Most martial arts schools spend a considerable amount of time developing basic skills. They practice kicks and punches, and do a fair amount of conditioning training. This basic training is often missing in tai chi classes.

When tai chi was being taught in the imperial palace, it was taught by elite martial artists to people who already had a strong foundation in martial arts. Many were, in fact, elite soldiers or bodyguards. That is why tai chi often doesn’t include basic training. It has traditionally been assumed that students learning the art for martial purposes already had the foundation. While students who did not wish to learn to fight, did not need the martial foundation.

Nowadays, many of the schools that teach tai chi as a martial art will add basic training to their curriculum, especially for their younger students. But most schools do not find it necessary or appropriate for their student demographic.