Advice and tips on choosing a Tai Chi teacher
By John Chow, of Tao of Tai Chi Chuan Institute for Health, Self Defence and Spiritual Development, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Written 1981
All styles of Tai Chi Chuan are good for health and healing. Some may be better than others in certain aspects, depending on the circumstances and needs of individuals.
However, not all beings are created equal and identical. Therefore even though a particular style of Tai Chi Chuan may be more suitable, not all Tai Chi Chuan teachers are equal either. There are some good ones, very very few skilful ones, some bad ones, and very very numerous unskilled ones who do not have much understanding or have much misunderstanding. Unfortunately, those vast numbers of non-skilful ones that make up the majority tend to be well-known and popular due to their marketing and promotional skills.
For the general public who do not have any idea of what Tai Chi Chuan really is, it is almost impossible to figure out ……………….
First point to understand:- although there are a few very good, knowledgeable and skilful ones, there is no ultimate or best Tai Chi Chuan teacher. Anybody who thinks so, or implies so, is either not telling you the truth, or is hyping a marketing point, or did not understand Tai Chi Chuan properly.
Although they are different, all styles of traditional Tai Chi Chuan are based on the principles in the Tai Chi classics. However, in accordance with an individual’s specific conditions, there are some styles or teachers who may be more suitable. Here are some pointers for your reference.
1) Choose according to one's interests.
If you like a particular style, your enthusiasm in it will cause you to practise it regularly.
Regular practice will bring benefit and good results - even if the style is not so suitable
or the teacher is not very skilful.
2) Take your physical condition into consideration.
Certain styles, such as Chen Tai Chi Chuan, tend to be more vigorous and thus are
more suitable for the young and fit. The elderly and weaker should try to avoid this.
Yang Tai Chi Chuan tend to be more relaxed, regular, flowing and graceful, and thus,
more suitable for the general public. It is very suitable for the weak and infirmed.
Wu Tai Chi Chuan is similar to Yang Tai Chi Chuan, but then to be more compact
and linear. It tends to be taught in a segmented way (1-2-3), and may suit those
who are used to following instructions in a step-by-step way.
Hao Tai Chi Chuan is compact and performed reasonably upright. It may also suit
the weak and infirmed. However, the movements may be too small for novices to appreciate.
Soon Tai Chi uses a follow up step, and may be easier for those who have weak knees.
Choose a style that you are able to perform easily.
The very weak may choose a specially simplified program, or take up Chi Kung instead.
For example, the author has created a very effective Tai Chi & Chi Kung for the Elderly and
Arthritis which contains all the exercises that the elderly and arthritic require.
3) Look for a teacher or school that teaches the style you like.
This is where the qualities of the teacher, school and students become important.
Teacher:-
· Does the teacher have a good pedigree? Ask for the lineage.
· How long did the teacher learn before starting to teach? A minimum of 15 years is advisable, but in this degenerate age, maybe 8 years will do. A long learning period before teaching means the teacher has integrity that he/she is properly qualified to teach before starting to teach. (Would you trust a doctor who has only attended 1 year of medical school, even if the law allows him/her to practise?)
· How experienced is the teacher - how long has the teacher been teaching? The longer the better. Recommended minimum is about 8 years for modern times.
· Skill - this is very important. As a complete beginner, it is difficult, is not impossible, for you to judge, but just observe - How smooth are the teacher’s movements? How relaxed?
· Understanding - read up on Tai Chi Chuan and ask the teacher some twisty questions. Enquire on some questions from the Tai Chi classics. For example, “How do you differentiate between Yin and Yang in your movements?” “How do you align all the parts of your body?” “Please demonstrate what is meant by the body moving as one unit”
· Does the teacher possess the complete tradition of Tai Chi Chuan (refer to the authors’s articles on traditional Tai Chi Chuan, and the different sections of Tai Chi Chuan). Insist on a short demonstration and explanation of each section, for example, the exercise form, pushing hands, da lu, san shou, sabre, sword, spear/pole, boxing, nei gong etc.
