Candidate Preparation

designated head of T’ai Chi Chih, Teacher Trainer

It is the responsibility of T’ai Chi Chih teachers to ensure that their students move well before recommending them to attend a teacher training course. The purpose of these courses is to instruct well-prepared candidates to teach T’ai Chi Chih. The first two days of the course are spent refining the movements, but it is too late at that point for students to be struggling to learn the movements in the first place.

If students think only of the placement of the arms and legs they do not understand the principle of how to move. T’ai Chi Chih must be done in a very soft, flowing manner with the movements originating from the center of the body. It is impossible to do the movements well without moving in this way form the t’an t’ien.

Students who do not shift the weight fully, who use their shoulders (muscular strength) or who lean in any direction need to work through these issues before receiving a referral to enter the accreditation process. Otherwise they expend great effort to address these matters during the accreditation week, and cannot focus on the true objective: To sink into the essence of T’ai Chi Chih and learn how to teach this wonderful practice to their students.

I am very grateful to the many T’ai Chi Chih teachers who send well-prepared teacher candidates. It is always a pleasure to work with T’ai Chi Chih students who move well and are eager to learn how to teach. A simple recommendation is for teachers to send students who are better prepared than they were when they entered their teacher training process. If you have any questions about the preparation process, or would like a copy of the “T’ai Chi Chih Teacher Candidate Preparation Guidelines” please drop me a note at the address in the back of The Vital Force Journal.