FAQs (class members) | ||
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Common questions
Beginners send
e-mails with a
variety of questions. This is a sample:
More information:
How do you pronounce
Waller?
It is common for students to mispronounce their own instructor's name.
This does not look good.
It makes the student look stupid.
People often say "Wol-ah" or some other erroneous mispronunciation.
Consider: caller, taller, smaller, hauler, mauler, brawler, Waller.
http://rhymebrain.com/en/What_rhymes_with_waller.html
Sifu Waller was named after his ancestor Nicholas de Valer.
Waller is the Anglicised version of the
Norse name "de Valer".
de Valer is associated the French word 'valers', meaning value or
worth.
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Why
don't we offer pay-as-you-go?
Pay-as-you-go was offered by Newcastle Tai Chi for a
few years. However, sporadic attendance and intermittent, unreliable income
made it difficult to sustain classes, rent the hall etc, and we were at risk
of closure.
Why do
members pay by
standing order?
In 2008, the students of the school were faced with school closure and asked
Sifu Waller if they could figure out a way to keep the school open.
Students set up an online discussion forum and brainstormed ideas. They
ultimately decided that the best approach
was to pay by standing order, regardless of
attendance.
Whilst not ideal, it meant that the school was up and running, as and when
they were able to attend lessons.
Why don't we offer tai chi in the park?
We used to. Between 2020-2023 we had weekly park
sessions on a Sunday morning. By the end of 2023 interest was dwindling.
2024 started poorly, with few Sundays attracting sufficient numbers.
It was cancelled due to lack of interest.
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Why
don't we teach on Bank Holiday Mondays?
We used to. When we used MEA House and Shakespeare Hall (Durham), we rented
the hall, drove to the venue, prepared the facility and heated the room. A
lot of people committed to attend on Bank Holiday Monday, but few actually
did.
One Bank Holiday there were quite literally no
students in attendance. This wasn't good.
Our contract with St Andrew''s Church hall doesn't include Bank Holiday
Monday rental. The church often wants to organise community events and
knowing that the hall is available on a Bank Holiday Monday is convenient
for the church.
What exactly am I paying a monthly fee
for?
See the list...
It is not a weekly tuition fee (pay-as-you-go).
It's an annual membership fee. The fee is paid regardless of attendance/class availability.
Members are paying for the hall rental, the hosting of this
website, the authoring of these pages,
opportunities and
personal attention, in addition to tuition.
In a nutshell, you're paying for the class to be up and running as and
when you can attend.
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What
if I don't like the fee structure/policy?
That's perfectly okay. There are many other classes in the North East.
Clearly, ours is not a good fit for you.
Why have I been moved to
qigong & tai chi?
Tai chi students who do not attend lessons frequently will be moved to
qigong & tai chi.
This is for your own wellbeing rather than a penalty.
We must also adhere to the insurance requirements. It is not possible to train any martial art with a low level of commitment.
All martial arts have a risk factor attached.
Poor attendance coupled with limited home practice is a recipe for injury.
Students who are moved should change their T-shirt to white.
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Kung fu for the
elderly?
Some martial arts schools offer
programs tailored for children or for the over 60's. We do not. Teaching
martial arts to those age groups requires specialised training and insurance
cover for this type of practice. Unfortunately, we're neither trained nor
insured to teach children or seniors. Most adults can train
qigong & tai chi though.
Judo, karate, taekwondo, aikido etc have large international organisations.
Schools often operate under a centralised governing body (rules, syllabus,
grading etc). Such martial arts groups have a structural framework that
accommodates all sorts of qualifications, specialisms etc. Tai chi taught
as kung fu is whole different story. There is literally none of the above.
And very few tai chi schools even tutor a real martial syllabus. Therefore,
kung fu-oriented qualifications are rare. There are no qualifications for
teaching tai chi as kung fu to senior citizens.
Now, if you consider another style of kung fu such as wing chun, it may be a
different situation. However, a wing chun qualification for teaching kung fu
to seniors is not very useful to tai chi. There's no shuai jiao in wing
chun, nor fa jing, and not necessarily chin na either.
To get the most out of
martial arts training, finding a tailored program for older adults is
essential. Some standard features that may be important for older adults
include shorter classes with more repetitions, modifications for those with
disabilities, and instructor certification in geriatric martial arts.
(Graying With Grace)
Can I train bagua?
No.
We are not offering bagua tuition.
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Should I learn tai chi chuan, bagua
and hsing i?
That's up to you.
Ask yourself: How much time do you intend to allocate to 1)
Lessons/tuition, 2) Home practice, 3) Partnered practice in all three
arts?
Also: How good do you want to get at each?
To become adept at just one art, a considerable daily training
commitment is necessary.
Don't kid yourself. YouTube is filled with naive guys who kid themselves.
You cannot get good without notable practice.
Committing to just one art is a tough call for most people. 2 or more is
less realistic.
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Why doesn't Sifu care about
YouTube clips?
If you e-mail Sifu Waller to say that you have been watching YouTube
clips, what does that say to your instructor?
It tells him:
- that you have been sat hunched over the PC rather than
practicing tai chi
- that rather than read this 900 page website you are
trawling for examples of other people's tai chi
- instead of working on your own tai chi you
are watching somebody else's practice
- you are watching YouTube instead of studying the books from the
reading list
This is not an auspicious e-mail to send.
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What kind of Yang style are we training?
Long Yang.
Do some research e.g.
Articles
The development of Yang
style taijiquan
Traditional Yang style
training sequence
Advanced taijiquan
Long Boxing
Jing
Neigong
Combat
Speed
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How much training should I do at home?
That depends upon you. If you have enthusiasm and want to train, then do so. If you do not
want to train, then do not train.
