The only book on Tai Chi you'll ever need
Is there a book that covers everything I need to know about Tai Chi?
No. Thanks for reading and see you soon...
In reality, that isn't how works. Anything that is a broad topic cannot be covered in one book. One of the funniest I've seen is the History of China in the form of a regular paperback. Why? Because you can't fit the history of an ancient culture on 350 pages.
Tai Chi is a broad topic and it wouldn't be possible to cover everything in a few hundred pages. You're probably thinking about books which has in the title the words Ultimate or Complete, are definitely not that. They won't tell you everything you need. If that is everything you need to know, then that would be the limit of your learning.
Such books should be read, but there are caveats. That is that you need to be mindful that these are the points of view of the authors. It is their interpretation and if you're a student, then you are likely to subscribe to what is said and there might be a degree of bias involved. However, if not, you might not agree. Ultimate, complete or not, you should still read them, but also read the works of other authors. Nobody knows everything about Tai Chi, but some know more than others.
Over the years, I have acquired many books and some I have given away. Some were gifts and some were from my late teacher's collection. There isn't really a single book that answers all my questions and satisfy all my curiosities. I would say my collection isn't vast, but quite diverse. From spirituality to training and more. Having an impressive collection of books isn't everything. It's what you do with them that counts. Otherwise, they're just room decoration.
Buy or borrow?
This is a hard one, because neither are ideal. Why not? When it comes to buying books, you don't have a lot of choice. When I was in my 20s, there were still a lot of bookshops in most towns and cities. London had a number of large bookshops. Over the years, these have slowly closed and you have online book shops. Chinatown London has one bookshop and it isn't bad. I do prefer a hardcopy and I like to pick up a book and have a look, before you buy. But if it is online, you can't. As we have less post offices around, returning goods is not exactly easy. Libraries are few and far. Books on Tai Chi are not common, but they are a good starting point for beginners. Ebooks and audiobooks offer an alternative. If you've not tried these formats, why not give them a try?
My master is better than yours! Having looked at book reviews and comments on social media. There's a lot of negativity out there and people are entitled to their views. It is commendable that we are faithful to our masters, but since nobody knows everything about Tai Chi, let's give others a bit of respect. There isn't really much that is truly innovative and any progress made is likely to be a development of one system or another. We all learn from each other and each to their own. There's a lot of negativity and toxic behaviour out there in the Tai Chi community. This does little to the people you direct your negativity and more to how others see you.
Free yourself and find your own way. Because your training doesn't lie.
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