training
Training to your own specifications
When i first realised the shape of my legs (see bow-legged article in “Choosing a tai chi style that suits you“), i had to change my perception of what’s correct. Recently, i found another body structure difference.
My teacher noted that when my palm presses forward, one of my elbows are higher than the other. He [...]
Time-saving training
I’m reading a book called Time-Saving Training for Multisport Athletes - How to fit Workouts into Work Days, by Rick Niles. I definitely qualify as someone who do multisports, but I won’t say I’m an athlete. There’s one tip in the book though, which can be quite useful. It’s called intensity training.
It’s not how [...]
Unusual training
To really make tai ji part of life, you’ll have to infuse not just the teachings of Tai Ji, but also the training of Tai Ji, into your daily life. I’ve heard of farmers in Chen Village weeding out their plantation in a low stance, only to change to the right leg if it’s too [...]
Form without substance
I’ve been doing the Sun style form since my first lesson with my current teacher. After learning the whole form, it’s been doing it over and over again. The one consistent message which keeps coming through is this - my form lacks substance.
I’ve been trying to figure out what this “substance” is. I think it’s [...]
Why train tai ji in the morning
Practising tai ji is hard. But that’s not an excuse to not practise. However, the “hard” part seems to nag louder than the “I want to practise” part. So I’ve rephrased the question to “how can I create the time to practise”. I have tried night time, I have tried day time. I have tried [...]
GTD and me
It has been more than 4 months since I’ve last heard about Getting Things Done (GTD), a book that has changed the way I plan and organise my life. There’s some influence in how I should go about using the knowledge I have collected so far. There’s even some hint of the book in an [...]
Taiji figure 8 training
The figure 8 training method is to draw a figure 8 on a horizontal plane while you’re in a horse stance, using your body as the pencil, and the butt as the pencil tip (or more precisely, the bottom of the vertical axis running through your body as the pencil tip). Please let me know [...]
Top 10 excuses for not training
There’s a challenge over at Cook Ding’s to dedicate just over a month to train/learn something you’ve been wanting to. The challenge read as follows:
… from Ash Wednesday (tomorrow) until Easter (April 8), train every day, without fail, no excuses. It’s not as easy as it sounds. Some days, you might only be able to [...]
In the mood for learning
Learning tai ji is hard work. I guess that’s true with learning anything! The more common excuse for procastination (to learn) is that “I’m not in the mood”. Taking tai ji as an example, it’s highly dependent on the internal state of mind on what you actually learn in a training session.
When i’m not in [...]
Lesson update - relax kua technique
It’s been a while since i’ve last written about my private tai chi lesson. I’ve finished the Sun style form some weeks ago, and now i suppose it’s fine tuning. The usual suspects are still there - relax, relax, relax! Such a simple word and yet the permutations of body parts that can be relaxed [...]
