Tai chi exercise teacher

Not every tai chi instructor wants to learn taijiquan. Some people just have an interest in exercise.
This is fine, providing they take their training seriously.

Expect a tai chi exercise teacher to have:

• Insurance
• At least 10 years experience behind them
• A detailed understanding of tai chi philosophy and the tai chi classics
• Extensive teacher training with a qualified (and skilled) taijiquan instructor
• Instructor affiliation with The Tai Chi Union for Great Britain or equivalent body
• In-depth knowledge of whole-body strength, biomechanics and healthy body use

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

10,000 hours

Being a tai chi teacher is more than just talent. You need to put in the work.
An instructor's experience should be measured in decades, not just years.

A good instructor should have at least 10,000 hours of practice behind them.
Dr. K. Anders Ericsson found that this was true of any art; whether tai chi, dancing or playing the piano.

Only an expert should teach

Being a tai chi teacher is more than just talent.
You need to put in the work.
This is why there is an instructor training course for would-be instructors.

An expert must have at least 10,000 hours of practice behind them.
Dr. K. Anders Ericsson found that this was true of any art; whether tai chi, dancing or playing the piano.

You should only seek to become a tai chi or baguazhang instructor when you are an 'expert'.

Know your stuff

In order to instruct, you need something to teach.
You require subject knowledge.

Begin as a new starter and work your way through the syllabus.