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Misconception
Some of the newer students may naively
think that Sifu Waller is teaching a syllabus
laid down by some outside organisation or his own
teacher.
No. This is
not how it works in
tai chi.
Sifu
The instructor develops their own syllabus based on what they have learned, what
they can do, their proclivities, emphasis... and how they feel it should
all fit
together.
•
Authenticity
•
Tai chi principles
•
The essence
of the art
Interpretation
I always feel that students don't really get it with
martial arts. In some sense tai chi is little different from taekwondo or
karate in that the individual exponent
makes it what it is.
And every instructor is different -
interpreting it their own way e.g. in
taekwondo there was much standardisation but major differences in skill and
emphasis.
The task of the craftsman is
not to generate meaning, but rather to cultivate in himself the skill of
discerning meanings that are already there.
(Dreyfus & Kelly)
Chinese culture
Tai chi tuition is usually chaotic
compared to mainstream
martial arts. There is often no syllabus to speak of. Read
Chinese Boxing for examples...
Historically, students may be taught relative to
how well they get on with the teacher and how much they pay. No
professionalism or standards to speak of. The 'good
oil' is withheld.
Tai chi classes
Many tai chi classes just do qigong,
sloppy (or prissy) form,
push hands, goof around with
swords and some self
defence applications that don't work. They also talk about
qi a lot...
There's often little distinction between
tai chi for health and tai chi, with the two
often being confused. In modern China, tai chi is highly standardised but
often empty of substance.
Your instructor
Sifu Waller went to University to do PGCE in
order learn how to create a scheme of work etc so that he could teach
tai chi in a logical, consistent fashion. His approach to tai chi emphasises:
•
Martial application
•
I Ching qualities (spontaneity,
adaptation, change,
unpredictability)
•
Applied Taoism
•
Applied yielding
•
Strict adherence to The Tai Chi Classics
•
Naturalness
•
Neigong
•
Jing
•
Healthy biomechanics
• Biomechanical 'advantage'
• The cultivation of
intelligence
•
Being your 'authentic self'
•
Progress &
development
•
Lifelong learning
•
Concrete, tangible, physical results
•
Mind, body &
spiritual development
•
Self-reliance
•
Study all 13 areas of
practice
The long years
When I tell people that Sifu Waller started martial arts training in 1975,
they just don't do the maths. As I write this, Sifu Waller is into his 5th
decade of training. That's 3-7 hours a day for over 40 years.
Practice, reading, exploring,
planning, researching. How many
hours is that? And the training isn't linear. It grows in
unexpected ways.
Peter Southwood
Sifu Waller's old student Shaun Ullah told me that Peter Southwood (Sifu
Waller's teacher)'s
art was very different to Sifu Waller's. Different people = different emphasis.
And
that Sifu Waller is way more martial than Peter. Sifu Waller is more
subtle, softer, technical and
detailed.
Peter mainly taught old people. Sifu Waller only teaches
martial students.
The world used to be, in its various forms, a world of sacred, shining
things.
The shining things now seem far away.
(Dreyfus & Kelly)
Natural power
Being natural is a big theme for Sifu
Waller. Doing what your body wants to do. What
feels biomechanically correct, not ego-driven, but
body-driven.
Therefore, if
any movement feels physically awkward, there's going to be a pretty good reason.
Usually it is bad (inaccurate) form, not 'listening' to your body,
forcing,
tension, lack of flexibility etc.
Nothing should feel uncomfortable in our
classes. Unfamiliar - yes. The more unfamiliar, the better. But never physically
painful or uncomfortable.
Using the mind
Sifu Waller is very committed to following
Yang Cheng Fu's dictum: "Using the mind instead of
force". His tai chi syllabus requires the student to
understand the art rather than
simply copy it.
Developing the mind is essential in our
classes, with students being offered numerous avenues
for learning and individual study.
Playful
The tone of our lessons is friendly and
playful; and this is especially apparent in Sifu
Waller's workshops where students frequently
laugh with wonder and joy at the ease of the art
and it's effects.
Being calm, composed, at
ease is very important. Given the truly
dangerous nature of the material being offered, Sifu Waller seeks to
keep the tone compassionate rather than
macho.
Appreciation
Keener long-term students usually come to realise that Sifu Waller has made
the ancient Chinese teachings accessible to the
modern student, and amazing to
learn.
The students are insightful and experienced
enough to understand that each individual
makes the art what it is; whether good or
bad.
With Sifu Waller, nothing is
static. He
grows, evolves and improves the art
every day. His commitment,
ingenuity and dedication
makes tai chi wonderful, and for that we are
grateful.
Other schools of tai chi
If you went to another class - in Newcastle, London, Kuala Lumpur or Taipei,
you'd find that the syllabus and
approach would be very different.
In Malaysia,
what I saw looked so amateurish compared to Sifu Waller's tai chi.
Find out for yourself
And if you think this is just PR, why not try the
other tai chi schools in the North East and determine the
truth for yourself?
Don't take my word for it...
Page
created 18 April 2016
Last updated
06 September 2023
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