Frequently Asked Questions

Instructor Certification Courses

Q. What are your ChiFusion™ Instructor Certification Courses?

A. The Instructor Certification courses are for those interested in becoming certified Tai Chi and Qigong instructors. Our ChiFusion Certification program is designed to teach you how to teach our effective, well-researched ChiFusion™ Tai Chi and Qigong program to your students.

Our Certification courses supplement our regular "student" courses with our extensive teaching notes, our instructor's handbooks that cover in-depth teaching information, a set of instructor's handouts and documents, plus personal coaching from us at CloudWater.Com.

Q. What will I learn in these courses?

A. Our ChiFusion Certification program is designed to teach you how to teach our effective, well-researched ChiFusion™ program to your students. Our certification course teaches you not only Qigong and Tai Chi movements, but also important teaching skills. We cover not just "what" to teach, but "how" to teach it. We include important information on how the information should be taught for the benefit of all students.

In addition to learning what and how to teach, we help you through personal coaching and evaluations. One of our primary reasons for personal coaching is to help make sure you teach your students safely and effectively. I think you'd be surprised at the amount of damage "uncertified" and "amateur" instructors do to students. A recent study shows that 30% of Tai Chi and Qigong students in traditional programs develop physical problems from their practice. Both Al Simon and Carole Taylor at CloudWater.Com have experienced physical problems from being taught improperly by uncertified instructors during our early years of practice.

In addition to safety, we also want you to be as effective as you can be in helping your students. That's why our program requires instructors to be evaluated by us before they can be certified. The evaluations must be submitted by video for evaluation. The evaluation includes not only your performance of the Tai Chi and Qigong movements, but demonstrations of your teaching skills as well.

In this way, our Certification program ensures that as an instructor, you not only know the movements, but know how to teach students safely and effectively.

Q. How many levels are there in this program?

A. Our "student" program has four levels, and the Instructor Certification program is organized around these levels. Completing Level 1 Certification enables you to teach Level 1, completing Level 2 Certification enables you to teach Level 2, etc.

Q. What do I need to do in order to be certified? Is there a test?

A. In order to be certified, the first step would be to learn and practice all the material in the level you want to be certified in.

When you have followed all the instructions, practiced, learned the material, and feel ready, the next step is to take your first evaluation. For your first evaluation, you simply make a "home video" of the material you have learned. We give you detailed instructions for making this video in your Instructor Handbook. When the video is complete, you simply mail it to us. We review your video and present you with corrections and suggestions for improvement by email or by phone.

Once you receive your corrections and suggestions, you'll work on incorporating them into your practice. At the same time, you will also complete the teaching exercises that are part of the course. Once you've incorporated our suggestions and have completed the teaching exercises, then you are ready for your second evaluation. For your second evaluation, you will again make a "home video" of yourself following the instructions given. This video includes not just "student" material, but also the special teaching exercises. When we receive your second video, we will determine if your video shows sufficient proficiency in the ChiFusion™ material. If it does, we will award you Instructor's Certification.

Q. How much time does it take to be certified? How many classes do I have to complete to teach Level 1? Level 2, etc.?

A. Each level of the "student" courses is organized into 7 or 8 lessons per level. Each lesson is designed to take one week. However, to learn the material well enough to be able to teach it, you may want to take longer. The courses (including the Certification) are self-paced, so how quickly or slowly you learn is entirely up to you.

We recommend you take about two to three months to go through the Learn-at-Home "student" material for a given level, then make your first video evaluation. Assuming no major corrections are needed after the evaluation, we then recommend about two to three months to incorporate our suggestions from your first evaluation, plus to complete the teaching exercises that are part of the course. Then you may submit your second video evaluation. So consider about six months to be about the minimum time you'll need to be certified in a given level.

Of our current students in the certification program, those with substantial prior Tai Chi and/or teaching experience are averaging about six to eight months, and those without this prior experience are taking up to a year or longer in some cases. But just like all of our courses, the Instructor Certification courses are self-paced. There are no time limits on the course. Learn at the pace you feel most comfortable.

Q. How does this program work?

A. The Instructor Certification courses supplement our Student Courses with our extensive Teaching Notes, our Instructor Handbook, plus Personal Coaching through two video evaluations directly from us at CloudWater.Com. The Student Course, Instructor's Handbook, Teaching Notes, handouts, and other documents are all available directly from the Internet via your web browser.

In addition to the Instructor materials, you will also receive the "student" course for the level in which you are being certified. This course includes detailed text, high-quality photos, full-motion video, and near-CD-quality audio, all available through your web browser. Since our course is available Online, we support Windows, Macs, and any operating system that has a web browser and can play WMV (Windows Media Video) files.

NOTE: This Student does not contain all of the student levels like our Complete Course. It includes only the level in which you are being certified.

Q. How does sitting in front of a computer or watching videos qualify someone to teach?

A. Sitting in front of a computer or watching a video doesn't qualify anyone. That's why our Instructor Certification program includes quite a bit more that you'll need to do to be certified.

You'll need to learn and practice all the material, plus complete the required teaching exercises. In addition, you'll need to submit us your video evaluations, so that we can provide you with suggestions and corrections for improvement. After you've shown sufficient proficiency in the ChiFusion™ material, we will award you Instructor's Certification

Q. I notice the certified teachers listed have an expiration date. What happens at the end of the expiration period?

A. To maintain your certification, there is a small yearly membership fee of $29.95. This fee covers limited use of our trademark, referrals by CloudWater.Com, and a listing on our web site. Your web site listing may include any or all of the following: your name, your certification level, your contact information, a brief profile, a photo, and a link to your web site (if you have one).

