The Tai Chi websites and the kind of people they attract

[Chris McKinley]

Discuss.

[Daniel]

Yes, I think this is an important topic to be aware of. If we can´t divide it up in further segments and discuss them, it´s difficult to understand just how utterly pointless it truly is.

I think that a good Tai Chee Website should have (at the very least) the following ingredients. Other factors would intervene, but I would humbly present a general list to start off with.

1) Chinese characters on the first page
2) Picture of people in pajama on the first page
3) Picture of the teacher or master teaching or giving smiling corrections to students in pajama on the first page.

Other things to be expected are:

4) positive statements from students, maybe even endorsments from other teachers and masters
5) a video-section of people teaching, but the master only stepping in rarely to give a single, smiling correction whereupon everybody lights up like little karmic lights and bells just went off in their heads
6) pictures of other chinese items - masks, taoist temples, bells, walls, cigarette packages, smog - no, hang on, those last two are from actual China, we don´t want to flag that in the middle of the dream.

7) Class schedules, listing several qigongs as well as the Taiji-classes. For extra points, Taiji Fan, or Taiji sword done with composite or wooden swords in a gentle way that has nothing to do with martial arts.
8) Q&A. Helping to figure out such questions as what to wear to practice (in my own class, combat boots or whatever, and any kind of clothing, if we´re practicing outdoors, remember gloves and scarves in the winter), if you can take prescribed drugs or hallucinogenics before class etc (yes, it will help). Is Taiji a martial art? No, not at all, but it was once upon a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. It has now outgrown this. Push hands? Done in a non-competative, non-challenging way. Here we gently dissolve our egos, not bruise them. Quoting the Witches Tao Te Ching: "Heavy Rains don´t last long under a Lunar Eclipse".
9) Lineage chart or pictures of teacher with teachers/masters. NB: THERE MUST NOT BE LISTED AMOUNT OF TIME SPENT WITH ANY OF THE TEACHERS, ESPECIALLY IF THE LIST IS LONG. It´s the little details that are important. The teacher/master has, however "been to China".

Optionals: Colour scheme should ideally be something new agey. Simple and stark colours don´t belong here; for full and optimal effect, please include light pastels. Reiki treatments often bring more students, so keep those in mind. Or the teacher can do all the Reiki training and then do treatments him- or herself, most people can spare one weekend of their busy schedule to learn this.

Well, that´s a first introduction. Maybe other people can add things I have missed, I am very humble in presenting this list, but it seems like the above formula is working very well out there.

Re Mr McKinley´s original question - what kind of people would a website like this attract? Everybody.


D.

Sarcasm. Oh yeah, like that´ll work.

[Chris McKinley]

The marketing fu is strong in this one.

[mixjourneyman]

good summary, D, but you forgot one thing: misty rain body touching practices. The site has to have a section devoted to doing tai chee in the nude, preferably with a partner.

[Chris McKinley]

What I find amusing is the surprisingly reliable pattern where posters who are least likely to train in a combat-realistic manner are also the most likely to reference other people's statements rather than posting their own original thoughts.

[shawnsegler]

I think I read this over at the "Menstrual Moon Womyns bookstore and Vegan-Lesbian Anarchists Collective." (It's where I pick up my latest copy of tai chi magazine )

Quoting the Witches Tao Te Ching: "Heavy Rains don´t last long under a Lunar Eclipse".

[mixjourneyman]

What I find amusing is the surprisingly reliable pattern where posters who are least likely to train in a combat-realistic manner are also the most likely to reference other people's statements rather than posting their own original thoughts.

You'd be surprised how often I'm punched in the face

mix- takes the rough with the smooth.

[shawnsegler]

I believe that you take the rough with the smooth.

[mixjourneyman]

festering filthy minded little trollop!

[karlson]

Here's the lot:

[meeks]

or was it 'taking the rough with the gentle' ?

[RobP2]

What I find amusing is the surprisingly reliable pattern where posters who are least likely to train in a combat-realistic manner are also the most likely to reference other people's statements rather than posting their own original thoughts.

You know that's so true, it's like my Master used to say if you have to use it then you don't know it, but if you never use then you might know but could use it if you had to - but you wouldn't have to cos you, like, know it and I remember when he said that we were all like "OMG, Sifu is so wise" it's kind of sad cos he was hit by a truck the next day but you know I guess that was his tao.....

[Daniel]

I think I read this over at the "Menstrual Moon Womyns bookstore and Vegan-Lesbian Anarchists Collective." (It's where I pick up my latest copy of tai chi magazine )

Quoting the Witches Tao Te Ching: "Heavy Rains don´t last long under a Lunar Eclipse".

Brilliant, Shawn, so we can talk about this openly now? Good for you. About time.

And thank you kindly for the words, Master McKinley: it has taken much study, much hours, eating bitter, very hard, long time, to get marketing fu this strong, this solid. My Santi has got it´s own AD.

Mix - are you telling us that Master Yang´s school doesn´t include misty body practices? What kind of a dump are you training at anyway?


D.

Sarcasm. Oh yeah, like that´ll work.

[everything]

Bwahaha ROFL thanks for the laughs

[mixjourneyman]

Daniel: naw, we are just low level. We haven't gotten past the whole punch him in the spare rib and throw him on the floor thing. I guess we will never be ultra enlightened Boddhi Dharmas of the western kingdoms....