Frequently Asked Questions about our tai chi and kung fu
Tai Chi Questions
Are your classes suitable for complete beginners?
Yes our classes are great for beginners. Each class is set up in such a way that a new concept will be taught and certain exercises and moves given that use that concept. So this is suitable for beginners but also to more experienced students who may have seen those moves before but may not have done them in that way. There is so much to learn you can never get tired of the different ways there are of using your mind, body and breathing.
I’m struggling with a chronic health condition. Will I benefit from your class?
Tai Chi has been shown to be beneficial to a wide range of health conditions. Click here to read research papers on how tai chi can help a wide range of chronic physical mental health issues.
If you’re not sure then come along to a session and try it out. You will know your own abilities and limits better than anyone else. We have many students with ongoing health issues and they all enjoy and benefit from our classes.
What style/form of tai chi will I be learning?
We teach the Yang style 37 step short form. This is one of the most widely practiced forms in the world. It was developed by Professor Cheng Man Ching who was a legend in the world of tai chi. It is a great all-round form for developing correct movement principles, energy use and has combat applications too.
If I can’t make a class can I come to a different one?
You certainly can. Just book onto the class you wish to come to. If you’ve bought a bundle of classes you can use that to pay for the class even if it’s at a different venue. You may also find that training more than once a week will benefit you more and you’ll learn faster.
Kung Fu Questions
Do I need to be very fit to join a class?
There are many kinds of fitness. In kung fu we develop whole-body power which involves a kind of training you’ve probably never done before. Using this kind of training we can take someone who’s done very little exercise in their life and teach them to stand and move their whole body with incredible power very quickly. We do some strengthening and flexibility exercises at the start of each class but nothing that is beyond most people.
Do you award belts or sashes?
The practice of awarding belts to martial arts students is relatively new. It was started in Judo and rapidly spread to other, mostly Japanese, martial arts. The Chinese arts rarely use it although a few Western schools have adopted it. The system only signifies your knowledge and rank within a particular school. It doesn’t mean that you could beat someone of a seemingly lower rank in a different school. All too often schools use these ranking systems as a way of making lots of money out of their students. It’s not something we do.
Why don’t you teach children?
We have taught children in the past but a lot of the skills we teach had to be watered down for them to learn safely. They could be hard to control and distracted the teacher’s attention away from the adult learners. Now we focus solely on adults so that we need hold nothing back and they can learn the full richness of the art – assuming they stay for long enough!