We can all pretty much make large circular movements using arms and legs. Infants and kids can do it very well, with no Tai Chi. It does not endow you with the skills necessary to reach many angles of movement however.
Classical Tai Chi is a small frame/small circle Tai Chi. The mechanics of a small circular movement shows one can reach every angle and reach it faster. An analogy that appeals to me is of putting a Porsche engine in a BMW. It is because of those smaller circles of internal moves and the establishment of neural/energy pathways.
The question a long ago teacher, also a Tai Chi teacher/Mechanical Engineer in the “70’s” asked rhetorically is: "Qi? What Qi?" Master Hwa, a Chemical Engineer, with excellent mechanical understanding and the patents to show it told me about Qi or the lack thereof. If one has no energy/neural pathway established by physical internal discipline, there is no Qi.
As a student of the last 20+ years, I know from Tuishou (private push hands) with Master Stephen Hwa that he can move in 3 dimensions, reaching all angles. Smaller circles mean being able to push along the x, y, and z-axis. I never got that in 20 years previous Tai Chi. I can assure any martial artist that working with his Neigong (internal work) lessons ensures you get Neijin (internal energy) so that “internal work/discipline = Internal energy ." A bonus is that your internal physical movements get smaller, "tighter," and smaller circles can cover all angles, which is not available with the large movement of external training.
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