"The tai chi form is a library of techniques passed through the generations. Every move or frame in the form sequence was devised as part of a blueprint of defensive or martial applications.
Some applications are the product of a single form constituent or lesson and some applications are the result of a scheme that encompasses several sets of movement.

But if you practice a form without adhering to the literal, or practical applications of the form, then the intent of the originators and the chi that went into it is compromised.

The internal nature of the art places chi energy at the heart of such martial expressions, and so, by changing the form in disregard for the combative intent, the health and energetic venefits are diluted."

Sensei Jack Livingston