Online tuition | ||
Written by Rachel | ||
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Online training
One of the trends floating around the news suggests that many people
prefer to train at home rather than attend the gym,
or exercise classes. This all sounds fine,
if not a little naive.
Mistakes
The problem with exercise is simple - it is easy to do it
incorrectly. The only way to ensure
accurate practice is to have it corrected and
improved regularly (by a qualified instructor).
That won't happen when people are learning via Zoom or YouTube.
Tuition from an expert
Just this morning I was doing the Long Yang form and Sifu Waller spotted an
error in section 2. Not so much what I was doing but how I was doing it. A short
explanation and demonstration followed.
The correction unpacked a whole nested series of questions, insights, required
changes throughout my entire form and every martial drill I practice.
What amounted to an almost throwaway, casual correction - literally crumbs off
Sifu's plate - qualifies as an incredible new direction from my perspective. A
direction I could never have foreseen without his help.
I felt that this incident typifies my personal experience of Sifu Waller's
tuition.
An apt quote:
"A day with the master is
worth 10,000 on your own".
(Scott M Rodell)
Consequences
Making mistakes is inevitable when exercising. It is how we
learn. But what if you
don't realise that you're doing it wrong?
There's a risk of injury, joint damage,
headaches and muscular tension.
False sensory appreciation
In Alexander Technique there is an insight called 'false sensory
appreciation'. This is concerned with the fact that our bodies relay familiar,
habitual information to our brains.
But not necessarily accurate feedback. It is as accurate as we are able
to interpret the data being given.
How tuned is your nervous system?
The degree of accuracy provided by our nervous
system is determined by how skilled we are. The greater the skill, and
awareness, the more accurate the
information.
And the better the choices made on the basis of that information.
Regular tai chi classes
When a new student starts a regular tai chi class they are asked to stand
with their feet shoulder width apart, with the insides of the feet parallel.
Simple, right?
Some people do this just fine, but most people do not. Instead of both feet
being parallel, one foot is typically askew.
Does the student realise this? No.
Their nervous system tells them that their feet are parallel. When they actually
look down, the truth is quite obvious.
Tension
One major stumbling block with both tai chi and
qigong is physical tension. Although the
word 'relax' may be used a lot in everyday life,
not many people actually know what it feels like to be relaxed.
Training these arts with tension is incorrect, and potentially harmful. If you
are training at home, watching YouTube, how exactly
can you tell how relaxed you? By whose standards?
Your own?
Even in
our most basic actions, such as sitting, bending and standing, we have
developed habits which lead us into an inaccurate assessment of the effort
needed.
(Michael J Gelb)
Exertion
Tai chi and qigong exercises are never performed in an exertive,
stretched or forceful way. And it is not
possible to be relaxed and maintain central
equilibrium when the movements are being performed in the wrong fashion.
Once again, without correction and accurate feedback, how can you
determine whether or not you are
exerting?
Judging by what you see online, you may decide that you doing the
training properly, when in fact the practice is wildly
inaccurate.
Tai chi learning process
In a regular class, as a student works through the tai chi syllabus
they discover the difference between what they think or 'sense' is
happening with their body, and the actual
fact.
This is a carefully guided process of learning.
Working with a teacher and other students enables each individual to enhance
their level of awareness and glean more accurate information from what their
nervous system is telling them.
Physical contact
Despite what you may think, tai chi is not just
slow motion movement. To train the
complete art, there are
13 areas of study: qigong, fitness,
form(s), pushing hands, principles, brain work (meditation, awareness,
metacognition), neigong (whole-body strength), jing (whole-body power), self
defence, martial skill, chin na (seizing), shuai jiao (take downs) and
weapons.
A tai chi for health person won't learn
the martial material, but they will still benefit from
pushing hands and other partnered methods
taught in the curriculum.
How can partner work take place online? A silly question of course.
Social support
Students in a tai chi school are encouraged to interact with one another
in a healthy, friendly manner, free from the competitive norms found in
wider society.
There is a supportive atmosphere of trust and care.
The training hall is a safe place to be.
Interaction with the instructor is of particular importance, as this commonly
entails the passing-on of knowledge, bespoke physical corrections and the
exploration of deeper philosophical issues pertinent to the training.
Ideally, a tai chi school should be a good place to be: a pure place.
There is no meanness or petty behaviour, no malice or sarcasm.
Good humour, camaraderie, polite manners, consideration, respect and fun
result in a pleasant training environment.
Supplementary tuition
DVDs and online lessons etc are only 100% safe when they take place
in conjunction with real world, actual tuition with a qualified
teacher.
The supplementary material adds to what is being offered in class. It serves
as an aide-mémoire. It does not replace class
tuition.
And every week the student is being corrected by a person who is standing in
front of them.
Online tai chi tuition
In a nutshell, somebody who is a novice - in any endeavour - will
struggle to tell right from wrong. Not because they're stupid. But because
they don't know any better.
Zoom and YouTube exercisers are training without correction, and perhaps
have no plans of ever being corrected. They can't tell right from wrong.
When it's your body and your health on the line, this seems like a somewhat
risky gamble to be taking...
Worth reading
•
8 active ingredients
•
Age
•
Biomechanics
•
More than exercise
•
Over-taxing the body
•
Preventative healthcare
It is said, "Missing it by a little will lead many miles astray."
(Wang
Tsung-yueh)
Page created
18 April 2005
Last updated
16 June 2023
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