Why is the tao so valuable?

 Because it is everywhere,

 and everyone can use it.

 

 This is why those who seek

 will find,

 And those who reform

 will be forgiven;

 Why the good

 will be rewarded,

 And the thief who is cunning

 will escape.

 

 (Lao Tzu)

Our tai chi movements utilise three dimensions at all times:

1. Vertical
2. Horizontal
3. Forwards & backwards

Every posture, every movement, is a combination of these three dimensions.
It has to be. It is the physics. Width, height, length.

Certain body parts enable us to use three dimensions:

1. up & down, using hand and back
2. side-to-side, using the waist, hips and legs
3. movement between the feet

 Pick any tai chi exercise or movement and consider it in light of this.

Pushing is the action of moving something using the application of force.
Force requires something to push off; this is called resistance.
Resistance is the opposing force.

Tai chi never uses force against force, so it can only be applied when there is very little resistance.
We only ever apply 4 ounces of pressure.

Mastery

After a 20 year Master/disciple relationship, Peter Southwood awarded Sifu Waller 'Master' status in the Year of the Tiger.
He said that Sifu Waller should start wearing the red sash instead of black.
Peter Southwood felt that Sifu Waller qualified as a Tai Chi Master on the basis of the following accomplishments:

1. The 1300 page website giving unparalleled insight into tai chi
2. Exceptionally good shuai jiao, chin na, jing and form applications
3. His grasp of whole-body strength, how to cultivate it, refine it and teach it
4. His study of taoism and the Tai Chi Classics and his skill in infusing the art with the requisite principles
5. The production of a professional-quality syllabus, complete with logical, comprehensive grades, belts and assessment

The samurai must maintain his faith in his beliefs, even as the social or political climate shifts and alters. He must be patient, must act in a manner that may at times seem irrational or illogical, must resist the temptations of instant gratification, and must work towards fulfilling what may seem to be an impossible idea.

As a result, the samurai is often something of an outsider, a rebellious figure because he refuses to conform to the habits of the day.

(Takahiro Kitamura)  

Consider Newton's third law of motion: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

The more force you apply, the more resistance you will encounter.
This is clearly counter-productive.

Slow, smooth, soft movements are a sure indicator of skill.

We take refuge in pride because we are afraid to tell the truth to ourselves.

 

 (Kakuzo Okakura) 

In order to fully understand the ramifications of the form movements, it can be quite useful to apply the form.
When a tai chi person possesses a poor sense of application, this tends to reflect their overall limited understanding of the art.
The form was designed with combat in mind.
If you lack the ability to use the form, what are you practicing?
What mistakes might you make?

Students often find form application to be exceedingly difficult because they lack the martial background and spatial awareness to see the possibilities within the form.
People sometimes import ideas from other martial arts, but these do not sit well with the form and lead to a singularly non-Chinese approach emerging.

A useful way to get a sense of potential form application is to train 2 person sets or drills.

There are 5 levels of Tai Chi Instructor in the UK these days:

1. Health-only Tai Chi Teacher
   - 5 years experience
   - these are the majority
   
2. Tai Chi Chuan Instructor
   - equivalent of 3rd dan black belt in any martial art
   - 5 years experience
   - these people are less common
   
3. Tai Chi Expert
   - 15 years experience
   - 10,000 hours tai chi chuan practice
   - 10 years teaching experience
   - fewer to be found
   
4. Tai Chi Master
   - 25 years experience
   - 30,000 hours tai chi chuan practice
   - 20 years teaching experience
   - pretty rare
   
5. Tai Chi Grandmaster
   - extremely rare

Peter Southwood has graded Sifu Waller as being a Tai Chi Expert based upon his practice quality and experience.

The ability to lift heavy weights, run, swim or workout in the gym may well improve your overall fitness level.
But this kind of fitness only helps to a certain degree in internal kung fu training.

A student must learn how to use their body in a very different way.
The body needs to become agile, flexible, adaptive, sensitive and strong.
Engorged biceps are not going to help.

Remember that your aim is not to make an impression.
You can accomplish this by looking at various ways to lessen your presence:

1. Attire
2. Deception
3. Keep to yourself
4. Possessions
5. Slow
6. Soft
7. Sound
8. Talk