One Day Tai Chi Seminar- An Article by the Chief Instructor Mr Russell Suthern

Recently WCMA held its first one day seminar.

We have held many weekend & week long camp, as well as shorter, two to four hour masterclasses in the past, but this was the first time we tried a one day event of this type. I’m happy to say the day was a resounding success in all respects. We were well attended, with students from all our various clubs along the South Coast making their way to the beautiful hall in Heene Rd where Shaf runs the Worthing classes.

We kicked the day off with several Chi Kung exercises, trying to feel the energy flow within our bodies. The concept of Chi is integral to Tai Chi practice, although many in the west are sceptical about its existence. I think over exaggerated claims as to what it can do has led to much of this    attitude, which is understandable. I explained that I believe Chi is simply the energy of life, of all living things. If you look at a living or a dead thing, you can see the difference!

We combined single, paired & group exercises to give the students a wide range of experience. This took most of the morning & we were soon ready for our lunch at the local nearby pub, which was very cosy & gave all the students from different areas an opportunity to chat & get to know one another better.

After lunch we interspersed form work with martial application & those students who did not yet know the whole pattern got loads of new moves! Mixing form with application is vital to get that intrinsic knowledge that Tai Chi is a Martial Art. Without application, you are merely waving your arms & legs about.

Suang Yang is a very martial form & WCMA has always taught its Tai Chi as a Martial Art.

Even if you only perform Tai Chi for health reasons, it is important to know what the moves are for- one day that knowledge might save your life!

At the end of a tiring but packed day, everyone agreed that this format worked very well & there should be more one day seminars throughout the year. So watch this space & keep your eyes on the calendar as next year we will run several of these events focussing on different aspects of the Martial Arts!

Looking forward to it already!

Mr Russell Suthern

Chief Instructor

WCMA