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About practising Written by Knud Erik Andersen |
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Everyone knows this: You love doing Tai Chi, but you don't feel you're practising enough. Tung Ying-Chieh wrote in his book on Tai Chi that "you should feel something new every day in Tai Chi. If you don't, you have wasted your time and you should stop practising here and now." In the old days it was very few, who was practising Tai Chi and those who did, did it very seriously, because the had the time to do so. The live in the country wasn't so hectic then as it seem to be today, even though we have electrical household devices and cars so we can get faster around. Everyone things we are stressed. So how do we get time to practise Tai Chi? In an article about Master Kai-Ying Tung in the Black Belt Magazine he says, that "if you only can practise once or twice a week, some progress will be made, but not anything dramatic. You have to practise hard to gain something". Anyone who feel attracted to Tai Chi, but very seldom practise it, will not feel that Tai Chi is very fun, because they will never get any benefits. Anyone who practise Tai Chi on a regularly basis once a week, but never practise outside the class, will gain very little from Tai Chi, but when you have been in the class for a while everyone else in the class will become better, and the level will rise and you will have difficulty in reaching the form which is necessary to learn new demanding things. Anyone who practise Tai Chi on a regularly basis and practise on their own, but often have long breaks during vacations etc. will in a stabile period of practise reach a high level, where you learn fun stuff and you will get satisfied of being in a good shape. After some time without Tai Chi it can be extra tuff to get started again, because you are out of shape. It can be frustrating to have forgotten things, you have spend a lot of energy to learn, and the most perceptible you gain, is that the legs burns like fire. |
Anyone who practise Tai Chi on a regularly basis, but always without a teacher. You have previously learned Tai Chi and reached a certain level, but for several reasons you are not able to go to a teacher. It is clear, you gain something great by practising Tai Chi even though there are something you're doing wrong. But Tai Chi is almost like a witchkey; you have to be told how to go on. It's important to learn new things and to get corrected the old things , so you can keep on finding a new feeling every time. Anyone who practise regularly with a good teacher and by themselves, but really never do any progress. Master Tung said in the first class he held in Denmark that "you have to be 100 % concentrated, when doing Tai Chi and be thinking about work or problems otherwise you can practise Tai Chi for ten years without getting any good". "There are Marlboro and there are Marlboro Light, but there are not Tai Chi light." Anyone practising regularly, have a good teacher and develops, will gain great things in Tai Chi. You gain a stronger and healthier body and a calm mind. You can cope with your job without being worn out and you will have it much easier surrounded by other. By making a great effort in Tai Chi, you will gain much more. Anyone who have an extraordinary good teacher and who practise intensively through many years. To be able to practise intensively, you have to have a steady life with lot of time and energy. The benefit is that you can develop Tai Chi any further, so it can be used as self-defense very effectively and very elegantly. To do so you have to be able to control your body, emotions and mind. ©1999 Knud Erik Andersen
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