Appledog wrote:Tai Chi and Qigong, as well as all Chinese martial arts, begin training by copying and repeating techniques. Over time, these techniques become internalized and yield what is known as “gong” — the same word as “gong fu” (kung fu). This kung fu is the ability to express the principles of the art physically with your body.
The biggest mistake beginners make is to focus on the art intellectually and to try and understand or rationalize the principles of the art before being able to express them. It is good to understand what the principles are as a roadmap but no amount of “understanding” makes up for “perception”. It can also cause problems if there is a mistake in understanding because the student will miss or resist the correct training results later.
This teaching is easy to understand and easy to follow. The teacher says, “If you want what I have, then do what I do.” You must copy the teacher’s techniques diligently, precisely and accurately, trust the teacher and be patient to achieve results. This is difficult to understand in the beginning because it can take years to achieve results. So you must find a teacher who is both knowledgeable and virtuous in his conduct and you must follow him for as long as you can.
What do YOU think? What is more important? To understand the principles, or to perform the techniques? Are they really two separate things?
I had a different answer prepared, but then I really read the OP and questions.
As the OP suggests developing skill, ability to use the art in any situation, is likely the primary goal.
Then, yes, doing what your teacher does is of first importance to duplicate his or her skill set. And, beginners often spend too much time trying to “understand” what they are doing. I think this is a modern phenomenon. Seeking understanding is frequently not the best path in learning a physical skill. The cognitive brain often interferes with and corrupts motor function.
Of equal importance is doing what your teacher says. Although we often “interpret" what we think he is saying, or take it too literally, both of these can cause development problems.
With the advantage of video recordings, I am also an advocate of slo-mo, frame-by-frame, and repeat to educate our neural pathways to learn how to do what our teachers are actually doing. This can be useful to clarify understanding that may otherwise take a very long time to gain.
However, in today’s long-distance instruction and limited time together, understanding a guiding principle can assist you in your practice and development in the interim.
So, my answer to the OP’s queries are situational. If you have regular, frequent contact with your teacher, principles pale in comparison to just following them and their instruction. If your contact is infrequent, having guiding principles can be of great assistance to training, so they have greater importance.