Some of tai chi is trained slowly, but not all of it. Certain concerns are practiced slowly in order to improve accuracy, control, balance, rhythm and flow.
Smoothness and relaxation are paramount. Performing the material slowly is far more difficult than doing it quickly. It will tax your muscles.
Set aside talk about relaxation, qi, softness and other concerns... Your body is flesh and bone. It is moved by muscles.
In order to be strong, agile, flexible and adaptive in combat - you need to strengthen your body.
Most new starters are not prepared for the amount of physical work involved in learning tai chi. The public image of tai chi creates a false sense of effortlessness.
Few people expect to train hard. This is naive.
Most adults have totally forgotten what learning entails. They placate themselves with excuses about not having a young, flexible mind... or having no time.
But this is not the truth at all. The truth is far simpler - they have become old and lazy...
Tai chi involves simple movements, mild stretches and cooperative partner work. The onus is upon relaxation, balance, good poise and coordination. Students learn how to move their body in a healthy, comfortable way without the risk of injury. Most adults can study qigong & tai chi. This non-martial approach is accessible for many people aged 50 and above.
Assuming that you are fit enough to undertake the training, tai chi is great. It is a lifetime’s work. You can start at any time and potentially still be training for the rest of your life.
For many people, their fitness regime does not take into account 'motor learning'. Motor learning is about the process of using the body, rather than simply exercising the body.
Agility, mobility, relaxed spontaneous movement, balance, structure, alignment, biomechanics, efficiency, ambidextrous body use, joint health, coordination, skill, emotional wellbeing or psychological flexibility.
Tai chi combines exercise with motor learning.
Tai chi advocates moderation; not taxing or tiring the body. Rather than train for a lengthy period of time, aim to practice little & often. 20-30 minute increments, with rest breaks in-between is ideal.
Instead of pushing your body hard and putting it under duress, just do a little exercise. Resting will keep your concentration sharp and offset fatigue.
It’s crazy. I never thought I’d be getting more powerful as I got older!
I used to be able to hit pretty hard in karate but it was 100% effort. More than a handful of full power hits and I was getting fatigued. With Tai chi I’m hitting as hard, probably harder but no effort…I could carry on striking all day! It’s nuts! Also, with karate there was wind up or at least fist at waist or head so had space to travel before contact. Now I can almost hit as hard from touching the target!
The fact Sifu Waller has been able to transform my power generation as I age into my 40’s is all the proof I will ever need of both the art and Sifu as the real thing. I almost feel sorry for those that continue with slow old people taichi or wushu style. They are missing the essence!
(Chris Young)
Training at home may seem like a chore at first. If this is the case, do not force yourself to practice. Give it time. Do only what you feel like doing...
Eventually you forget that there was a time when you did not do tai chi. The tai chi seeps into your everyday body usage and you begin to do things differently, with more awareness.
Again, this becomes habit. For the tai chi to work, you must relax and be receptive to it. If your enthusiasm grows you will exercise because you want to. Not because you think that you ought to.
If you understand the underlying physical principles of tai chi, you can explore a wide variety of possible applications and insights.
Your body is trained to naturally, unconsciously employ the essence of tai chi in any given situation, rather than plan and think. It is all a question of habit.
If you repeat something often enough it becomes unconscious. Unconscious behaviour is known as 'habit'. We all develop habits throughout our lives.
Some help us to avoid making mistakes and forgetting things. Other habits are not so useful; they can actually hamper your fitness.
Most martial arts meet conflict with resistance.
Tai chi is different; it requires the student to blend, to join, to avoid blocking the path of force.
This process is called 'yielding', and the joining may be seen as 'mutual arising'.
It is the completion of the yin/yang diagram.
Given the prevalence of conflict in our culture and the common urge to fight, the challenge of non-contention is daunting.
By overcoming fear and using the physics skilfully, a tai chi person can meet the incoming attack softly, redirect the force and avoid unnecessary violence.
A person may choose to apply this methodology throughout all aspects of their life.
Being alone offers you the opportunity to let jumbled thoughts settle.
Things that may be bothering you can be considered calmly.
If you wander without purpose, doing whatever pleases you or needs doing, you may find that your worries drift also.
Simple chores like cleaning, washing dishes or ironing become profoundly soothing.
Time alone is a chance to catch up with yourself, to consider how you are living your life and to let your thoughts fade...
Television, friends, family, work are all ways in which we avoid being alone.
There is a vast industry of distractions intended to keep people entertained.
It is important to question this dependence upon outside things.
It is healthy to spend some time alone in your own company.
Modern life can easily become hurried and people are caught in a stream of incessant activity.
Taking time to be alone is very important if you want to relax fully.
Most people have minds that are like adverts chattering noisily: worrying, flitting and unsettled.
By breathing deeply and naturally, you become quieter inside.
By moving slowly and calmly, you are aware of what is happening as it happens.
There are quiet places in this world. Places undisturbed by incessant noise. Seek them out.
They will assist you in becoming quiet inside.
Walk along the surf at 6:00 AM.
Unplug the phone, sit in a quiet room and read without disturbance.
Wander through leafy woods and fields.
Notice things...
Silence occurs when the mind becomes quiet and still.
This process cannot be forced. The mind must naturally settle and relax.
Tai chi creates a situation where your attention is absorbed with where you are and what you are doing, so the mind becomes quiet automatically.
Unlike concentration, you allow the mind to open and become expansive.
You feel, hear and see everything around you.
The chattering of your thoughts will begin to fade.
