About Tai Chi

Even though there is a plethora of empirical evidence about the benefits of Tai Chi, the standard methods of research may just not be fully suitable to evaluate this amazing art.. The problematic research issues within the literature on Tai Chi and Qigong are usually related to a small sample size, lack of randomized studies with control groups, significant variance in practice duration and frequency, and differences in study durations.  Most of the studies of Tai Chi benefits are done only during 12 to 24 weeks, a timeframe which may seem inadequate for any positive effect of the practice to emerge. However, there exist some studies and evidence is available to draw positive conclusion about the impact of Tai Chi on people’s health. We will look at the benefits of Tai Chi for the fundamental fitness components such as strength and flexibility, balance, coordination as well as cardio vascular fitness.

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Tai Chi benefits Neuromotor Fitness

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Balance and Coordination

Balance and Coordination are the fundamentals of movement and form part of so called neuromotor fitness. Age, inactivity and certain medical conditions may cause a deterioration of these skills. Inactivity is a particularly widespread vice that result in loss of the level of neuromotor fitness. According to the report published in 2017, by the British Heart Foundation, 39% of adults in the UK do not meet physical activity recommendations (British Heart Foundation, 2017). Gentle and low impact exercise such as Tai Chi is an excellent way to restore balance and coordination in adults who are not used to vigorous physical exercises. It is very easy to imagine how the benefits of Tai Chi relate to the nature of the exercise and the movements in this martial art.

In the Tai Chi forms, exercises and stances balance is trained continuously in a variety of ways. All movements in Tai Chi are slow and measured, the weight is transferred slowly from one leg to another which helps to train balance. The range of movements that students can perform is also improving and some postures and movements such as kicks, or one-legged stances directly help to improve on the balance.

Improvement of balance was documented in the studies particularly among the elderly when it has been noticed that practicing Tai Chi reduced the number of falls. Some studies have shown Tai Chi to reduce falls in seniors by up to 45%. (Watson, 2012).

Another key component of neuromotor fitness is coordination and Tai Chi is undoubtedly beneficial here too.  The appeal of Tai Chi lies in the fact that it can offer a whole range of exercises or forms. The least experiences practitioner usually starts with simple movements and as they learn and gain confidence the complexity of movements increases. Practicing Tai Chi form requires coordination of all body parts which helps to improve such fundamental movement skill as Coordination.

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Strength and Flexibility

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A popular belief runs that whilst Tai Chi may be good for balance and coordination, the common belief is that to gain strength, it is important to do weight and resistance training.
However, according to Harvard Medical School “Tai Chi can improve both lower-body strength and upper-body strength. When practiced regularly, Tai Chi can be comparable to resistance training and brisk walking. "Although you aren't working with weights or resistance bands, the unsupported arm exercise involved in Tai Chi strengthens your upper body," says internist Dr. Gloria Yeh, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. "Tai Chi strengthens both the lower and upper extremities and also the core muscles of the back and abdomen." (Harvard Health Publishing, 2015).

Leg strength is a particularly important benefit of Tai Chi. A recent research published in the journal of Gerontology looked in the relation between leg strength and brain health. The results were very positive and suggested that brain health was linked to the leg strength. According to the research other factors such as heart health were also important, but the link with leg strength remained even after we accounted for these. Scientists believe that leg strength is a marker of the kind of physical activity that is good for your brain. (BBC, 2015)

Tai Chi is a very adaptable system of exercises that can be tailored for fitness levels, age, medical conditions of students. There is a wide range of exercises that are taught alongside the forms and forms with weapons are practiced especially to train strength. Several repetitions of the long staff form can perfectly replace a gym session with weights.

Small range movements that are used in Tai Chi also promote flexibility without the risk of injuries or over-stretching. Tai Chi can be very good for any injury prevention for athletes practicing other sports. The main benefit of Tai Chi in terms of injury prevention is that it helps to strengthen connective tissues such as ligaments and tendons. A tendon is a tough yet flexible band of fibrous tissue. Tendons connect muscles to the bones and they take longer to build and restore. Ligaments have a different function stabilize joints they surround.

Rotating and spiral movement in Tai Chi are a perfect work out for both ligaments and tendons but also for nerves. Physiotherapy uses a technique called Nerve flossing, a type of gentle exercise that can help soothe your compressed nerves and regain range of motion. Movements used by physiotherapy echo Tai Chi stretches. The great thing about Tai Chi is that it empowers its student to improve their health by practicing independently and aiding their recovery.

 

Cardio-vascular fitness

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Another misconception about Tai Chi is that it may be good for balance, flexibility and strength but it cannot keep up with more vigorous forms of exercises needed to build up aerobic fitness. However, this misbelief was challenged in a recent BBC programme “Trust Me I Am a Doctor” came up with a hypothesis that Tai Chi can be as effective as a typical cardio-vascular exercise programme such as Zumba. The research was conducted by the University of Birmingham for 12 weeks and the findings revealed that the effects of Tai Chi on the body and cardio vascular fitness were similar to these of aerobic exercises. At the end of the trial period Tai Chi practitioners showed improvement in the elasticity of blood vessels, lower blood pressure, increased level of anti-oxidants in the blood.

 

Conclusion

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Tai Chi can offer many great rewards to its practitioners. If small studies that last only several weeks are able to prove the positive effects of Tai Chi for neuromotor and cardio-vascular fitness, its great impact on strength and flexibility, there are all grounds to believe that the potential of Tai Chi as a system of exercises with wider application in disease prevention and rehabilitation is massive. There are really not many alternatives in the world of sport and exercise accessible to the general public that can boast the same body of research and anecdotal evidence to support its efficacy.  The only thing that is required from those who want to reap the rewards from Tai Chi is practice and perseverance.

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By Alla Bennett