Ambidexterity

All weapons must be trained equally with each hand, whether drills, form or partner work.

What good is a weapon if you can only use it with one hand?

Mirroring the form

Traditional tai chi forms are asymmetrical; favouring the right-handed person.
They do not offer a balanced workout.
In order to balance the body the form must be mirrored.

Our students mirror every form in the syllabus except pao chui.

Recipe

It is common for a student to ask for more and more detail.
They want web pages that explain every nuance and subtlety, that elaborate upon each minutiae of practice.
Essentially, they want you to give the art to them. It does not and cannot work this way.

If students cannot remember what they have been taught, they should make their own notes in lessons rather than ask the instructor for them.

Movement

Most people have seen groups of tai chi students moving together in a dance-like sequence.
This is referred to as 'form'.
The definition of the word 'form' is: "shape, appearance, the way in which a thing exists".

Form is one long sequence in which the body explores a variety of different movement patterns.

Mind

Yang Cheng Fu advocated using mind rather than force, and this sentiment lies at the heart of what we practice.
Clarity, composure, inner stillness and calm enable the student to be present at all times.
The focus is upon the essence of things.
To quote the taoist maxim: "eat the fruit, not the flower."

A mind that is here and now is better capable of responding to the needs of the moment appropriately and effectively.
To complement the mind, the form taken must be natural and easy, fluid and restrained.
The aim is to go from a neutral state, to action, to neutral again; without disturbing the inner harmony.

Traditional ethos

I do not enlighten those who are not eager to learn, nor arouse those who are not quick to give an explanation themselves.

If I have presented one corner of the square and they cannot come back to me with the other three, I should not go over the points again.

(Confucius)

Tai chi chuan instructors

A tai chi chuan instructor needs at least 10 years of experience and a serious commitment to home practice.
Martial instructors must show clear evidence of ability in all 8 areas of skill.

An expert has 20 years study and 10,000 hours of practice.

A master should have 30-40 years martial arts experience and 30,000 hours of tai chi practice.
They are capable of teaching other instructors.

A grandmaster must have taught an extensive number of high-level instructors.
They would be in a position of significant responsibility within a school and have influence within the wider tai chi/martial arts community.

Compact

The movements we use are motivated by neigong considerations and martial application.
Students are not permitted to lean, reach or over-commit.
Disconnection is unacceptable.
Tension is unnecessary.

The postures are natural, comfortable and useable.
Nothing is exaggerated, stylised or awkward.

Small circle movements are favoured over sweeping ones.
Students are required to use jing rather than li.

Stick drill - number 7

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEUpskKm4IQ

Simplicity

At the root of finding balance in your life is a commitment to simplicity.
When things become ornate, over-complicated and embellished, they lose their essence.
Tai chi chuan is about getting in touch with the real: what is right in front of you.

The extraneous is removed, and the material is pared-down to only what you need.
To what matters.

When you have the essentials, there is economy. You are not burdened by the superfluous.

An alternative

A lot of Western people start the day by smoking a cigarette, listening to the radio/watching TV, reading a newspaper and having a cup of coffee.

Tai chi chuan offers an alternative.
Instead of feeling groggy and tired in a morning, you feel invigorated, relaxed, alert, calm and clear-headed.
You start the day from a position of strength, rather than weakness.

Stuffy?

There can be something rather stuffy about tai chi chuan people gliding around a hall in slow motion.
The slow motion form is only one aspect of the curriculum yet it has become the most easily recognised symbol of tai chi chuan.

Beginners occasionally take themselves and their tai chi chuan far too seriously. It is important to have fun.
Master Waller does not allow any posing or showing off.

Out of joint

Modern life is filled with distractions that distort your perception of reality and make you feel strung out and tired.
Television, computers, junk food, noisy neighbours, work, videogames, mobile phones, driving and family problems can all make you feel unhappy and agitated.

It is important to find ways to earth yourself. To be centred once again and complete.

To find stillness and quiet. To rest. To stop. Exotic practices are not required.
You do not need to join some esoteric meditation group.
You can find tranquillity and balance without even leaving your house.

Improved nervous system

As the practitioner incorporates the quality of tai chi movement into his life, he finds that he stops banging into things. The result of not falling into each step provides the opportunity to instantaneously ease back from unexpected barriers.
 
