Tai chi school
If
you want to live in peace with yourself, leave others to live in peace.
Do everything in your power to prevent or reduce violence whenever you can,
and avoid perpetrating it yourself, whether physically, emotionally or
psychically.
(Barefoot Doctor)
A school
An internal
arts school is different to a night school
course or a
keep fit class.
Its mandate is far broader.
With a keep fit class you can attend intermittently, and train as much or as
little as you like.
It makes no real difference.
The student is just a number in the register.
With a tai chi school you are expected to have a different attitude.
There is a detailed syllabus offering a clear pathway of progression, and a
specific code of conduct.
Students are asked to train between classes and attend regularly.
Individual progress is monitored and supervised by the instructor.
Family?
A tai chi teacher needs to cultivate an atmosphere of friendship,
care and respect.
The classes need to be akin to an extended family, with students feeling quite
safe and comfortable with one another.
No matter what is happening in your life, the school remains a good place to be.
Traditional tai chi designations are familial in nature: 'older brother',
'younger sister' etc.
Learning for yourself
Our school was inspired by Krishnamurti's approach to the
experience of learning.
He felt that knowledge only has any worth if you come to it by yourself.
You cannot learn through somebody else - the journey must be your own.
This is similar in nature to taoism and zen, where direct experience is valued
above conversation.
In our classes we expect students to undertake a process of discovery,
committing their minds and bodies to the open-ended venture of learning tai chi.
Tai chi in our school
In this modern era there are very few tai chi classes that actually offer an
unadulterated system.
Other people's classes commonly offer:
Health-only tai chi
Karate-influenced tai chi
Competition forms to collect
Tai chi as a 'keep-fit' exercise
A range of tai chi styles to choose from and collect
These approaches fail to
catch the essence of what makes tai chi a unique art.
Beyond form
Most tai chi schools teach qigong, form, weaponry and pushing hands.
If self defence is addressed, it is often influenced by external arts and
possesses no real jing.
In our school, form is simply one facet of a very sophisticated curriculum
designed to develop the complete martial artist.
We want students to see form for what it is; self defence is so much more than
form.
The training needs to be challenging, vigorous and extensive.
Grass roots
We adopt a 'grass roots' attitude to tai chi, going right back to the basics.
Students explore the human body, physics, biomechanics, principles and martial
theory.
They discover the difference between jing and li; and come to recognise the
significance of tao.
Such an adventure is not for the half-hearted. This is no quick fix.
The syllabus is lengthy and thorough, but you can study it at your own pace.
Internal
There have been some pretty weird definitions of 'internal' from various
teachers across the years.
A lot of needless debate has been carried out.
Whole-body soft movement is quite unique and easy to identify.
If you have received an internal strike, you are unlikely to confuse it with
anything else.
Anyone who has tried to grapple with a real tai chi person tends to be amazed
by their malleability.
The fluid, adaptive approach creates a sense of 'fighting with yourself' or with
water.
What people find most odd about tai chi is the ease of the art.
A small movement produces a disproportionate consequence; and no muscular
tension is ever used.
Yet it works.
To accomplish this, the tai chi classics must be adhered to strictly, with no
deviation.
Yielding must be your first and last thought at all times.
Self defence
A tai chi school would not be a tai chi school without combat.
Tai chi, however, is not about fighting - it is about self defence - and the
two are rather different.
Fighting is about contesting yourself against another, besting them in combat
and perhaps obtaining a prize.
Self defence is about escaping harm - using the minimum degree of effort and
commitment.
There are no prizes or runners-up in self defence; if you lose in a real life
confrontation, you could die.
Class practice must skirt the edge of reality; tasting the danger without
running the risk of serious injury.
Study
Students are expected to have far more knowledge than simply form routines and
self defence applications.
An extensive grasp of zen and tao is required also.
Martial theory and practice need to be discussed, explored and tested with other
students.
Character
A tai chi student needs to have good character. They are held to a higher
standard than other people.
Courtesy, manners, politeness and honesty are standard. Moral conduct and
restraint are also expected.
It is important to take responsibility for what you are learning and show
consideration to others who are less fortunate than you.
These may sound like old fashioned values but the martial arts tradition is an
ancient one; and its values have proven their worth over the centuries.
Right conduct, courage, benevolence, respect, honour and self discipline are all
a given in our classes.
Page created 8 July 1998