Chris Chi

Tai Chi for health & wellbeing

 

 

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Tai Chi Perfect Score

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Since I’ve created a detailed schedule, on paper, of my Tai Chi training sessions I have achieved several perfect scores.

My schedule has an outline of all my sessions for the week – from Monday to Saturday. Besides each session is a box I tick when I’ve completed that particular session. And when every box is ticked for the week that’s my Tai Chi perfect score.

My sessions are spread throughout the day which makes it easier for my knees and a welcome energiser when I’m working from home.

The differences between my previous schedule and my new schedule;

  • easier to track my progress
  • a good psychological boost when I tick the boxes, particularly when I achieve a perfect score
  • more detailed
  • at a glance it’s easier to rearrange my schedule if needed

Here’s how I organised my new schedule;

  • worked out what I could realisticly handle over a week
  • prioritised important sessions
  • shorter sessions throughout the day so my knees could cope
  • incorporated a review sessions and a new skills session
  • Alternated intensive and less intensive sessions e.g weapons practice one day followed by forms practice the next day
  • have Sunday off as a rest day

The result?

I now have a more systemised approach to training which I’m constantly reviewing and fine tuning. I’ve been able to strengthen my knees which has been a major achievement.

And I feel I’m making more progress.

Perfect!

Incoming Ideas

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I train six days a week and I usually find many ideas appear during, and after most sessions.

As I work on specific areas I still gain insights and a better understanding of the skills I’m working on.

Because of my basketball coaching background and experience as a Tai Chi teacher I’m constantly analysing and reviewing skills. And also thinking of how can I teach this skill so a beginner can understand.

Sometimes I’d be practicing the Tai Chi form and an incoming idea pops into my head and I’m tempted to dash off and write it down. But I always wait until I finish practice before I note things down.

It’s not only thinking about skills that triggers ideas. I also tap into feelings while practicing which often produces ideas.

For example, the other day while practicing the spear, I felt my my tan tien initiate a movement rather than the muscles in my arms and shoulders. So that’s what I wrote about.

Occasionally the incoming idea is an old one but that is okay because it reinforces something I’ve forgotten.

Reading articles and books, watching vidoes on YouTube also sparks ideas so I rarely run out of ideas to write about Tai Chi.

And after all these yeares in learning and teaching Tai Chi it still is exciting when incoming ideas appear.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Oh, excuse me. There’s another incoming idea knocking on the door.

I better go and open the door and let it in.

Tai Chi Breathing

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Tai Chi has two basic breathing methods – abdominal and reverse breathing.

When I teach abdominal breathing in my various presentations and student Tai Chi workshops, I usually get someone who ends up doing the more advanced reverse breathing method instead.

I don’t know why some people do this as the explanation and demonstration is clear and simple to follow. Maybe it’s because some people get confused with the concept  of breathing in and expanding the abdomen at the same time. Usually after a few attempts they get it right.

I thought I’d write a post, in simplistic terms, on the difference between the two breathing methods and how they are used in Tai Chi.

Abdominal Breathing
You simply breathe in through your nose and expand your abdomen. When you breathe in, your abdomen returns to the resting position. Abdominal breathing is the general breathing method for wellbeing Tai Chi.

Reverse Breathing
This is the reverse of abdominal breathing – you breathe in and your abdomen gently contract – breathe out and your abdomen expands. Reverse breathing is used in Tai Chi self defence.

Sometimes I find when I do my Tai Chi form or Chi Kung exercises I alternate between abdominal breathing and reverse breathing without thinking about it. However when it comes to the Tai Chi self defence applications then reverse breathing is what I tend to focus on.

It’s important for beginner students to focus on abdominal breathing before trying reverse breathing.

 

Training: 9000 Hours

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The other day someone asked me ‘how long have you been involved in Tai Chi for?’ I said, ‘just over 23 years’.

It made me think afterwards that words such as ‘involved’ or ‘doing’ don’t really reflect an accurate account of my experience in Tai Chi.

What does 23 years of involvement or doing Tai Chi really mean? Well, if I break it down into numbers it means about 9000 hours of training. And that doesn’t include the many hours of research I have done during that time.

That estimate comes from an average of 8 hours training per week – which includes club training and my personal training. And these days I’m no longer in a club environment due to work obligations and I train 9 hours per week on my own.

There are many who just go to a one hour Tai Chi class and do very little if any training. Their hours over a 23 year period would add up to approximately 1000 hours. And that’s okay as long as they don’t expect to improve their Tai Chi skill level.

What I have found with 9000 hours of training is that the work you do between classes will determine how much you will improve your Tai Chi. Now you don’t have to do what I do because we are different. My training schedule exists because I’m passionate about Tai Chi and as a teacher I have the motivation and the responsibilty to improve as much as I can.

The more hours you put in the more you improve. A very simple formula. Obvously your improvement will also be determined by the quality of teaching you receive and the effort you put into your training, besides the total hours of training.

My recomendation to students who asks me how much training should they do is at least 3 hours a week. That’s 30 minutes of training six days a week. Three hours training and a one hour class lesson per week over 23 years adds up to approximately 4600 hours of training!

So the next time someone asks you ‘how long have you been doing Tai Chi for?’ What will you say?

I know what I will say.

‘About 9000 hours!’

 

 

Tai Chi Cue Words

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Cue words are a good way of snapping  you back into the correct alignment when your are not practicing Tai Chi.

For example, the other night I was half asleep and felt very uncomfortable with my body in a non Tai Chi position, twisted like a pretzel.

I used my cue word of ‘spine’ to move myself back into a correct alignment for sleeping. I simple say the word ‘spine’ to myself and automatically adjust my position. I also do this when I’m walking or sitting and notice my alignment is incorrect.

It becomes an automatic response with repetition and it’s a great way of practicing Tai Chi in everyday life activities. This is important becomes Tai Chi practice is not just about practicing during specified sessions throughout the week. It’s what you do away from official practice that will determine how much you improve your Tai Chi.

I find that just one cue word is enough to remind me what I should be doing if I’m not in a correct physical, emotional, psychological  shape or state of mind.

Other cue words I use for various states include;

  • relax
  • calm
  • sink
  • yin
  • yang

Do you use cue words to maintain your wellbeing in your day to day activitie? What are they?