Training Success
How can I achieve success in my tai chi training?
Success in Tai Chi is based on life style changes that accompany the practise of the art and the integration of the art into everything you do. My teachers have all expressed the same sentiment in different ways. To get the full results of tai chi we must become Tai Chi.
In our busy lives the prospect of dedicating the time required to change our body and mind to the way of Tai Chi may seem impossible. With work, relationships and the fatigue most of us feel at the end of the day it is difficult to make the kind of committment required. So how do we accomplish this?
Condition One
The answer is easy and difficult at the same time. There are prerequisites for success. Number One is that tai chi must be enjoyable to you. Any activity that you do not enjoy is not something you are going to feel energized to do. When beginning your tai chi study and while going through the 'conditioning period' there will be times when your body complains as it begins to become stronger and your joints begin to work more smoothly. Your body is protesting being asked to change but this is normal and to be expected. The important thing at this time is "Do you find the exercise fun and enjoyable?". Do you feel better, stronger and looser from the exercise. If so you've satisfied the first condition for success in tai chi. If you're not enjoying it give it a while and then move on to something you do enjoy. Maybe something like Yoga or Pilates is more your style.
Condition Two
Now that you've worked with Tai Chi for a while and feel that it is a good fit we need to go one step further. A long time ago when I first began my martial arts studies I found that on many evenings it was easier to stay home and watch tv than to go work out. The next time I showed up at class I would always be disappointed in myself and knew that my progress would have been better if I had been more regular. After a certain amount of experience with this I promised myself that there would no longer be a choice. On workout days I would simply get dressed and leave the house without arguing with myself. It worked!
The second condition for success is persistence. Sometimes a day off is a good thing but if you have too many your progress will be hindered and the joy and energy that working out brings will become a little diminished. Again my teachers have all said similar things regarding this issue, but in different ways. Master T. T. Liang called this process changing Pig Iron into Spring Steel. He often said that in Tai Chi we must go through the same process that a good sword goes through. We must repeatedly heat the body and work out the impurities, in that way we eventually become like Spring Steel, strong but not brittle. Only persistence and continuity will bring us to this state.
Master Chen Zhonghua likens the process to 'going through the flame'. If our workouts only go so far we are only approaching the flame. At some point we must persist, push ourselves a little and go through the flame. Only at that point will our bodies change and become tai chi.
Condition Three
The last condition is that of correct teaching. Of course we all want to believe that what we are learning or teaching is the correct way, maybe even the best way, but for a beginner this can be a confusing issue. There are many qualified and unqualified teachers in the world. Some Asian, and some Caucasian. Being oriental is no guarantee that the teaching is correct and being non-oriental doesn't mean that the person may not be a master. The best way to have some assurance that your teacher is qualified is to do a little research. Read good books on Tai Chi, visit a few schools to see what they teach and how they teach it.
Before I found my first teacher I read every book I could get my hands on. Some were better than others. Some were downright misleading, but you get a feel for things after a while. The same goes for visiting schools. It takes the mystery out of it a little. Of the books and DVDs I've collected here's a couple to help you on your way.
If you are interested in Chen Style Taiji have a look through our online store here - www.binhound.net. There are many other good DVDs on our site to choose from.
If you are interested in Yang style Tai Chi consider purchasing my book on Yang style Taiji, available through Amazon at this link.
