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| Suitability | ||
classes qigong tai chi kung fu about us reviews a-z
Is tai chi appropriate for me?
We receive a lot of e-mails from people who ask if tai chi is
suitable for them. This is a rather tricky question...
We have never met the inquirer. We know nothing about them. We don't know what
their tastes, expectations, requirements, personality is like...
We don't really know what they are
looking for or what kind of exercise they are even capable of doing.
Aah... stubborn. Thinking that
the body is still functioning like a 40 year old.
(Henry Kajana, aged 68)
Standing, stepping and walking
When people say 'tai chi', they usually think of
form. Form involves walking around the hall whilst performing a series of
smooth, flowing, dynamic movements.
It involves quite a lot of stepping, mobility, balancing,
motor skills and coordination (we teach
this).
One of the main areas of concern in tai chi is balance
- and in order to work on this, you need to be standing up, walking and mobile.
Physical contact
Pushing hands (and other forms of
partner work) requires you to touch other students.
If you are not comfortable with physical contact, we recommend that you consider
an alternative form of exercise.
Is tai chi
appropriate for my medical condition?
If you have any medical questions, your
doctor is the person to speak to.
A tai chi teacher is not qualified (or permitted) to give advice on your unique
medical condition.
Go see your doctor.
How healthy do I need to be?
You don't need to be fit to start tai chi classes. But you do need to be able to
stand up, walk and step without the aid of a stick.
The qigong
& tai chi classes are designed to cultivate a greater degree of
fitness: stamina, balance, endurance,
flexibility, mobility and coordination.
In some respects the exercises will be just as challenging as
yoga, but not exertive.
An exercise class
Please bear in mind that you will be on your feet and moving around for
approximately 90 minutes.
Tai chi is a workout.
The training is
gentle, but if you're unfit, you may find it tiring at
first.
What do we teach?
Rachel specialises in teaching
qigong and tai chi.
Tai chi involves simple movements, mild stretches and cooperative
partner work.
The onus is upon relaxation, balance, good poise and coordination.
Students learn how to move their body in a healthy, comfortable way without the
risk of injury.
Sifu Waller teaches martial arts classes that
explore:
taijiquan,
biomechanics,
neigong, jing,
chin na, shuai jiao and
self defence.
He specialises in teaching the old/classical Yang
style taijiquan.
This is a very old style of
kung fu (Chinese boxing). Authenticity is our primary goal; we teach a
pragmatic, functional martial art.
It’s crazy. I never thought I’d be
getting more powerful as I got older!
I used to be able to hit pretty hard in karate but it was 100% effort. More
than a handful of full power hits and I was getting fatigued. With Tai chi
I’m hitting as hard, probably harder but no effort…I could carry on striking
all day! It’s nuts! Also, with karate there was wind up or at least fist at
waist or head so had space to travel before contact. Now I can almost hit as
hard from touching the target!
The fact Sifu Waller has been able to transform my power generation as I age
into my 40’s is all the proof I will ever need of both the art and Sifu as
the real thing. I almost feel sorry for those that continue with slow old
people taichi or wushu style. They are missing the essence!
(Chris Young)
What don't we teach?
Even though our syllabus is comprehensive, we
cannot conceivably teach everything e.g. we don't teach other martial arts.
Occasionally, people ask Newcastle Tai Chi to tailor the syllabus to suit their
own area of interest/needs, such as tai chi for the
elderly, tai chi
in a chair, tai chi for children,
tai chi for people with mental health issues or tai chi as performance art.
We cannot teach
kung fu to children or the
new starters
above the age of
60.
These are not areas that we specialise in.
We are not trained or qualified to teach these approaches, nor is our syllabus or insurance
geared with these in mind.
Research could save you time & money
A would-be student should take the time to learn a little more about what the
class is offering
before attending any sessions. Do a little research. See
what is on offer and if suits your requirements.
In the case of Newcastle Tai Chi, why not read this website a little? The time
spent could be worthwhile.
Do you have any questions?
If you cannot find the answer on the website, just e-mail
your questions and we will endeavour to answer.
Further reading
•
Authenticity
•
Differentiation
•
Yang style
•
Preventative healthcare
•
Finding a tai chi class
suitability induction course joining membership pricES Faqs
Page created
18 April 2005
Last updated
9
December 2012
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