My take as well as one of my students who is a teacher of one big (but "navigable") reason on why students quit: (Inactivity is potholes so keep driving)No video or pictures, just an analogy as to why learning this is a "challenge": Master Stephen Hwa strongly advocates learning by video at Classical Tai Chi Teachable.com. He has said himself that he could not remember his own teacher's lessons until he made a video of his lessons. He has said his students in Rochester came to "like" Square Form once he made videos of it. He urges students to "just watch", "just listen" numerous times to videos before attempting the lesson. My student Tom Kostusiak says learning Classical Tai Chi is a "challenge" and I narrow down that definition here. One can teach Tai Chi and wonder why students do not "get it." The "get" part is a kind of "disability in education." It is not dumb or stupid. Some students learn better by seeing things (visual learning) and some learn better by hearing (auditory learning). Hence the continuation of advocating for both classroom and video learning.
"So, one needs to find ways to see the information more often," said the "visual learner". "So one needs ways to hear the information more often said the "auditory" learner." One might well say students who specifically have a difficulty
Using an analogy of being stuck in traffic might help here: One certainly knows the feeling of helplessness that comes with seeing and getting stuck in traffic. Here are 2 analogies: "Well, I hit traffic, that's it, I must be the worst driver ever." "Well, I hit traffic, my car must be the worst car ever built" "It's not me, it's not my car, I should just go home, stop trying to drive"
Ridiculous, right? Yet I see students doing this analogous to Classical Tai Chi all the time. Those "visual" or "auditory" learning problems in a strong sense are like traffic in the brain. When you hit the road that is your processing, we will call it "disorder" and it might feel slow and frustrating, like traffic. But it's not the driver's (student as the driver) or the cars—(teacher as the automobile) fault.
This can be translated to your "challenge" of learning Classical Tai Chi. You are having some "traffic" and it is certainly no reason to stop on your journey of learning. "Oh darn, I hit traffic. Looks like I'll have to find a way around it." The way around it could be a strategy or an accommodation the student uses. Which could be more emphasis on "visual" by watching a video many times before trying to do something. Which could be more emphasis on "auditory" by listening to a video many times before trying to do something. I have heard students say their brains would literally forget things they did in class right after hearing them. Other students say their brains would literally forget things they did in class right after they saw them.
Bottom line: It is just traffic in the brain on the short-term memory road. that students can find ways around it."
From Sifu Tom Kostusiak: What I like to say is learning Tai Chi is neither easy nor difficult. It is a challenge, much like being outside in Buffalo, in the Winter. You bundle up, you pay attention, stay focused, where you are walking and you get to where you need to be in the most direct way possible.
Now tying this into traffic.
When on your way home from work during a snowstorm, you need multiple alternate routes, just in case. I stay off the Thruway because I would rather get stuck on a city street. I would rather spend my night in a pub than in my car on the Thruway. My alternate routes include less traveled streets. There may be more snow, but there will be fewer cars in the way. Learning Tai Chi is similar. You need to figure out what is your best path to travel. Is it auditory, is it visual, is it in the classroom? Is it a combination of alternate plans, just in case you get stuck?
