Club website and Tim's Blog
Just confirming we are all set for the workshop on Saturday afternoon.
Once in the main entrance go past Reception, turn left then bear right through the doors into the lobby (Toilets!) and up the stairs to the Activity Room.
No cafe, just vending machines, on site and the nearest ‘corner shop’ is half a mile away so come with any refreshments you need.
Really looking forward to training with other people again BUT if you do have any ‘cold like’ symptoms – Please Don’t Come!!!
One of my students, Amelia, is performing in “Arc of the Sky” at St Andrews Church, Alfriston on the day of our Tai Chi Workshop, Saturday 11th June, so I wont be able to go even though it sounds great and I do love Alfriston.
Check it out and go if you can at:-
https://www.voiceproject.co.uk/upcoming-events
Best wishes for the performance.
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.
This link will take you to a short TED talk by Annie Bosler & Don Greene on how to train effectively at any skill. The animation includes a taiji exponent who appears to be “Shutting a Door”. It is very well done and well worth studying on it’s own!
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!
At last we can get back to practising outside! Expecting to see the “Faithful Few” who have been training with me on Zoom for the last 12 months and hoping to see some new faces who want to learn about this fascinating form of exercise. Non-contact, Socially Distanced of course! Beginners very welcome.
We will warm up with an easy to learn Qi-gong set before moving on to some actual Tai Chi. This is more difficult to learn but more rewarding in the long run.
When: Tuesday Evenings, 6.45-7.45pm May to September.
Where: Wish Park – south, centre
Cost: £5.00
We should be starting Tai Chi in Wish Park for the summer on Tuesday 14th April 2020. That obviously isn’t going to happen so I have proposed to my students an “Introduction to Qi-gong” on Zoom. It is free and you only need enough space to stand and swing your arms so ideal for the present Lockdown situation. No previous experience is necessary so why not join us to learn a new skill ? One which I have found very useful recovering from illness when the demands of Taiji Nei-gong were just too much.
I shall base it on the (Immortal Family) Eight Pieces of Brocade or (Xian-jia) Ba-duan-jin. It comprises 8 exercises, simply because that’s a lucky number in China. Four of them have two parts so there are in fact 12 different movements but Shi-er-duan-jin would not be nearly as propitious!
Note that Qi-gong is not Tai-ji-quan though both are based on Daoist philosopy. Tai-ji-quan is a martial art which includes exercises to improve health, strength, fitness and well-being. Qi-gong is purely intended to improve health and well-being by regulating the breath and stimulating the three treasures or san-bao.
If you would like to learn more, and how to practice the Ba-duan-jin safely then join me on Tuesday evenings at 6.45.
To sign up just send me your name and mobile number. I will send you the link to the Zoom Client via WhatsApp or email. On Tuesday evening run the Zoom Client, enter the Meeting ID and Password I send out at 6.40pm and enjoy! You will be muted and you don’t even have to switch on your video at this stage but at about 7.15 I will un-mute you all for questions and chat.