Choosing a tai chi style that suits you

There was a comment over at wuijimon's on how different tai chi style may suit different kinds of people. This may be caused by different character, different body structure, different goals etc. I'm bow-legged and so I can't exactly keep the knees directly on top of the toes. It'll will always be leaning inwards, but it feels right because the kua is relaxed (read Tai Ji is a pain in the knee) and the posture feels strong. The direction of the knee is still in the direction of the toes.

So different body structure may merit different styles, but probably more so on personalised ways of doing the same style. Tai Ji is an internal martial art after all, so although the expression can be different, the inner quality is the same - relax, relax, relax!

However, instead of looking for a style that suits me, I find myself enjoying each style depending on the inner state of mind! When feeling more energetic, Chen style. When feeling more graceful, Yang style. When feeling very calm, Sun style. It also works the other way, i.e. different style will make me FEEL differently. I hope this is not a case of multiple personality disorder! :D

I guess what I'm tying to say is not to be fixated on any styles. Certain style will suit you at certain point in your life. And certain styles are only available to you at certain point in life! This is certainly the case for me where I didn't exactly choose which style to start off tai chi with, but just joined a local class and learnt whatever the teacher was teaching at that time (which happened to be Wu style for my introduction into Tai Ji!).

Just keep an open mind. A particular Tai Chi style may choose you instead of you choosing a Tai Chi style!

The 4 stages of learning

I am reading The Winning Investment Habits of Warren Buffett & George Soros and one of the chapters deal with the 4 stages of learning - in this case, learning how to invest. The 4 stages are:

1. Unconscious incompetence


2. Conscious incompetence


3. Consicious competence


4. Unconscious competence

In other words, each of the above stage means that:

1. You don't know that you don't know


2. You know that you don't know


3. You know what you know and know what you don't know


4. You unconsciously know that you know

I'm surprised I found these gems in an investment book. In the context of Tai Ji, they fit quite well as well! I think i am in the 2nd stage, where I now realise I don't actually know that much. What I find interesting is that stage 1 can easily be mistaken as stage 3, where you think you know what you already know, and know what you don't know. I think a lot of people fall into this trap when doing tai ji, especially those who have been "at it" for a long time.

It's difficult to admit that all your training has not even scratched the surface of what is tai ji. But without realising that you are in stage 1, you can't actually move to stage 2, not to mention stage 3! Stage 1 is where confidence is highest, but skills is lowest - ignorance is bliss, until you find out that you don't actually know anything!

So, are you brave enough to admit that you're in stage 1?

Dreaming one day that i'll be in stage 4...

Telling others about tai ji

I always find it difficult to judge how much to talk about tai ji with non-tai ji folk or tai ji beginners. It's ok if someone comes up to you and ask a specific question, like what comes after this step. The more difficult ones i've encountered are... can tai chi kill? Even the mere mention that tai ji is a martial art is sufficient to deter most people from doing tai ji! So what do you do? Depending on who you meet, will you actively try to bring tai ji into the conversation? Or will you withhold unless someone raised it first?

Push hands offers a very helpful solution. Let's look at some of the common rules for push hands.

1. Only move when the opponent moves. And if the opponent doesn't move? You may choose to tempt the person into thinking that you're in a disadvantage position so that the opponent does move. This tests how much your opponent wants to move.
2. Only push as far as you can manage without losing your balance.
3. Only push as far as what the opponent can reasonably take. He or she is your training partner after all!
4. Always keep your core balanced.

Now, can we translate this to how we tell others about tai ji? Let's see...

1. Only tell when someone asks. If no one ask, you may choose to tempt the person into asking. This also tests how much that person wants to know.
2. Only talk about what you know, without losing your head!
3. Only talk as far as what the person wants to know. You're engaging in a conversation after all!
4. Always keep your core balanced, i.e. remember what's important to you in the conversation.

This works when you're telling others about something you feel passionate about as well. Common culprits are those who talk about politics and religion. They just don't know when to stop. Maybe we should introduce tai ji as part of political science or religious studies. So, another reason to learn tai ji, the different theories packaged into tai ji is useful in real life!