Betrayal

One theme that Master Waller has been talking about with female self defence students is the idea of being taught to 'betray ourselves'.

Consider school or work:

Our body says that it is uncomfortable. Our minds are bored.

Yet, we are told to remain motionless and endure.

We know we don't want to be there but we are are forced to remain.

Always at our own expense.

The damage to the body is small but incremental.

In many facets of life we are conditioned to suppress our genuine, natural, healthy responses in favour of somebody else's agenda.

This is one reason why the tai chi and self defence in our school puts such emphasis upon healthy, comfortable body use and easy, familiar-seeming martial arts responses rather than blocky, confrontational options.    

Rachel gains 'advanced' instructor membership

Rachel has a black belt in taekwondo, a purple belt in kung fu and now an instructor rank in taijiquan.
Please join me in congratulating Rachel!

This morning Rachel received confirmation from the Tai Chi Union for Great Britain to say that they have awarded her an 'advanced' instructor membership.
Their decision is subject to final approval/ratification at the next general meeting.

Qualifying criteria:

- 5 years as assistant instructor
- taijiquan slow form (regular & mirrored)
- sabre form (regular & mirrored)
- 2-person stick form (regular & mirrored)
- staff form (regular & mirrored)
- walking stick form (regular & mirrored)
- jian form (regular & mirrored)
- qigong (various)
- pushing hands (various)
- meditation (various)
- theory & philosophy
- neigong (various)
- stick drills (20)
- broadsword drills (15)
- self defence
- small san sau, silk arms, penetrating defences
- shuai jiao applications
- chin na applications
- form applications
- baguazhang palm changes (form), circle walking, mother palms, 9 palaces etc
- women's self defence (including syllabus design)
- bag work
- floor work
- self-massage (100)
- tao yin
- psoas exercises
- blog
- creating webpages
- administrating class
- registering new starters
- inducting new starters
- preparing the hall for class
- organising social events
- hosting social events

Rachel is currently working to improve her form, neigong, martial skill (kung fu), along with theory & philosophy.

The TCUGB membership means that Rachel can acquire her own insurance if she wanted to teach students/classes independently.

It also means that our students now have the benefit of 2 qualified instructors in the one training hall.

A couple of days ago, sitting in the train, I read the part about Girl's Night self defence from the information you send me. I laughed out loud a couple of times, people around me wondering what was the matter....

Well, this: apart from the fact that I really like the pointy, dry, kind of merciless humour of the text (is that correct English?), I find the involvement of tights and a real man to work with/on - amazingly convincing. The right ingredients. Together, of course, with the Asian/martial and multi-layered approach. I haven't read or heard anything of this kind before. It inspires me.

It is simply not acceptable that women and girls suffer from men's bad behaviour, in whatever way. It is simply not acceptable that we are kept naive.

I had to Google what Haarlem and surrounding areas had on offer for women's self defence. Most courses are Krav Maga or of the 'tips & tricks'- style. And: nothing for girls!!

I am inspired and thinking... I might have to do something about this. I still have to learn a lot myself, but, who knows - a seed is planted. I let you know.

(Saskia)

I really enjoyed Girl's Night, it was a real eye opener - just seeing those techniques which don't involve much physical strength but are so effective was really empowering. I think you're right, learning how to do it almost 'instinctively' is the aim. A great class; the first time I've actually thought self defence was realistic and possible.

(Karen Laws)

What do school members get for their money?

• Attend once or twice a week 
• Train up to 2 hours a night
• Fully-differentiated syllabus 
• Authentic skills 
• High quality tuition • Professional learning environment
• Extensive range of skills available  • Address individual health concerns & training requirements
• Extremely thorough exploration of the art(s)
• Study new material every week
• Work through the full curriculum
• Receive regular corrections, tips & pointers
• Request bespoke tuition
• Access to highly detailed school DVDs
• Discuss taijiquan theory and related philosophies with Master Waller
• Attend workshops, boot camp and class social events • Advanced level of understanding
• Follows the teachings of the Tai Chi Classics
• Explore 1300 page on-line taijiquan database with guidance from Master Waller

I really enjoyed Girl's Night, it was a real eye opener - just seeing those techniques which don't involve much physical strength but are so effective was really empowering. I think you're right, learning how to do it almost 'instinctively' is the aim. A great class; the first time I've actually thought self defence was realistic and possible.
(Karen Laws)

Girl's Night

Rachel has designed a women-specific self defence syllabus which offers realistic scenarios and a wide range of practical skills that work.
Students learn how to intuitively target vulnerable areas on a man's body.
Counter-intuitive but logical, the training methods explore effective ways to 'reverse' dangerous situations.

Learn how to become dominant, rather than the victim.

Without formal training, the larger and stronger naturally defeat the smaller and weaker. Therefore, a basic premise of training must be that the methods employed should make it possible for the smaller and weaker to defeat the larger and stronger.
(Tim Cartmell)

Fun

Training in our school is fun, friendly and gently challenging.
Many of the skills seem counter-intuitive.
We will invite you to consider new options, possibilities and choices. To drop long-held preconceptions.

Realism

Self defence training begins with the fundamentals of effective body use and slowly moves through different levels of threat.
Escaping from holds, evading and counter-attacking are preliminary concerns.
Eventually you must learn how to handle armed assailants and multiple opponents.

Gender

Many martial arts classes separate men and women. They even impose weight categories.
In real life you cannot choose who will attack you.
In order to cope with a male attacker, women's self defence must address attacks from both men and women.

Clarity

The side effects of unpleasant situations are fear and panic. These immobilise the body and prevent clear thinking.
Self defence training encourages composure and mental clarity.
Instead of feeling vulnerable and exposed, you become integrated and focussed.

Empowerment

The ability to defend yourself is important in modern society.
There are many ugly situations in which conflict may arise.
Having the confidence and the skills to handle aggression, bullying and violence is invaluable.

Size and strength do not necessarily determine a person's ability to defend themselves - small women have been known to successfully fight off a bigger and stronger attacker. Many women are fitter, brighter and quicker than their male counterparts.
(Barry Davies, SAS)

Learning self defence in our school

Students who study with Master Waller learn a wide range of versatile kung fu skills:
• Learn how to disarm an opponent
• Gain confidence• Discover how to see situations differently• Avoid entanglement
• Find alternatives to panic
• Become mobile and nimble• Learn how to use everyday objects as improvised weapons• Understand how to use the human body to your advantage
• Learn how cope with gangs
• Become playful and creative• Learn how to adapt, change and improvise
• Learn how to strike rapidly and effectively
• Learn how to manipulate balance
• Learn how to lever joints, apply pressure and seize painfully
Protecting yourself from harm has nothing to do with fighting or sport.

Introduction to self defence course

Self defence skills can be a valuable asset in everyday life.
Noticing dangerous situations and avoiding them can save you a lot of hassle.
Our course introduces basic self defence concerns, teaches preliminary skills and encourages composure in the face of threat.
If you are wanting something more in-depth, please study the kung fu syllabus.