The Chirally Normalized Vector Meson Dominance Model and Semihadronic Tau Decays

We discuss and test the assumptions of the chirally normalized vector meson dominance model (CN-VMD), as it is used for tau decays. We compare the CN-VMD amplitudes with those using on-shell couplings, derived directly from experimental data. We discuss in detail the $3\pi$, $KK\pi$ and $2\pi$ final states. We suggest that the true values for the $K_1$ widths might be larger than those quoted in the Review of Particle Physics.