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Beyond the
beginning
Compare your current level of knowledge and
skill to that of a new
starter... Generally speaking
you probably have a better sense
of your body and a vague
idea of tai chi principles.
You may well feel better and
move better. Your balance should have improved.
But, how much have you REALLY learned?
How much progress have you made?
A
beginner forever?
In tai chi is quite common for a student to reach a rudimentary
level of skill and simply remain there.
They may learn many new forms and
exercises.
But everything is performed in a simplistic manner.
Why stop there? Remaining a beginner forever is pointless.
No matter how much you learn it is still at the first level of skill.
Years of practice don't mean anything if you're still a beginner.
It seems to be the way things
are going, people don’t want to commit to anything long term. Above all they
don’t want to do the work.
I’m judging a scriptwriting competition at the moment. People openly say
they’ve applied because they think if they win they won't have to do much
work and it’ll be an easy life. They haven’t got a clue how hard you have to
work or how much hardship is involved. All they’re asked to do is submit 10
pages of their writing. Some of them can’t even be bothered to do that. All
of these people are in for a major disappointment, not just in this
competition, but in the industry generally. It’ll eat them up and spit them
out. Their dreams will be shattered and they’ll blame everyone but
themselves. One or two will re-work their scripts and strengthen them, but
most won’t.
It’s the age of entitlement. It’s really stupid and lazy but it’s
everywhere. I don’t really get it either. It must be very puzzling for Sifu
who is offering gold, when people (myself included) can only grasp tin.
(Karen)
Effort
Modern culture/media/movies present people
with the illusion that great skill can be gained
overnight.
Without long-term effort.
This is naive.
Naivety
It is common for students to train a
martial art for a number of months or even a year or two and then quit.
Some may even last until black belt, only to leave then as though
black belt was the end of their training.
A few years of practice really amounts to nothing.
Decades
An internal martial artist is thinking in
terms of decades.
They train patiently every day.
Their
expectations are realistic.
Neither lazy nor complacent, the student works through
the many challenges and obstacles, becoming
stronger, calmer and more adept.
Commitment
The earnest student is honest about their degree of commitment.
They recognise that progress is their own
responsibility.
You get out of tai chi what you put into it.
Laziness
The beginners grade requires
practice.
There are no shortcuts and no secrets that will aid
your tai chi.
You simply need to do the work.
A student finds that a little home practice
will enable them to learn the skills required to pass the grade quite
easily.
Detail
The internal arts seek to employ the tai chi without
tensing-up, without using force
and without aggression.
This is a tall order.
Consequently, the training is more detailed,
methodical and thorough.
Every new skill challenges the student to become
increasingly sensitive, relaxed and adaptive.
Habit
The truth about tai chi training is that you need to do the same thing
over and over again if you want it to become
familiar.
There is no way around this.
If you are enthusiastic and enjoy the training, then it will not be
boring at all.
You will feel great and habit patterns will be
established.
Learned helplessness
Most students who study tai chi are looking for something
easy.
They do not want to do the work.
This is fine.
Be honest with yourself and take from the class what you
want.
Ambition
You cannot reasonably expect to get into a
higher grade without making a tremendous effort.
This is simply unrealistic.
In any endeavour, you must be willing to sacrifice time,
money and work hard to make progress. Tai chi is no different. No matter what you think.
Clumsy
It is common for a beginner to become quite
clumsy and forceful.
Problems encountered:
· Fighting back
· Fear of falling
· Use of tension
· Lack of composure
· Confusing jing and li
· Poor understanding of peng
· Seeking to control rather than allow
· Failure to employ 4 ounces of pressure
The student must be gently encouraged to let-go, relax and go with the flow.
Form is how you move
Students normally underestimate the significance of form.
Bad form = bad tai chi.
It is that simple.
Your form reflects and determines how you move,
how you use your body.
Practice
Practice. Practice. Practice.
This is the secret of tai chi.
Without a massive amount of practice, you will forever be swimming in the
paddling pool.
It is not uncommon for students to get a short distance into intermediate
training and then falter.
Unwilling to commit more time and effort to the training, the student simply
remains where they are.
Concentrated practice in the early stages of an
endeavour dramatically improves the value of future practice.
(Michael Gelb)
Page created
18 April 1995
Last updated
16 June 2023