  (Wolfe Lowenthal)

Weapons forms

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BKPeM2PS9M

Beginner

Beginners must have knowledge of the basic 16 qigong exercises, along with the initial partnered drills.
There is limited martial training.

The emphasis is upon improved coordination, relaxation and a grasp of the rudimentary theoretical considerations.

Weapons work in our curriculum

Master Waller is currently teaching:

· Knife drills
· Countering a knife
· Escapes/knife
· Chin na against a knife
· Improvised weaponry/knife
· Small stick drills
· Stick drills
· Broadsword drills
· 2 person cane form/drill
· Sabre form
· Staff form
· Walking stick form
· Straight sword form

Some of this training is suitable for tai chi for health & fitness students.

Training together

It can be great fun for a couple to attend tai chi chuan classes together.
Freed from the daily cares of your lives, you can spend time with one another whilst engaged in a productive activity.

As well as relaxing and having a laugh in class, there is always the possibility of practicing at home between lessons.

Theory and manifestation

When you learn anything, there are always two aspects to the learning. One is the internal theoretical understanding of the matter, and the other is the manifestation, verification and/or the application of the theory. From theory, you gain internal comprehension. From applications, you verify and validate the usefulness of the theory. Both of these aspects mutually support each other.

 (Yang Jwing-Ming)

Aaron

Jerrard

Grading

Students are corrected in class during the course of an ordinary lesson but this is not in-depth.
More detailed assessment is necessary.

In order to encourage progress, we grade our students every 12 weeks.
The instructor works one-to-one with each student; offering insights, corrections, tips & pointers.
Being assessed in this way is tremendously beneficial.
The student has many new considerations to work on and they can see what their owns strengths and weaknesses are.

Movement through the grades is quite slow in the internal arts.
The required quality is high.
Patience and practice will assure steady progress.

Stephen

Jill

Programming

You have also been programmed not to suspect, not to doubt,

just to trust the assumptions that have been put into you by your tradition,

your culture, your society, your religion.

And if you are not happy, you have been trained to blame yourself,

not your programming, not your cultural, and inherited ideas and beliefs.

What makes it even worse is the fact that most people are so brainwashed

that they do not even realize how unhappy they are

- like the man in a dream who has no idea he is dreaming.

(Anthony De Mello)

Inner demons

Whilst it is appropriate to be concerned about the emergence of aggression in your practice, be aware that we all possess 'good' and 'bad' aspects of our nature. It is part of what makes us human.

Do not let the unpleasant insight weigh too heavily upon you. Learn from the experience. Have awareness.

But do not be too hard on yourself. Just be careful. That's all.

Any martial art worth learning involves risks, dangers and opportunities to come face to face with our inner demons. What matters is not the demons themselves but how we choose to cope with them.

Harmony

When you become one with your tai chi chuan and tao, things will happen that you cannot readily explain.
These are not supernatural events.
By removing the barriers between yourself and everything else, you move in rhythm with the universe and benefit from this harmony.

Why bother learning an internal art?

Why bother learning an internal art?

There is more to life than buying goods, eating, sleeping, drinking alcohol and watching TV.
You are more than this.

Tai chi chuan and baguazhang train your body and mind to move in a graceful, natural, healthy, functional way.
Strength, flexibility, vitality and good humour typically emerge.
Greater harmony and balance is found.

You look at life a little differently.

Mutually destructive

Every martial artist seeks to defeat their opponent in combat.
But at what price?

Blocking, struggling, forcing, striking a balanced opponent... these are also harmful to your own body.
In defeating your opponent you may also harm yourself.

If defending your own body results in injury to your body, is this success?
Have you not failed in your intention?

Bruises, sprains, stiffness, soreness, cuts and damage are all bad for you.

Paul

High stance, small circle

The highest level of tai chi chuan practice is high stance and small circle. In high stance and small circle you can conserve your energy to a maximum level. This is very crucial in battle. Endurance has always been the crucial key to survival in a long battle. Moreover, due to high stance and smaller posture you can reach to the deepest relaxed stage, the mind is highly concentrated, and the sensitivity and alertness can be extremely sharp.

