Be careful not to trust your own wisdom prematurely.

We all look back now and then, and find our former judgements lacking, and ill-informed.

Tai chi students smiling is a parody of the actual requirement.

Can you honestly picture Imperial Guards 150 years ago smiling gaily as they practiced the art?
Does such an image inspire confidence in their abilities?

This does not mean that you should look glum, not have fun or feel miserable.
Just do not be a phoney.

Value is relative to perspective and perception.

A beginner values what they think something is and what they believe it is worth.
An advanced practitioner may not see any value whatsoever in a commodity prized by a beginner.

One of the requirements of tai chi is to be calm and composed at all times.
This refers to:

1. Cognitive awareness and clarity
2. Being in the moment
3. Having balanced emotions

So why are tai chi people smiling?

This is a good question.
They are smiling because they want you to see that they have cognitive awareness and clarity, are in the moment and have balanced emotions.

You ask questions because you seek answers, and you shape your requests accordingly.
But all questions are blind.

You do not know the answer.
You do not know what it is you are seeking.

How then can you hope to ask for it?

Answers are relative to questions.

Who is to say that you are asking the right questions?

People who practice tai chi as performance art want to look good.
A pleasing smile indicates that the student is enjoying themselves, happy and not struggling with the movements.
It projects a sense of ease.

A master always has something to offer, while we go hungry because of our lack of appreciation.

 (Kakuzo Okakura)

Seeing an old man who wanted to take up philosophy but was embarrassed, Socrates said to him, "Don't be embarrassed to become better at the end of your life than you were to begin with."

(Thomas Cleary)

Effort/reward ratio:

Internal body use challenges conventional wisdom and the conventional application of strength.
The body must be strong.
The application of that strength is unorthodox.

The aim is to use most of your power in combat; uniting the entire body in application.
Yet, the target is small.

Every action is a complete action. Every part of you does every movement.
This may sound strenuous but it is not.
Instead of delegating the workload to your arms and shoulders, every part of the body is involved.
Instead of forcing your will upon the entire attacker, you limit your attention to a small part of their body and use everything you have on that target.

The strategy comes from The Art of War.

It is not uncommon to see tai chi people practicing a challenging form with a beatific smile on their face.
This may at first seem pleasant.
After all, smiling is good.
Isn't it?
  

Internal Kung Fu badges

When Yang Lu-chan popularised tai chi by teaching it to the Manchu Emperor's palace guards, he probably taught sword forms.
Why?
Because in 1850 it may have been a well-used weapon in China.
Yang Lu-chan's purpose in teaching sword would have been for self defence, for viable, practical martial purposes.

150 years later...
In the UK nobody carries a sword.
You are unlikely to be attacked by a sword and you are unlikely to be carrying a sword yourself.
The police are not happy with members of the public owning or using swords.

 If you are studying tai chi in order to preserve the heritage, then swords are a must.
 You should learn how to use both the straight sword and the broadsword.
 Learning the spear and staff may be valuable too.

 Many practitioners commit a significant amount of time to learning weapons forms and drills.
 These people keep the traditions alive.

Dave Lowry maintains that not all so-called 'martial arts' are actually martial arts.
'Martial art' literally refers to a combat system that has been tried in battle/used by professional warriors/soldiers.
Such an art was intended for self defence and the training methods should reflect this.

A lot of contemporary arts are 'fighting arts'.
They may have been designed as a sport, or for their aesthetic value.
e.g. modern tai chi is often merely performance art.
A fighting art may be very functional and effective, but (strictly speaking) it is not a martial art.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6E1cR8toNk

Range is different to reach.
It represents a scale of extension; between what is close and what is far.
Reach is the extreme, the limit of range.

If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them.

 But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.

 And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?

 

 (Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn)