Key principles

A tai chi instructor should possess these generic skills:

1. An understanding of the following:
   - The Art of War
   - Chuang Tzu- I Ching (Book of Changes)
   - how to teach
   - mutual arising
   - Tai Chi Classics
   - tao
   - Tao Te Ching
   - te (essence)
   - tzu-jan (of itself so)
   - yin/yang
   - zen
    
2. The ability to explain and demonstrate:
   - 13 postures
   - 4 ounces of pressure
   - 6 balanced pairs
   - change
   - chin na- fa jing
   - folding
   - groundpath
   - jing
   - mushin (surrender/immersion)
   - neigong
   - opening & closing
   - reeling silk
   - shen (emotional content)
   - sinking & rooting
   - softness
   - substantial & insubstantial
   - sung
   - weaponry
   - wu nien (not preparing)
   - wu wei (not forcing)
   - Yang Cheng Fu's 10 essential points
   - yielding
   - zanshin (continuing mind)
    
3. The application of the tai chi principles in self defence:
   - without emotion
   - without being tense
   - without opposing the incoming force
   - without necessarily hurting the assailant

These precepts are not something that you can expect to master overnight. They are what make the art 'tai chi'.
The list is not comprehensive.

Instructors levels

There are 5 levels of Tai Chi Instructor in the UK these days:

1. Tai Chi Exercise Teacher
   - 10 years experience
   - these are the majority
2. Tai Chi Chuan Instructor
   - equivalent of 3rd dan black belt in any martial art
   - 10 years experience
   - these people are less common
3. Tai Chi Expert
   - 20 years experience
   - 10,000 hours tai chi chuan practice
   - 10 years teaching experience
   - fewer to be found
4. Tai Chi Master
   - 30,000 hours tai chi chuan practice
   - 20 years teaching experience
   - pretty rare
5. Tai Chi Grandmaster
   - extremely rare

The instructor

The world is saturated with well-meaning, inexperienced tai chi chuan instructors.
These instructors are teaching an imbalanced syllabus and fail to offer the complete art.

The art is slowly being ruined, watered down to a point where there is nothing internal left.

Seek expert guidance from a trained professional. Do not entrust your wellbeing to an amateur.

Our teacher

Master Waller is aiming to offer students a rich tai chi experience that combines modern and traditional aspects of teaching in order to offer the most comprehensive learning opportunity in the North East.

Many people would argue that he succeeds in this aim.
His classes are highly detailed, compelling and never boring or routine.

Amateur instructors

The world is saturated with well-meaning, inexperienced tai chi instructors.
These instructors are teaching an imbalanced syllabus and fail to offer the complete art.
The art is slowly being ruined, watered down to a point where there is nothing internal left.

Black belt does not mean 'instructor'

Gaining a black belt does not mean that you are ready to teach. Not at all.
There are 10 dan belts to pass in our syllabus.

Being an instructor is altogether different to simply attending classes. Not every black belt student is capable of being an instructor.

How can I become an instructor?

We welcome anyone who wants to become a tai chi instructor.

You need to be an excellent communicator and to be genuinely interested in other people and their wellbeing.

Sifu Waller's home training

This has been Sifu Waller's daily routine since 1992:

1. Strength-building
   - balls & grips
   - self-massage (100+ exercises)
   - 3 circle qigong (15 minutes)
   - ba duan jin (8 exercises)
   - reeling silk (6 exercises)
   - 16 elbows
   - moving qigong (15 exercises)
   - leg stretches: day 1 or 2
    
2. Baguazhang
   - 8 palm changes (clockwise & anticlockwise)
   - 8 mother palms
   - 6 direction changes
    
3. Drills
   - small san sau
   - silk arms
   - 5 pre-emptive measures
   - pushing peng/double pushing hands/da lu/penetrating defences/reflex drills
   - 3-tier wallbag
    
4. Weapons
   - knife drills
   - small stick drills
   - stick drills (Monday - Saturday)
   - broadsword drills (Sunday)
   - sabre form (regular & mirrored)
   - 2 person cane form/drill (regular & mirrored)
   - staff form (regular & mirrored)
   - walking stick form (regular & mirrored)
   - straight sword form (regular & mirrored)
    
