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TCAH: Could you please start by
telling us how you became involved in Tai Chi Chuan?
I was getting injured all the time with
Karate and my Tai Chi teacher was a Chinese herbalist, who looked
after me, so I became involved with his art by chance.
TCAH: Why did you choose Tai Chi
Chuan as opposed to other styles?
Firstly, my teacher was a close
friend of my uncle and as stated above, he looked after all my
bruises from my Kyokushinkai sparring.
TCAH: Was the approach very
different from your Tae Kwon Do training?
Yes. Instead of being shown all the
moves as in Karate/TKD, you get shown if you are lucky maybe 1/2 a
step of a move.
TCAH: What difference did you
find?
That TKD looked very different with
all the high kicks, etc. but in actual fact, it was a lot easier to
learn. Tai Chi looked so simple yet was the total opposite.
TCAH: What benefits did you find
from this approach?
A lot of the Tai Chi techniques are
based on "infighting" and this helped me in my free sparring - to
jam my opponent and off balance him. I found this a big advantage at
the time. Also learning more about your sphere of control rather
than what the attacker intended to do.
TCAH: Under whom did you study Tai
Chi?
My early days of Tai Chi was under
Mr. Yeo Cheng Hoe from Peneng, Malaysia in 1961, who at the time,
was one of the better teachers. Presently, I am a student under
Master Yek Sing Ong from New Zealand. He is Master Huang Sheng
Shyans top student.
TCAH: Are there any stories you
could relate to us of your Tai Chi training?
When I first studied Tai Chi, I did
not like it at all - being educated in an English School and also a
practitioner of a hard style. I got the worst of everything - where
I was the punching bag so to speak. This meant I had to learn fast,
not to continue to be on the receiving end.
The next story is when I first met
Master Yek. After watching me performing my Tai Chi, he turned round
and said, "You use your Karate to make your Tai Chi work. You do not
know how to use your Tai chi for combat." I agreed. Since then, the
knowledge he has continuously shared with me gave me a deeper
insight and understanding of true Tai Chi.
TCAH: What is your view about Tai
Chi Chuan practiced nowadays?
I always say that there is room for
everyone. Then again, very few people practice Tai Chi chuan. What
the majority do is, practice Tai Chi movements yet market it as Tai
Chi Chuan. There is Tai Chi and there is Tai Chi!
TCAH: What do you think are the
essential points when practicing Tai Chi Chuan?
Patience, patience and more patience
if you are learning real Tai Chi as opposed to movements. A sharp
keen eye and the ability to "let go."
TCAH: How important is it to find
a good teacher?
I believe this is the key ingredients
to learning and understanding the art.
TCAH: How can you tell if one is
learning frm a good teacher?
No one can tell especially if you are
a complete beginner. In today's world of advertising and marketing,
the one who makes the loudest noise often ends up with the students
initially. However a good indication is that if certain names of
teachers keep popping up as you cross the boundaries of different
continents, then seek them out. Beware of people teaching numerous
internal styles and external styles as well. I ask, how is it
possible for someone to do them all when only one art takes a
lifetime?!!!
TCAH: What advice would you give
to practitioners at different levels.
Beginners
Have fun in what you do. Set
Realistic goals.
Intermediate
Pay particular attention to your
basics. without proper understanding, you cannot really progress.
Advanced
That Tai Chi said and done is a
"simply" art. You must give it due respect and time for it to work
into your body. Let the feel you developed through the years guide
you with your teacher. Do not try to over analyse it and veer off
tangent.
TCAH: Often, there are people who
are not achieving any power after many years of practice. What
advise would you give to these people?
Are you training correctly? 20 years
of wrong training does not equate to 1 year of proper Tai Chi. Are
you one of those bound up by the mystery of Chi. It is always there
the Chi but unless and until the whole body is aligned correctly,
you cannot harness and apply the power of Chi.
TCAH: There are many
interpretations of Tai Chi Chuan even from the Yang Style itself.
How important is it to practice
the right way?
As a beginner, it is of the utmost
importance to practice the right way as this is the foundation upon
which everything is based. without this, you are just an empty
shell. Just like having a Roll Royce but without the engine.
Does it matter as long as the
principals are applied.
No, as long as the principles are
applied. If you have years and years under your belt than this is
the basis on which everything for your size to execute any Tai Chi
applications effectively. Both questions are relevant to the
practitioners time period.
TCAH: More and more people from
the external Martial Artist are beginning to study Tai Chi Chuan to
help them understand their style, what advice do you have for these
people.
As a raw beginner, you would be able
to look at Tai Chi and enjoy it at your level. As you get deeper
into Tai Chi, you can not train in both as you will be undoing what
the other does. One is a mechanical move (external) and the other is
an economical move (internal). In fact by virtue of analyzing Tai
Chi through external eyes, you will never understand the full
potential of Tai Chi. I am not saying, throw away your external art,
but rather shelve it temporarily. Give Tai chi its fair due and it
will bring your external art to a totally different level. However,
you will need to seek out genuine Tai chi master who can rally teach
and demonstrate the true art. This is the direction in which your
journey should begin - The Search.
TCAH: Any last words on what Tai
Chi Chuan means for you?
Today Tai Chi to me means - physics
and applied mechanics. That sounds frightening yet not. It is a
simple art. You must give it the respect it deserves. Do not try to
make it complicated. It is not. Tai Chi is full of paradox - it is
an intellectual and physical brain teaser. When you get there you
will know what I mean. You are the conduit between heaven and earth.
The power is limitless. Have fun with the practice and there are no
short cuts to it.
TCAH: Thank you for sharing your
views with our readers. They will fiind them most helpful! |