 (Yang Jwing-Ming)

Defensive?

People are typically very guarded and defensive. They hide behind pretty solid walls.

These defensive measures are what make people tense and jittery. They represent a conflictive response to adverse conditions.

Instead of joining, blending, accepting, the individual objects, blocks and fights. This is not the tai chi chuan way.

Understanding the relationship

You sought the instructor. The instructor did not seek you.
It is important to remember this.

The student is not a client or a customer.
They are an 'apprentice' and the teacher is the 'master'.

Corrections

Make your mistakes in class rather than the street. The class is a safe, controlled environment. The street is not.

Learn from your corrections and be spared pain in real life confrontation.

Learn from everything

Taoism is not a philosophy or a religion.

It is about learning from everything.

Presence

Ed Parker says, "The only reason men fight is because they are insecure; one man needs to prove that he is better or stronger than another. The man who is secure within himself has no need to prove anything with force, so he can walk away from a fight with dignity and pride. He is the true martial artist - a man so strong inside that he has no need to demonstrate his power."

 The Chinese word for this kind of confidence is 'sai', which can be defined as 'presence'.

 (Joe Hyams)

Yu-chun on retreat

Yu-chun is going on a 6 month meditation retreat to South Africa. She will be returning to class in the Autumn.

 Dear Sifu,

I feel very lucky to have found your school and have had the opportunity to be your student.

I really do enjoy all the lessons and learning about the art. I know what I have learnt from you will always stay with me.

Thank you Sifu for your generosity and the passion you put into teaching.

Warmest wishes for the coming months and the future.

(Yu-chun)

Marc

Feedback

Good morning Rachel,

I just wanted to again express my thanks to you for inviting me into your home and to Sifu a truly inspiring workshop. I can say that it was one of the most educational and enjoyable workshops I have ever attended, and I've been doing martial arts since I was 15!

Please pass on my thanks to Sifu for allowing me to attend even though I am ungraded, I really appreciated the opportunity.

(Graham)

Feedback

I have trained with many instructors including yourself where I know that I want what they have.

However, you have a training method that works and have students with real abilities. This is very rare in the internal arts.

(Tim)

Valentine?

Zen Master Unmon said: "The world is vast and wide. Why do you put on your robes at the sound of a bell?"

(Koan)

Conventions and traditions encourage a formulaic response to reality. By their very nature they lack spontaneity and genuine feeling.

Valentine's Day is an exercise in kitsch.

The sale of cards, chocolate and flowers have made Valentine's Day a marketing triumph.
How much money is spent of token items intended to express genuine love and affection?

If you love your husband/wife, partner, friend... then you should show this all year round.
Do not simply go through the motions one day each year.
Do not perform the empty ritual because it is expected of you.

Where is the passion? Where is the life?

Teaching

In order to teach any subject, an instructor needs certain requirements:

1. Subject knowledge
2. Teaching skills
3. A goal
4. A syllabus
5. Topics
6. Discrete lessons
7. Proof

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 chuan, dancing or playing the piano.

Warm wife

Form, but no substance

A tai chi chuan class should offer you a system of exercise (and self defence) that builds your strength and skill, gently and consistently.
It should also balance body, mind and emotions.

In order to fully understand the tai chi chuan, the instructor must possess an in-depth martial understanding of the art.
Mere theory is insufficient.
Self defence tips & pointers are plain useless.
There needs to be a fully comprehensive working knowledge of the system, and the capacity to use it spontaneously.

As a student, you may not care for self defence at all. This is fine. Not everyone wants martial skills.
But the instructor is different.
An instructor cannot afford to have huge gaps in their understanding.
What the instructor does not know, they may assume or omit. This can be a dangerous and foolhardy approach to take.

Concentrate

The word 'concentrate' means to enrich, to make more rich in essence.
This can be a very good thing. It can lead to significant refinement.

But it also refers to the process of focussing on one thing at the exclusion of all else.
This is not always a good thing.

Tea Sutra in Newcastle

Self defence classes

A lot of people go to martial arts classes in order to learn self defence. They want to avoid violence and look after themselves.

