I’ve trained with Western doctors who believed in Chi.

And I’ve read about a Tai Chi master who doesn’t believe in Chi.

Is Chi real?

Well, I can’t prove it exist. And it doesn’t matter if Chi exists, technically anyway.

To me the concept of Chi is more valuable rather than proving its existence.

And the way to understand the concept of Chi is to reflect on the philosophy of Tai Chi and practice the movements.

When this is done over a period of time you will then be able to ‘feel’ the Chi ‘regardless of whether it exists or not’.

Last night’s presentation (see previous post) to a junior football team went very well.

Twenty 15-19 year olds attended and they were not sure what was going to happen. Their coach said it would be special and to ‘watch out for the Sabre’.

I was a little apprehensive about the reception I would receive as it was my first presentation in a football environment. And Tai Chi can appear weird and silly in a macho culture.

But my concerns evaporated quickly as the boys got right into the spirit of what was offered by having a go to a very different approach to achieving their best.

Over the years, working with teenagers, regardless of the environment, I find the same themes keep coming up.

If you want to engage them in an activity you need to;

• make it fun
• challenge them
• talk their language
• make it relevant
• keep things moving
• encourage and praise them often

I finished the presentation with some weapons demonstrations to reinforce the difference between Yin and Yang energy. I did a short sword form, staff form and fans. They enjoyed the snapping fans demonstration.

It’s great fun working with teenagers.

And maybe why I enjoy it so much is because  ‘I’m just a big kid too’.

This evening I will be delivering a presentation to about thirty 15-19 year old footballers.

The theme is Best Performance – a Tai Chi perspective.

I know from experience that if I present it in the traditional way I will lose the audience in the first few seconds.

Teenagers need excitement, movement, fun to keep their attention otherwise they get bored quickly.

I intend to ramp up the excitement and get them focused by using humour demonstrations and challenges. I’ll bring in the teaching points at the end of the fun stuff.

The key to the success of the presentation will be the language I use in relation to Tai Chi.

I’ll need to keep it simple and relevant to their football skills. Having an esoteric approach will only bore them.

Now excuse me while I go and  practice my sabre form for the demonstration this evening.

And iron my Tai Chi shirt.

It’s a bit wrinkled. Just like me.

It’s difficult fitting in all my Tai Chi and Chi Kung training sessions each week.

I don’t train at a set time each day because of the nature of running a facilitation business. I can be working any day of the week, morning, afternoons or during the evenings.

So I have to fit my training in around my work.

While taking out the rubbish bin the other day I discovered a way of fitting in extra training time.

I ducked into my garage and spent a few seconds training a specific skill on the punching bag.

I now do this at least once a day whenever I step outside my backdoor.

It’s only a light workout lasting a few seconds but every little bit helps.

I was working with grade five and six students the other day in our ‘Pozitive Kidz are happy kidz’ workshops.

As I walked into the hall for the first session I noticed some workmen outside.

Once the kids came in and I introduced myself the ear-bursting screech began.

One of the workmen outside was using a grinding tool on a piece of metal.

I had to raise the level of my voice so the children could hear what I was saying.

The irritating and annoying sound threaten to disrupt the class as some of the children started to complain about the noise.

I had two choices – either complain about the noise which would have further highlighted the discomfort or use a Tai Chi  principle (yin/yang) to deal with it.

I chose the Tai Chi option because I was there to teach the children how to cope with stress.

This is how I did it.

I acknowledged the noise to the students without making too much of it.

I then reinforced the idea throughout the session that Tai Chi helps us to focus inside of ourselves rather than on external distractions we have no control of.

This worked reasonable well as we got through what could have been a disastrous session because of the noise.

This experience for me reinforced the lesson that as teachers we need to model the behaviour we desire our students to exhibit.

A choice we all need to make under pressure.

Stay calm or panic.

When I practice I occasionaly get ‘lost in repetition’ which is a bad habit.

The quality of my training suffers because my mind wanders or I’m focused on getting a certain amount of repetitions completed.

It is important that each repetition of a skill is performed correctly otherwise bad habits occur.

This is what I do to reduce the ‘lost in repetition’ effect;

• Monitor what I am doing
• Slow down the pace of the repetitions so as to avoid the tendency to speed through the set
• Reduce the amount of repetitions if the quality is not there

It is the quality of the repetition of a skill not the quantity that will determine how much you improve.

Source: Tai Chi Tip #22

When I first started Tai Chi I couldn’t tell the difference between Wu Style and a slice of bread.

It was only after I had started that I discovered that there were several styles of Tai Chi and I was doing Wu style Tai Chi.

And I continue to practice Wu style Tai Chi. Atlhough I have dabbled in Michuan Tai Chi and Yang Tai Chi.

I’ve discussed and read many points of view on which Tai Chi style is the best. And some of those views have been controversial.

What is the best style?

Well, with my limited experience and talent all I can come up with is this.

It would take several lifetimes to comprehensively review and practice all the styles of Tai Chi available. Unless you believe in re-incarnation then this is not possible.

As long as the Tai Chi you are doing obeys the Tai Chi principals then that is ‘the best Tai Chi’.

So the best style of Tai Chi is the style you are doing right now.

Regardless what style you practice, we all part of the Tai Chi community.

Separated by name only.

Footnote: Imagine the possibilities of Tai Chi if more time was spent on practicing rather than arguing which is ‘the best Tai Chi style’

I will never forget February, 2008.

I delivered 60 workshops in 26 days.

The workshops were our ‘Pozitive Kidz are Happy Kidz’ schools program which focuses on building self esteem from a Tai Chi perspective.

The students age range from 5-12 years old.

At that stage, each workshop ran for 30 minutes – four per morning – two before the break and two after the break.

These were high energy workshops which included props , games and humour to engage the children for the full session. A traditional approach would have been boring and not work as well.

By the time the third and fourth session kicked in during the morning I had to stay centred and make sure I was not repeating or forgetting to include an activity.

Because when I deliver a workshop I leave some flexibilty so I can react to what is happening in the moment, besides covering the core skills.

I now know what it feels like to be out on the road covering several gigs a day over an extended period.

It may not be rock n roll but it’s great fun and exhuasting.

Why put my self through this ‘ordeal’?

I’ve got no choice.

I’m passionate about what I do.

Many years ago I attended a Chi Kung workshop and the teacher did a move which was similar to the opening posture of my Wu Style Tai Chi form.

He said, ‘It took me twenty years to understand this move.’

I thought, ‘You have got to be joking! What’s so hard about lifting your arms up and down?’

What I didn’t realise at the time was that my mind was wading in shallow depths.

I did not understand that  a simple move in Tai Chi often requires a depth of understanding which can be only achieved through years of thought, discussion and practice.

This understanding is like going on a journey of;

• simplicity
• complication
• new found simplicity

So if your mind is wading in shallow depths when learning ‘simple’ movements allow yourself to go on this journey without any preconceived ideas.

Then you will be able to discover the depth and essence of a particular movement.

Practicing weapons’ forms in a park can can attract the wrong attention. Especially if you are using metal weapons.

Once when I was practicing my sabre and sword forms in a park I had one spectator which did distract me. It was a policeman driving his van slowly through the park.

From the corner of my eye I noticed the driver stare at me.

He was probably wondering whether I was a lunatic or just a crazy ninja turtle that should be locked up.

Fortunately for me he kept driving and I avoided being disturbed.

Since then I now only use my wooden sword and sabre when I practice in a park.

I still practice with my metal weapons at home or use them at official demonstrations.

Sabre Form

Sword Form

Who is that lunatic?