you think I could become close to the skill of a Tai Chi practitioner?

Cheers

 

[WaterGal]

No, sorry. Tai Chi and Taekwondo are totally different things.

"Taegeuk" is the name of the red and blue symbol at the center of the South Korean flag. Each Taegeuk form represents one of the eight trigrams in the Ba Gua, an ancient Daoist symbol, which each represent a concept. Four of the trigrams - heaven, earth, water, and fire - are found on the Korean flag around the taegeuk symbol.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Taegeuk Taekwondo

Do you think I could become close to the skill of a Tai Chi practitioner?

If you practice taiji with the right shifu I don't see why not
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taegeuk_(taekwondo)

 

[nicerdicer]

Taegeuk Taekwondo



If you practice taiji with the right shifu I don't see why not

i meant in the context of using taeguks. Like I would perfect my taeguks and hope one day to move as skillful as a tai chi practitioner.

 

[nicerdicer]

No, sorry. Tai Chi and Taekwondo are totally different things.

"Taegeuk" is the name of the red and blue symbol at the center of the South Korean flag. Each Taegeuk form represents one of the eight trigrams in the Ba Gua, an ancient Daoist symbol, which each represent a concept. Four of the trigrams - heaven, earth, water, and fire - are found on the Korean flag around the taegeuk symbol.

Firstly tai chi is based on yin and yang, just like the korean flag, so the philosophy behind it shouldnt differ much.

Secondly, Im asking about the practise of the forms, just like I said. Perfecting a taeguk in comparison to Tai Chi forms, would I move as graceful as a Tai chi practitioner?

 

[Xue Sheng]

i meant in the context of using taeguks. Like I would perfect my taeguks and hope one day to move as skillful as a tai chi practitioner.

They are not the same.

I have seen several TKD people come to taijiquan, and they are moving quite well, but they always have a problem with overcoming a square approach, using to much power in their movement and being very stiff by comparison.

They can do it, but it takes time, a lot of time, to overcome. And to date, in the last 20 or so years of taijiquan I have not seen any TKD people stay in taiji long enough to over come this. I saw one get close, but he stopped. I did train with a Uechi-Ryu Karate person who had the same problem, but stick it out and was getting very close after years of training, but family issues made it necessary for him to quit.

Now I never got to a high level in TKD forms so understand I am looking it this form a CMA/Taijiquan perspective. I find it fascinating and quite spell binding to watch a good KMA person do their forms and they can be very graceful doing those, but they are not the same as taijiquan.

I am not saying one is better or worse than the other, I am just saying they are not the same.

Can a Taegeuk be graceful? Sure it can, but look at from the perspective of what it is, not what it is not.

 

[nicerdicer]

They are not the same.

I have seen several TKD people come to taijiquan, and they are moving quite well, but they always have a problem with overcoming a square approach, using to much power in their movement and being very stiff by comparison.

They can do it, but it takes time, a lot of time, to overcome. And to date, in the last 20 or so years of taijiquan I have not seen any TKD people stay in taiji long enough to over come this. I saw one get close, but he stopped. I did train with a Uechi-Ryu Karate person who had the same problem, but stick it out and was getting very close after years of training, but family issues made it necessary for him to quit.

Now I need got to a high level in TKD forms so understand I am looking it this form a CMA/Taijiquan perspective. I find it fascinating and quite spell binding to watch a good KMA person do their forms and they can be very graceful doing those, but they are not the same as taijiquan.

I am not saying one is better or worse than the other, I am just saying they are not the same.

Can a Taegeuk be graceful? Sure it can, but look at from the perspective of what it is, not what it is not.

Yeah that makes sense. I guess all forms are graceful in their own way. Do you think forms from KMAs also have the meditative aspect?

 

[Xue Sheng]

Yeah that makes sense. I guess all forms are graceful in their own way. Do you think forms from KMAs also have the meditative aspect?

Yes I do, very much so, it all depends on how you approach them.

 

[WaterGal]

Firstly tai chi is based on yin and yang, just like the korean flag, so the philosophy behind it shouldnt differ much.

While I'm not Asian, my understanding is that Daoist philosophy concepts like that one are a major influence behind a lot of things in East Asian culture.

Secondly, Im asking about the practise of the forms, just like I said. Perfecting a taeguk in comparison to Tai Chi forms, would I move as graceful as a Tai chi practitioner?

No, because the Taegeuk forms are a series of Taekwondo techniques, which are quite different from Tai Chi techniques. Tai Chi has a lot of very subtle body motions which just aren't present in the Taegeuk forms. From my own personal experience.... I've done the Taegeuk forms, oh, I don't know, at least 1,000 times. I've also tried to learn Tai Chi twice, and had a very hard time with it both times, because it's so totally different.

Edit: The Taegeuk forms can be meditative, and they can help you a lot with balance, gracefulness, precision of your techniques, etc. They are definitely worthwhile. They're just quite different from Tai Chi and will not teach you to move the same way a Tai Chi practitioner does.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

could I just Practise Taeguk poomse? Do you think I could become close to the skill of a Tai Chi practitioner?

Like I would perfect my taeguks and hope one day to move as skillful as a tai chi practitioner.

Perfecting a taeguk in comparison to Tai Chi forms, would I move as graceful as a Tai chi practitioner?

Absolutely. However the skill and grace you can potentially demonstrate in your performance of the taeguks will not look at all like the skill and grace of the Tai Chi practitioner. The underlying body mechanics, the feel, and the general aesthetic of the movements are fundamentally different.

Skill and grace aren't dependent on an art - they're dependent on the practitioner. What that skill and grace look like will depend on what is being performed. A skillful, graceful tennis player will look different from a skillful, graceful boxer will look different from a skillful, graceful rock climber.