Mirroring | ||
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Lazy
Modern people want an easy life.
They want to sit back and let other people
do the work.
People are lazy and complacent; unwilling to
commit the necessary effort required to gain any
real skill in any
endeavour.
Instead of working hard, they settle for less.
Obstacle
In order to ensure that students make the necessary degree of effort, the
syllabus needs obstacles and challenges for the student to surmount.
If insufficient effort is applied, the obstacle remains.
Only by stepping out of their 'comfort zone' can the student get past the
obstacle.
The beginner’s enthusiasm is such that he cannot imagine what blocks
could lie ahead to halt his progress. If some decisive challenge to his
continuing on does occur at this early stage, he will likely abandon his
practice altogether.
(Dave Lowry)
The process
People who overcome obstacles do so because they
put in more time and commit to greater practice
than other people do.
By deliberately working their way around an impediment, the student actually
learns something valuable.
Think of this as a process.
A process involves a series of steps taken in order to attain a goal/result.
Mirroring
Tai chi students need to mirror every exercise,
drill, form and
application they learn. Without exception.
Mirroring will quite literally change your brain.
But it won't be easy. In fact, it may prove to be vastly harder than you
expect.
Why bother?
Mirroring exposes all manner of shortcomings,
including:
Unequal use of the limbs/muscles
Favouring one side e.g. right handed
False sensory appreciation
Muscular tension
Poor kinaesthetic awareness (knowing where your limbs are positioned without needing to look)
Poor proprioception (relative position of body parts/awareness of how much strength is being applied)
Poor stances
Inaccurate form practice
Misconceptions concerning 'familiar' form movements
How good
does the mirrored version need to be?
The same as the regular version. They should be indistinguishable.
A student should be capable of switching from
regular to mirrored without any need for
consideration.
An obstacle of your own devising
Mirroring represents a definitive stumbling block for many students.
Self-differentiating
People may be able to cram their
way through a grading or copy other
students during form practice, but these
bad habits won't help them in mirroring the form.
There's no way to cheat yourself this time.
One solution
There is only one way to mirror the form and that is to commit to
home practice.
Daily. Corrections in class will highlight what
needs to be worked on, but only mindful daily
training will produce results.
Regular then mirror
For each form
movement, perform the movement in the regular direction first.
Then mirror that one movement a few times.
Afterwards, start the form from the beginning and mirror as far as you can
in one go.
Analyse where you faltered and why.
Use a mirror
As obvious as it sounds, using a mirror can
help you to mirror the form.
You may even notice previously unseen
mistakes in your regular form.
Visualise
The clearer your
'mental representation' of the
form is, the easier it will be to
mirror the sequence.
Lie on the floor with your eyes closed
and visualise yourself doing section 1.
Now, do the same with the mirrored version.
Imagine how your body feels doing the movements, where
you are looking, which way you are turning and
stepping...
Hard work pays off
If this sounds dubious, read Grit, Smarter Faster
Better, 5 Elements of Effective Thinking
and Peak...
IQ isn't the factor when it comes to
results. Effort and tenacity are far more important.
More than hard work
Dr. K. Anders Ericsson pointed out that hard work may not be
enough...
A 'tried and tested' method may no longer work.
Doing the same thing again and again will not lead to progress.
Improvement is necessary and that necessitates change.
Adapt, change and improvise
Often students will need to figure out new ways
to approach things and reconsider their
practice continually.
They must adapt to the new challenge they are
facing.
The benefits of doing this extend far beyond
tai chi.
Get stronger
Mirroring builds new and valuable skills:
Improved skeletal alignment
Optimal body use
Better coordination
Stronger stances
Better biomechanical use of the body
Ambidextrous use of the limbs
A deeper sense of what each individual movement constitutes
The ability to employ applications to the left or right side without needing to think about it
Instant results?
Mirroring isn't going to be easy.
If you are not used to doing it, then patience is
necessary.
This is a new ability and as such requires much
practice and time.
The climb will be steep but once you can mirror section 1 with competence,
the prospect of mirroring everything else in the
syllabus will not be quite as daunting.
We
learn by doing. If you desire to master the principles you are studying, do
something about them. Apply these rules at every opportunity. If you don't,
you will forget them quickly. Only knowledge that is used sticks in your
mind.
You are attempting to form new habits. You are attempting a new way of life.
That will require time and persistence and daily application.
(Dale
Carnegie)
Page created
18 April 2005
Last updated
16 June 2023
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