Learning an internal martial art | ||
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Tai chi for health
Most people who attend a
tai chi class are actually seeking tai chi for
health.
The allure of martial arts training may appeal but in
reality the student is woefully unprepared
for what martial arts training actually entails.
To state it plainly: the student is a tai chi for health student who has an
interest/enthusiasm for the
internal martial arts. They are not a martial artist.
Martial arts training
Learning any martial art requires
hard work, commitment, dedication, patience and
perseverance.
There are no exceptions.
If you do not train hard enough,
the combat skills will never become
habitual and they will not work.
This is no different to learning
how to play the piano or how to
speak a foreign language...
Practice until you no longer have to
think about what you are doing.
When you come to the dojo, it is a recognition the
teacher there has something you want. He will give it to you in his own way.
You must accept that. If you do not, you are free to leave. The dojo,
however, is never run by consensus.
You may have all sorts of wonderful ideas, what you
consider to be valuable contributions and insights, your own personal take on
matters. Nobody cares. Quite the opposite.
The fastest way to alienate yourself
in a dojo is to make known these ideas or to volunteer your suggestions on how
training might be better or more effective.
(Dave Lowry)
The ancient art
On top of the normal level of
training associated with learning a martial art,
tai chi requires the student to
understand the wisdom and
principles behind the art.
This entails a deeper,
richer learning experience.
It also requires more effort.
The healthy art
Tai chi is an unusual martial arts method because it pays particular
attention to fitness and
wellbeing.
A commitment to healthy
living is strongly encouraged.
How to learn a martial art
There are three types of learning
taking place.
Each one is appropriate at a certain point in your
training:
Follow instructions
Show initiative
Think it through for yourself
Follow
instructions
Tai chi practice is potentially
dangerous.
Students cannot be permitted to act how they see
fit.
They may have trained with other
teachers, learned other methods or have
all sorts of ideas gleaned
from reading books or watching on-line clips.
None of this matters to your instructor.
Comparing, second-guessing,
arguing, talking and being lazy are sure signs that you are not suited to
an internal martial art.
The student is sabotaging their own progress
by being arrogant.
Just do what you have been told and do it
to the best of your ability.
Show initiative
How does it work? Why does it work?
Do not immediately ask the instructor.
Try to figure it out for yourself.
Experiment, explore,
discover.
If you are unable to do so, then research the
matter.
Reference a wide variety of
sources.
Lazy questions
Please do not come to class with questions that we have already answered
comprehensively on our website.
If you are too lazy to read the website or
practice by yourself,
you are too lazy to do an internal martial
art.
Most students ask too many
questions too soon. An inquisitive mind is not wrong, but too much
questioning often signifies that the student failed to practice enough or
didn't take time to analyse and investigate the problem on his own.
(Adam Hsu)
Think it through for yourself
In the book Curious (by Ian Leslie) the author identifies two types of
curiosity:
Diversive
Epistemic
Diversive
Diversive curiosity is all about being interesting in a
broad range of things.
Whilst this is potentially a good thing, it can also result in the
individual having a superficial grasp of a broad range of topics.
Trivia, general knowledge, newspapers, magazines, certain books and the
internet can serve to provide knowledge but not wisdom or insight.
Mainly they serve to distract or entertain a
restless mind.
Epistemic
Epistemic curiosity is
concerned with digging deeper; gaining a more comprehensive
understanding of a given subject.
Getting to the heart of the matter.
The essence. Taoism cultivates this approach.
Starting an internal martial art
Until they reach an instructor's level of
practice, the
student should just do what they are told.
Initiative would normally be counter-productive
because the student lacks an understanding of
the context/framework of the art.
They simply need to watch/listen and
practice as often as they can.
The main expression of initiative lies with
home practice and earnestly reading books from the
reading list and/or the
website.
I do not enlighten those who are not eager
to learn, nor arouse those who are not quick to give an explanation
themselves.
If I have presented one corner of the square and they cannot come back to me
with the other three, I should not go over the points again.
(Confucius)
Advanced martial art
There are many styles of martial arts and none are easy to learn.
The most sophisticated and subtle are the the
internal styles; these require a
deeper level of understanding.
Tai chi is one of those styles.
People with no martial arts background seek to learn an advanced
martial art style
from the onset...
They are ambitious.
This in itself is not a bad thing.
The real question is: are they really
going to put in the necessary degree of effort?
Tai chi
Tai chi chuan (dynamic balancing boxing) involves studying extra material on top of what
a tai chi for health student is learning.
If you are interested, please do some research
first i.e. read this website.
Are you a martial artist?
Do you behave like one?
By your standards or by those of your instructor?
A martial artist must steal the art. They
must actively take the skills.
This is the outcome of doing, not talking.
Observe carefully, practice hard, study, research, invest.
If the individual is not prepared to commit strongly
to the acquisition of an internal martial art, they will not attain any real measure of
proficiency.
Tai chi is not for the half-hearted.
Boxing
The popular book Chinese Boxing by Robert Smith refers to kung fu as
being 'Chinese boxing' which is what kung fu has historically being called.
The word 'boxing' summons images of fists and punching.
Ultimately, tai chi chuan (dynamic balancing boxing) is about
fighting, not about talking.
The average person does not learn an internal martial art
Tai chi is not for the average person.
Whilst the average person is asleep, watching TV, surfing the web, talking or
playing with their mobile phone, the martial artist is
training hard.
They do this every day.
As a teacher I am continually impressed with Sifu Waller's teaching
system, resources and the time he takes with classes. I often feel like
emailing him to thank him for another outstanding lesson but a) this could
happen most weeks and b) I do actually feel guilty for not being a good
enough student.
(Tim)
Page created
21 May 1996
Last updated
16 June 2023
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