There are quite a few ‘serious’ martial arts classes available in the UK where the training is so realistic that you actually get assaulted. You may learn great skills but the whole point in attending was to avoid being attacked…

Other classes promise self defence and offer nothing of tangible value.

Children in a playground ‘rough each other up’ without any animosity, fear or pain. It is just fun.

Our school looks at self defence as play. If adults can adopt a playful, exploratory attitude, they can develop practical useable skills without getting hurt or memorizing fixed responses.

Good martial arts classes of any style should be able to offer a practical syllabus without brutalizing students or giving them empty skills.

You hide your skills well...

Your tai chi chuan skills cannot be hidden from others, for they should be part of your everyday movement, your everyday being.

We walk, and our religion is shown (even to the dullest and most insensitive person) in how we walk. Or to put it more accurately, living in this world means choosing, choosing to walk, and the way we choose to walk is infallibly and perfectly expressed in the walk itself. Nothing can disguise it. The walk of an ordinary man and of an enlightened man are as different as that of a snake and a giraffe.

(R H Blyth)

If your internal skills are not evident when you work with other people, you should question whether they exist at all. The absolute necessity of partner work is irrefutable.

Partner work separates those who practice tai chi chuan from those who do not.

Natural responses

If you simply follow drills and deliberate patterns, there is no way to gauge what will emerge in reality. Random attacks - incorporating a variety of punches, kicks and grapples - test your ability to respond spontaneously.

The exercise should be playful and fun, but the attacker must strike with the intention of making contact.

Afterwards, you look at areas of weakness and doubt. Focus upon the gaps and deficiencies: consider what you did wrong, why it didn't work and what you need to do in order to improve your response. Your partner should help you with this, along with your teacher (if required).

Washed away

Footprints in the sand provide the illusion of permanence. Yet the tide always washes them away - as though they never existed at all.

Gravestones mark the burial ground of those who were. And in the centuries to come, what will they mean? Who will remember or mourn the passing of so many?

We are like impressions in the sand, and no matter what our contribution, the world will forget us once we are washed away.

What does your school offer?

Our school offers:

1. Lineage
   - this is about who taught who
   - your instructor's knowledge can be traced through generations of teachers, right back to the founder
   
2. An experienced instructor
   - Master Waller trained with Peter Southwood for 20 years
   - he has been teaching tai chi since 1995
   - he has been training martial arts since 1975
   
   
3. A qualified instructor
   - Master Waller holds a post-graduate certificate of education
   - he is registered with The Tai Chi Union for Great Britain
   - he taught under Peter Southwood's close guidance and supervision for several years
   
   
4. A fully-differentiated syllabus
   - a syllabus offers an incremental learning program that enables all students to become skilled at tai chi
   - the layers and levels of the syllabus are interlocking and interconnected
   - there is an ongoing accumulation of both knowledge and skill
   
   
5. Assessment
   - regular, consistent, thorough assessment is essential to ensure quality and understanding
   - progress can be proven
   
   
6. Grading
   - this ensures that all students study material appropriate to their own ability level

In the moment

One of my friends studied judo for years and years. She was waiting for a chance to use it, but for a long time nobody tried to attack her. Then one day somebody grabbed her in a parking lot - and she slugged him with her purse!

And then she thought, "Oh! What happened to my judo?"

She must have been practicing judo as if it were an isolated thing. We should always practice to let the immediacy of the moment come through. Then you always have a sense of what you are doing now.

(Chungliang Al Huang)

Chinese New Year 2012

Marc & Yu-chun

Rob

Eddie, Marc, Yu-chun, Leigh

Leigh & Rob

Mrs Waller

Eddie

Eddie, Marc, Yu-chun

Leigh

Dominic, Brian, Graham

Barny & Rachel

Sylvia

Leigh

Rachel

Andy, Eddie, Marc, Yu-chun

Cake

Marc

Etiquette

Etiquette literally means 'prescribed behaviour'. It refers to how you should act when in class.

Many parents send their children to martial arts classes in order to learn good manners and respect.
As an adult, you are already assumed to possess these qualities.

Training hall etiquette serves to ensure a harmonious training environment.

Chinese New Year

The Year of the Dragon

The Year of the Dragon

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_New_Year

Chinese New Year

Feedback

The first impression a new starter gets of Master Waller's class is how professional it looks. Students are in uniform and there are people actively teaching the syllabus and practicing. There is a very comprehensive program of study to work through.