Nothing should be forced.
How long does it take to learn to play the
guitar? How many lessons are needed to speak Japanese? Obviously it depends
upon your purpose. Do you want to be the next Segovia or Clapton, or just to
play a few simple tunes? Do you intend to translate haiku, or are you simply
preparing for a two-week vacation? Although the skill of your teacher and
your talent level will certainly influence your progress, the duration and
intensity of your study will be determined ultimately by the level of
expertise that you seek.
(Michael Gelb)
Should I
train when sick?
This depends upon what is wrong with you
and whether or not it is appropriate to be exercising.
In Asia you would try to go to classes even if you had broken an arm or leg.
It may not be possible to practice, but you can still learn through
observation (mitori geiko).
In the West, you must do what you feel is best for you.
Sifu Waller trains no matter what.
He was very ill in Malaysia, has suffered broken bones, torn ligaments,
migraines, various injuries, wisdom teeth extraction etc... and he never
stopped training at home.
On many occasions Sifu Waller has taught lessons whilst being quite ill and
no one even noticed.
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How can I
speed up my progress?
Learn the foundation skills thoroughly. Know all of the qigong exercises, the entire pattern of the
Long
Yang
form and all of the basic
partner work drills.
Competence with the basics is the key.
Practice, practice, practice.
Get to class early,
attend workshops, train at home, watch our
DVDs, read the
books, find a home training partner, become an
indoor student.
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Why don't you produce more
DVDs?
DVDs take a lot of time to film, produce and burn.
We have a very small number of students to sell them to and virtually no
chance of making a profit from DVDs.
Besides, many students fail to make use of the titles we are already
offering...
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I have backache,
what can I do?
Go see a doctor.
Constructive rest every day for at least 20 minutes each time.
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How
long will it take me to become an expert?
Expertise requires 10000 hours of good quality on-going practice.
Improving, deliberate practice, with regular corrections and continuous
progress.
Calculate:
Can I train the 3-tier
wallbag?
Yes, tai chi students can train this.
Buy a 3-tier wallbag and open finger bag gloves first.
Explore the 3-tier wallbag with Sifu Waller 15 minutes before any workshop
you have signed-up for (weather permitting). Tuition
is contingent upon proof of progress.
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Will you teach me
yoga and core strength?
Neither yoga nor core strength exercises are on the
syllabus. Psoas exercises are
in the curriculum.
We used to teach both yoga and core strength
exercises but very few people bothered to learn the exercises or train them
at home.
Other students learned the exercises instead of qigong and form, which
somewhat defeats the point of attending a tai chi class.
Nowadays, we will only teach yoga and core strength
exercises very selectively.
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Why do tai chi students pay
more money to work with Sifu Waller?
Surely the question answers itself? Rachel teaches qigong and tai chi.
Sifu Waller teaches:
Chin na (seizing)
Shuai jiao (take downs)
Neigong (whole-body strength)
Jing (whole-body power)
Brain work (meditation, awareness, metacognition)
The practice, assessment and tuition is significantly more in-depth.
Also, Sifu Waller is a master of
tai chi. Rachel is not.
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How do I move up
a grade?
Get to class as early as you can.
Print off the progress page for your
current grade and ask Rachel (beginners) or Sifu Waller (tai chi only) to tick off the items you are competent with.
Seek tuition for unfamiliar topics.
Practice between lessons.
Aim to train with other students between lessons.
Remember that your progress is your responsibility, not ours:
"You
can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink".
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I want to move from
tai chi chuan to qigong & tai chi
Just let Rachel know about this.
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How do I become an
instructor?
Qigong & tai chi:
- practice daily at home between lessons
- a track record of long-term weekly class attendance
- show aptitude with all items in the
qigong & tai chi syllabus
- be capable of answering detailed questions concerning the principles and
wisdom of tai chi
- extensive shido-geiko experience in class
- private lessons with Sifu Waller
- regular workshop attendance
- a good relationship with other students
- be a strong communicator
- have patience
- a sense of humour is essential
Tai chi:
- as above but much more earnest
- show aptitude with all items in the tai chi syllabus
- internal martial arts combat skill
- courage and compassion
We offer an extensive teaching training program that is free of
charge.
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Do you offer
boot camp?
Yes.
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Do you offer evening or
weekend private tuition?
No.
Boot camp and
indoor tuition take place at the weekend.
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Will background
reading help my practice?
Sifu Waller believes that mind/mental training is paramount.
He commits a considerable amount of time to this endeavour.
Although the mind leads the body, reading must supplement (not replace) the
physical training...
Compliment practice with principles and
insight.
The greater your understanding, and the more receptive your mind is, the
more easily you can learn.
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I don't want to train at home in
case I do it incorrectly
This is a very neat piece of reasoning but it is also flawed.
When a child learns how to write stories at school, do they quit
because they make spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and cannot express
their thoughts skilfully?
When a person learns a new language, do they expect to be fluent
immediately?
Do they quit because their French is not as good a natural-born French
person?
Or do they persevere and improve?
Belt policy
When you need a new belt, the process is simple:
1) Ask Rachel if she stocks the belt colour you require.
2) If Rachel doesn't stock the colour you need, purchase it online. Perhaps
from Blitz or CIMAC.
Do not take a hand-me-down belt from another student.
Get you own.
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What inspired
Sifu Waller to study tai chi?
Sifu Waller watched David Carradine in the TV series Kung Fu in the early
1970's and this prompted him to commence martial arts practice.
It also inspired an interest in the philosophical/spiritual side of
training.
He later saw The Silent Flute and eventually the BBC documentary The Way of
the Warrior.
More...
Page created 26 November 2007
Last updated
12 October 2023