It's The End Of The Year and 'Chair Chi'
Another year has flashed by, I have been teaching full time since September and I love it. I find the children's classes great fun and all those who graded did me proud.
As well as watching them all get better and remembering their techniques and forms, they are now all used to what I expect as well, which helps immensely.
In the last three month's as well as teaching Karate, I have been doing T'ai Chi with some older people. I say doing, as they do not like to think they are being taught to do something and remember it. It seems that the older generation are a group of 'Doers'. My initial work with them was, they would just copy me, then silly me, I expected them to try to remember. Oh dear! That soon became apparent that for some people this is not an option. They like to come and feel the movement, any movement is good when you are aged between early sixties and early nineties and cannot get around as much. Some of them have pets that they walk, but that is just walking.
The hard core group of around 8 have their problems with mobility, so I work around this by tailoring what we are doing to help them get the best out of it. It has been suggested to me that I am doing 'Chair Chi', however, if that means the practitioner can still practise then I am all for 'Chair Chi'!
If this means, using a chair for balance to stand on one leg, then they use a chair, an exercise that starts to strengthen your legs can be problematical if your balance is not so good. I asked them to try to balance on one foot, the other just a little off the ground, as It may be that split second they need to regain footing if falling, if we try in a controlled environment it may have the desired effect when required.
By the end of the sessions, everyone felt like they were starting to remember some of the movement, it is certainly familiar to them, and that is the point. If I make it familiar, then their muscles will remember it and they may be able to reproduce it at will.
The classes will restart in the New Year!
As well as watching them all get better and remembering their techniques and forms, they are now all used to what I expect as well, which helps immensely.
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| Cat Stance |
The hard core group of around 8 have their problems with mobility, so I work around this by tailoring what we are doing to help them get the best out of it. It has been suggested to me that I am doing 'Chair Chi', however, if that means the practitioner can still practise then I am all for 'Chair Chi'!
If this means, using a chair for balance to stand on one leg, then they use a chair, an exercise that starts to strengthen your legs can be problematical if your balance is not so good. I asked them to try to balance on one foot, the other just a little off the ground, as It may be that split second they need to regain footing if falling, if we try in a controlled environment it may have the desired effect when required.
By the end of the sessions, everyone felt like they were starting to remember some of the movement, it is certainly familiar to them, and that is the point. If I make it familiar, then their muscles will remember it and they may be able to reproduce it at will.
The classes will restart in the New Year!
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