Case in point (several, actually, but I’ll speak only of one of these occurrences)….all italics in this story indicate my inner thoughts at the time……
A gentleman came in inquiring about our Taijiquan classes. I asked him if he had studied Taiji before, and it turned out that he took a few workshops and wanted to delve into deeper study. I asked him what benefits he hoped to gain while studying Taiji, and he said “I want to learn Martial Tai Chi…..I don’t want to learn any of that slow forms stuff”.
“Well, Mr. _______, in our curriculum, forms practice is an important part of learning how to use Taiji in a ‘martial’ sense. The forms teach core balance, proper technique. Power transfer, and…….”
“But” he interrupted. “As you might know, forms are useless in a real martial art. I would like to learn the fighting style….Chen style. I don’t like Yang Style…too slow, too boring….no fighting methods in it.”.
– Now, I can see where he might have gotten this idea, that Yang style was not a fighting style. Many senior centers and community centers teach mainly the form for health benefits and not necessarily the fighting applications.
“Um….ALL the Taijiquan styles are considered ‘fighting styles’” I answered. I didn’t want the conversation to turn into a debate at this point, but I was already seeing where this conversation was going.
“Actually, no, I think you’re wrong…” he interjected. Only one style of Tai Chi is meant for self defense, and that’s the Chen style. Chen style is no nonsense, and doesn’t waste time with all the health and Qui stuff”.
– Qui? What’s Qui? Oh….Qi! How many workshops did this guy go to??
“Hmm…fighting style of Taiji? Okay, let me demonstrate a few techniques and let me know if its somewhere along the lines of what you want to learn”.
I brought my assistant, Robert, out from the back office and asked him to come at me in way he chose. He attacked with a grab and punch, and I quickly (yet gently) struck him several times, took him to the floor and locked up his wrist, using the techniques “fist under elbow”, “golden rooster stands on one leg”, and “brush knee/twist step”.
“That’s great! That’s exactly what I want to learn to do!” the gentleman said with glee.
I had Robert attack me again, but this time he chose to kick at me. “Repulse monkey” and “break with back”, Chen style, were the technique that came out this time, and Robert ended up on the floor with a locked wrist yet again.
“Yeah! Wonderful!” he said.
“Well, that first defense was taken from Yang style technique. The second thing I did was from Chen style. They looked sort of the same, did they not?”
Even after seeing the demonstration of both Yang and Chen, he asked “Hmm. Are you sure? The first technique was not Yang style”.
– Is this guy serious??
“…. Yang style Tai Chi Chooahnn (really, he did say it like that….rhymed with “moo-anne”) doesn’t have fighting theory…their focus is on Qui only.
–Here we go with the qui again.
At that point, my assistant, chimed in, saying “Actually, Although Chen style is considered one of the ‘first’ styles, Yang style modeled much of its movement from Chen. To say that Yang style is useless and cannot be used for self defense is, in a way, speaking same of Chen style”.
This is when the man started to get uptight. “Listen, I want to learn fighting Tai Chi Chooann. Definitely not the slow yang style.”.
As I started to chime in, my assistant said “Currently, Sifu DeJesus teaches Chen style privately since not many people are looking for Chen style at this time”
“That’s too bad that no one wants to learn it. How much are private lessons? Where’s your teacher, can I speak to him?”
-oh, this is going to be interesting….
I raised my hand and said “Hello! I’m sorry for not introducing myself when you came in….Restita DeJesus.”
We talked a bit more, and away he went. He never came by again. Which is unfortunate, because it is usually the hard-headed ones that make the best practitioners as their training progresses.
I thought it was an amusing exchange….especially if he thought that I was a senior student instead of the instructor. But what I can’t understand is why some people would do that. Wouldn’t that be like you going to your doctor (with you having no medical training whatsoever) and telling your doctor how to diagnose you or perform your operation? I just don’t get it……..
Don't Fight The Tao 