Chris Chi

Tai Chi for health & wellbeing

 

 

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Archives for March 2011

Kitchen Clock Tai Chi

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After this morning’s Tai Chi hands form practice it’s time to get out my electronic kitchen clock.

I’ve noticed my time for completing the long form varies according to when I practice. Afternoon sessions are shorter than a morning session. Usually I complete the form between 15-20 minutes. More often closer to the 15 minute mark.

I need to get some consistency in my form practice so for the next few sessions I’ll use my little kitchen clock timer and focus on building the duration of the form to 20 minutes. And I’ll record each form session to achieve may target.

It’s easy to speed through the long form in say 12 minutes which is not a good workout. In the past the kitchen clock has slowed me down because I’m aware I’m timing myself.

When I develop a consistent 20 minute workout I’ll put the kitchen clock back where it belongs.

In the kitchen!

 

 

 

Weapons Training Without Weapons

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I’ve been practicing my double fan form and the other day I was at a picnic in a park and forgot to bring my fans along.

So I searched around for a couple of sticks about the same size of the fans in length, and practised the form.

I try and practice on a regular basis and if do not have my Tai Chi weapons I improvise and practice a weapon form without the weapon.

It certainly makes you concentrate on other parts of the body when you do this. Sometimes when you practice a weapons’ form you can focus too much on the weapon  itself and not enough on your body balance or movement.

Eventually you just ‘do’ and not focus on your weapon. But every now and then it’s good to focus on other aspects of your weapon form.

So when you ‘do’ it all comes together.

Besides using sticks you can also imagine you are holding a weapon and practice a weapon form either mentally or physically.

So the next time you forget or can’t use a weapon in a particular space –  why not practice your weapons training without weapons.

 

 

 

Tai Chi Kidz Race

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I’ve used the Tai Chi Kidz Race drill to teach children how to slow down and move correctly.

Here’s how it works.

I get the class to line up at one end of the hall. Then I say to them ‘we going to have a race.’ They usually get excited at this.

Then I say, ‘okay, the slowest person wins.’ At first there are confused looks but once they get started their movements slow right down. Some hardly move at all.

It’s a bit of reverse psychology by making it completely different from their expectations of a race.

The benefits?

Kids learn to co-ordinate their bodies and improve their balance. It’s a fun drill. And I can also teach other specific body movement skills, for example tucking in your tailbone as you step.

Why not have a go and teach this to your junior Tai Chi or martial arts class?

If you do, let me know how it goes.

 

Get On With It!!!

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I was cleaning up and discovered my old clip board which had a Tai Chi training plan written in permanent texta.

The training plan was created about twenty years ago when I was training with two friends of mine on a Sunday morning. I decided to write the plan because we were spending too much time on analysis and not enough time on training.

Here’s the plan;

10.00am – Sabre

10.25 – Break

10.30 – Refresher

10.45 – 9 castle, Da Lu

10.55 – break

11.00 – Push Hands

11.25 – Break

11.30 – Application: Drills

12.00 – Optional

12.15 – Push Hands

12.45 – Free

1.00pm – End

And on the bottom of the clipboard are the following words – ‘Get On With It!!!