Yes it can. It was developed for self defense. Most people when the think of tai chi they think of it as some senior citizens in the park or rec center doing some slow movement exercise. This is because of what many of us have seen on TV and you see advertisements locally for senior to sign up for a tai chi exercise class. I would think what is taught in the exercise class is not complete. Therefore those people might not be able to use it in self defense. But those that study the complete art under a qualified instructor are more than capable of defending themselves Source(s): The question is whether "you" can use it that way, and the answer is "maybe". A lot of the movements are designed with the intent of using already present knowledge on linear applications and rotations. If you don't know those from xingyi, wing chun, bagua, etc, it'll be hard to find a way to use Taiji Chuan as fighting moves. EDIT: Since Keyboard wants evidence, all he has to do is hook up with Darth and I'm sure he will present the evidence. Perhaps that will be the first YA MA showdown Keyboard asked a question about/on. Taiji is much like aikido in the sense that even if a teacher tries to teach you the real deal, you won't be able to absorb it without the benefit of some serious prior experience with actual fighting applications. It's definitely a slow start