Never before has there been the opportunity for a Martial Artist to learn from so many teachers in so many systems as there is today. This is the age of the Mixed Martial Arts where you can learn the striking power of karate, the kicking skills of Taekwondo, the groundfighting techniques of Jujitsu, the sticking hands techniques of Wing Chun, the locks and throws of Aikido and the softness and fluidity of Tai Chi without looking too hard.
Learning the basics of all these systems can be time consuming but not difficult, mastering them all would take many years of dedicated training. The biggest problem is the synthesis of all these disparate methods into a cohesive and workable system. There will be problems in the underlying theories of each art which make them difficult to reconcile such as the fighting distance and the method of application of the techniques with respect to the amount of force to be use and how that force should be. The sheer number of different avenues for attack and defence make it difficult to decide on which is the best for the current situation.
The masters of old knew this and developed a cohesive method incorporating the best of all the known techniques and fighting theories of the age to create a cohesive and consistent fighting system known as Taijiquan. The art thus contains power striking methods, grappling techniques utilising sensitivity to the opponent, locks and throws , plus the internal strength training and movement harmonisation with the opponent which all follow a consistent set of principles.
So if there is already a cohesive "mixed Martial Art" why do people continue jumping from school to school learning a bit of this and a bit of that ?
The answer is that modern Taijiquan is associated with one thing only, namely the soft harmonious movement exercise of the Tao Lu (Hand Form) which is suitable for old people to practise due to its therapeutic properties. This attitude is constantly reinforced by the media who only ever show footage of old Chinese people practising the empty hand form in the parks. When they do show a Sword form it is performed very badly by a middle aged woman who treats it like a glorified letter opener.
Even knowledgable Martial Artists have no conception of the art as a fighting art. Those who have often say that it is not practical, or takes a long time to learn, or its not as good as the main art that they have spent 20 years studying etc.
The situation is not helped by the majority of Tai Chi teachers having no conception about the Martial Aspects of the Art. As they only ever need to learn the empty hand form to become a teacher they can do this in a relatively short time. Thus propagating the non-martial Tai Chi idea.
Attitudes are hard to change. I am constantly told by "experts" esoterica about the Art I have been studying and practising for many years and am constantly amazed by their explanations. They are in turn astounded when I explain I didn't know any of those things but was merely studying Tai Chi as a Martial Art.
Learning the hand form is a relatively painless experience , requiring little exertion and no pain. Whereas learning the Martial Art can be very exhausting and quite painful with the risk of injury and failure. Is it surprising that more people favour the former.
When you mix Martial Arts with Mysticism you get a potent mix, but when you mix it with money you often don't get what you paid for.