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Special Report

"First-Class" Tai Chi:
Preventing and Healing Injuries From Traditional Tai Chi

Hi. Welcome back to ChiFusion Tai Chi and Qigong. Al Simon here, and I'm glad you've decided to join us for another sample lesson.

As you know, these sample lessons are preparing you for the advanced training that is in our Complete Course. And in today's lesson, you are going to learn some skills that are vital to that preparation.

Today's lesson contains an exercise called "Constant Bear Qigong". I've heard that this is one of the most popular movements in all of Tai Chi and Qigong. Practically every instructor I know teaches a version of this exercise, though they may call it by a different name.

And to show you how important this exercise is – this is the single Qigong practice that I still practice every day. Not a single day goes by without me spending at least a few moments doing Constant Bear Qigong

Of course, it's not the exercise that's important – it's the skills it teaches. And in learning this exercise, the kinesthetic details will teach you important, "hip, waist, leg, and knee" skills that have dozens of benefits. You'll find that these skills actually improve your immune system on a physical level, and are an important "chi warming" skill for your entire energy system.

When you get to the advanced training course, you'll not only learn Constant Bear Qigong, but an important companion exercise called Reverse Bear Qigong. If you practice both Constant Bear and Reverse Bear Qigong, you are practicing all of the waist and hip skills found in Tai Chi.

In addition, the advanced training incorporates a skill called "rebound silk reeling" with Constant Bear. That may be the single most important skill that gives Tai Chi its power. We'll take you step by step through several kinesthetic experiments to help you build this skill.

Once you combine silk reeling with Constant Bear Qigong and Reverse Bear Qigong, you'll be getting many of the benefits found in more complicated Tai Chi practices, but in a more compact, direct form.

But that's all coming up in the advance training you are working toward. For now, you can get started on these skills in this lesson.

The Most Common Injury
Reported by 61.2% of Traditional Tai Chi Teachers

As I mentioned, Constant Bear Qigong is an extremely popular exercise – practically every instructor teaches some version. But this is the one exercise that really separates "monkey-see, monkey-do" Tai Chi from kinesthetic Tai Chi. I can watch someone practicing Constant Bear, and know immediately if they are practicing kinesthetically or not.

Unfortunately, I could show you dozens of DVDs and websites that teach this movement incorrectly. As a matter of fact, currently the single most popular DVD for Qigong in the United States, which has been shown on public television over the last two or three years, teaches this movement incorrectly. There are thousands of people learning from this video – and it teaches the movement in a way that will harm your knees if you practice it for any period of time.

And that brings us to the third reason why kinesthetic details are important.

I've talked about two of the reasons in the previous videos:

1. First of all, they provide focus. They tell you the places where you should pay special attention to how your movements feel.
   
   
2. Secondly, they help you customize your Tai Chi and Qigong movements to your body, mind, and energy system.
   
   

"Monkey-see, monkey-do" Tai Chi has a history of causing injuries to students.

Kinesthetic details not only prevent Tai Chi movements from injuring you, they may also help heal any injuries you already have.

Physical problems are quite common among traditional Tai Chi students and instructors, with the number one injury being knee pain. A number of years ago, Dr. Jay Dunbar wrote a Ph.D. dissertation on the state of Tai Chi instruction. As part of his research, he questioned 216 Tai Chi teachers about their teaching and practice. A majority of these teachers taught traditional Tai Chi styles, using traditional teaching methods.

One of the surprising facts he uncovered in his research was:

"Nearly two-thirds of all teachers surveyed (61.2%) reported injuries to the knees in themselves or their students as a result of playing Taijiquan [Tai Chi]."

By the way, he is using the contemporary spelling of "Taijiquan" instead of the older spelling "Tai Chi", but these refer to the same art.

Dr. Dunbar also wrote:

When asked what was most troubling about Taijiquan in America, one respondent said "people are hurting their knees". Others feared for beginners at the hands of instructors who teach forms incorrectly "so that in time they will be detrimental to students' backs and knees". One instructor was particularly candid: "I presently am having knee problems, so have cut back on my classes and now teach one private student and one other class". Unfortunately, knee problems are "communicable:" if the instructor did not have the training to avoid them, it is to be feared that the instructor's students will not be coached in measures that safeguard against them.

