If you’re following the series.. thanks.
Her name is Shenghong, my Tai Chi teacher.
Why is it that the people most often renowned for teaching self defense have to profess what rank they have in whatever martial art, or have fought many matches, or have belts in many various arts? It's not the quantity of belt ranks nor the number of arts studied that makes one proficient at self defense.
Eventually we are all asked that inevitable question, though aren't we? “What style do or did you study?” Maybe just stating your rank and styles studied up front to get it off the table is a good idea. Unless it's just to impress everyone, then its not a good idea…. Or impressive.
What if you had the chance to learn Tai Chi for someone who learned it in China!? I was already teaching classes in my dojo (that we built with our own hands) when I signed up to learn Tai Chi. It is a soft art…. as if anyone except a martial arts nerd and traditionalist would understand. Karate would be a hard style.
I had heard of her, the Tai Chi instructor. I knew her as Connie, but her name is Shenghong. Tai Chi Chuan was odd to learn, so different then learning the way I had known. But it’s not just the style that was such a different curve. Being taught by a female in a class that wasn’t combative and militaristically patriarchal was also a part of the different. I enjoyed it as it was meditative. Shenghong would be considered my first female martial arts teacher.
I took the class several times. She wanted me to teach it at my dojo, but I wasn’t comfortable teaching it unless I really, really knew it. It was a popular class there at the local community college. There were several people in attendance each semester I took it.
One time Shenghong and Kelly, my BFF/Maid of Honor, wanted me to take them hiking. They had never gone before and knew I had, so they wanted me to show them the ropes. That was a very memorable trip. At one point I was working on the fire, doing everything from gathering the rocks to kindling and firewood for our small trail-side fire. It was dusk and getting darker and we had to set up a tent. They both had a borrowed tent that neither had ever set up. So as I was working on the fire task, I was also explaining the details of setting up my tent. It was simple and I had done it enough times that I could easily direct someone else how to do it. What an adventure that weekend was. One of the most precious memories I have to reminisce upon. Lots of laughter, fun and talking. We all survived, but we never got the chance to do it again.
I had learned skills of hiking from my core instructor. I didn’t really think much of it, but the skill have come in handy many, many times, In lots of different ways.
I have been very blessed and so very fortunate of the various skill sets I have gained over the years. They all have served me well. Including Tai Chi.
I was watching video of my last seminar. While teaching the physical skills portion, I was explaining something and my movements mimicked Tai Chi. At least that is what I saw when I watched the video. I had to chuckle. I guess we really do become what we repeatedly do.
So, yeah, I’m happy to say that Tai Chi Chuan, in various forms , are a part of my martial arts training repertoire.
No comments:
Post a Comment