21ST CENTURY TAI CHI |
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Creative insights and Ideas for students and teachers of the movement arts
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Tai Chi Articles from the teapotmonk
Many people ask: "How can I carry on practising the Tai Chi Form when it varies so little, day after day, month after month, year after year? Doesn't it ever get boring?" There are some Sifu's that answer - with a raised eyebrow and a supercilious expression: "It is never boring" they insist, and then add that by asking the question you have disclosed how little you know about Tai Chi: "The Form is always different" they say, and "if you really focus on your breath, your posture, your energy then you will always be practising a different form. If YOU find it boring, then YOU are doing it wrong." Does this sound familiar to you? Then read on..... How to stop yawning in Ward-off Left.Bruce Lee warned against placing too much emphasis on practising forms. He said they stilted a persons expressiveness, produced limited stylised movements that may look good, but rarely translated into real and effective moves. So why is it that teachers tend to squirm so much when confronted by questions of repetition or boredom? There is no denying that the Form is repetitive. Once you have mastered Ward-off Left, I defy anyone to practice the move exclusively for an hour without falling asleep.. If students ask, we should recognise that there is something to be answered. One answer, would be to vary the Form with location for example - doing the Form under a waterfall in a tropical jungle is not going to be the same as doing it in the kitchen next to a pile of washing up! But for most of us - the reality is that we WILL BE doing it next to the washing up. But most importantly, to deal with the issue of repetition, we must not simply deny its existence. It must be welcomed as a question on the minds of students and not slapped down with condescending comments about lack of understanding or lack of genuine practice methods. We must grasp repetition - as something positive as well as potentially negative. For it is through repetition that we gain familiarity with the basic tools in our tool bag. Once familiarity is achieved, and slapped on the back like an old friend, then we can decide how best to move on.
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| 2. The Evolutionary response - and a somewhat contested approach - is the: Play with the Form Approach - the Explore it and alter it approach.
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- Try it with no arms and with just legs.
- Try it blindfolded in the sun.
- Try it in the darkness of night.
- Try and do it naked.
- Try it in the entrance to a supermarket (with clothes on).
- Do it at your grannies funeral.
- Do it in front of an animal and watch for a reaction.
- Play with with different versions:
In short, create. Because if your relationship with Tai Chi is not a creative one, then it is a stagnant one. And this does far more harm to the art than the risk of diluting a posture by playing with a new variation. And remember, above all else:
Don't be dissuaded by the angle of your Sifu's eyebrow.
If your sifu should get in a humph about your evolutionary activities, remind him/her that all the the styles were created by adapting what from others. It is natural to evolve. It is contrary to all the laws of nature to stagnate.
Don't be dissuaded by the angle of your Sifu's eyebrow.
If your sifu should get in a humph about your evolutionary activities, remind him/her that all the the styles were created by adapting what from others. It is natural to evolve. It is contrary to all the laws of nature to stagnate.
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