5. Tai chi chuan
   - pao chui
   - Yang Cheng Fu form (regular & mirrored)
6. Hard qigong
   - full circle qigong (2 postures)/qigong development (2 postures)/form posture qigong (2 postures)/high circle qigong/qigong on one leg
    
7. Cool down
   - stretches & joint work (10 exercises)/psoas exercises (5 exercises)
    
8. Meditation
   - constructive rest position
   - guided relaxation
9. Reading/study

Receive guidance & feedback

Instructor training for each level is an ongoing process over many months.
It involves:

1. theory
2. questionnaires
3. on-line media training
4. how to promote the class
5. class management methodology
6. weekly teaching practice in class
7. lengthy debates/discussions with Sifu Waller
8. designing your own personal teaching notes/scheme of work

These teaching concerns are all in addition to your personal development through the syllabus.
Instructor training is free of charge.

Professional

Seek expert guidance from a trained professional. 

Do not entrust your wellbeing to an amateur.

Caution

Finding a tai chi class may sound like a simple enough proposition, but there are many considerations to take into account.

Many classes purport to be teaching tai chi, but are really offering tai chi-style exercise.
Often the instructor only knows a few warm-up exercises and a short sequence of movements.
They move their arms around and the class copies.

Synchronised arm waving is not tai chi. No matter how pretty it looks. Or how nice it feels. Or how popular the class is.


Choose your class carefully:

Bad tai chi

Not all tai chi will help your body.
Some classes are very badly taught and will actively damage your body.
Be careful when choosing a tai chi class; there are many well-meaning amateurs teaching these days.

Sifu Waller's home training

This has been Sifu Waller's daily routine since 1992:

1. Strength-building
   - balls & grips
   - self-massage (100+ exercises)
   - 3 circle qigong (15 minutes)
   - ba duan jin (8 exercises)
   - reeling silk (6 exercises)
   - 16 elbows
   - moving qigong (15 exercises)
   - leg stretches: day 1 or 2
    
2. Baguazhang
   - 8 palm changes (clockwise & anticlockwise)
   - 8 mother palms
   - 6 direction changes
    
3. Drills
   - small san sau
   - silk arms
   - 5 pre-emptive measures
   - pushing peng/double pushing hands/da lu/penetrating defences/reflex drills
   - 3-tier wallbag
    
4. Weapons
   - knife drills
   - small stick drills
   - stick drills (Monday - Saturday)
   - broadsword drills (Sunday)
   - sabre form (regular & mirrored)
   - 2 person cane form/drill (regular & mirrored)
   - staff form (regular & mirrored)
   - walking stick form (regular & mirrored)
   - straight sword form (regular & mirrored)
    
5. Tai chi chuan
   - pao chui
   - Yang Cheng Fu form (regular & mirrored)
6. Hard qigong
   - full circle qigong (2 postures)/qigong development (2 postures)/form posture qigong (2 postures)/high circle qigong/qigong on one leg
    
7. Cool down
   - stretches & joint work (10 exercises)/psoas exercises (5 exercises)
    
8. Meditation
   - constructive rest position
   - guided relaxation
9. Reading/study

Instructor levels

There are 5 levels of Tai Chi Instructor in the UK these days:

1. Tai Chi for Health & Fitness Teacher
   - 10 years experience
   - these are the majority
2. Tai Chi Chuan Instructor
   - equivalent of 3rd dan black belt in any martial art
   - 10 years experience
   - these people are less common
3. Tai Chi Expert
   - 20 years experience
   - 10,000 hours tai chi chuan practice
   - 10 years teaching experience
   - fewer to be found
4. Tai Chi Master
   - 30,000 hours tai chi chuan practice
   - 20 years teaching experience
   - pretty rare
5. Tai Chi Grandmaster
   - extremely rare

Peter Southwood has graded Sifu Waller as being a Tai Chi Expert based upon his practice quality and experience.