Finding good teachers is difficult everywhere. I’ve posted this question to Jarek Szymanski who started the website China From Inside and he too relates to the difficulty of finding a teacher who can teach the basics, even in China! So where are all the good teachers then?
Should we wait for the teacher to appear in front of you before starting tai ji just because you don’t want to be led down the “wrong” path?
The nearer the better
My experience with teachers has been to learn from whoever’s in the vicinity. It’s something to do with fate, if you believe in that sort of thing. It’s also a very practical approach. If the class is close to you, chances are high that you’re going to attend his class quite regularly. However, this approach doesn’t filter out the good from the bad. It does take a lot of trial and error to find someone whom you can really trust and whom you think knows his stuff.
The bigger the better
A proxy to finding a good instructor is to look at the size of the class. The larger the size, the class is generally more well regarded. The fact that the instructor has students coming along on a regular basis must mean that he’s got something to teach.
Diversity helps
Another proxy is to look at the diversity of the class. Diversity can be in terms of age, sex and physical attributes. If there’s equal numbers of young and old, the instruction must be generic enough to be applied to people of all ages, and yet specific enough to keep both the young and the old to keep coming back for more classes - a sign of a good teacher. Similar argument can be used when looking at the sex composition of the class or the physical attributes of her students. The more diverse the class is, it means the teacher really understands the theory and can apply it to all sections of the society.
The teacher’s test
Both these proxies work well to a certain extent. There’s also Mike Sigman’s teacher’s test (just google it, you’ll find plenty of places talking about this test) which I haven’t tried before just because I’m too timid to walk up to a teacher and say “push me”!
And the best teacher is…
I find that the best teacher is always yourself! Treat all other teachers as guides to your own improvement. I use the word teacher as meaning the class instructor, the students and books you happen to read, because all can tell you what to do and what not to do.
Always question why each method has to be the case and experience it yourself. Only through self realisation that you truly understand the art that is Tai Chi. Your body actually knows more about what’s wrong than you give it credit for. Listen to the aches and pains of the body. It’s always an indication of something is wrong. Also listen for the flow and the “good feeling”, that’s also an indication of something is right. The key here is listen to yourself. Heighten the sensitivity to feel your body as you do your tai ji. Use the instruction from your teacher (be it the instructor or the student or a book) as a guide only. Until you feel it for yourself, the instruction will only remain as that - an instruction. You haven’t learnt it yet. Stay true to Tai Ji! It’s an experiential journey…