And continuing on, he wrote:

No one can afford to be smug. This survey suggests that the problem is not limited to those with the least experience: teachers with decades of training and national reputations also do not know enough about knee function and structure to teach proper mechanics.

Now – what I personally find most troubling in this study was this quote, from the same section:

Forty-three percent of all respondents said they felt they did not have the right to consciously alter their [Tai Chi] forms.

That means that there are more than a few instructors who KNOW that their monkey-see, monkey-do Tai Chi can cause knee pain, but continued to teach just as they always have.

Of course, the problem with the types of Tai Chi injuries that we are talking about is that they you won't feel them right away. You can be weakening your knees for a long time with monkey-see, monkey-do Tai Chi before you ever start to feel pain. That's why it's important to learn kinesthetically, to prevent and heal these problems.

Healing "Monkey-See, Monkey-Do" Problems
with Kinesthetic Tai Chi

And the truth is – back when this research was done – I was not all that different from these poorly trained teachers.

After a decade of monkey-see, monkey-do Tai Chi, I had knee pain too. My knees were hurting not only when I practiced but for some time after. And one day, while teaching a class, my knee actually gave out. In addition to my knee problems, I also had shoulder joint problems from hyperextension during some Tai Chi training exercises.

Remember when I told you about how back then, a kinesthetic master, after watching me practice, told me "You don't know how to use your body"?

Well, when I told him that I had "bad" knees and shoulders, he pointed out that they weren't bad at all. He showed me how the "traditional" Tai Chi and Qigong practices I had learned were actually causing my problems. He also showed me how to correct the problems, and how easy it was to customize the movements so they wouldn't cause problems in the first place.

The good news is that with kinesthetic-base Tai Chi and Qigong, I relieved the pain associated with my knees and shoulders. We've also helped lots of students who have had knee problems and other chronic pain. And we've had acupuncturists and doctors who've recommend us just because of our kinesthetic approach.

So if you are concerned about practicing from our course – well, you don't need to worry. The kinesthetic details will keep you from causing any problems for yourself.

Developing the "Mind-Set" for First-Class Tai Chi

It's unfortunate, but there are some students and instructors out there who get quite defensive and angry with me, especially when I talk about "monkey-see, monkey-do" Tai Chi and Qigong.

I know, because I get emails. Some of the emails are polite, but some are really very angry. Most are defending themselves or their instructors. A few of them demand apologies from me for what I've said about "monkey-see, monkey-do" Tai Chi. A couple have actually said, "Keep your mouth shut – we don't want you talking like that about our Tai Chi."

And over the years, I've had three emails that actually threatened me with physical violence for what I was saying. That's no exaggeration – there are a few teachers out there who would really like me to shut up for good.

But even the polite letters say things like, "Al, I get a lot of benefit from my ‘monkey-see, monkey-do' teacher. What's so wrong with that?"

Well, I've made it my life's goal to make sure students like you don't have your body ruined by non-kinesthetic methods of instruction.

But let's say you have gotten some benefits from "monkey-see, monkey-do". And maybe you'll be one of the lucky few who don't get physical problems from it.

But to me, in the end, the difference between monkey-see, monkey-do Tai Chi and kinesthetic Tai Chi is like travelling by airplane.

If you've ever travelled by air, you often have a choice. You can travel first class, or you can travel by coach.

Travelling first class is a much more pleasant experience than travelling coach. The seats are better, the service is better, and even the food is better. And if you are taking a longer flight, or if you fly frequently, the more important differences like these become.

Given the option, most coach passengers would fly first class if they could. Now, there might be one or two "contrarians" who would still fly coach – the type of hard-headed people who always do the opposite just to prove others wrong. But I think most people will fly first class when presented with the opportunity.

Of course, you are going to pay extra for first class. But you can look at it one of two ways. You could say, "I can't afford first class, so I'll be content with what I have." Or you could say, "My comfort and safety are important to me, so I really want first class. I'll do what it takes, make sacrifices or work harder or find ways to afford it, because it's important to me."

And so instead of limiting yourself to the coach section of the plane, you develop the right mind-set that allows you to fly first class, because you deserve it.

As always, thank you for continuing to join us here for these lessons. I really do appreciate your commitment and dedication.

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