Yes. As you look at these movements, you will recognize many, such as "Single Whip." Yang style came out of Chen style (Yang LuChan was a servant who studied with the Chen family), and other styles branched off, too. While the applications come from Chen-style Taijiquan, the underlying principles and body mechanics, such as controlling the center, using whole-body power, maintaining structure, uprooting, striking, locking, and throwing, are useful regardless of style. Many students discover that studying applications gives them a deeper understanding of the movements they already practice. If you study a different style and don't get anything out of these DVDs, remember there is a Money-Back Guarantee.

These applications are based on practical martial concepts found within Chen Taijiquan. Chen family members were hired to protect caravans, and they were hired by different villages to teach the men in the village to fight, to defend against bandits or rebel forces.

You'll see strikes, joint locks, sweeps, takedowns, throws, and methods of controlling an opponent's balance and structure. Many movements contain multiple possible uses, which is why this set includes more than 400 applications from a single form. Chen-style Taijiquan has long maintained a strong emphasis on martial training and application.

Ken has been in many fights against bullies as he grew up. He won many tournament sparring competitions, and he won a full-contact boxing match. He does not teach applications that don't work. The key to effective Tai Chi self-defense is to practice so that whatever situation you find yourself in, you flow into the proper application. Learning an application is the first step. From there, it requires practice, practice, practice, with a compliant partner who then gives you more and more resistance as you develop skill. 

A martial art is only as effective as the person using it. There are videos of boxers, wrestlers, karate practitioners, MMA fighters, and Tai Chi practitioners losing fights. A style doesn't make someone unbeatable. The right mindset and training methods are the keys to success.

The real question is how a person trains. If Tai Chi is practiced only as a slow health exercise, it is unlikely to prepare someone for the pressure, speed, and unpredictability of a real confrontation. If an instructor believes that his "Qi" will protect him or make him powerful, he is in for a rude awakening, a black eye and a broken nose.

If Tai Chi is trained as a martial art—with applications, partner drills, push hands, timing, distancing, and resistance—it can develop useful fighting skills.

Tai Chi is an art that excels when an opponent puts his hands on you. These DVDs show the possibilities. The next step is to practice with a partner.

Ken believes you can learn to fight without hurting anyone in practice, or being hurt yourself. He has students who have used their art successfully in real life. And remember, real life is not found in an MMA ring. It is found against someone with anger issues, or abusive tendencies. 

This DVD set does not promise invincibility. It is designed to help you understand the martial principles and applications hidden within the movements of Chen Taijiquan so you can train them intelligently and realistically.

There is a Money-Back Guarantee if you study these DVDs and feel that the applications are not realistic.