Seeing

The benefit of strenuous practice lies in an enhanced ability to see all things as they really are.
 
 (Dave Lowry)

Internal

All movement is generated using the entire body.
This removes any need for flamboyance.
Subtle curves, spirals and stickiness - combined with a skilful use of peng - provide the necessary in-roads to penetrate defences and incapacitate the attacker.

Every action involves every body part moving as a combined network of strength.
This provides a pliable, yet powerful means of utilising the body in combat and everyday life.

To accomplish this, a great deal of internal strength must be cultivated.
Patience, practice and long hours of dedicated work over many years is required.

Buying a sword (1) - waster

Begin with a wooden sword (waster).
This will give you an initial feel of the weapon and can be used in partnered drills safely. 

Social events

There are a couple of social events each year that couples/friends can attend.

Meeting people out of class can really help you to get along with one another.
We are not interested in competitiveness and rivalry. We want fun, mutual respect and friendship in class.

More weapons being revealed

During the last 12 months Sifu has widely demonstrated all of his weapons forms to students. He has previously withheld these from students until they reach the required grade.

What has changed?

Leigh, Sylvia, Jackie and myself have all shown a real enthusiasm for the weapons training; prompting Sifu to be more eager to share.

Also, he has sought to whet the appetite of the keener student with glimpses of what is to come.

As with so much of our syllabus, Sifu has no reason or incentive to show future material to beginners. What would be the point? We couldn't do those forms yet. To be shown more advanced material as a taste of things to come is an exctiting opportunity afforded the keener student.

Classical

Art moves through 3 stages:

1. New
2. Classical
3. Baroque

Many modern tai chi forms are baroque; separated from functionality and true purpose.
Not in our school.
There are no wasted movements. No crowd-pleasing displays.
The art is 'classical': simple, direct, focussed and effective in combat.

Steal my art

Stuart Alve Olsen’s book Steal My Art is about his experiences learning tai chi chuan from T T Liang.

Liang would not simply give the art away to people.
He expected his students to be like thieves: sneaky, cunning, observant and resourceful.

Sifu Waller uses this same attitude.
We provide detailed lessons, a website and handouts. But these things do not contain the complete art.

Insight

I know from my own experience that the master knows you and each of his pupils much better than we knows ourselves. He reads in the souls of his pupils more than they care to admit.
 
 (Eugen Herrigel)

Art of War

When torrential water tosses boulders, it is because of its momentum; when the strike of a hawk breaks the body of its prey; it is because of timing.

(Sun Tzu)

Nobody is perfect

You cannot force progress in tai chi chuan. To even try is self-defeating.
Remember what you can. Practice as little or as often as you want to. Decide for yourself.
Let it unfold as it will.

Give up trying to master anything. Drop the images and fantasies you harbour.
Perfection is a condition of untouched naturalness.
It cannot be achieved through any form of trying or doing.
Let-go of your ambitions and relax.

Composure

Composure is emotional balance.
The ability to remain emotionally stable in the event of crisis or stress can be a valuable quality.

We encounter many things in life that might upset a person. Tai chi chuan teaches us to slow down and remain calm.

Wanting to be a better instructor

It is important for an instructor to understand the art well enough so that they can perform if effortlessly themselves and also be capable of dismantling it so that someone else can reach that ability level.

Sifu Waller passed a post-graduate teacher training course in order to understand how to teach.

There is so much more to teaching than being able to do the material yourself.
You must be capable of breaking the material down.
The syllabus needs to be offered piece by piece so that the knowledge grows incrementally and the student can understand it for themselves.

Advanced

The advanced level is for people who have committed a significant chunk of their lives to the study of the art.
Teacher, scholar, innovator.

To reach this stage, all aspects of the syllabus must be comprehensively understood.
Every lesson should involve countless connections and associations from throughout the curriculum.
The exponent should be capable of spontaneously teaching any level of the syllabus without preparation or preamble.

The art should be at their fingertips: both theoretically and demonstrably.

A person training at this level must pass on what they have learned.
They should also add to the wealth of knowledge with their own insights, discoveries and contribution.

Expert

This higher dan grade is for instructors.

To become an expert, a student must show skill across a wide range of topics and an ease of application.
The baguazhang palm changes are now applied extensively, chin na is explored thoroughly and jing is finally given precision and power.

The large san sau 2-person set and 'pao chui' form offer a significant learning curve; with tai chi chuan versus tai chi chuan.
A high degree of sensitivity and agility is required.

The straight sword is examined in detail.

All aspects of the training are infused with neigong; bringing qigong to conclusion.
The student demonstrates significantly greater skill with form and self defence application.
Many drills are dismantled and re-examined, and the entire syllabus must be revised and reconsidered.

Reading and study is now much more in-depth.

Negative emotions

Negative emotions are biologically harmful and can make you ill.
When you become angry, your body is flooded with hormones and adrenaline; you enter a 'fight or flight' mode which is only intended for extreme situations in which your life is endangered.
'Fight or flight' puts your body under duress.

Tai chi chuan encourages a person to change the way they think in order to reduce the likelihood of becoming angry.

Escape

In order to escape from danger, one need only take the line of least resistance, just as liquid spills from a vessel over the lowest point of its rim.
Concentrate only on escaping.

(I Ching)