Trainee teachers
A teacher is one who makes
himself progressively unnecessary.
(Thomas Carruthers)
10,000 hours
Being a tai chi expert is more than just talent. You need to put in the
work.
A good instructor should have at least 10,000 hours of practice
behind them.
Dr. K. Anders Ericsson found that this was true of any art; whether
tai chi, dancing or playing the
piano.
Do the maths: if you trained tai chi for 2 hours a day (every single day)
for a year, that would mean 730 hours a year.
At that rate, 10,000 hours would take you 13 years of practice.
Consider: Sifu Waller has trained martial arts for approximately 3-7 hours a day
(and occasionally longer), 365 days a year, since the early 1980's.
His main focus since 1990 has been the small circle version of tai chi.
He has somewhere between 20,000 - 30,000 hours of practice under his belt.
Scholar
Tai chi is based upon a complex theoretical foundation, explained in the taoist classics and the tai chi classics.
The taoist classics are:
Lao Tzu/Tao Te Ching
I Ching (book of changes)
These works introduce a variety of insights, including:
The tai chi classics are:
There are also martial classics, including:
36 Strategies
The Methods of the Ssu-ma
Questions and Replies Between T'ang T'ai-tsung and Li Wei-kung
T'ai Kung's Six Secret Teachings
Three Strategies of Huang Shih-kung
Wei Liao-tzu
Wu-tzu
A tai chi instructor is usually
also a scholar. Without an understanding of these crucial works, much is
lost.
Sifu
A martial arts teacher is unlike a school teacher or a university
lecturer.
A tai chi
sifu is not:
a celebrity
a coach
a counsellor
a guru
a keep fit instructor
a medical practitioner
a monk/priest
an on-line chatroom buddy
a performance artist
a personal trainer
a therapist
your mate
It is important to be clear about
the role played by the martial arts teacher.
If you are training to be a tai chi instructor, you need to understand what that
means.
If a person needs counselling, they should see a counsellor.
If a person has medical problems, they should see a doctor.
Wearing someone else's shoes may deny the student the proper treatment/help they
require.
Black belt students
Trainee teachers
in our school are long-term students with considerable
experience in tai chi.
They possess an
experienced
understanding of the art.
All aspects of the syllabus are familiar and can be demonstrated to a high
standard of competence.
Black belts
There are 8 black belts to work through.
Teacher training takes place after the sixth one.
Teacher training addresses the
different levels of the curriculum and the logistics of running a class.
How can I become a teacher?
We welcome anyone who wants to become a tai chi
teacher.
Prospective teachers start in the beginners class and work their way through
the
syllabus.
With patience, commitment and practice, they reach the black belt level.
At that point, the student is taught how to teach.
Unravelling
When you can simply 'do' tai chi, you are a skilled exponent.
You have transcended
the point where conscious thought intrudes.
At this point in your learning, you can perform tai chi very well but
could not realistically teach what you can do.
To teach, you have to
methodically unravel the process that got you there.
When you can dismantle how you got there and teach it to others such that they
can do it too, you are an instructor.
Choice
If you are given 2 choices by somebody,
do not be afraid to suggest an alternative.
Why be constrained by what is being offered?
Do not let the terms of the question impose limits that are verbal rather than
actual.
There is more to tai chi than what you are taught.
Unless you can move beyond the
letter of the teaching and reach the
essence, you will never understand.
Your
perception must change.
Transcend
The syllabus was designed to build layer upon layer of
understanding and skill.
But learning-by-rote is not enough.
In order to teach tai chi you must fundamentally change how you
think.
Copying, repeating, paraphrasing and memorising are not good enough - you must
transcend the tuition itself and make your own contribution.
If you cannot do this, what is your purpose in teaching?
Standing in your own way
In all aspects of the curriculum and in
life, there is usually more to see than you
are aware of.
Your inability to see other choices, options or aspects does not mean they don't
exist.
Remember: it is not about
you.
The limitations you encounter are a product of your mind. Do not stand in
your own way.
To really understand the syllabus you surrender your
ego, your
self-consciousness and
alter your capacity to see.
Commitment
A trainee
teacher will have a lot of
material to practice and should be committed to daily training.
Daily training is the cornerstone of your practice.
In addition to physical work, you must also be studying tao, zen, the tai chi
classics and any associated material.
More...
Page created 19 October 2002