(Sylvia)

Preparation for the new year

Chinese families usually spend weeks before the new year cleaning their homes and business premises.
Some people give their houses a fresh coat of paint every year.

I am planning to be a little bit more modest in my preparation.

Yang Cheng Fu form

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIrC8KZKNpA

Staff play

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-WHI4czHGA

Improvisation

He was a young man,
but completely the master of the seven strings and of the complex music.
He would improvise before each song;
then would come the song,
in which there would be more improvisation.
You would never hear any song played twice in the same way.
The words were retained,
but within a certain frame there was great latitude,
and the musician could improvise to his heart’s content;
and the more the variations and combinations, the greater the musician.

 

 (Krishnamurti)

Rest & relaxation

Rest is not the same as relaxation.

Whilst relaxation can take many forms, rest is more straightforward.
When you stop doing altogether, you rest.
An example of rest is sleep.

Peter Southwood's tips #19 Respect your instructor

Even if you do not agree with your instructor, do not be tempted to argue.
Inevitably you lack the entire story.
Your hostility and contention only serve to make you look narrow-minded and foolish.

Bide your time and let the lesson unfold.

Is baguazhang better than tai chi chuan?

No.
It is a different tool designed to do a different job.
Baguazhang is intended with multiple opponents in mind.

Tai chi chuan is the better art to learn overall because virtually anyone can study tai chi.
The skills are sophisticated and subtle, but accessible for the patient student.
As a combat system it is pragmatic, versatile and functional.
There is very little risk of injury.
The art is gentle on the body.

Baguazhang is not so easy to learn, arduous on the body, harder to understand and not straightforward to apply.
It is not so good for people who have health problems.

So why bother?
Because it is effective, fun and challenging.

Baguazhang application

We gauge the effectiveness of an application by its ease.
If you can apply baguazhang effortlessly - without resistance or force - then it is acceptable.

At no time should it be necessary to struggle with the attacker.

Master Waller's wife

Rachel attends classes twice a week and trains most days with her husband.

In addition to tai chi chuan, Rachel is also studying baguazhang.
Rachel is not very fond of shuai jiao but enjoys chin na and jing a great deal.

Thank you

I would like to thank Eddie and Barny for their assistance recently; giving Sifu valuable, constructive feedback and help.

Black belt

Rachel has been interested in martial arts training for most of her life and passed her first taekwondo black belt in 1994.
She went on to become president of the club.

Staff drill demo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xQsXRaLcbs

Decorations

If you think that's tacky, come and have a look around where we live...

One house has that Santa you described, plus Blackpool illuminations, plus new addition - 7 foot mock snow-globe with Santa scene.

That's just one house, I think they're aiming to be seen from space.

(Up My Street)

Santa Claus

Santa Claus was not always a mythical Hollywood character.

St Nicholas was born in Patara on the southern coast of Turkey. He was raised as a Christian and used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering.

No reindeers. No North Pole. No elves. No present lists. No Christmas cards, tinsels, trees, cakes, holly, mistletoe or carol singing.

Deviate from the essence and all is lost.

What about tradition?

If you are a Christian, give to the poor.

If you are not, why let marketing and commerce bully you into feeling guilty for not buying presents? People are just trying to make money out of you. They want you in debt.
They want you spending more than you can afford. Your greed finances their greed.

If you recall the Charles Dickens story A Christmas Carol you may remember that celebrating Christmas traditionally entailed giving gifts to the poor.
This is seldom the case these days...

There is nothing miserly about rejecting consumerism.

Sifu teaching taijiquan in Borneo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHg9TXWQr3o

All show and no substance

I look at the wedding photos of people I know and the events are so over-the-top. Many of these people are now having marital issues, are in couples therapy, or more sadly... separated/divorced.

When Sifu and I got married my brother looked at the photos and commented that our wedding was "beyond simple". To him, there seemed little point in getting married if you don't put on a big, flamboyant show.

Two of my old friends told Sifu about their so-called simple wedding, but when quizzed, admitted to stag night, hen night, big meal, fancy country hall, evening do and a band.

