By detecting the threshold of passive movement, ankle and knee joint kinaesthesis was measured in 21 elderly long-term tai chi practitioners (TC group), 20 elderly long-term swimmers/runners (S/R group), and 27 elderly sedentary controls (control group). Ankle joint kinaesthesis differed significantly among the three groups. Subjects in the TC group could detect a significantly smaller amount of motion than those in the S/R and control groups. No significant difference was found between the S/R and control groups. The threshold for detection of passive motion was significantly different in knee extension and flexion. For knee flexion, the TC group showed a significantly lower mean threshold for detection of passive motion than the control group. There were no significant differences between the S/R and control groups, or between the TC and S/R groups. For knee extension, no significant difference was noted among the three groups.