Honest Appraisal

I was thinking last night about one of my acquaintances from class, and how he was unhappy with practicing Lao Jia Yi Lu. It's funny because I know personally, that I practice a lot, but NOT as much as I would like to, and I invest a great deal of time to thinking about the art and what I can do to improve. The guy I know wants to try to learn a new form because I guess that he feels very good about himself and what he has learned.

My opinion is that the forms are basically similar. Of course, I have to qualify here that I don't know any of the other 3 forms. Yet, I LISTEN to Shifu, and he will often talk about Xin Jia vs Lao Jia, and in class, at different times, we practice in different ways and try to incorporate some features of the other forms at times in order to enhance our understanding of Chen overall, WHILE we practice Lao Jia.

Shifu once told me, that in China, it was expected to practice Lao Jia Yi Lu for about 3 years before trying the other forms. Lao Jia Yi Lu has so very much to offer in terms of application, understanding the fundamentals of spiral energy, and strengthening and building a solid foundation of skill. He once described to me, that every day, he woke up early and looked outside. If it was NOT raining, then he HAD to go outside and practice. If it were raining, then, he maybe could take a break, but usually he would practice inside as well.

When I consider that every motion/move in Lao Jia Yi Lu has at least several potential interpretations for application, and that there are over 50 movements with quite a number repeated, there are a ton of applications that are inherent in the form practice. I think it is important to ask yourself, can you apply some of those techniques at speed against a resisting opponent? I KNOW I can apply quite a few, but can YOU?

That statement isn't meant as a challenge, but rather food for thought. If you can't honestly answer yes, then, what is the rush or the need to learn another form in the series? I think an honest appraisal of one self's ability is important to keep perspective and hopefully, focus in training.

I love my training, and I look forward so very much to being in class and participating and growing and sharing very positive energy while being in class. Chen Tai Chi and Shifu offer so much to the student willing to invest him/herself in training. Truly, it is normal to have some negativity from time to time, but the honest thing is... we all have a mental switch in our heads and we choose, we decide whether or not to focus on a negative, or focus upon a positive. In my life, i'm quite a bit older than most of my readers, lol, so I take some liberty here, I can honestly tell you that i've seen so many THOUSANDS of individuals focus on the positives in their life and achieve so much personal satisfaction. Seek out the positives in training in Chen Tai Chi with Shifu, and I promise you that you'll develop in different ways and be happier overall.

And if you still can't enjoy and look forward to training with us, then, perhaps. it is best if you don't come and spread something that isn't a good thing. Me? I choose always to seek out the greatness in Chen and KNOW that i'm better off for every moment, every movement I invest myself in. I see it in my seniors and I see it in my teacher, and every beginner that comes in with a fresh mind. It can be yours, too!