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| White & yellow belts | ||
| Tai chi chuan syllabus - beginner's level | ||
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Attendance requirement
To pass the white belt, students must attend:
Weekly tuition
A minimum of 15
workshops per
calendar year
Failure to do so will mean no
grading
and no
progress.
The worst case scenario for very poor commitment will be transfer to qigong
& tai chi.
If you haven't signed-up for workshops, don't ask to be assessed/graded in
class.
T-shirt
Until you've passed white belt, students wear the same uniform as a qigong & tai chi
student:
White
cotton crew-neck T-shirt
Black
cotton martial arts/karate trousers
Flat footwear; preferably not
training/sports shoes
Students may wear a
plain long-sleeved white sweatshirt over their
white class T-shirt.
Learn the fundamentals
Having completed the qigong ticksheet, students often want to start
learning kung fu. This is admirable but seldom
practicable.
Usually, the individual cannot adopt a 'bow stance'
accurately and has no real sense of how
to work with a partner in a martial
arts context.
In order to prepare themselves for
martial arts practice, it is necessary to gain competence with very
basic partner work drills and
pushing hands exercises.
Neither health nor tai chi chuan
Having left the qigong & tai chi
group, the student must now qualify for the
tai chi chuan syllabus. This
is the goal. The basics need to be learned.
In all martial arts there is a
constant, never-ending emphasis on getting your basics right because without
those basics, you'll never become all that you could be.
(Bruce Frantzis)
Lay the
foundation
The basics has 3 parts. The first
part is the qigong ticksheet. The second part features a selection of
straightforward partner work exercises. The third part is about pushing
hands, monkey paws, pushing legs and
psoas exercises.
Once the student has completed all 3 parts to the required standard,
they can commence the tai chi syllabus.
Martial tasters
Any kung fu opportunities in class
constitute a 'taster' - an incentive to move up the syllabus and complete
the basics. The student is encouraged to attend tai chi
workshops but will be taught subject to ability.
Belts
There are 20 belts in the tai chi chuan syllabus:
White 1
White 2
Yellow 1
Yellow 2
Orange
Green
Blue
Purple
Brown 1
Brown 2
Black (1st dan)
Black (2nd dan)
Black (3rd dan)
Black (4th dan)
Black (5th dan)
Black (6th dan)
Black (7th dan)
Black (8th dan)
Red 1/Black (9th dan)
Red 2/Black (10th dan)
Pale belts
The first 4 belts are introductory.
They are for people who have an interest in tai chi and want a mild taste
of the art.
5-10 repetitions per arm
For the highest yield, each qigong
exercise needs to be done 5-10 times.
Ba duan jin #2
Students learn the second version of
this exercise and replace the qigong & tai chi/introductory version.
Remember not to pull the shoulder joint back too far when extending the
palm. 30°forward is advisable if your shoulder joint is not yet flexible.
Moving qigong (full set)
It is useful to start learning the remaining exercises as soon as
possible.
Reeling silk exercises
Although reeling silk exercises are included on the qigong ticksheet,
they are not really qigong exercises. They are
power generation exercises.
Form (section 1)
If you do not know section 1 of the
Long
Yang
form, work with
Rachel on a Sunday
morning if you can.
When Rachel says that you are competent enough to learn section 2 with
Sifu Waller, you can continue with the
sequence.
Beginners are encouraged to purchase the Long Yang form (section 1)
DVD to assist with home study.
Once the student is familiar with Long Yang form (section 1) they undertake a 4
week drilling challenge in which they practice section 1 for 45 minutes
non-stop commencing at 7:00 PM.
Sections 2 & 3 are taught in a similar fashion.
Weapons drills
Students may begin by studying stick drills or knife drills, or both.
There are 3 sets of stick drills.
When all 3 sets are familiar, the student may study the sword drills.
Students are encouraged to purchase the Weapons
DVD to assist with home study.
DVDs
If you can't remember the exercises, buy the Qigong DVD, Qigong
Corrections DVD and Partner Work DVD so that you can practice the exercises at home
between classes.
The risk of injury in combat sports is especially high. To prevent injury,
do the following: 1) Learn to warm-up well before any exercise, 2) Do
everything possible to accelerate recovery between workouts.
(Frederic Delavier)
White
1
Qigong exercises
- standing qigong/3 circle qigong
- full circle qigong
- form posture qigong
- ba duan jin (8 exercises)
- moving qigong (8 exercises)
Reeling silk exercises
- plate exercise
- 4 directions - forwards & backwards
- 4 directions - to the side
- Opening & closing - to the side
- Cloud hands
Pushing peng (intro)
Standing post
Assignment #1 - Q & A
Assignment #2 - Attitude & etiquette
White
2
Partner work
- 4 directions with a partner
- central equilibrium maintain the centre
- eyes-closed walking
- palm at 3 distances
- peripheral vision - mugger scenario
- posture testing
- yielding exercise
- 90°
- diamond stepping
- leading & following (eyes-closed)
- relative distance (tig)
- avoiding line of force (solo & melee)
- riding the attack
The ball game
Monkey paws
Pushing legs
Single pushing hands
Challenge full circle qigong (30 mins x 4 weeks)
Challenge standing qigong (4 postures) (20 minutes x 4 weeks)
Yellow 1
Long Yang form (section 1) (regular)
Ba duan jin #2 - alternate version
Constructive rest
Horse stance
How to escape from a hold
Moving qigong (complete
set)
Partner work mistakes
Challenge - form challenge (60 mins x 4 weeks)
Challenge - yielding exercise challenge (30 mins x 6 weeks)
Assignment #1 - Q & A
Assignment #2 - Attitude & etiquette
Recommended
reading - The Sword Polisher's Record
Yellow 2
Bracing
Fear of falling
Floor work
- basics
- back-to-back
Hitting
a focus mitt
Horse stance qigong
How to punch
Playing the attacker
- commitment
- range & reach
Psoas exercises
Punching rehab
Challenge - horse stance qigong (5 mins x 4 weeks)
Challenge - qigong and reeling silk in 30 mins (30 mins x 4 weeks)
Assignment #1 - Q & A
Assignment #2 - Attitude & etiquette
Recommended reading - There Are No Secrets
Further reading
Know the basics
New
The
physical
Working with the instructor
100
days challenge
The basics
More...
Page created
2 March 1995
Last updated
05 December 2023
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