Dear Jesse & Healthways People,

I have been learning Yang 24 simplified Beijing style for 18 months and using Li Deyin's book & video as my guides, plus a few of your DVDs. I go to two Yang 24 Taiji classes per week.

Recently a society attached to the university has asked me to teach their members tai chi.

Although I have experience teaching Business Communications Skills, I have not taught tai chi.

I would appreciate your recommendations on class design etc.

JB

JB,
The Simplified Tai Chi Form 24 is a good routine to teach beginners. It is the most popular routine in the world now.

But I would like you to start with some fundamentals, basic arm and hand movements, as well as some lower center stepping training. Not get to the routine right away. You need make the class simple and students get the feeling first, in stead of struggle with the memory of the routine. Also, beginners will improve their balance in stepping training.

Depend on the ages of your group, you may teach a little self-defense aspect of tai chi to keep young people's interest; teach the self-healing aspect to retired people for the benefit of wellness and longevity! ....

Hello JB,

Usually, we start the class with some warmup and few stretches or some qigong. It also depends on the level of fitness of your students. Since it may be in a work setting, you can't really ask people dressed for work to warmup too much

Then, we usually do the part of the form that we already know, several times if we know only the first few postures. Then, we can go for questions from students.

After that, we learn the next posture (or two if they are simple) in the sequence. Then we repeat the last posture, or a short sequence as many times as required.

Then warm down, simple qigong moves to end the class.

One thing: Taiji is mostly about relaxing and releasing the tensions. A good mood and some laughter is always good. Stay focussed, but don't take it too seriously either

Hope that helps.

Alain is right, it is important to keep your class enjoyable and feel the good Qi!!

jb wrote:

Dear Jesse & Healthways People, I have been learning Yang 24 simplified Beijing style for 18 months and using Li Deyin's book & video as my guides, plus a few of your DVDs. Recently a society attached to the university has asked me to teach their members tai chi. Although I have experience teaching Business Communications Skills, I have not taught tai chi. I would appreciate your recommendations on class design etc. JB

Hi JB,

You mention that you have been learning for 18 months and I was curious to know if you are taking a class or strictly learning from books, video, and DVDs?

TIA,

Feihu (Jim)

Hi Feihu,

I am not JB but I think you could be interested.

I am practicing with the DVD of Master Tsao only, I go to workshops and I study the theory with the books of Grand Master Chen Zhenglei.

I like that way of studying because I can stay at home and practice as often as I want and the workshops with masters help me to correct some fundamental position.

To study the theory first is the best way to improve the practice.

You have a very big challenge, but it's possible. There are things inside

Taiji that you won't be able to get from the video, but there' the book,

Tao Of Tai Chi Chuan. if you can uncipher it's meanings and with

assistance from of a Good Tai chi instructor you can accomplish great

insites. otherwise you will have only to the Tai Chi movements.

Courage to you

thank you Zinzivi.

and I think it's better to work with the DVD of a good Master than directly with a bad teacher

Hi Maria,

Out of curiosity, what forms are your learning/practicing?

Maria wrote:

Hi Feihu, I am not JB but I think you could be interested. I am practicing with the DVD of Master Tsao only, I go to workshops and I study the theory with the books of Grand Master Chen Zhenglei. I like that way of studying because I can stay at home and practice as often as I want and the workshops with masters help me to correct some fundamental position. To study the theory first is the best way to improve the practice.

An interesting pov, Maria. No offense intended, but I don't agree with a couple of things you said.

You can practice at home as often as you want, even if you attend a class once or several times a week. Thinking you understand theory and actually being able to reproduce it physically are two entirely different things.

Seminars are good exposure to higher level teachers, but hands on corrections are nearly impossible in that setting. IMO, it is best to have good hands on corrections from day one, that way bad habits are not as easily formed, at least you get corrected to realize you have problem. But I do agree that finding a qualified teacher is not easy.

Have you ever heard of self perception disorder (SPD)? Most people I have worked with (and that includes myself, btw) have that disorder to some degree. You may think you are doing a movement correctly, but after hands on corrections you discover that you have many things that need to be fixed. Posture is one aspect, but there are other aspects such as proper jin used that only can come from a teacher through hands on corrections.

Going it alone (like you are) is difficult at best. Good for you for having the drive to stick with it though.

Good luck with your training.

Feihu

you are right, there is just a BIG problem : I cannot find a teacher where I live !!!

When a teacher tells me first he is the best

When another one shows first he doesn't respect his own masters and tells me I could be too stupid to understand his teaching

When a third one tells me : oh you love martial art, so come let's do a real fight too see if you are good or "pay attention I practice the virile taiji"

When a fourth one tells me : oh you practice this but are you able to do that


I fly away

I do not take a regular class simply because I have no possibility too. So I learn what, where and whith whom I can

Alain

I am learning, now, lao jia yi lu and the Chen taiji sword.

I hope to attend to a 6 days seminar with Master Zhang Dongwu about taiji sword in february and I have attented to a seminar of martial application of pushhands with him 2 months ago.

I also practice the 24 form yang form, but I prefer the Chen style and I do some qigong : eight pieces of brocade and yi jin ching.

Maria wrote:

Feihu you are right, there is just a BIG problem : I cannot find a teacher where I live !!!

Yes, that is a problem for many folks, unfortunately!

Quote:

When a teacher tells me first he is the best When another one shows first he doesn't respect his own masters and tells me I could be too stupid to understand his teaching When a third one tells me : oh you love martial art, so come let's do a real fight too see if you are good or "pay attention I practice the virile taiji" When a fourth one tells me : oh you practice this but are you able to do that I fly away I do not take a regular class simply because I have no possibility too. So I learn what, where and whith whom I can

Where do you live, Maria?

Hearing your circumstances helps me understand your position and pov. I am truly sorry that you have had some bad experiences with teachers. But to be perfectly honest, I have had some similar experiences over the years myself as have many others I know. Finding a teacher who is really qualified and you click with isn't easy.

If you are out San Diego way, Jesse is a fine teacher and a very nice giving man.

Again, I wish you luck and keep on the path.

Maria wrote:

I am learning, now, lao jia yi lu and the Chen taiji sword. I also practice the 24 form yang form, but I prefer the Chen style and I do some qigong : eight pieces of brocade and yi jin ching.

Great! I like Chen too. I just finished learning the last posture of the Chen sword. It's a great form.

If I have one advice: learn slowly. I am very lucky to learn directly from Master Tsao here in San Diego, and he usually teaches the form posture by posture, about one a week. Sometimes more, sometimes less. It took about a year to go through the entire sword form.

I suggest you do the same with learning from a DVD: posture by posture, don't go to the next one until you feel comfortable with the sequence from the beginning of the form. It's better to have one posture correctly than five wrong

Quote:

Where do you live, Maria?

I live in Belgium and I am lucky enough to know Jesse Tsao I have been especially to China this year to meet him

Now I go to UK when there is a intersting workshop hosted by Master Liming Yue and I attend to a class with some of his students or, from time to time I work with a German disciple of Chen Zhenglei.