What do tai-chi, taekwondo and aikido have in common? How and where did each originate?

And how do they each relate to the flow of energy?|||Tai-Chi : Tai chi chaun combines the yin and yang approach of serene movements for health and well-being with a strong fighting system of self-defense. "The supreme ultimate fist," as it translates in English, is a self-defense method, one that is based on the Chinese Taoist philosophy of life. The roots of tai chi chuan are enshrouded in myth, and all but lost in legend, but the most popular theory refers to the art being originated by Chang San Feng, who was born in 1247. Chang studied at the famous Shaolin temple and mastered its system or martial arts. He then travelled to Wutang Mountain, a region populated by Toaist hermits where, as the legend goes, Chang watched as a stork and a snake fought. Fasinated by the fluidity of their movements and their ability both to evade and attack simultaneously, Chang adapted his system to incorporate the movements he had witnessed.





Taekwondo : It is widely believed that a buddhist monk named Won Qwang originated the five principles -etiquette, modesty, perseverance, self-control, and indomitable spirit- that today form the basis of taekwondo. This art is renowned for its exceptional kicking and jumping techniques. Tae means "to kick" or "smash with the feet"; kwon means "to intercept" or "strike with the hands"; and do means "the Way of the art." Thus, "the way of the foot and hand." Taekwondo is derived from several martial arts, with the main influence being tae-kyon - Korean kick fighting. It was originally developed in Korea in the 1950s when a group of leading martial arts expers came together to unify their respective disciplines under a single fighting system. The inauguration took place in south Korea on 11 April, 1955, with Major-General Choi Hong Hi, a 9th dan black belt, being credited as the founder . However, its roots stretch back nearly 2,000 years. Since 1988, Taekwondo has been listed as an Olympic sport.





Aikido : Aikido is an art that teaches one to harmonize completely with any attack, leading an aggressor to a point of imbalance, and then applying a neutralizing technique. Aikido in its present form is a relatively recent innovation within the martial arts tradition, and was developed in japan int he ealy 20th century by Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969), who was introduced to the classical martial arts as a boy by his father Yoroku. Over the course of his lifetime, he had several chance incounters with a diato ryu-aiki ju-jutsu master (Sokaku Takeda) and the charismatic founder of an esoteric religion called Omoto-Kyo (Onisaburo Deguchi). Ai means "harmony"; ki means "spirit"; and do means "way." In the spiritual sense, this means harmonizing your individual spirit, or ki, with the spirit of Nature itself. In the dojo, this means that you harmonize wiht an attack, lead it to a point of exhaustion and then neutralize it with a throw, joint lock, or an immobilization. As with many other martial arts, aikido is seen not only as a system of self-defence, but also as a means of self-cultivation and improvement.