Representing T’ai Chi Chih

Many Teachers, including myself, have been approached by students or others, and asked if they’d do a T’ai Chi Chih video. Needless to say, the ‘ego’ gets the best of some and the market becomes flooded with … videos passing on movements that are not done as Justin and Steve have taught them. Are these teachers aware that they’re passing on mistakes, cheating any/all students of the way T’ai Chi Chih IS?

Those who attended the teacher’s conference in Denver in 1995 had a chance to be with Justin as he went over and described each and every movement, doing his best to pass on rightly what he has intended. Those who monitor Steve’s teacher’s training programs [or attend teacher renewals] have a chance to ‘correct’ or ‘modify’ their movements without criticism. Some of the movements being done by teachers are not Justin’s or Steve’s movement, but movements that can’t, from this writer’s viewpoint, be developed for the fullest feeling capacity. When I went to teacher’s training, my teacher went with me … took correction hungrily, and incorporated the ‘rightly’ done movement(s) into classes upon arriving home. Over time … errors in movement may come about … Returning to the source by using Justin’s and Steve’s video tapes is [another] good reference when one is in doubt.