Re: Tai Chi Basic Exercise: Hold the Ball
Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2024 9:36 am
Appledog wrote:Is that always true?
In my opinion, yes.
I want to teach my children patience and humility and therefore I am following Maarten's example of training them to be teachers, and not fighters. I think the world needs more teachers.
I think it is good to teach people patience and humility. Whether or not the practice of Taijiquan is particularly well-suited to doing that is an open question.
I don't think the world needs more fighters. However, I also don't think the world needs more people teaching material they don't know and don't have skills in.
please keep in mind that this exercise is a "white belt" exercise being performed by a 12-year-old girl. Even if I were to pick some other exercise, it would not really matter and it would be performed in an equally poor manner.
I think that age is somewhat less relevant to number of years training. I've seen demos by 6-year-olds that were very impressive.
That she would perform any exercise equally poorly is a bit of a sad statement.
As you know, each exercise has certain requirements.
That's true. A good teacher prioritizes what requirements are most relevant and when to teach/correct others.
I've known a variety of teachers who have little skill but lots of requirements. In many cases, I've discovered the endless "requirements" they teach are irrelevant to progress. In many cases, the "requirements" are academic minutiae that the teacher has made-up that are irrelevant but make students feel like they are learning depth.
There is also a huge point to be made about getting up every day and doing dongyidong for 2 hours.
Certainly, it is good to learn and abide by discipline. If one spends eight hours a day doing stuff that is largely irrelevant to making progress in one's chosen endeavour, then it is largely eight hours that isn't well spent. What matters as much or more as how long.
I hope you will agree with me the least benefit is that this is actually a position in the 24 form so it is better than just randomly walking around. Even if that benefit is rather natty.
The art is not its choreography (e.g., form). The 24 form can be mindless repetition of choreography or its practice can be imbued with real depth. It is up to the teacher and practitioner to find and implement that depth. How many years should one have practiced before starting to find depth and impose meaningful requirements?