Is Wu style tai chi a complete art?

[MARTIALSTUDANT]

Right now I do jkd but the school is going to close. the nearest place to train teaches wu style tai chi and I was wondering if it is a complete style. I figure the next best thing to watching a class is to get some opinions of practiceners of the art that's been at it a while.

Love you
Martial S

[scholar]

That depends on the teacher. Some know the whole thing, others not so much. Caveat Emptor. I won't advertise myself or slam anyone else by name, so I will speak in generalities here.

I may be biased, but I was shown what I consider to be a complete syllabus. Forms, pushing hands, weapons (forms and fencing), sparring, footsweeps, joint locks, throws, tumbling (travelling by jumping and rolling along the ground), and other groundfighting all with single or multiple opponent scenarios.

The version I learned also has a standardized teaching system and a complex therapeutic health system related to traditional Chinese medicine. Acupressure (tuina), neigong and even somatic aspects are addressed.

Other teachers import things from other systems, either for the martial or for health, because they didn't learn directly from the family (who are mostly gone now), others who may know the martial or the health have watered down the teaching so that it is impossible to learn consistently.

The Wu style teachers I learned from didn't go on about religion, qi (ch'i) or wear fancy Chinese robes when they taught. They did show respect to the ancestors who taught them, and showed every student the same face. If you see the teacher obviously showing favoritism, run fast and run far. My teachers were even harder on the "good" students.

Good luck!

[ZhuiQuan]

"What is Wu Style Tai Chi Chuan and how does it relate to "Tai Chi"?
Wu Style Tai Chi Chuan is one of the 3 major styles of Tai Chi Chuan. The others are Yang and Chen. Each of these 3 styles is named from the family that has practiced, taught, and passed it on to later generations. Traditionally, the study and practice of the art has been "family property". Family members devote their lives to teaching and practicing the art. They are also considered to be the ultimate authority on their style.

"Tai Chi" is a contraction of the more traditional term "Tai Chi Chuan". Chuan is a general term that can be translated as "martial discipline", or "boxing"."

Read more here: http://www.wustyle.com/en/index.html