However, we are currently waiving all membership fees, and anticipate doing so until the program grows larger. Your expiration date will automatically be extended each year until that time. In addition, you already get one free year for each level in which you are certified.

In order to maintain quality of instruction, instructors may be required to be re-evaluated periodically. There may be a fee associated with the evaluation. We currently anticipate asking instructors to be re-evaluated every 3 to 5 years, depending on their level of involvement in the program. For example, if you are still actively pursuing certification in higher levels around the 3-5 year mark, or are actively teaching and involved in our programs, we may not require re-certification this soon.

Q. What video formats do you accept for my evaluation videos?

A. Currently, we accept NTSC VCR video tape, or an NTSC DVD coded for Region 1 or for All Regions. These are all standard formats for VCR tapes and DVDs for the U.S., U.S. territories, and Canada. In addition, we also accept digitized video on CD-ROM, preferably in Windows WMV or Quicktime formats. We can not accept PAL video tape or DVD, or DVDs from other regions.

If you live outside the U.S., digitized video either on DVD or on CD-ROM is probably the easiest. If you use DVD, make sure that it is in NTSC format and coded for Region 1 or for All Regions. If you use CD-ROM, make sure your video capture size is at least 640x480. If you can't digitize the video yourself but you live around a major city, you might check in your area for Video Production companies. They can sometimes do digitizing and conversions for you at a minimal cost.

Q. Do people who complete the instructor courses pay you a kick back fee when they teach?

A. No. We collect no  "franchise fees" or "percentages" for your classes. You would be an independent instructor authorized to independently teach our ChiFusion courses for the levels in which you are certified.

Besides the course fees, there is a yearly certification membership fee of $29.95 to maintain your certification. This fee covers limited use of our trademark, referrals by CloudWater.Com, and a listing on our web site. Your web site listing may include any or all of the following: your name, your certification level, your contact information, a brief profile, a photo, and a link to your web site (if you have one).

However, we are currently waiving all membership fees, and anticipate doing so until the program grows larger. Otherwise, there are no additional hidden fees associated with teaching classes.

Q. I already teach Tai Chi. Why would I want to be certified as a ChiFusion instructor?

A. The best way to answer this question is to read the comments directly from one of our experienced instructors.

Already a Teacher? You Must Read This!
Click here to read about
an Instructor with 25 Years Experience
who became ChiFusion Certified.

The most valuable skill existing teachers learn from our program is The ChiFusion Teaching Model. This skill can applied to any Tai Chi or Qigong class in any style with any type of student!

We cover the teaching model in the Handbooks for our Level 1 and Level 2 courses:

• The ChiFusion™ Teaching Model in the Level 1 Handbook
  
  The ChiFusion Teaching Model is a general outline of steps you may use to present new Tai Chi or Qigong patterns to your students. It combines our research into both Instructional Styles (i.e., how Tai Chi and Qigong are taught) and Learning Styles (i.e., how students learn). The Model shows you the most effective method of presenting new movements using the most powerful teaching concepts combined with a way to reach students of all learning styles.
  
  
  
• The ChiFusion™ Teaching Model: Advanced Applications in the Level 2 Handbook.
  
  In Level 2, we introduce you to "larger", more advanced issues in the ChiFusion Teaching Model, including applying the Model for personal coaching. You'll learn how to coach individual students, and how to approach adapting movements for those who may have some sort of injury or physical limitation.

Q. I already teach classes in another Tai Chi style. Do I have to give those up to teach ChiFusion Tai Chi?

A. No, definitely not. How you integrate the ChiFusion material into your existing program is entirely up to you.

If you want to hold separate ChiFusion classes, or if you just want to integrate the material into your existing classes - the choice is entirely under your control. We have instructors who already teach a variety of Tai Chi and Qigong styles that are working on certification. Some are holding separate classes, some are integrating, and some combine both approaches.

For example, ChiFusion Level 1 as a separate class makes a great "beginners" or "new student" course. Once students complete it, they can "graduate" to your other courses. Level 1 is also great for "one-time" workshops and/or weekend seminars. It also makes a great seniors course if you decide to teach seniors-only classes or workshops.

Integrating it into your existing Tai Chi classes, you can use ChiFusion material in a variety of creative ways. For example, much of the material works as a great "warm-up" routine. You could teach small portions of the movements and kinesthetic details during the "warm-up" at the start of your classes. Over time, your students would learn the entire ChiFusion material, covering just a little bit in each class.

Or you could more directly integrate it into your classes, tying the ChiFusion skills into the same skills taught in your Tai Chi routines. For example, the benefits and details in "Touch Heaven and Earth" in Level 1 correspond well with "White Stork Cools Wings" in most Tai Chi styles. You could teach the Level 1 movement, to get your students familiar with its concepts, then follow it with the Tai Chi movement that builds on those skills in subsequent classes.

There are no limits or restrictions on what else you may teach as a ChiFusion instructor. Our primary concern is that if you teach ChiFusion material or promote yourself as a ChiFusion instructor, you represent the material in the ChiFusion course accurately. You are free to teach any other material along with ChiFusion as you see fit.

Q. I have a question not listed here. What should I do?

A. If you have a question about your "ChiFusion Instructor Certification Course" that I haven't answered here, email me and ask! I'd be happy to answer it.

Wishing you the best in Tai Chi, Qigong, and Chi Development,

Al Simon, Director
CloudWater.Com
Founder and CEO, Al J. Simon Inc.