Someone tells me tai chi is the best branch of martial arts to practice high level meditations,but that it can make you go abstract (http://www.absoluteherbal.co.uk).

Its probably a good way to relax; not so much to learn how to fight.

Just let me say: BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11111111 111111oneoneoneone

Carry on.

tai chi is considered one of the highest levels of martial arts. that's why the great tai chi fighters are so few. well that, and many people who teach it these days do not do sparring or anything outside of push hands.

there is a prevelant branch of tai chi in the US that uses boxing gloves to spar and are supposed to be good fighters in general.

i do hear that old school tai chi beat major ass. and of course, there is that story of mas oyama and why he respected tai chi and learned internal arts practices to refine his karate. if u don't know who mas is, he is the inventor of kyokushin karate - one of the most, if not the most, reputable karate branches.

tai chi will complement anything u do athletically as it will force u to really learn how u move. i don't do taichi, i do the more violent internal arts.

for meditative purposes, anything u completely focus on without awareness of anything else is meditation. that, and emptiness.

btw, abstractness is a good thing. it is your goal - the marriage of the fighter and the philosopher.