Last Monday class of 2022

 

Intelligent exercise

In the longevity book The Blue Zones, Dr Robert Kane emphasised the fact that many forms of exercise - especially sport - often have adverse side effects that impede long-term practice. 
By contrast, as a milder form of exercise, tai chi can be practiced throughout your entire lifespan, making it a safer, sustainable choice. Tai chi is a fun, balanced way to exercise. 

94 year old kung fu granny

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu4HnchOJLE

9 decades of kung fu practice

http://www.fox25boston.com/news/93yearold-kung-fu-granny-still-practicing-after-nearly-9-decades/496204116

Kung fu is thousands of years old and is a highly developed system of martial art. The student who locates a good kung fu school will find the training thorough and challenging. Kung fu skills, which have been refined over centuries, are not learned easily or quickly. The sincere student, however, through hard work and dedication, will not be disappointed with the results. 

(Adam Hsu)

   Kung fu styles like taijiquan have become widespread and popular. It is important for all practitioners to understand a major weaknesses in the transmission of all Chinese arts; a lack of basic training. In fact, step-by-step training program, standardized terminology, clear explanations and correct interpretations are either entirely missing or woefully scarce.

(Adam Hsu)

Martial athlete

Many people who commence taijiquan practice are essentially 'daydreamers'.
They have fanciful notions of becoming a martial artist but entirely lack the grit and determination required to accomplish the task.
Instead of committing to a challenging regime of on-going comprehensive, rigorous training, the student is contented with the dream.
Combat is not easy and there is a risk of injury if the student is unfit. This is true of any martial art.

To reach a high level of skill, the student needs to take a lesson from sport. 
They must become a martial athlete.

http://www.newcastletaichi.co.uk/taijiquan_or_kung_fu.htm

Meditation in tai chi

The meditation aspect of tai chi training encompasses a wide variety of different approaches, all designed to cultivate presence:

1. Attention
2. Breathing
3. Clarity
4. Concentration
5. Consciousness
6. Detachment
7. Emotional awareness
8. Heightened level of awareness
9. Mindful
10. Mushin
11. Seeing & looking
12. Self-awareness 

Every exercise, form movement and partner drill challenges the student to remain here and now.
By bringing the mind to the immediate moment we aim to become unselfconscious - not thinking, not talking, not emoting.
Just being.

Reading & contemplation

Meditation plays an important role in research and study:

1. Awakening
2. Contemplation
3. Exponential development
4. Insights
5. Krishnamurti's descriptions
6. Mystery
7. Perception
8. Rustic
9. Spiritual
10. Truth
11. Understanding
12. The Way
13. Wisdom
14. Words
15. Zen & tai chi

Wide awake

In order to awaken your mind you simply need to be here and now. 
Nowhere else. 
At any given time, nothing else in the universe matters more than what you are doing right now.
The cars outside, the neighbours, the music, the humming of the computer, the smell of food are all part of the moment, and you are nowhere but here.
It is all happening at once and you are totally immersed in it.

I very much enjoy your sessions - without any false flattery, you have been one of the best instructors I have had for any martial art. Your commitment, patience and dedication to the art and your students is something that I believe many instructors should aspire to. To your credit, Sifu Waller, you have shown me something that has I did not expect to find in taijiquan... a comprehensive fighting system in itself. I wish the rest of the MA community would wake up and see what you see.
(Stuart)

Quick fix

Tinkering with your health is amateurish and risky. Looking for a quick fix or a shortcut is foolish.
So why do people do it?
Who knows? There is unlikely to be a rational reason.

Professional skill

Is bargain hunting a good approach to adopt when considering health, fitness and good body use?Cut price lessons may sound good.
The danger is that you may be placing your wellbeing in the hands of an amateur. 
If you choose badly (or for the wrong reasons) you may be wasting money or even damaging your body. 

Shopping

Buying a pair of shoes, a jar of coffee or a loaf of bread is not the same as seeking medical treatment or exercising mindfully.
To make matters worse, people do not always buy clothes that fit (or even suit their body/skin/hair colour).
Health is not shopping.
It should be handled with caution and care...

Blasé attitude

A lot of modern people buy prescription spectacles off the shelf in a supermarket.
They essentially self-diagnose.
Lacking the expertise of a qualified, licensed medical professional, this seems to be a reckless course of action.

Bargain hunting

When people consider which tai chi class to attend they often treat it like bargain hunting.
They look for free taster sessions or the cheapest class.
This may be fine if you are undertaking a supermarket 'price comparison'. It is not so good for tai chi.

Does your taijiquan qualify as 'kung fu'?

This is a good question.
It really depends on how the art is practiced and how much time you commit to practice.

Although most taijiquan students train kung fu skills, they cannot honestly claim to be a kung fu student.
Kung fu literally means 'hard work'.
A kung fu student attends class 2-3 times a week and trains anywhere between 1-4 hours a day at home.
This may be regarded as a serious commitment to gaining and refining martial skill.

Most taijiquan students seek a milder degree of commitment; perhaps training once a week in class and maybe doing a little training at home.
They are likely to gain credible and effective self defence skills, but they are not demonstrating a kung fu approach to training.

Tai chi chuan training

Most people don't realise that tai chi started life as a martial art...
150 years ago tai chi chuan was the pinnacle of the Chinese martial arts.
Hard to believe?

Tai chi chuan is only taught to students who join the school:

• Kung fu (combat)
• Self defence
• Weapons
• Qigong (energy work)
• Neigong (whole-body strength)
• Forms
• Pushing hands
• Meditation
• Theory & philosophy
• Chin na (seizing)
• Shuai jiao (take downs)
• Jing
• Form applications
• Kicks, punches, palm strikes
• Finger strikes, elbows, knees
• Accuracy
• Evasive footwork
• Optimal use of alignment
• Minimal movement
• Conservation of energy
• Defence against a knife
• Multiple opponents/gangs
• Joint locks
• Trapping
• Focus
• Stickiness
• Physical sensitivity and awareness
• Balance, rhythm and timing
• Throws
• Escape from holds
• Close-range combat
• Grappling
• Defence whilst on the floor