Club website and Tim's Blog
For those of you with some experience, an event not to be missed:-
The Inaugral OZYMANDIUS TAI CHI CAMP!!!!
Venue: The College of Richard Collyer, Horsham RH12 2EJ
Date: Early Spring Bank Holiday Weekend 4th-6th May
Three whole days of Wudang or Practical Tai Chi Chuan. Obviously you don’t have to do all of them.
Sessions will be lead by a number of Dan’s best known students from this country and abroad.
Click on the King of Kings above for details.
I can’t wait!
At last the trees are bursting into leaf and the evenings are staying lighter longer so it’s time for Taiji & Qigong in the park to re-start for the summer, even if it is still a bit chilly.
So, next Tuesday, 16th April, we will be in Wish Park 6.45-7.45pm and every week thereafter until Septemberish. The class is open to all abilities including complete beginners. If you want to find out what these mysterious Eastern arts are all about just come along and join us, no booking required, cost just £5.
If you want to know a bit more first look at the About & Classes pages or contact me via the email/phone number thereon.
I’m looking forward to meeting old friends and making some new ones. See you there, just remember to dress for the weather!
I was looking forward to continuing the outdoor sessions in the park this evening but have decided it is just too grim out there, even with a hat!
Looking forward to next week!
By the way I am also trying to change the date of the next Advanced Workshop in Hove. The first Saturday of May is the 6th which I’m told clashes with a certain national event so I am negotiating with the School to move to the following Saturday, 13th May. I will confirm here and on WhatsApp in due course.
Jade Rabbit pounding the Elixir of Life for the Moon Goddess Chang Er.
To celebrate the new year we will have a meal out on Friday 3rd February. Details on WhatsApp Group.
2023 has started well with very good attendance on Thursdays at the King Alfred. However, disappointingly, only one new player so far this year, despite 3 indications of interest in a new beginners class. Never mind, we have a good little group learning the Short Form some of whom are close to the end of ‘Square Style’. I’m looking forward to rounding off their form in the coming months.
The monthly workshops for experienced practitioners re-started on Saturday 7th January and all, I think, found it really useful. I certainly did, in particular discovering I had changed an angle in the sword form! I am now struggling to correct this but it has inspired me to train harder. Next workshop is in Horsham on 4th February hosted by Peter Ballam – put it in your diary now! Lift available from Hove as usual.
Club training has finished for this year. Hopefully your personal training has not – keep up the great work! I have seen improvements in everyone and look forward to helping you progress along your Taijiquan pathway next year.
King Alfred classes re-start on Twelfth Night, Thursday 5th January 2023 AND there will be a Workshop for the more advanced students at Hove Park School from 2-5pm two days later on Saturday 7th. Usual format: 1st hour – Hand Forms, 2nd hour – Pushing Hands & Applications, 3rd hour – Weapons Forms & Applications. Cost now £10 per hour but still just £20 for the whole workshop.
I have advertised a Beginners Course starting on the 5th January and have had some interest so hopefully we shall have a few new members joining our ranks. If you are new to Taichi and have just found that this course is on please contact me to secure a place. Cost will be £10 per week.
Happy Christmas one and all and thanks for your support,
Tim
I’m pleased to announce we will be hosting a workshop for Wudang Practical Tai Chi Chuan practitioners at Portslade Sports Centre (BN41 2WS) on Saturday 11th June 2022, 2-5pm. Open to all who recognise the Yang Lu-chan, Wu family, Cheng Tin-hung, Dan Docherty lineage.
I have been nagging Peter to restart the monthly workshops in Horsham for a while and he and Barbara suggested we alternate venues between Horsham and Hove. Peter was going to host the first in May but found Forest School was no longer available on a Saturday afternoon. He will hopefully be able to find an alternative venue for July.
Format and cost will be much the same as usual – £5 per hour. 1st hour Warm up & Hand Forms, 2nd hour Pushing Hands and Applications, 3rd hour Weapons Forms & Applications.
If coming by train I may be able to arrange a lift from Portslade Station though there are frequent buses.
Hope to see old friends and make new ones on the 11th but please let me know if you are coming so I have an idea of numbers.
The clocks have sprung forward so classes in Wish Park have restarted for the Summer of 2022 – Tuesday evenings 6.45-7.45 pm.
A Beginners Course will run after Easter from Tuesday 19th April for 4 weeks, cost £25. For more details and to book your place email, text or phone using my contact details on the Classes page.
Firstly I would like to say ‘Thank You and Well done!’ to all the students who have stuck with me through Zoom and outdoor classes since the first lock-down in March 2020.
After much discussion we have decided to re-start classes at the King Alfred Leisure Centre on Thursday 23rd September 2021 so the last class on the promenade will be on the 16th. This, of course, assumes restrictions remain relaxed. Numbers will be strictly limited to ensure safe distancing can be maintained as much as possible. Pair work may only be done in training bubbles.
As before the epidemic the first hour, 8-9pm, will be for Hand Forms and Pushing Hands which players may choose to do solo or paired. The second hour, 9-10pm, will concentrate on applications and the three weapons forms and techniques. There is to be no sharing of equipment.
Beginners are welcome to the first hour but please phone, text or email to be sure there is space.
Tuesday evening Qi-gong classes will revert to Zoom as the weather deteriorates. Date to be confirmed.
I’ve been listening to Just One Thing on Radio 4 over the past few weeks. Each episode suggests one thing you can do to improve your mental and physical health each week and the evidence to back it up.
This week it was on the importance of balance which tends to deteriorate from age 35-40. Not just for preventing falls (2nd most common cause of accidental death according to the WHO) but also for benefits to mental health. I’m thinking ‘Great, Tai Chi is known to be good for balance and falls prevention’ but he was talking about standing on one leg while brushing your teeth… Then he spoke to Professor Dawn Skelton at Glasgow Caledonian University who said “Tai Chi is one of the best activities to improve your balance!”.
Prof. Skelton also mentioned that, starting at any age, regular practice was key. This reminded me of a comment by my taiji sifu Dan Docherty that regular practice in China meant daily whereas in the west it meant once a week! In my experience of teaching over the last 20 years you can sure tell the difference between those students who practice daily and those who only do a weekly class!”
This doesn’t mean you have to practice for an hour every day though – most people just don’t have the time. No, just 5 minutes, once or twice a day will bring so much more benefit than only attending a weekly class. Who knows, you may even get to enjoy it and see it as something to look forward to in the daily grind!