Taijiquan as a Martial Art The movements of Taijiquan are deceptively simple & - to the outside observer, ridiculously slow. Many people who practice Taijiquan do so for it's beneficial effects on one's health, their spiritual development, inner peace & long life. And of these, most people who have not had experience with Taijiquan under a qualified master have not had the opportunity to understand how the martial applications that are taught to them Enhance & Support the healthful benefits that such a practice promotes. Eventually, students of Taijiquan mature & advance to the state where the combative techniques are taught to them by a qualified master in such a way that these techniques themselves explain the actual processes behind the inner work & refinement of ones personal being. Such a person will sit at a tournament surrounded by the friends & family of people competing in the Taijiquan division, & while everyone else comments on how graceful & controlled their friends or relatives look, the knowledgable Taijiquan practitioner sees these things & much, much more. The various strikes, pushes, blocks, kicks, redirective maneuvers, evasive techniques, spiral throws, joint locks & separations. This is the fighting, the Quan, of Tai Ji Quan. This is the Grand Ultimate Fist or Boxing.         Many styles of boxing tend to lend their abilities to people who are aggressive & belicose, while Internal Arts generally are practiced by people who are quite calm & almost continuously meditative in their awareness of the world around them. The very nature of its training, with emphasis on gracefulness, gentleness, and harmonious energy flow, is intrinsic to the development of mental freshness and cosmic harmony. 'Traditionally', Taoists are known for their love of freedom, disregard of mundane trifles, and penchant for joviality. A Taijiquan master, while confident of his martial skills, is soft-spoken, humble, tolerant, and at peace with himself and with others.