Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Here is a request from Master Stephen Hwa for a  contribution of thought, opinion,discussion, ideas, that are appropriate to the subject he raises.
"I have been in discussion with some of you regarding the learning path for Classical Tai Chi. The concern we have is that there are different categories of potential students who could benefit from learning our tai chi. But, different categories of incoming students have different objectives of learning as well as different capabilities of learning. One learning path can not fit all.
If we are interested in setting up Classical Tai Chi schools, we need to tailor our teachings to a large and varied population , not limited to those who have the ambition to become a proficient practitioner of all aspects of our art. One has to have a substantial student body in order to have a viable school.
I have been experimenting with a different scope of teaching that is extracting certain parts of our art which are suitable for certain segments of the population, such as the elderly population. And also, experimenting with a different approach to initiate students into our art. Nowdays, one has to keep students' interest high right from the beginning and continue through the course, otherwise, one will not be able to maintain a substantial and stable student body.
I hope to start a dialogue here and hopefully come up with some good approaches. And also, I am planning on having a workshop in a the near future on these subjects and other questions you may have."
Good practice,
Stephen Hwa