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Tai chi instructor
A
tai chi
instructor candidate must:
• Know the
tai chi syllabus
• Apply
every form movement
martially (in at least 7 different ways) using jing, chin na and shuai jiao
•
Have an excellent understanding and
use of internal
biomechanics
•
Demonstrate
functional whole-body
movement in all activities
• Be capable of using the
martial art in a thorough
and convincing tai chi way
• There should be no 'external'
influences or bad habits in any
aspect of your art
•
Read all of the books on the
reading list
Be realistic
It typically takes at least 10 years for a serious
candidate to learn the
tai chi syllabus to a suitable standard.
Then, you learn how to
teach...
The teacher training course is free of charge.
Instructor levels
The
kung fu curriculum is massive.
Becoming an instructor is not the end of your own
personal development.
It is possible to become an
expert or even a master.
At these later stages of skill, your capacity to teach must also change and
grow to reflect the
comprehensive nature of your tai chi understanding and ability.
There are
teachers and there are teachers...
The Japanese word for black belt is shodan which
means 'first step' or 'certified beginner'.
(Michael Gelb)
Certified
beginner
It takes between 3-5 years for a keen student to get a black belt in
any martial art.
Traditionally it could take far longer.
In his
book The Art of Peace Ueshiba stated that it will take a decade just to
get the
basics
of aikido...
Black
belt does not mean 'instructor'
In most martial arts schools, you must pass the equivalent of
3 black belts
before in order to gain the level of practice
and
experience required of a
trainee
instructor.
The student can only undertake teacher training if they can show that they
are fit
to instruct.
The necessary
disposition and skills must be
evident. How long does this take?
Tai chi is a complex
martial art.
Apply the same rationale/time frame to tai chi.
Proof
If you doubt the credibility of
your instructor, ask for proof:
· How long have they been practicing tai chi?
· Who was their instructor?
· How long have they been
teaching?
· Is the instructor following a
syllabus?
· Do they possess any kind of
recognised teaching qualification (i.e. PGCE)?
· Can they demonstrate these discreet
skills effortlessly and
spontaneously
against a range of
unrehearsed attacks?
· Do they understand
13 methods,
4 ounces,
yielding,
softness,
neigong?
· Are they able to
explain their skills and then
demonstrate what they mean?
· Can you attack a
high-level student and see what skills they possess?
· Can you talk with a high-level student about the instructor, the art and the
class?
Learn how to
judge
the
quality
of the instructor.
Be polite about it, and accept that you may get roughed-up.
A skilled instructor should leave no
doubt in your mind that they know what they
are doing.
Controversial approaches
A few instructors are teaching a weird
mish-mash of
tai chi and some other art,
such as karate.
These classes are pitched as being innovative,
realistic,
pragmatic.
Mixing tai chi and
external
practices together does not improve the
quality of the tai chi.
Rather, it diminishes the value of the tai chi component.
The instructor is
demonstrating their inability to
understand and apply
tai chi
using the
tai chi principles.
They have opted for a
short-cut, and are filling-in the holes in their
knowledge
using
concepts and
approaches from other martial arts.
There is nothing wrong with developing your own art if that is your desire,
but you should not call it 'tai chi'.
Teach with integrity
Many good instructors are aware that tai chi is becoming a
lost art:
Over the centuries many variations of the movements have been taught, but provided the principles are adhered to there is no need for the student to doubt the authenticity of what he is being taught.
(Paul Crompton)
The way most people do tai chi, it's not a
martial art.
They could never use it the way they're doing it. Everything's in their
hands, they
just fill in the rest with fantasy talk.
(Paul Gale)
If all you learn is a lot of forms, you just become a good dancer.
(James Wing Woo)
Students of the martial arts in the West feel that they must use their art to fight, or at least to compete, to show people how good they are. In tai chi, this is unacceptable, because that is against the principle of tai chi.
(Gabriel Chin)
You may know two hundred different martial arts but what is the
quality of your
movements? It's still just
movement, it
doesn't matter how many forms you know.
People with
wisdom
will use a tool properly, but a person with lower knowledge will recognise only
one function of the tool. In the same manner,
internal martial
arts can be used for many functions because you use the same tool. This
training method is only one tool, but it has many different uses.
You need to use one form for practice and include
everything in it - mind, structure, movement and qi. If you can easily do
all of these within each motion, that is the internal martial arts.
(Luo De Xiu)
Page created
18 March 1997
Last updated
16 June 2023
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