A Chinese internal martial art practised as slow-flowing solo forms and as a competitive push-hands grappling sport.
Origin and rules
Tai Chi Chuan, written taijiquan in pinyin, is traditionally traced to 17th-century Chen Wangting in Henan, with later branches founded by the Yang, Wu, Hao, and Sun families. The International Wushu Federation governs the modern competitive forms.
How it plays
Two events are contested. Taolu features judged solo or paired routines on the standardised 24- and 42-step forms, scored on alignment, balance, rhythm, and difficulty. Push hands, or tuishou, is a controlled grappling sport with throws, sweeps, and uprooting actions.
Competition
The IWUF World Wushu Championships and World Taijiquan Championships are the elite events. China, Hong Kong, Russia, Iran, and the United States are leading nations. Tai Chi forms are part of the Asian Games but are not on the Olympic programme.
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Tai Chi starts with T and ends with I. Browse other sports along the same letter.
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