Chris Crudelli Tai Chi Fighting Tutorial

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By Pete Mills, on 06-05-2008 19:42

In a special video tutorial, Martial Edge met with BBC TV presenter and martial arts guide Chris Crudelli to discuss the deadly combat applications of the graceful Chinese art of Tai Chi. Our mission: to find out just how affective Tai Chi is as a self defense system.

Tai Chi is often associated with the slow, steady movements of old people in parks and spiritual kung fu masters moving meditatively atop mountains in old fashioned chop socky films. Over the centuries, Tai Chi has become shrouded in mystery – its composed internal movements are said to have extraordinary healing capabilities and are good for exercising the muscles and joints. But Tai Chi is often regarded as one of the world’s most deadly martial arts. Even its name suggests gravitas – Tai Chi Chuan, ‘the Supreme Ultimate.’

Crudelli on Tai Chi Fighting

Of course, it is arguable whether this phrase refers to its role as a healing art form or its role as a self defense system. But many scholars link the foundations of Tai Chi as a fighting art to the origins of the deadly ‘dim-mak’ system of targeting pressure points. Every movement, no matter how insignificant it may seem, includes some form of practicality as a combat technique, and rooted at the core of the system is the Chinese notion of chi, the internal life force which can be measured and targeted to achieve phenomenal strength and power.

	Martial Edge talks to Chris Crudelli In 2007, Martial Edge was privileged to meet up with the kung fu instructor, TV presenter and martial arts enthusiast Chris Crudelli. Despite being the star of successful BBC programmes like Mind, Body & Kick Ass Moves, Birmingham born Chris is not entirely comfortable with the notion of TV stardom, as Ben Johnson finds out…

When Martial Edge met up with Chris Crudelli in 2007, we discussed the theory behind Tai Chi as a fighting style and asked for a demonstration of its key movements and their application in a modern combat environment.