The dangers of indulging in delusions and fantasies

Lion dancing in Chinatown, London

In the Tai Chi journey, there are infinite paths and these are choices that one makes. As a teacher, I cannot make those choices for you.

Over the years, students and friends have told me what they think and why they pursued their own Tai Chi journey. Most of these are sound and logical. They enjoy what they do, because of what Tai Chi gives them. Occasionally, I get those who let their obsessions with martial arts films get the better of them. Don't get me wrong, as a Chinese kid growing up, I watched many myself. Some of these have inspired me on my martial and spiritual journey (to me, they are not different).

Sage advice

Many things you see in martial arts films are fantasy and were created for the purpose of entertainment. There might be elements of truth in terms of culture, and history, but real martial arts were developed to be practical. Actual combat is dangerous and as martial artists, we need to respect the reality. There is nothing glamorous about hurting people or getting hurt. Please don't try what you see on screen and assume it'll work. The textbook examples we use to teach applications are there to impart the basic knowledge. Knowledge and competence are not the same. Completing the syllabus is competence are not the same either.

For martial arts to be effective, you'll need to invest a lot of time training and with various aspects of the art. Each aspect on it's own can be quite broad. If you were doing things right, then you'll appreciate that it is the practical skills and techniques that work. If you have a theory, try it and see if it works. Either way, you've learned something. It would be better to try it first in the dojo, than on the streets. In my club, we give students the tools to help them develop. We don't drip feed students and we're not a McDojo.

Teachers can't think for their students and then would in turn, need to manage their learning. I would be worried if students can't decide for themselves. Martial arts is like religion, in that you can either follow blindly, have conviction or be informed. At the end of the day, your training doesn't lie.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Disclaimer 

If you like what you see, please consider subscribing or buying me a coffee. It would be highly appreciated.