How long will it take before you can use your Tai Chi for fighting?

Jet Li made the following comment in a recent interview:

"Chinese martial arts are so extremely profound that most of the Chinese don't even understand the power themselves. It will take a long time to learn and practice."

Is this all true? Is that the reason why all of the so-called Sifu, with only a few exceptions, are all old and fat? Is that why most of the people who have studied Tai Chi for a long period of time still do not have a clue about how they can use their kung fu?

This brings up a good question: how long does it take for a Tai Chi student to apply the technique in a real encounter?

What's your answer?

I know that most of my friends are thinking what their teachers and classmates have been telling them: it's going to take a long time.

You must be complaining now, “But, I don’t have the time.”

I remembered William C.C. Chen once told me that he could train any normal housewife for three months and he would be confident that they could defeat most of the big guys in hand to hand combat. And, there is no magic. It’s all about learning how to relax, how to develop the skills, how to apply the fighting art, and finally, and the most important part, practicing with an open mind.