Interesting adjustments. I've been looking at modifications more for the purpose of practice in limited space. I find your lessons and webpages extremely valuable and will be purchasing your book. Thank you so much for all that you share!
Thanks for sharing your modifications. Personally, I’ve always felt a little guilty about modifying these moves to students over the years, thinking I was committing some mortal sin, but I did it anyway. Unlike your reasons though Robert - to do with age or a physical Challenge, I introduced these as transitional steps for complete beginners, so they wouldn’t get disheartened early on, unable to step so widely or spin so effortlessly on a heel. Then, as they got comfortable with those smaller steps, I’d increase the ranges slowly. This way I kept more students in the class as they felt they were accomplishing something from day 1.
Thank you so much for this excellent comment. I applaud your caring way of teaching your students and agree totally with its underlying logic. Whatever the field of knowledge being imparted, it is so important that beginning students not despair of ever achieving what is being taught. The traditional Chinese character Xúe 學 for “learn,” depicts a baby at the bottom with a protective covering over it and two helping hands above to raise it from its current inabilities, represented by one X above the other. Just as we don’t expect a newborn baby to walk and talk, we need to help beginners along, recognize their limitations, and assist them to achieve each next level when ready. This aspect is one of empathy and timing-and totally in line with Professor Cheng’s stated goal of spreading Taiji far and wide.
@@dsfgnk4 Thanks Robert for that insight into the Chinese characters. That image is a strong and useful one. I wonder, extending the discussion a little further, what your thoughts are on the demonstrations of Tai Chi moves to beginners or the uninitiated? I remember when I began learning back in the 1980s, reading that when practising Squatting Single Whip, the Professor was able (or maybe I am projecting this?) to retrieve a coin from the ground with his mouth. This image (true or not) motivated me to practice, practice and practice (though I never managed to retrieve a coin, I could squat pretty low). When I finally began teaching, however, each time I confidently demonstrated my very low Squatting Single Whip, I noticed among the “impressed” observers, there were always a silent group shaking their heads and muttering: “No way will I ever be able to do this, Tai Chi is clearly not for me”. I asked myself were I putting people off rather than attracting them to this art? Gradually, I began to alter my demonstrations, so that the form would be less and less “challenging”, by adding transitional half-steps instead of the wide big steps, by walking round rather than spinning on a heel, by practising Golden Rooster with one leg only slightly off the floor rather than “elbow to knee” etc to try and convey a message that Tai Chi was something we can all learn, no matter our level. As they stay with me, I encourage them to go further with each move, but over time and adapt each move to their abilities and confidence. So my question, I suppose, is do you think I am one of those that contribute to the “watering down” of the art that westerners are so often accused of? Or are we still adhering to the Internals, and that when demonstrating to beginners, we are putting the audience before our own desire to “perform”?
@@teapotmonk From your explanation of how you teach, it doesn’t at all sound as though you are watering down Taiji. Instead, you are perceiving your students’ needs as a truly good teacher should. In my view, the watering down of Taiji stems more from those teaching Taiji without sufficient instruction, understanding, and skill-and who lack the perspective of the depth of the art that can be manifested at each stage of students’ development. From my teaching experience (in physics, math, and Taiji), students who have the most initial difficulties, limitations, and slow rates of progress often eventually achieve high degrees of proficiency when provided encouragement and given praise for their efforts. Taiji is such an amazing but difficult art and is so important for improving today’s world that we should use every device to maximize its spread, still preserving its depth and fullness for those who can progress to that point. And we never know which beginners will do so.
![โอ้เธอช่าง... - บี้เดอะสกา ft. ต๋อง เทวัญ (Prod. by ป๋าเพชร) [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/zbWhiLFmVL0/mqdefault.jpg)
Nice modifications.
Interesting adjustments. I've been looking at modifications more for the purpose of practice in limited space. I find your lessons and webpages extremely valuable and will be purchasing your book. Thank you so much for all that you share!
"More important that the internals be correct." Absolutely.
Thanks for sharing your modifications. Personally, I’ve always felt a little guilty about modifying these moves to students over the years, thinking I was committing some mortal sin, but I did it anyway. Unlike your reasons though Robert - to do with age or a physical Challenge, I introduced these as transitional steps for complete beginners, so they wouldn’t get disheartened early on, unable to step so widely or spin so effortlessly on a heel. Then, as they got comfortable with those smaller steps, I’d increase the ranges slowly. This way I kept more students in the class as they felt they were accomplishing something from day 1.
Thank you so much for this excellent comment. I applaud your caring way of teaching your students and agree totally with its underlying logic. Whatever the field of knowledge being imparted, it is so important that beginning students not despair of ever achieving what is being taught. The traditional Chinese character Xúe 學 for “learn,” depicts a baby at the bottom with a protective covering over it and two helping hands above to raise it from its current inabilities, represented by one X above the other. Just as we don’t expect a newborn baby to walk and talk, we need to help beginners along, recognize their limitations, and assist them to achieve each next level when ready. This aspect is one of empathy and timing-and totally in line with Professor Cheng’s stated goal of spreading Taiji far and wide.
@@dsfgnk4 Thanks Robert for that insight into the Chinese characters. That image is a strong and useful one. I wonder, extending the discussion a little further, what your thoughts are on the demonstrations of Tai Chi moves to beginners or the uninitiated? I remember when I began learning back in the 1980s, reading that when practising Squatting Single Whip, the Professor was able (or maybe I am projecting this?) to retrieve a coin from the ground with his mouth. This image (true or not) motivated me to practice, practice and practice (though I never managed to retrieve a coin, I could squat pretty low). When I finally began teaching, however, each time I confidently demonstrated my very low Squatting Single Whip, I noticed among the “impressed” observers, there were always a silent group shaking their heads and muttering: “No way will I ever be able to do this, Tai Chi is clearly not for me”. I asked myself were I putting people off rather than attracting them to this art? Gradually, I began to alter my demonstrations, so that the form would be less and less “challenging”, by adding transitional half-steps instead of the wide big steps, by walking round rather than spinning on a heel, by practising Golden Rooster with one leg only slightly off the floor rather than “elbow to knee” etc to try and convey a message that Tai Chi was something we can all learn, no matter our level. As they stay with me, I encourage them to go further with each move, but over time and adapt each move to their abilities and confidence. So my question, I suppose, is do you think I am one of those that contribute to the “watering down” of the art that westerners are so often accused of? Or are we still adhering to the Internals, and that when demonstrating to beginners, we are putting the audience before our own desire to “perform”?
@@teapotmonk From your explanation of how you teach, it doesn’t at all sound as though you are watering down Taiji. Instead, you are perceiving your students’ needs as a truly good teacher should. In my view, the watering down of Taiji stems more from those teaching Taiji without sufficient instruction, understanding, and skill-and who lack the perspective of the depth of the art that can be manifested at each stage of students’ development. From my teaching experience (in physics, math, and Taiji), students who have the most initial difficulties, limitations, and slow rates of progress often eventually achieve high degrees of proficiency when provided encouragement and given praise for their efforts. Taiji is such an amazing but difficult art and is so important for improving today’s world that we should use every device to maximize its spread, still preserving its depth and fullness for those who can progress to that point. And we never know which beginners will do so.
Thank you. At 82 I need to adjust a few moves