The Tai Chi Snob Drops Out

Picture me not in WI

Well, it’s winter. I live in Wisconsin. I have to drive for an hour to get to class. Need I say more? That’s my excuse for not going to Tai Chi class right now. I’ve probably learned nearly all I can about Sword Form, although there is always more to learn. Practice is always better when you are in a group of like-minded people, but I can do it on my own. Corrections from a good teacher are crucial to advancing in your art, but I give it a lot of thought. Did I say I’d be OK on my own? Well, I go to the Health Center probably five times a week and practice my form(s). I read a lot and watch Youtube videos of the masters. I think. I write. So why shouldn’t I drop out for now?

This is an opportunity to concentrate on MY form. I’ve had four teachers, studied three forms, (Wu, Yang and Sun) and Sword Form and Push Hands. From each teacher I’ve gained some knowledge and insight into a traditional, yet live and changing Martial Art/Health/Philosophy/Art form called Tai Chi Cuan (Taiji Quan). I’ve dealt with the conflict between what I think I know and what I’m being told. I’ve dealt with it by adopting what FEELS right, what MAKES sense, what WORKS. I’m not rejecting the bits and pieces that I don’t absorb. I merely keep them in mind as I go through my form, comparing, contrasting, considering….

After all, the REAL Tai Chi form is unknown. There is a mystique about the origin and evolution of Tai Chi as it came down from probably mythical Taoist monks and was held secretly within a few families and villages. The story goes that Yang Luchan, when called upon to teach Tai Chi to government officials, modified the form to protect its secrets. The Communist Chinese government almost banned Tai Chi but instead decided to promote it as a healthful exercise form, showing the outer world how strong the Chinese people were. And it changed again.

A few masters migrated to the US and Europe. A few Anglos traveled to China and Taiwan. What was a verbal tradition began to be documented. The five family forms became hundreds. Each master changed it a little according to their own interests. How confusing! Yet what a wealth of thought and practice. What a rich cross cultural experience. How easy to become a snob (all forms are equal, but my form is more equal than your form.)

If you are a beginner, find a teacher. Make sure that teacher has some lineage that fixes them firmly within the evolution of REAL Tai Chi Cuan. They can be health oriented or Martial Art oriented or both, as long as they know something about the history and development of the art. Read. Look at videos, but not to the extent that you become overwhelmed with too many choices. Learn the movements, then be willing to work on the details.

And don’t be afraid to drive through the snow storms to get to class.