What if ... you take a combination of the techniques you already know and create a shodowboxig sequence out of them. Then practice them slowly while keeping to Tim's principles of motion, vizualizing oponent infront of you. Since you already know the techniques and have used them in sparring this should take care of your intention being focused and at the right place. Now THE QUESTION! Is it going to be better then drilling 500 year old legacy movements with some obscure and mostly unworkable applications. Case specific tai chi long form. What if instead of doing 108 movements I will just do my 5 boxing punches, and parries with tai chi flavor? Does it qualify as a form? Will I be a tai chi boxer (provided I do sparring too)? versus tai chi dancer if I kept doing the form?

Yes

Yes.

But if you practice the applications and spar with the techniques from the Tai Ji form (mostly workable as originally designed), you'd become a Tai Ji boxer by practicing the long form too.

Practicing Western shadowboxing with perfect form would also be useless for developing fighting skills unless you have actually boxed.
It's the method (realistic drilling and non-cooperative sparring) that will make the difference, not the kind of form per se.

Have you tried the Tai Chi Flavor Dorritos?

Yes I have,
and they are a little light on the Chi. What A damn ripoff.


OOmibozu who used to be deadpool!!

Forms are only useful if you can learn the correct way to apply the movments in combat.

If you make up your own from based on your proven sucsess, it's a waste of time because you already know those skills, unless you are trying to teach what you know.

Learn the form you DON'T know and master it in all it's intricecies, and you will move forward. Just blindly repeat a mindless pattern in the air, you will move backwards.

Gian

You have one of the best boxing sites I have found on the web. It is always interesting to see how so many of us study the same arts in such different ways. I study Wa Lu in Ohio with Ray Trillet. We are part of the Chinese Boxing Institute. ( chineseboxing.com ) We include Hsing I, Ba Gua, and Chen Tai Chi as part of our supplemental studies. Anyway I just wanted to compliment you on a very well done site.

Thanks Jim.