white dragon

thanks for the advice. as i said before i am new yo this and talking to more experienced practiotioners is of great help.

this is what i thought it should be like! but if you are taught traditionaly , it seems that it is a different world. i have the utmost respect for any teacher, but do not want to feel like a disciple or child of family. its a funny situation to be in.

as with all things great, this change is a hard decision, maybe this change will prove my dedication to my school, or maybe eastern tradition is not for me. i beleive the outcome will be a valued lesson on this path of MA.

i beleive i am more dedicated to my teacher than he is to me. i do not want to teach as i am a new student on this path. i only help students with little things that could have been corrected by the teacher. things that i think were important when i began my training. i understand that this way of teaching is different to western ways, but i feel like i am being asked to change so that i "fit" with the schools criteria. like all MA i just want to be good at what i do, content and free. at the moment i feel like i am being dictated to, and the last thing i want is to show disrespect.

i think i will have give myself a kick up the bum on this one! i shall talk to me teacher, but i still fell that i need to spread my wings. you coversation has been appriciated. cheers.

i teach the chi-kung at the start, but doing this has affected my own training because i have to be concious of everyone elses needs, rather than concentrating my breath. we have 3 styles of tai chi being trained in the same room, i am asked to run through with new students when asked! dont get me wrong, i like to teach them because i spend alot of time training and reserching previous teachers techniques, but sometimes it feels like i should be attending my own self. i agree with your thought's, i always say to myself ...expect nothing..except everything... but there is a fine line with this thought! when the school was really quite the teacher wouldn't teach us anything! he would just sit there miserable, i understand the financial strains, but some students left because of this. it seems to be expected of me now, to styart the class and help. sometimes ther is just an air, that you are previlaged to be taught something.

yes, i will probably take that approach. at worst he can only say no! its just i am unsure of the envoironment i am training in. i used to train fro 3 hours a week at classes, and 4 hours on my own, i am very dedicated (sometimes to much) but there has been occasions when i have been refused to be shown the next moves, being told " i gave you some last week"! also i feel that i am teaching other students more than i am being taught. maybe i need to make it less of a priority. i am down to 1 hour a week training, through lack of motivation. any wise words?

i will be attending some other classes to see for myself, but i wont tell my school! i would probably get a disappointing look, frown and then......well i dont know that. i suppose i just feel uncomfortable with this kind of treatment, but not having been serious about MA before, i dont no what is expected!!

this has been the same reply i had from a good friend. some say to become proficiant you must only train in one style! and master that! since begining serious training (15 months ago) i have developed a great love for martial arts and i am here for the duration, i want to try various styles, and then maybe one style will "find me" and i will excell in this. the school i train in seems to have a "you are in, or out !" attitude which is putting a strain on my decision's.

i seem to have come to a crossroads in my study!! as you will see from my recent post i train in traditional taiji. my school frowns upon training elsewhere and other trainers must be associated directly with CHINA/TAIWAN/JAPAN or i will be dissmissed!! i beleive that my teacher is genuine, and training in this traditional way means that i must be aware of every move i make. not drinking and being loud!! or any thing that would have a slight effect on the school. i could spend the next 5 years training, with a possibility of not being accepted in the final stages, and if you know taiji, its these stages that count!! i have thought about moving to aikido, as the principle is the same, but more immediate for self defence. i find stlyes like wing chun, and shaolin to aggressive for my personality. xingyiquan looks pretty interesting. i have always beleived that it is up to yourself how good you can become, and a good teacher will embrace this. i suppose what i am asking is at what price do we pay for the correct training! all i want is to be mindful ,calm, be able to protect those close to me, and maybe pass something down to my own children. any thought on this dilema are appriciated.

thanks everyone.

i have been studying traditional taijiquan for 15 months now. i am well aware that this style i have chose is a long one (10-20 years) for a beginner deciding wether to train in taijiquan i would say this. traditional taiji is a martial art! with health benifits. as this style uses both sides of your brain ( this is why some can , or cannot play the piano ) and you body at the same time. practicing this way releives the stress on the cortex, hence why there is a mental benifit. the slow movement involved, conditions all the muscle strands and joint areas in a pleasing way, hence the tone and suppleness of the practitioner. the breathing that is taught helps to bring a calm mind, lowering blood pressure, and with a calm mind somebody attacking will seem slower. than if your mind were cluttered. the best way i can describe taiji to a beginner is... if i told you to draw pictures of lines and dots, and make sounds with these pictures, for 5-10 years without telling you why. then after this time i told you that you had been learning to write and speak a foriegn launguge. what would this mean to you. you would have no struggle communicating with the words, or writing a letter, it would be a part of you as a whole.your subconcious becoming concious. this "old" way of teaching ,at times leaves me frustrated, but i keep my patience and watch others, if you are looking for taiji traditional teaching, then it will be taught as a martial art first!! and the health is a bonus. ALL THE MOVES IN CROUCHING TIGER ARE TAIJI (for reference) MASTER THIS STYLE AND YOU WILL HAVE NO MASTER!!

I study traditonal taijiquan. i have been a student for 15 months.