Tai-Chi for the streets

Glenn Hairston has a well-established track record for successful results in the area of street confrontations. Actually his life and the lives of others over the past twenty-five years have literally depended on it. Glenn’s background has included Law Enforcement (Federally and locally), a certified Security Specialist, Certified Personal Protection Specialist, Certified Witness/Dignitary Protection Agent and much more. As a matter of fact Glenn not only maintains approximately fifty such certifications and credentials he has actual experience in these fields, but what is most surprising is that his martial art of choice is Tai-Chi-Chuan. Mr. Hairston through his company Specialist Defensive Training has provided consulting and training for Law Enforcement, Executive Protection Agents, Corporate Security, U.S. Marines and the motion picture industry in the area of defensive/combative tactics and it’s all based on his background in Tai-Chi-Chuan.

Mr. Hairston states:
The goal of anyone engaged in street combat is to stop the threat. In order to do this you must apply methods that are efficient and effective. You must not waste time; you should end the confrontation quickly. Tai-Chi-Chuan is good for accomplishing this task. One reason is that each Tai-Chi movement possesses limitless variations. Once one is adept at performing the Tai-Chi solo form then he or she can explore the myriad of ways those movements can be adjusted to fit any fighting situation. The relaxed and sensitive manner in which Tai-Chi is performed allows the practitioner to rapidly and seamlessly adjust their postures from offense to defense, high to low, striking to throwing and gentle to lethal.

The Tai-Chi form is a tool that trains you on many levels and it should be practiced over and over. It is this unending practice that will help the student to discover their limitations and ultimately help them work through them. With this said when it comes to the streets you must fight with the essence of this system. In other words you should not attempt to fight with the postures, but fight with what the postures have taught you. In this way your movements will be fresh and unhindered. One must learn from the form, not be bound by it. Do not be afraid to explore the applications of a movement. If you learn a defensive posture then find offensive applications for it as well and the same should be done for offensive movements. In Tai-Chi there are no purely offensive or defensive actions, all actions are subject to change. In the solo practice some actions involve a push, in the street a strike may be use instead. In the form the target may be the chest, but when attacked one may strike to the throat.

I concede that all the above is not so simplistic, Since Tai-Chi is a Martial Art there is more to it than just form practice and push hands and one should seek out a competent teacher to guide them in learning the martial applications associated with this complex but rewarding system.

Tai-Chi for the most part appears to be practiced for its widely reputed health benefits with seemingly lesser interest in its martial origins. This is understandable given our modern age of guns and societal laws that exist to protect us from on going acts of violence. However, despite these facts it should be noted that Tai-chi was and is a martial art, originally created for combat and when performed in accordance with its martial principals ones health can profit even more. When done with application in mind the Tai-Chi movements cultivate the energy, align the structure, and focus the mind and more.

Besides when it comes to being attacked, what better health benefit is there than to be the last man standing.

Glenn Hairston has a martial arts background spanning forty years with credentials in Chinese, Japanese and Korean systems. Glenn began his Tai-Chi training in the nineteen seventies studying the Yang Style under the instruction of Master Yung Ko Chou of Manchuria who also introduce him to the art of Ba gua Zhang. Master Chou was the disciple of Master Chang Shih Jung from Mainland China whose teacher was Master Cheng Huai-hsien of Hopei. He also studied with Master George Ling Hu of Chung King China who instructed Glenn in the Scared Yang Form and introduced him to Shuai Jiao. Master Hu learned from Master Wang Yen-Nien Taiyun City, Shanxi Province as well as Master Shih Ming in Beijing. Glenn also learned from Master Lu Ping Zhang of Mainland China studying the Yang and Wu Styles.

Glenn Hairston has several video training tapes available the latest being a collaboration between Specialist Defensive Training and RamCity Productions Entitled (Internal Damage advanced tai-chi for combat)

To purchase (Internal Damage advanced Tai Chi Chuan for Combat) or for more information go to www.internaldamagetaichi.com or contact Glenn Hairston at ghairston@worldblackbelt.com

For Recent Review of the DVD Click Here

Copyright 2005 - Specialist Defensive Training and Glenn Hairston reserve all rights to this article and all attached photographs.