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Quality
Our school uses grading as a means of charting progress and teaching the
curriculum.
We do not encourage a McDojo belt-collecting attitude... Gaining a black belt is
not the completion of your training.
The danger with grading is that a student may pass a grade but not maintain the
standard required of that grade.
Maintain the standard
If you are wearing a black T-shirt, but your material is poor, then
you should really work on improving the standard.
Our syllabus involves building layer-upon-layer of skill. Without a solid
foundation, you will make poor progress.
It is necessary to gain a reasonable degree of competence at each stage before
moving on. If something is lacking, you will falter.
A student should be competent at every drill and exercise studied prior to
that grade.
If they are not, then the student is not really a tai chi student. Take the time to
sort the problem out.
You are only as good as you are
Keep in mind that a T-shirt is just a piece of fabric. It symbolises a degree of
skill.
However, if you do not possess the skills associated with that grade, what
does it symbolise?
The grade is merely a learning aid. In reality, you are only as good as you are.
If your skills are beginner but you are wearing a black T-shirt, then you need
to spend as long as it takes to rectify the deficiency.
We are all different
Do not let ego prevent you from training what you need to train. You must
proceed at your own pace, relative to your own abilities and degree of
commitment and practice.
Who cares what other students are learning? Avoid getting caught-up in competition. Focus on your own training. Only your
progress matters. Be honest with yourself.
Work on the level of material you need to work on. This will lead to both
competence and confidence.
Not getting anywhere?
Where is it you are hoping to get? What steps are you taking to accomplish
this ambition? Be honest concerning your commitment. You determine your level of progress.
How long will it take?
That entirely depends upon you. Everyone is different. There are so many
variables. How easily do you pick-up new material? How much time do you set aside for
home practice?
Are you a failure?
Failing to make the degree of progress you might have anticipated makes you
unrealistic in your ambitions.
It does not make you a failure. People who talk large, do little, and then
quit... are failures. They fail themselves.
Recognising that you are struggling requires courage and honesty. It also
demands patience. And hope.
Small steps lead to progress
The ability to perform 2 things well is better than being able to perform 18
things badly.
Nobody is hopeless. Nobody is useless. Have patience with yourself. Have faith.
Regular, mindful, focussed practice will lead to progress. And if the pace is
slow, so what?
Humility
Many years ago, Sifu Waller once reached a stage where he was dissatisfied with
his level of skill and attended tai chi teacher Peter Southwood's class as a new
starter once more.
He re-learned every exercise, drill and form posture from scratch again in order
to improve the overall level of his skill.
It is not easy to take a step back. It requires an admission that you have gone
astray.
Are you faltering?
Ask yourself the following:
Have you missed a lot of classes?
What was your last assessment like?
When was the last time you moved up a grade?
Do you dread the next grading?
Are you training at home?
Is the quality of your tai chi not as good as it should be for your current grade?
How good are you at the fundamentals?
Is your training sloppy?
Are you having problems at home or at work?
There is no shame in
being honest with yourself. It is easy to remove any pressure you may
currently feel.
Honesty
If the teacher speaks to you about the diminished quality of your practice,
it is important to be honest.
Self-deception is pointless. Your instructor would not be talking to you if
you were not experiencing problems... Pretending that things are ok (when
they are not ok) is foolish.
Fixing the problem
Begin by stopping what you are doing or thinking. Then, look at your
training dispassionately; without ego, pride, vanity or defensiveness.
Recognise the need to address the problem.
If a student is failing, then working on material from earlier grades is a
sensible option.
Usually, training at a lower grade serves to remove any pressure from the
student and provides an opportunity to work on the appropriate material.
The student may resist the remedy; but this is not constructive.
Do not mistake the menu for the food
It is important for each student to recognise that you are only as good as
the skills you can manifest.
If you wear a black T-shirt but have the skills of a beginner, then you are
only a beginner.
The T-shirt itself is a piece of fabric. Your skills (or lack of) speak for
themselves.
We are not going ask you to give-up your T-shirt, but we will expect you to
remedy the situation.
No pressure
Training the material you should be training will give you a sense of ease.
Instead of feeling pressured and out of your depth, you will feel relaxed
and comfortable.
You will be free to work at your own pace. To do things in your own time.
If you are seeking gratification,
you will naturally find what you desire, but do not let us call it truth.
(Krishnamurti)
Page created
18 April 1995
Last updated
16 June 2023
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