· Can the teacher demonstrate his proficiency in Tai Chi Chuan as a martial art? Is the teacher willing to demonstrate proficiency in all aspects of Tai Chi Chuan – including self defence, combat, and internal power? Definitely insist on a demonstration. If the teacher can not demonstrate his proficiency in defence against a few realistic attacks, then that teacher does not really know Tai Chi Chuan as a martial art, as claimed. A claim is different from a fact. Most modern practitioners do not realise that to obtain the full benefit of health and from Tai Chi, one must practise it with the understanding of its martial arts applications.
· Ignore all those associations and affiliations and government agencies that have approved or certified this teacher. Also, ignore membership of professional organisations. In addition, ignore those accreditations of certified instructorship and coaching qualifications. A genuine and proficient teacher does not need these props to boost his confidence. Self-knowledge, self-understanding and self-skill is self evident. Only those who are not so good need psychological props to hold their confidence. In addition, these no-so-skilled teachers need to use such marketing and promotional gimmicks to drum up business.
· Check out all the teacher’s claims about himself/herself and the art that he/she teaches. For example, the teacher may claim to be a senior student or disciple of a particular famous master. Check it out with the master! The teacher may claim to be a ‘Pushing Hands Champion’ of China. Ask for his report or documentation to verify all complete details such as which competition, which city, which year, which event, and how many such similar competitions take place during the year, and then ask the opinion of other Tai Chi teachers from China. If the teacher claims his/her Tai Chi is specifically designed for arthritis and is recommended by medical professional organisations, ask for which specific movements will cure which specific type of arthritis. Remember – there are many types of arthritis, and they affect different parts of the body, and the exercise program should target the specific part of the body!
· Is the teacher healthy and robust? Can the teacher move gracefully, fluidly, and with authority?
· Sense out and sniff out the teachers integrity and honesty. Will the teacher teach the art after having learnt it for only a few years? If the teacher does not know or is not truly proficient in an aspect of the art, is there a frank admittance?
· Does the teacher feel like a business person? If so, the teacher is in for the business and money. Not for the art.
· Ignore the admiration and recommendations from students and admirers of the teacher. Students and admirers make the worst judgements. “Love and admiration are both blind”. Investigate the teacher from the point of view of his peers, and if possible, his superiors. For every testimonial, there may be 10 criticisms.
School:-
· How accessible is it to you?
· Do the class schedules suit you?
· How efficient is the administration?
· Is the class environment safe and clean?
Students:-
· Are they friendly and open?
· Do they welcome new students??
· Are they helpful?
· Do they look and sound like sensible people?
· Sniff out their moral and ethical fibre.
· Are the students healthy?
· Do they spar each other too roughly and aggressively?
· Do they have a ‘bully mentality’?
4) Cost:-
· A low fee does not mean the teacher is not skilled. Not only it may mean not the opposite, but also indicates that the teacher is a person of humility and honesty.
· A high fee is not necessarily mean that the teacher is very skilled and is really “worth it”. In many cases, it means that the teacher is really out for the money and has good business acumen - has psychologically read the market and taken advantage of it. Do you want to be taken advantage of by this character? It usually means a commercial operation.
· Do not use the price as the gauge to determine whether the teacher is suitable or skilful. This is a mistake that most people make!!! The teaching fee should never be used as an indication of the teacher’s worth.
· Cost should be almost irrelevant in choosing a teacher. If the teacher is suitable, the advice is to learn from the teacher and pay whatever is asked.
5) Try out the teacher/school for one term to see whether:-
· you like it or not.
· you derive any health benefit from it.
· you derive any pleasure from it.
· you have any future in continuing.
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Yahoogroups – Kalis Ilustrisimo
Yahoogroups – Melbourne Tai Chi & Chi Kung
Written by John Chow, a
practitioner of Chinese medicine, acupuncturist,
masseur, healer and teacher of martial arts and spiritual paths in
Copyright:- No part of this article can be used, quoted, copied in any form without the permission from the author. For further information on this article, please contact John Chow of Tao of Tai Chi Chuan Institute at vajra_master@yahoo.com. http://www.yellowbamboohk.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.