Martial Arts or Self Defense for White Plains Area

Tai Chi Chuan

Tai Chi Chuan, literally translated, means ultimate chi (energy) boxing. It is a Taoist martial art (although you need not be Taoist to practice it) that is designed to benefit health as well as self defense. However, if one approaches the art only for the health benefits without regard to the self defense aspects, the health benefits will not accrue properly.

Tai Chi is seen as ultimate in the sense that in its traditional form, the emphasis is upon building character first, and lethal force in combat is de-emphasized. With this approach, the capacity for lethal force is maximized during training over the long run.

Tai chi utilizes slow movements in forms to study principles, and then testing the skills gained through push hands competition. While one must be relaxed and soft while practicing the form quite often, Tai Chi also teaches how to utilize and control force in different ways. For example, Chen style uses force in their main form while Yang style maintains a secret form for that purpose. The ability to use and control force is a critical aspect of self defense, and the art will not be fuly effective as self defense without it. Tai Chi has numerous styles such as Chen (the original), Yang, Sun and Wu.

Karate

Karate began in China as forms of Kung Fu and then migrated through the Okinawan islands to mainland Japan. Funakoshi Sensei was known as the father of modern Karate (Shotokan). The emphasis is learning to incapacitate an attacker from the outset. When one becomes uncomfortable with the destructive capacity accrued and wishes to learn to control rather than injure the attacker, the emphasis in instruction is changed. In this sense, Karate ultimately targets the same goal as Tai Chi, but utilizes an expedient to build one's confidence in their ability to defend themselves.

Karate emphasizes blocking and counterstriking via punches and kicks. The method of training is katas and competition. Some wrist locks and self defense techniques may be taught, but are not emphasized. The movements are linear, forward/backward and side to side. Competition is one on one and limited by rules.

Kung Fu

Kung Fu may be the original empty handed martial art, beginning when Bodhidharma crossed over from India to China and needed some exercise for his monks as he taught them Zen in the Shaolin temple. It uses a similar expedient as Karate in emphasizing destructive techniques early.

Kung Fu comprises a vast assortment of extraordinarily different styles. The broad classification is in northern (long range) and southern styles (close range). Some of the better known styles include animal forms, Shaolin, Wing Chun, etc.

Tae Kwon Do

Tae Kwon Do is a Korean art quite similar to Karate. It is the most recent invention in the 20th century. The primary difference between Tae Kwon Do and Karate is the emphasis on high kicks.

In addition, a number of Tae Kwon Do schools also teach Hapkido. Hapkido is a combination of Tae Kwon Do and Daito Ryu Ju Jitsu, the predecessor art to Aikido. While Aikido does not use the expedient of emphasizing destructive techniques early on in the practice, Hapkido does.