Tips for finding a suitable Tai Chi Chi Kung teacher for your arthritis

Tips for finding a suitable Tai Chi or Chi Kung teacher for your arthritis

The art of Tai Chi Chuan is very deep, and its superficial knowledge comprises of at least 8 sections. One has only scratched its surface after 2 decades of learning.

It is not advisable to learn Tai Chi or Chi Kung solely from a book or video. Books and videos are complementary aids to a physical teacher. Only an experienced and authentic teacher can correct your mistakes.

· Ensure the teacher knows the art of Tai Chi Chuan properly and completely: Do not be satisfied with teachers who have received training in specific programs only, for example:- Tai Chi for Elderly, Tai Chi for Arthritis, Tai Chi for Combat Boxing, Tai Chi for Health and Relaxation etc. These are only programs – a small and incomplete part of a very big picture. They may be drastically cut down versions of Tai Chi Chuan, and the teachers have very shallow and incomplete training in Tai Chi Chuan. No matter how popular the teacher is, you have a right to demand elaboration and demonstration of their understanding of the whole Tai Chi repertoire. Ask them to demonstrate all the 8 sections of Tai Chi Chuan. Remember – do you want to learn from a teacher who knows only a small part of Tai Chi Chuan? How safe is that teaching and teacher? For me to ask, and for you to answer.

· Ensure the teacher has sufficient learning experience. The training Tai Chi teachers is not a factory processing batch. Many very well known “masters” are actually “mushrooms” - never heard of them learning or practising Tai Chi, and yet they suddenly appear as “teachers” after a 6 month course. You have the right to question their learning history. “How many years did you spend learning this kind of Tai Chi?” is a fair question. “How long was the course you studied this Tai Chi program?” Alternatively, you may ask “How long did you learn Tai Chi before being allowed to teach it?” In general, an absolute minimum of 5 years of learning for any module of Tai Chi is a sensible guide. Traditionally, 15 or 20 years is not unusual. Do not accept “mushrooms” that sprung up overnight. You may wonder whether this is a “proper” teacher. For me to ask, and for you to answer.

· Ensure the teacher has sufficient teaching history. In general, the more experienced a teacher is, the better. Generally, a less experienced teacher is not teaching independently by himself or herself, but is apprenticed to an experienced teacher for many years before teaching independently. An apprenticeship or “instructor training” of about 5 years is sensible.

· Ensure the teacher has been explicitly given permission to teach by his/her teacher. Anybody who has not been given permission by the teacher to teach may be suspect. Anybody who has been refused permission to teach is definitely very suspect. The person’s teacher knows best whether he/she is qualified enough in the system to be able to teach it.

· INSPITE of all the marketing and promotional jibes, such as being recommended by a government agency, hospital, foundation etc, ensure the program does what it is supposed to do! For example, if the program is supposed specifically designed for arthritis, you should demand to know what is the content that was specifically designed to target arthritis. For example, which exercises specifically strengthens the muscles associated with arthritic joints. eg. the fingers and thumbs of the hands, the toes of the feet, the elbow, the shoulder etc. Which exercises help the synovial fluid move in and out of the cartilages? Which exercises enhance flexibility and range of motion of the joints? Which exercises relieve stiffness? What weight-bearing exercises are done for the muscles of the joints? Ask how these exercises perform these functions. In addition, how much emphasis is placed on these particular exercises? For example, are they in the main exercise program, or are they included in the 10 minute warm-up - which indicates that they are not important at all and should not be mentioned as “designed for arthritis”. Ask for a demonstration of these exercises and explanation of how each of them will achieve their stated objectives.

· If the program is a Tai Chi program designed for arthritis, you should demand to know how much of the program actually came directly from Tai Chi, and whether one may learn the same movements if one learns Tai Chi itself under a qualified Tai Chi teacher, what are the specific differences between Tai Chi and this particular Tai Chi program, specifically why was the original Tai Chi program altered (or rather drastically cut-down), etc. It has been found that a very famous and popular Tai Chi program for arthritis was actually nothing more that a drastically cut-down version of a particular style of Tai Chi Chuan. In the opinion of some Tai Chi Chuan masters, it has nothing specific about arthritis. You may be better off learning Tai Chi Chuan from a truly qualified Tai Chi teacher than somebody who has learned this particular Tai Chi program in a workshop and has been asked/encouraged to teach it.

