China's changing, tradition is changing. You can find American's today that know more about traditional Chinese martial arts than a Chinese person might know.
(Allen Pittman)
Personality
A new starter cannot conceivably assess the quality of a teacher's tai
chi.
Without a high-level understanding of the art, any judgement would lack the
necessary insights and criteria.
What you can determine is whether or not you get along with the teacher.
This is an important consideration.
If you do not like the teacher, they may pick up on this and withhold their
teaching from you.
It is far better to train with somebody that you like and trust.
New starter
New starters usually bring a lot of preconceptions with them when they
commence lessons.
They want the class to be like their old one.
Or they have a romantic notion of how tai chi
should be.
The new student may have an agenda of their own.
They may want to talk rather than train...
Relationship
Ideally, student and teacher need to develop a relationship that is
mutually beneficial.
The teacher passes on their skills in the belief that their trust and patience
is being invested in someone who appreciates the significance of the
information.
The student is aided in their discovery of the art, and makes steady, ongoing
progress.
There should be mutual respect and friendship between student and teacher,
without the need to kowtow or resort to undue formality.
Poor relationship
Students and teachers do not always get along.
Some students feel that they are being marginalised or ignored. Or they imagine
that they are being denied knowledge.
In their minds they are working hard and should be progressing according to
their expectations.
This attitude/situation often results in the student becoming frustrated and
annoyed.
Anger has no place in tai chi. Martial arts and emotion make for a volatile
combination.
When the relationship is failing, it may be time for the student to speak
privately with the teacher, or find another class.
It is important to keep in mind that the teacher's role is not to say things
that please you.
Your perception/evaluation of your ability, progress and skill may differ
significantly from your teacher's.
Good manners
It is not uncommon for new students to behave badly in class.
They do not mean to be rude, but they are.
Typically, student and teacher have different
standards concerning behaviour.
A teacher with 20-30 years martial arts experience may well be following
bushido and expect the student to be developing an appreciation of
bushido for themselves.
By contrast, the student may believe that the standards and behavioural norms of
wider society are quite acceptable
in class: greed, selfishness, self-promotion,
interrupting, pushing...
Eventually, the student must yield or run the risk of being asked to leave the
class.
More...
Page created 10 September 2007