Choosing

Choosing a School

On the journey of life people are attracted to Taijiquan for many different reasons, some for health, some for relaxation and stress relief and others may be intrigued by the martial applications of Taijiquan.

In the beginning finding a school can be a matter of chance, maybe the first point of contact is through an advertisement in a local newspaper or a leaflet in a shop window, for the lucky ones they may ‘just happen upon a good teacher’.

If Taijiquan is the path for you, it may well be something that you will continue with for many years to come.
Choosing the right school is therefore a very important first step, looking for a school on your doorstep may not be the best option. To find the right teacher you should and must be prepared to travel.

My First Training Experience

I thought I knew a lot, but in fact I knew very little!

Having been brought up in the ‘Traditional Chinese Ways’ of ‘Respect’ and ‘Obedience’. It is not easy for me to put pen to paper, for to voice my opinion in this manner, may be seen by some as disrespectful, I assure you, this is not my intention. Like many before me, I was inspired by the Chinese Martial Arts, I was drawn towards Taijiquan and its superior martial skills. I was particularly intrigued by the following statement, "A force of four ounces deflecting a thousand pounds"

For many years I diligently followed my teacher, studying Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan in the traditional manner.
Through patience and hard work I became proficient in Push Hands and many Hand and Weapons Forms.
Year after year, the main emphasis was on the Yin side (soft side) no strength was allowed in our self defence applications especially during push hands training.

However a number of questions kept coming to mind.

The first was the issue of ‘strength’ after all Taijiquan is a martial art isn’t it? In all hand forms there are punches and kicks, why don’t we use strength at all, why is the emphasis always be on yielding? (Yin)
How can you defeat your opponent if no power is being used?

If you allowed an opponent to grab hold of you, how could you deal with it without using strength?
In Push Hands there are ‘Ji’ (Squeeze) and ‘An’ (Press) techniques, so there must be strength involved here?
When are we allowed to use strength / power (Yang)

Following the ‘Chinese Way’ and being well mannered, I did not ask those questions, (To show respect)
I loyally believed in my teachers knowledge and ability, trusting that he would guide me towards the right path of Taijiquan.

Time passed and the questions persisted in my mind, I had reached an impasse.
One day during push hands practice with my teacher I decided to apply some strength against him.
He immediately told me off, because, he said, “There was a possibility he might fall over as he was old!”

Suddenly I began to wonder……… Maybe it is time to move on?

The Way Forward

As with many things in life there are different levels of skill and expertise. Taijiquan is no different.
How then can we differentiate? How can we make sure we make the right choice?

The use of a question & answer format may well help.

Q: What is Taijiquan? Tai Chi Chuan.
Also known In brief as Taiji and Tai Chi.

A: Taijiquan is an Internal Martial Art of the highest level.
Practiced regularly it is also highly beneficial to health and well being.

Q; Isn’t Taijiquan was a just set of exercises that helped improve your balance and calm you down?

A: Of course it does indeed do both of the above and much more, but it is more than just performing a set of exercises.
Unfortunately today Taijiquan is changing, many schools have lost the real meaning behind Taijiquan, some teachers maybe never knew the real meaning at all! Some schools are actually steering Taijiquan along an incorrect path.

Q: Are you saying the essence of Taijiquan has been watered down or lost?

A: Yes. As a martial art, or any skill matures, like a good wine, it improves with age, however the opposite has happened. From its original mother form ‘Chen Style Taijiquan’ It has slowly been watered down, over time the ‘Internal Martial Side’ has slowly been diluted, so much so that many people now think Taiji is just a form of gentle exercise for elderly people!

Q: Does it follow then a good Taiji teacher should have a good understanding of the Martial side of Taijiquan?

A: Put simply, YES! It’s a little known fact, that in China, a person who teaches Taijiquan without the martial knowledge,

can neither regarded themselves as nor claim to be a true inheritor of Taijiquan.
Taijiquan is based on Yin and Yang balance, (as the Yin Yang symbol suggests) neither too soft nor too hard, the two elements should compliment each other. To emphasise only one side will in itself lead to imbalance and a misunderstanding of the real meaning of the art.

Q: Can you illustrate what you mean by Yin and Yang balance and how it relates to the difference between teachers?

A: To use an analogy: Before you can construct a skyscraper, you would require the services of two main professionals:

An architect, to draw up the plans, (the external appearance, e.g. the front, rear and side elevations etc.)
A structural engineer, to calculate and provide structural stability for the building (reinforced foundations, columns, beams etc)

A teacher who merely concerns themselves with the health benefits and the outside appearance of forms,
could be likened to an architect (Yin only), where as the complete teacher with knowledge of the
‘internal martial art’ is a combination of both architect and structural engineer. (Yin and Yang)

Q: What is the relevance of ‘Lineage’?

A: ‘Lineage’ or ‘Family Tree’ can be used to trace the origins of a school and can be a useful first indicator of its credentials. Who is the teacher? Who is the teachers, teacher?
The closer to the originators of Taijiquan a schools lineage, the more likely the schools ability to pass on the traditional teachings of Taijiquan.

Q: Should then we choose a Chinese teacher rather than a non Chinese one?

A: The substance of the teacher is more important than their nationality,
being Chinese does not automatically qualify a person as a good teacher,
there are many fine non Chinese teachers as well as many insubstantial Chinese ones.

Q: I have been practising Taiji for many years but I seem to have come to an impasse?

A: It is not possible to improve your skill simply by learning more and more “Forms”
the key to advancement requires an understanding of the fundamental principles of Taijiquan.

As Taijiquan is a comprehensive and intricate ‘Internal Martial Art’, in order to progress to a higher level, the serious student will, in my opinion require the assistance of a substantial teacher with an in-depth understanding (amongst others) of the following subjects:

Shen Fa ( Body Structure) -- including an understanding of ‘Dan Tien Rotation’ and ‘Double Weighting’
(also known as ‘Double Heaviness’, the actual meaning which often baffles many Taiji experts)
Chan Si Technique (Silk Reeling Energy Exercises) -- spiralling movement training.
The application of Martial Skills -- with special attention paid to the mastery of ‘Push Hands’ (Tui Shou)
Peng Jin --‘Spring Like’ Elastic Internal Power
Fa Jin -- ‘The Issuing or Release of Power’

To join our school click here to contact Master Lau.

Click Here for what is Taijiquan.