· If the teacher insists that the whole Tai Chi exercise is too generic and is not designed for arthritis, you should demand to know what exercises in the whole of Tai Chi are too generic, and why he/she thinks they are too generic? Why does he/she think that the exercises in the arthritic program are specifically designed for arthritis? Why is it also not ‘too generic’ since it is merely a cut-down version of the whole Tai Chi exercise. Why is the whole Tai Chi exercise unable and ineffective in helping arthritic patients when a small part of it is ‘certified’ by health authorities to be able to do so? You should demand an explanation what each exercise in the program does, and why that benefit is not found in the traditional Tai Chi Chuan set (which also has the same exercises!!!!!). If the teacher does not even know what the traditional set of exercises are, and what benefit is derived, you should question how can they know whether these exercises “are not also designed for and benefit the arthritic sufferer”. “My teacher told me so, and he is a very great Tai Chi authority, and medical experts agreed with him” is definitely not a good answer! And “Studies and research has found that this program benefits arthritic suffers” is not a good answer either.

· What clinical research has been done with this Tai Chi program? Is this a statistically double-blind research? If not so, it is not a very good “clinical research”, as every statistician will tell you. In that case, there is no foundation to the claims by these medical authorities who claim that this program has been proven to help arthritis.

· Has it been compared to other arthritic programs? What programs? What are the comparisons, and the parameters of the comparisons? Would this teacher submit to another comparison of your own selection? (ie. you pick the programs - be sure that you are the one to pick the programs - not the programs that are available to be picked)

· Check the answers with at least 3 teachers offering traditional Tai Chi Chuan to ensure that you are satisfied with this teacher’s proficiency to teach you for your maximum benefit.

· No need to take the comments of “medical experts” about Tai Chi Chuan as the “whole truth” without researching into the program. One must do one’s investigation. Medical experts are experts in the medical field. Let them be experts in that field, and there is no dispute about that. Just remember, with respect, that they are not Tai Chi Chuan experts. We welcome their opinions, such as whether exercise should as Tai Chi Chuan and yoga and meditation, and walking etc may benefit arthritis, and we welcome their advice to avoid exercises that are too strenuous on the joints etc. However, simply and bluntly put - medical doctors and scientists are not qualified to comment on comparing the various styles of Tai Chi Chuan or programs other than anything medically-impacting. These medical experts do not know the details of and have not researched into the benefits of the other movements that have been left out of their drastically cut-down version of Tai Chi Chuan, and so commenting on their implied unsuitability is not wise. If they wish to deride other movements, they should prove, with detailed explanation why other Tai Chi exercises will not benefit arthritis, but the program of their choice does, and open this for discussion to all other Tai Chi teachers. We can all benefit from open discussions, open investigations, and open debates, can’t we? No need to call the lawyers in, chaps! You call the lawyers in, I will call the media in. You may expose a can of your own worms if the media gets to know how you foolishly made medical claims of product comparisons in a video or internet without detailed supporting research results of ‘double-blind’ clinic trials. Just call all the Tai Chi teachers in and thrash the issue out. Only those afraid of the truth will call in the lawyers – to stamp out the truth using legal strength and money power.

· Beware of advertising gimmicks such as “government accredited coach” “supported by XXXX” “adopted by xxxx organisation” etc. Treat all teachers and programs individually by their own merits, after questioning them and cross-referencing their answers with other Tai Chi Chuan experts. For every “government accredited coach”, there is another with a different opinion, so forget this advertising gimmick. It is for marketing purposes. Do not take that to be a statement of truth in whatever they say.

· Read my articles “Exercises most suitable for arthritic patients” and “Exercise and arthritis” - give your Tai Chi arthritis exercise program a robust run-through. How many exercises in your program satisfies each of the 6 types of exercises? For example, how many genuine stretching exercises are there in your Tai Chi program? How many specific joint rotational exercises are there? (I have at least a dozen exercises in these categories in my Tai Chi Chi Kung program for arthritis). How well your program satisfy the criteria given? This is the test, my friends!

· My frank assessment of most Tai Chi programs for arthritis in the market:- I would rather use a physiotherapist! Would any doctor like to advise against getting help from a physiotherapist? Please email me if you do so, and we will take it up with the media.

Summary:-

It is best to find an exercise therapist who has the following attributes:-

· qualified therapist

· experience working with people who have arthritis

· demonstrates good practical and extensive knowledge of arthritis.

· includes all the 6 types of exercises that are most suitable for arthritic patients

· each of the 6 types of exercises are sufficiently stressed

Written by John Chow, a practitioner of Chinese medicine, acupuncturist, masseur, healer and teacher of martial arts and spiritual paths in Melbourne, Australia.

Contact information:

Email: vajra_master@yahoo.com.

Legal caveat:-

The information provided above is for general reference only. Although the author(s) has attempted to be as thorough as possible in compiling the information in this article(s), no legal responsibility nor liability is accepted for any errors or omissions. The information is presented for educational purposes only. Please refer any medical matter to your doctor before acting on any health-related information.