The Journey Within

I remember my first day at my very first kung fu class. I have to buy a kung fu top, a pair of kung fu pants, and a kung fu belt to hold up the pants. It’s all in 2 shades of blue. Dark blue for the belt and the collar, light blue for everything else. Luckily, i didn’t have to buy the shoes. We just wore the normal school shoes. I was 10.

Fast forward to today, I just slip on a T shirt, a track bottom, and a pair of flat soles for my Tai Chi class. For my own practice, I don’t even bother with the track bottom and the flat soles. I just go out with the shorts I happen to wear that day, and sometimes go bare-footed.

You might want to consider what to wear when doing Tai ji. But more importantly, you might want to consider what to BUY when doing Tai Ji.

You might want to buy the pair of Addidas shoes, you might want to buy the Nike track bottoms, you might want to get the bag for your sword, you might want to get the sword itself – custom made, no less. You might want to get the sun screen for when you are practising hard under the afternoon sun. You might want to get the mosquito repellent for when you practise at dawn or at dusk.

You might want to get a lot of things, but the main thing to get, is to get how badly you want to learn Tai Chi. You can always buy those things later. I think Charles says it best in his post here:

If you want to buy something, there will be someone willing to sell it to you.

It is as straightforward as that.

So don’t worry about not getting the best stuff, or buying the right stuff. If you want to buy stuff, stuff will find you. If you want to learn stuff, stuff will not help you learn. You have to learn it yourself. Buying is easy, learning is hard. Learn first, you can always buy later.

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Would you be seen wearing this around town? I like the concept. I’ve been trying out Nike Free shoes for running the chi running way. I haven’t tried this. It seems like the closest thing to bare feet by wearing shoes. There’s a long review here by Tim. I’m definitely tempted.

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I’m surprised i’m actually posting this as I have never been associated to having any fashion sense! in this rare occasion, my wife will totally back me up on this point. But since i’ve recently purchased two identical track bottoms, I think i shall venture down the road of humiliation by attempting to convince you what kind of gear do you require to get you started in tai ji.

First, if you’ve never done tai ji before, forget about getting any gear! Just dress depending on the environment and weather (if outdoors). For outdoor classes, dress as you would dress going out for a walk. The most important thing is to just go join a class, wearing anything you feel comfortable in. There are no special shoes required. You can go in a simple sports shoes, or if you haven’t got one, go in any shoes you have. If you find your shoes restrict you, just go bare-footed. You can go in your jeans if that’s comfortable to you. You can go in your shorts if you prefer.

The key is, do not invest in any gear until you actually find yourself liking tai ji!

It sounds kind’a strange me not promoting tai ji, but I believe there’s something equivalent to tai ji for everyone. Tai ji works for me, for now. It complements what I want to achieve in life at this period of my life. There are plenty of examples what “does it” for other people, like jogging or swimming in the morning, poetry, bible etc. It’s the counterweight for all the “hard” things that we do everyday.

So, you have decided you like tai ji. What next? The most important will be shoes… flexible, flat sole shoes are the best. Canvas type shoes are normally good value for money, but might be cold during winter times (if you practice outdoors!). If you can afford soft leather shoes, go for it. But remember, you’ll need to really balance it with the amount of practice you’re doing. No point buying a pair of expensive shoes when all you do with it is to slip it on only when you’re going to class!

And why did I buy track bottoms? After coming back to Malaysia, the weather here does not permit me to wear my fleece track bottoms, the ones i use to wear in Scotland! So i’ve opted for shorts. They are good in this climate, but is restrictive in terms of movements. The shorts i’m wearing are not very short shorts (those you see marathon runners wear), but just common beach wear type shorts. They restrict movements when I’m trying to do a slightly wider stance, or going from a wider stance to a smaller stance. So every time i move through the form, i add extra movements into the form like pulling up my shorts…. Also, there are plenty of mosquitoes here in the mornings and evenings. I could have some of the star constellations mapped out on my legs! I wonder why i didn’t buy the track bottoms earlier…

So when choosing a track bottom, make sure the thickness and material is suited for your climate. Also, try it on to see if it’s truly stretchable. Check that you can actually stretch your legs without adjusting the trackies.

Now, towards the luxurious end, you can get yourself the full works of silk material. They are expensive. And the quality varies as well. If you’re not a silk person, you won’t know how to differentiate good silk from bad. So, buy from someone you can trust, and get advice from them.

The incentive to get really good attire is that you might perform better and practise harder. I’ve seen people who got them and actually put in that much more effort to make the silk costume look good! or i should say to make them look better in the silk costume, but it’s difficult to tell who they’re working for, the costume or themselves.

There’s nothing wrong with that and if that works as a motivational factor for you, please do so! From experience in other sports, I know they are just temporary and won’t last long. The novelty of fashionable stuff wears off pretty quickly. I haven’t and still don’t own a silk costume. Of course, economics may play an important role. Getting fashionable stuff is expensive hobby! That’s why it’s a very lucrative business in itself.

So just focus on tai ji. The improvements you make while practising tai ji is more rewarding qualitatively. You can always decide later to get the top-notch stuff when you feel you’ve finally mastered something. I find that the more I know, the more I find myself in the “I don’t know” camp. So i’m still putting off buying a silk costume.

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