I'm assuming by 'form' of tai chi you are referring to different styles. There are 5 family styles officially recognized by the Chinese (PRC) Government, namely Chen (The oldest and original), Yang (The most popular globally), Wu, Wu-Hao and Sun. Besides that you also have other styles like the Zhaobao style, Wudang Style, Fu style etc, and even within the main family styles there are multiple sub-styles, sub styles within sub styles etc. Heck, even some forms that are not derived from actual tai chi lineage sometimes term themselves as tai chi...
What does Tai Chi do for me? First and foremost I enjoy it (I practice Chen style) immensely, it is something I look forward to practice everyday. It's like the proverbial layers of an onion. It has also informed various aspects of my life especially with respect to relaxation and dealing with stress and problems.
In addition, my blood pressure has been brought back to a healthy level within the first few months, which was quite astounding really.
Lastly, do you need muscle? I would say it depends, if you were to practice only for health you may not need much muscle, although in Chen style your thigh muscles have to be very well developed due to the lower stances. However, to effectively use it as a martial art you would have to have the right muscles developed, the goal of tai chi is to eliminate all unnecessary muscular tension so as to be able to use the correct muscles most efficiently (especially the core muscles), delivering force using body mechanics and structure. In that sense you do need to develop some muscles, but only to an extent, overdoing it may be counter productive to the ability to attain the internal aspects of the art.
Two comments for you....
1) No martial arts requires muscle. Anyone using muscle in what they do has not learned how to do it properly.
2) If you want to know about Tai Chi Chuan then do your own research. There is plenty out there that you can find with a simple search. why expect anyone to try to tell you everything you want to know when it would take several books to explain.
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Yes... various hand forms... Sun form in San Francisco, CA usually done in one direction, then done in the other, Yang Standardized form and the etc...
There are also various style - Chen style, Yang style, Lee style and the etc...
The Art of Fighting Without Fighting by Jan Fan JKD.
yes there are several.
Yes, there are more different systems of Tai Chi and specifically Tai Chi Ch'uan than I can keep up with. You can look into the different styles for yourself online to see which one best serves your needs.
Like most popular fighting systems, Tai Chi has had many splits and schisms over the years. These days, the differences within a martial art are often the result of new school owners who want to be able to teach without having to pay franchising fees for teaching "someone else's art." As a result, they put their own name on the martial art, or they come up with some gimmick to disassociate themselves from the original school that they came from so they don't get sued for infringing on an intellectual property. So basically you're being taught the same curriculum, it's just being called a different kind of Tai Chi, Kung Fu, Jiu Jitsu, etc.
Bruce my friend... thought you were dead.....
Anyway, yes, there are a number of different styles of "tai chi". They are part of the traditional "internal arts" trio, comprised of tai chi, pa kua (now, 'bagua") and Hsing-I.
In the past, it was primarily a combat form, and often studied in conjunction with the other two.
However, in more recent years, it's become primarily an exercise form that seeks to stimulate the flow of "chi" in Chinese mythology.
There are still combat forms practiced, but hard to find. There are tournament footages on YouTube.
Is there more then one form of tai chi? What does it do for you? Do you need muscle?
