Tailored learning | ||
classes qigong tai chi kung fu about us reviews a-z
Choosing
In modern culture, people like the idea of being
able to choose from a menu.
They select. The choice reflects their own preferences, tastes
and values.
Personal trainers and do-for-you tradesmen capitalise upon this; providing
people with exactly what they ask for.
At the heart of choosing is the desire for personal gratification.
An idea
Applying the mentality of personal gratification to
learning is problematic.
To begin with, the new student does not fully understand the nature of what it
is they are seeking to learn.
If they fully understood, they would be an expert
already, not a novice.
In lieu of understanding, the
person has an idea, a notion.
What is an idea?
An idea is simply what you think something is.
Ideas arise from our memories, experiences, what we have encountered, things we
have seen or read.
They are influenced by our own ability to see;
our interpretation, our level of
comprehension.
By definition, a new starter has no experience.
Therefore any ideas they have formed are inevitably erroneous since they are
based upon a false understanding, belief rather than fact.
Ideas versus reality
People like the idea of tai chi but not necessarily the
reality.
They want a quick fix, instant
fighting skills or the ability to perform beautifully
choreographed routines after a couple of lessons.
This is fantasy.
Promising the world
Some unscrupulous instructors promise
tai chi skills overnight but they are
deceiving their students.
As with any art, a student must commit to weekly lessons and
daily practice.
There are no shortcuts.
Talkers
There is a lot more to tai chi than talking,
reading books, participating in on-line discussion forums or downloading
video clips.
The tai chi is found in your hard work, your patience, endurance and
perseverance.
Talkers seldom even complete the most basic level of training.
Hard work
Hard work alone is not enough, though.
Simply working hard will not necessarily lead to progress.
It needs to be deliberate, focused improvement designed to improve your practice
by developing key skills outlined by your
instructor.
The student must implement corrections, study the recommended books, undertake
assignments and challenge their comfort zone.
The beginner’s enthusiasm is such that he cannot imagine what blocks
could lie ahead to halt his progress. If some decisive challenge to his
continuing on does occur at this early stage, he will likely abandon his
practice altogether.
(Dave Lowry)
Ideas are just ideas
The danger with ideas is that people confuse the idea with the
actual.
Your idea of tai chi is based upon your experience of the art and how you
choose to interpret what you have seen.
This will not necessarily correspond with reality.
You should be careful not to warp reality to suit your ideas; this will only
lead you astray and result in frustration.
Emotional investment
When somebody has an idea in their head they often invest a great deal of
emotion in that idea.
It becomes valuable to them.
They are prepared to argue for it and sometimes even
fight for it.
Confirmation bias
In the case of tai chi, if you have a
strong opinion about tai chi,
then you start classes looking for a confirmation of your view.
Your opinion is naturally based upon the degree of exposure you have to
tai chi.
If you start a class with certain
expectations in mind, you will like or
dislike the class relative to whether or not the class meets your
expectations.
This is not a prudent way to commence your study of tai chi; the art does
not exist to gratify the individual.
Reality
The tai chi system is built upon certain key
precepts and these must exist if your class is teaching
real tai chi.
If these qualities are missing, then you are not even
learning tai chi - regardless of how much
you like the class.
Tai chi is not about popularity. It is not about
who taught who. It is a
martial art and has very clear
guidelines for practice.
Work
Not everyone cares for the degree
of work required of an artist.
When many people start tai chi they imagine that it is an easy option; no
work required yet wonderful results.
Life is not like this.
Real curriculum
Many tai chi classes are tutored by
people who have seen a fraction and believe it to be the whole.
Teaching people a fragmented view of tai chi is
deceptive; it denies the student
the richness of the complete art.
Authenticity
No matter what the style, tai chi practice must always contain the tai chi
principles.
Any genuine teacher should be able to demonstrate the abilities mentioned on
the principles list.
The instructor should also possess personal liability insurance and be
following a coherent, methodical syllabus.
It is not enough for the instructor to practice
tai chi themselves.
They must also be able to
teach it to you.
Absurdity
The danger with ideas is that you can go badly astray. How? Consider Chinese culture...
Some Western tai chi people litter their houses with kitsch Chinese
paraphernalia and become obsessed with the contemporary culture.
They visit the graves of dead tai chi masters and stand in
tai chi poses.
Find the art
If you want to understand the culture that spawned tai chi, look to
the Tao and Zen, read
The Tai Chi Classics and
martial principles not your local New Age/feng
shui shop.
Tai chi is not about three legged toads or I Ching
mirrors.
The art stems from ancient Chinese
culture, not modern. It resides in tangible history, not superstition,
folklore or sport.
Cherry picking
New students often have a wish list of things they want to learn. They will
even ask the instructor to teach them specific
skills i.e.
stick.
Similarly, the student may decline to do certain things because it may not
please or gratify them.
The problem with this approach is that the student has no idea what the
scope of the syllabus is.
They do not know what skills must be acquired, in what order, how and
why.
By seeking to focus only upon what they think is important robs the student
of the opportunity to learn from the only person who actually knows what
they are doing: the instructor.
Looking stupid
Cherry picking has serious drawbacks.
Our syllabus offers a balanced, step-by-step approach to gaining a
thorough
and comprehensive understanding of tai chi.
Emphasising the parts that you like
best or omitting the aspects you do not care for is self-indulgent and will
lead to major gaps of knowledge and skill.
Being a tool
Consider: you want to learn French but you have no
interest in verbs...
You
want to be a chef but do not care to chop...
You seek to drive a car but do
not like to turn left...
See how ridiculous this seems?
Page created 2 March 1995
Last updated
30 November 2023
▲