In Tai Chi, after learning the basic form, students can move on to using weapons to complement their moves. There are various weapons that can be used in Tai Chi. Students can choose which kind they prefer. There are the Chang, a spear, or others preferred the staffs. The next one is the Tao, a large one edged broad sword, just like a cutlass or a Saracen scimitar. And the last is the Chien which is a straight, double edged sword.

Of the three, many Tai Chi practitioners consider the Tai Chi Sword as the deadliest weapon. It’s lightweight enough to afford speed and quick flourishes; the long blade gives the user maximum reach without sacrificing its lethality, and the flexibility of its blade can be very misleading to an opponent.

Tai Chi Sword Art, or the Wushu, is often jealously guarded in Tai Chi history. Masters may teach students the Tao or the Chang, but rarely would they teach Chien. It is because the strongest combat element of the Tai Chi art lies in this sword-art form. Today however, most teachers allow students to begin learning the Tai Chi Sword after learning the basic Tai Chi forms.

Masters still argue on this matter. But the emphasis of defending oneself, should the situation call for it, is far more important. Knowledge in Tai Chi Sword could be a huge help when confronted with this situation. They emphasize though, that Tai Chi Sword is not a study of the weapon, but a study of forms and their application.

The Tai Chi Sword Art’s prominent use is now through sport competition, much to the consternation of traditionalists. They have complained about the fact that the Tai Chi Sword Art has become more flamboyant than being functional, the graceful and flowing manner had instead degraded into more like a dance than a maneuver, emphasizing more on gracefulness than of martial energy.

The Tai Chi Sword form has many subtle techniques that aren’t employed in tournaments since pretty wrist movement scores higher with the judges than the subtle flicks of the wrist. This caused divergent sword-using sects to form: those who do Tai Chi Sword Art as martial arts, those who do it as a dance, and those who do Tai Chi Sword Art as both.