Name-dropping

Some tai chi people love to 'name-drop'. They travel to see all manner of visiting masters and add them to their tai chi curriculum vitae.

Collecting forms and snippets of information is a popular pastime in tai chi.
What can you really learn from one workshop or a weekend seminar? Is a visiting expert really going to bare his secrets to a room of total strangers?

Be honest about this. Training with a renowned expert in no way translates to mean that you have been given that person's skill. Do not be naive.

The only proof of skill lies with the individual. What can you personally do? Your master may be brilliant at tai chi but you might be lousy.

Similarly, your instructor may be mediocre yet your skills are excellent.

Slow martial art

External martial art schools frequently add tai chi to their syllabus because it attracts students seeking something more relaxing.

Unfortunately, these classes often have no understanding of tai chi whatsoever. Instead of tai chi, they offer slow-motion movement. And that's it.

The tai chi principles are completely absent and the instructor is unaware of their existence. It may as well be a karate class practiced in slow-motion.

This is not tai chi, regardless of what is advertised.

Judging

(i) Hidden

Chinese martial arts were usually a family or village system used for self defence. Sharing with outsiders was not encouraged.
Tai chi was designed specifically to hide the applications and skills within an innocuous-seeming range of forms, drills and exercises.


(ii) Feeling

Tai chi skill can only be determined by how it feels. Martial arts are hands-on.
If your tai chi is generating the effect using the correct means, then this will be physically evident when you partner up with somebody else.
The very definition of 'jing' is somebody else's experience of your tai chi.


(iii) The Tai Chi Classics

Tai chi must adhere to the tai chi principles. Given the internal nature of tai chi, many of these cannot be gauged through observation.


(iv) Aesthetics

The danger with aesthetic concerns is that the context is askew.
People look for particular alignment considerations based on how nice they look instead of determining how they add to your ability to generate jing.
Tai chi is a living, breathing martial art in the hands of the right person. Arbitrary aesthetics will rob the practice of any viable self defence application.

Qigong in tai chi

A tai chi beginner is not adept with tai chi so they need to do a lot of qigong. It provides the necessary fitness benefits by serving as a stopgap pending higher level tai chi skill.

An advanced student starts practicing the round form version of the Long Yang form. This increases the fitness benefits of form; allowing them to spend less time training qigong.

Neigong replaces qigong as the primary source of power. An expert is more adept with higher level tai chi skill, so they only do a small amount of qigong.

There is simply no need to stand for an extended duration since greater benefits can be gained through whole-body movement.

Standing

(i) Muscle tension

Some qigong teachers expect students to hold static qigong postures for lengthy periods of time; even up to an hour.

This may be a challenge but the side-effect might easily be varicose veins, massive amounts of muscular tension and a decrease in higher level mobility.

(ii) Stop standing

Once the student has learned the weapons form they can cease standing qigong altogether if they want to. Prolonged standing may hinder higher levels of mobility with form.

(iii) Varicose veins

If you have varicose veins you should not undertake prolonged standing qigong.

The same thing every week?

If you are practicing the same thing every week, you are not making any progress. This is not education. It is a plateau; stagnant, dead and pointless. Learning requires development, change and growth.

In class and at home in-between lessons.

Make the time

Each stage of the syllabus offers new opportunities to build strength. There is plenty of time to learn the new material.

Aim to supplement class tuition with home practice. Home practice (optional but recommended) is usually staggered across the week.

Be selfish

Life offers many obstacles, surprises and set-backs. When it comes to your own fitness and wellbeing, you need to be very selfish.

Children grow up and leave home. Jobs end. Marriages fail.

There is never a time in your life when your fitness ceases to be fundamental. Put your fitness first. Invest the time. Find the time. Make the time.

The aim is to train every day. There is no need push yourself, strain your body or perform high repetitions.

Train gently. What is needed is presence and mindfulness. Have your mind on what you are doing and train slowly and carefully.

Conditioning exercises

The main qigong exercises contain all of the fundamental movements used in tai chi. But it takes time to really understand these methods.

You must train diligently for many years. By patiently working through the exercises day-after-day, you slowly become stronger.

Your clumsiness fades. Improved body awareness enables you to perform the exercises more effectively. Layer-upon-layer of detail increases your comprehension and your fitness improves significantly.

High repetitions are not recommended

High repetitions dull the mind. Aim to train little and often instead. Be thorough, accurate, aware. Cultivate familiarity and ease.

You want your movements to be natural, relaxed, smooth and controlled.

New starters

Beginners focus upon practicing (and learning) a series of fundamental standing and moving qigong exercises. These are quite easy to perform and build a foundation level of strength.

Partner exercises are mild, with the emphasis placed upon awareness and sensitivity.

Why is tai chi trained slowly?

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.

Be realistic

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.

Hard work

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.

Can you teach an old dog new tricks?

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...

I'm strong enough to tear apart rhinoceros hide and drag nine oxen by the tail

- yet I still lament my weakness.

(King Hsuan of Chou) 

 Our next induction course is Monday 6th July.

New starters are welcome! 

Qigong & tai chi

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.

Motor learning

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.