I think that the problem with modern culture is this need to show-off all the time. When we were married, our only interest was in saying our vows in front of our friends and family. That was the whole point of the event.

18 months later and our marriage remains awesome. We're closer than we imagined possible and have so much fun together.

The website is having babies...

Sifu keeps discovering pages on his website that he can't remember writing...

Re-discover Christmas

Do not get caught up in the sickening sentimentality of carol singing and Christmas decorations.
Give.
Go to the Salvation Army over Christmas or donate money to the thousands of charities out there.

Take nothing for yourself. Ask for nothing. Make it a season of giving. A time for caring.

Sifu with a staff

When Sifu has a staff in his hand he moves as though the weapon were an extension of his body; like an arm or a leg.
Many of his movements are so fluid and fast that I cannot catch them on video.

Freedom from tension

Modern living leads to most people accumulating unwanted tightness in their muscles. This limits their range of movement.
Common causes:

1. Too much sitting
2. Repetitive activities
3. Insufficient exercise
4. Straining/forcing the body
5. Sport
6. Dehydration
7. Poor sleep
8. Stress

Tao yin exercises are an excellent way to free the body and mind from tension.

Not cheap

Martial arts lessons are not cheap.

Usually you should expect to pay for some (or all) of these items:

1. Monthly tuition fees
2. Annual membership
3. Affiliation with a third party organisation/federation
4. Insurance
5. Licence
6. Competitions
7. Grading (usually quarterly)
8. Uniform
9. Patches/badges
10. Equipment/weaponry

Many classes expect new students to buy a uniform within a month of starting a class.
The new starter is also asked to pay annual membership, insurance and commit to a monthly standing order.

Have a lovely Christmas this year!

Non-Christian Christmas?

If you are not a Christian, what exactly are you celebrating over Christmas?
Why are you wrapping up all those presents, sitting through family meals and over-indulging?
For what? In aid of what? Tradition? For the sake of it? Why? It is far less expensive not to bother.

If you are having Christmas in order to over-eat, get drunk and indulge yourself, what does that say about your character?

Street awareness training

Uncommon

If you are studying an internal art, then you are not the average member of the public.
You have chosen to learn one of the more challenging martial arts.
This is not what most people do with their time.

Your curiosity had led you on a journey that is not for everyone.
It requires a steady commitment, patience, enthusiasm, money and time.
In order to make progress you will have to make choices, face doubts and be criticised by your peers.

Sword drills (sample)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bunxyBDsT1A

Discover for yourself

Instead of travelling to China or Japan, why not look at your own life? 
Find significance and meaning in your everyday activities.

Read, study, meditate, contemplate and practice.

Do not be satisfied with being a tourist. Ignore the kitsch and the reproductions. Seek what was once sought.

Live as though there were a fire raging in your hair...

My husband exemplifies this quote. He does not rush, dither or cram his life with ceaseless activity, but his days are meaningful and complete. He works, he rests. He spends his time doing things that he deems important. It is a mindful life, of contemplation, study, awareness and consideration.

One of his books admonishes: Talk alone is not enough. The path to tao means sweating white beads.

This is what my husband is like. He squeezes every drop out of life.

When student come to class: frazzled, harried, tense, confused... my husband does what he can for them. But there is not much he can do. He watches certain students become increasingly haggard and drawn; victims of their own lifestyle choices. You can see that Sifu wants to help, to advise, but usually doesn't. People only hear what they want to hear.

We must find the path for ourselves.

How many people learn an internal art?

The internal arts are the hardest of the martial arts to learn. 
They involve a lot more patience and take longer to yield their results.

A would-be martial artist could learn judo or wing chun far easier than they could learn baguazhang.

Alternate Christmas?

Imagine refusing to buy anyone a present or even a card?

Say no to the greed, to the commercialism, to the blind conformity of it all...

How much money have you just saved?

Now give it all away.
Consider donating the money to charity.
Or go out on Christmas morning and help to feed the homeless.
Or knock on the doors of lonely old people in your community - give them food and some of your time and attention.

Help the poor, the forgotten, the lost, the lonely, the needy...

Suddenly, it sounds rather like Christmas again.

http://www.caringatchristmas.org.uk