Student Stories – Ivan
Number of years practising tai chi: 6 years with a break of 6 years and recently returned to practising.
Age: 21
Since I was young, I always had an interest in martial arts – perhaps it came from wanting to learn more about my culture; but growing up on Chinese TV shows with fast choreographed hand-to-hand combat and characters who could literally walk on the air made me view martial arts as some sort of incredible practice. Now, even though I’ve come to the absolutely crippling realisation that I cannot learn to walk on air, I still love practicing and learning Tai Chi for different, but more substantial and pragmatic reasons.
I started training under Master Yazi Liu when I was around 9, and after learning the taolu (form/equivalent of a kata in karate), went on to compete in 4 annual competitions. The training during this time had a very technical approach – each move was precise to the fingertips. But due to training over a few years, most of the choreography and movements were ingrained into my body. I wasn’t the greatest at Tai Chi, but over the course of my training, I attained valuable things that reach far beyond the martial realm: I learnt to be disciplined: Not just in terms of practice and repetition, but to really work on something until it’s perfected. Another aspect was the incredibly diverse and welcoming community that it fosters. I’ve been lucky enough to meet some of the most caring and amazing people in this class. Perhaps it’s from training together in a physical setting, and all of us going through the same rewarding process to learn Tai Chi, but it brings people together from all around the world to share their experiences over a cup of tea.
Different people will quit for different reasons. Sometimes you just slowly stop doing it, sometimes it’s not seeing enough progress quick enough, or sometimes an event will come up that gets in the way. For me, it was exams. It put a halt in all the training I did, and despite still occasionally practicing at home, those sessions by myself would eventually slowly dwindle out until I stopped entirely. Life continued, and gradually, over the course of about 6 years, I practically forgot about Tai Chi entirely. But I kept in touch with the people I’d met, and every so often I would meet up for a chat or coffee. I guess it was this that really drew me back in the end – that I was not only able to keep healthy and learn self-defence, but also once again be part of this Tai Chi community.
When I first came back, I’d expected to have completely forgotten every move, but was pleasantly surprised to realise I could still remember the general motion of most of the taolu. There were countless mistakes of course, and I had at least one mistake in every set of movements, but it just felt great to be there again. There’s a visceral sensation, and a clarity of thinking when you’re going through every relaxed motion and trying to use your whole body to move. It was exciting to go through it all, to see where I could improve, and to see what new things I could discover. For the most part, it was probably just muscle memory that was carrying me through the taolu the first few times when I came back. But after getting retaught certain parts, and watching the older students, it became easier to get back into the flow and correct my mistakes. It’s expected that there would be so many missteps after taking such a long break, but because I’d learnt it all before, it was almost natural to relearn and adjust, like adding rust remover to an old machine.
One big difference I can see now compared to before my break is the change in teaching style. 6 years ago, it was much more martial with a focus on the combative aspects of Tai Chi. Push hands and sparring was much more prevalent. Whilst presently the combat aspect is still highlighted, it’s done so in a much less stringent manner. The classes are much more accessible to beginners, Yazi seems much more empathetic, and perhaps the best part – there’s much more tea drinking. The health benefits of Tai Chi have always been prevalent, though it’s always felt like more of a general fitness thing rather than a huge focus.
The class has always been diverse, with people of different ages and from different places. There are differences in how passionate they are about Tai Chi, and disparities in which part of Tai Chi they’re interested in (e.g. health or martial), but now more than ever I feel that these differences are catered for and celebrated, and the art of Tai Chi made all the more approachable. Over the years, Yazi’s teaching style has evolved: not only does he understand Tai Chi more, but he also comprehends the difficulties of teaching it all the more. Not to mention the wise older students who are not only an immense help with getting back on track and re-grasping the principles, but also in teaching newer students. The people there are so welcoming and comfortable in such a way that I didn’t have to be afraid to make mistakes.
Coming back, I have to say I enjoy it even more now. Unfortunately, whilst I still haven’t learnt how to walk on air like in the movies, I’ve managed to learn to apply discipline in other parts of my life; to keep fit and healthy; to learn how to fend for myself in a fight; and most importantly be part of an incredibly friendly and diverse Tai Chi community.
