Bass Drum

Teaching my first T’ai Chi Chih (TCC) beginner class was a real learning experience. One of the first movements I taught was Bass Drum. Initially I asked the class do a hand exercise. With arms and hands hanging straight down, we made a tight fist with each hand and then released it. And again. And again but, this time, after they released, we allowed the hands to float up to hip high. Have a look, I said.

With a little encouragement they noticed that their hands were relaxed, slightly cupped, and their fingers were comfortably separated. “Good. This is the shape we like for the hands throughout all the movements and the Cosmic Consciousness pose.

“Let’s now bring these hands up so they are facing each other and learn Bass Drum.” So far so good. They did very well, and I was heartened. The next week we reviewed Bass Drum again. Unfortunately, this time their fingers were sticking straight out. In one student, the distance between the hands went from shoulder width to miniscule. Others were having similar difficulties. How to correct this?

I wracked my brain for a solution. Finally, I went to the Party Store and bought multi-colored 12” balloons. I blew up 10 and corralled them into a black plastic garbage bag, which was very amorphous while they shifted all over the place. At the next class, I told everyone that I had a present for them. Each took a balloon, and there was much laughter and relaxation. The balloons served their purpose: its curve kept the students’ hands cupped with fingers apart. The balloons kept the hands facing each other 12’ apart. I tried to get people to take their balloons home but instead was stuck with a garbage bag full of them.