Raising the Bar

Olympic sports such as figure skating, gymnastics and pole vaulting push athletes to the edge of their abilities to bring out the very best in each of them. Under these intense circumstances, the best athletes display amazing balance, strength, flexibility and grace. Each participant in these sports must demonstrate sufficient skills and abilities to qualify to take part in the Olympics. No one wants to see a “nice” gymnast who doesn’t have good balance, watch someone who has “worked hard” but can’t run very well compete in the pole vault event, or see poorly trained athletes hurt themselves through their lack of preparation or ability.

There are many similarities and differences between the Olympics and a T’ai Chi Chih teacher training course. First and foremost, the teacher training is not a competitive event. No one is judged the winner at the expense of the rest, and there are enough “gold medals” for everyone. However, both the Olympics and the teacher training course encourage participants to reach deep inside to deliver their very best, and both require participants to be well-trained to reach that level. Lastly, just as it is a great honor for an athlete to represent his or her country in the Olympics, being an accredited T’ai Chi Chih teacher is also a great privilege and responsibility.

Although many students enjoy doing T’ai Chi Chih and may want to teach, that doesn’t mean everyone is meant to become a T’ai Chi Chih teacher. It is hoped that everyone who attends a T’ai Chi Chih teacher training course will pass the course and become a successful instructor, but this is not assured. If candidates are not well-prepared, or cannot do the movements well in the course, they will not receive an accreditation to teach. To do otherwise would diminish the value of the accreditation process, and undermine the accomplishment of those who have worked so hard to reach that level.

During the last two years, with a few exceptions, I have seen an improvement in the level of preparation of the teacher training candidates. It is the responsibility of each candidate to be well-prepared to attend the course, and only he or she can do the work. However, candidates rely on the knowledge and experience of referring instructors to make sure they are doing the movements correctly. The three most common problems that should be corrected before referring a candidate are:

Shifting the weight inconsistently or incompletely
Stiff knees, waist and wrists
Leaning forward, backward, or to the side

Each of these problems can be easily corrected with consistent focus and time. However, new habits do not come quickly, and it is unreasonable to expect candidates to make these changes during the brief week of their accreditation course, or to expect them to become accredited if they do not do T’ai Chi Chih well. Please do your best to ensure the integrity of future T’ai Chi Chih teacher training courses by making sure your candidates are properly prepared. Now is the time to “raise the bar” to improve the focus of teacher training courses on helping qualified candidates become successful T’ai Chi Chih instructors.