= Tai Chi Forms: A Novice Primer =

Form training is a practice in Tai Chi (and many other traditional martial arts) in which students perform a sequence of movements that flow between particular shapes (i.e. the “forms” of the art). These are typically set patterns that have been practiced, shaped, and passed down by generations of practitioners.

How form training is understood and incorporated may vary between styles and schools. This post will explore how Tai Chi forms are approached in the Black Feather Academy, with a particular emphasis on novice level concepts.

|Training|

Although many novices begin their Tai Chi journey with the understanding that they will be learning forms, seldom do they realize that form training is the most advanced of the individual practices in the art.

For the novice, the forms are initially an entirely external endeavor, trying to learn the shapes, the movements, the sequence. And this is challenging enough for most! There is much to learn and remember, and those without a background in dance or other forms of choreography will often require a great deal of effort simply to arrive at a suitable approximation of the external movements.

But this phase represents only the very start of the journey. Really, it more resembles packing and preparing for the journey to come! For one must have some basic familiarity with the form in order to practice it at all.

Once that familiarity is established, however, the journey can really begin. At this point, you can use the movements of the form to practice qualities and principles. You take what you learn about Tai Chi theory, what you learn to experience from doing the basic exercises and drills, and you seek to invest those ideas and qualities into your form.

Working with these qualities is already challenging in the simple movements or static positions used in the basic exercises, and applying them to the more complex and varied context of the form is more challenging still. The best course of action is usually to deliberately emphasize one bit at a time (for example, keeping the feet relaxed as much as possible throughout the form), but as you advance and embody these qualities more deeply, you will be able to display more of them simultaneously.

In this way the form becomes your chief training tool for integrating the various qualities and principles you are cultivating. However, for the novice practitioner, I tend to stress that the majority of your training time is better spent practicing the basic exercises, as these are more accessible to your skill level, help you develop your abilities more rapidly, and will ultimately aid you in learning the forms as they become more relevant to your practice.

In the beginning, simply build your familiarity with the forms and try your best. The fortunate thing is that Tai Chi schools seldom teach many forms, and usually only emphasize one set at a time appropriate to the student’s level. So you will see the same set again and again, and have ample opportunity to gain an impression.

|Meditation|

Meditation is a rather loaded word that evokes different ideas for different people, according to their familiarity with the various schools of spiritual practice, as well as different practices that they themselves may have undertaken at one point or another in their journey.

Some practitioners use the word meditation to mean a very particular practice or state achieved through practice requiring a long period of dedicated work to attain. Others use the word broadly to describe many practices which emphasize certain qualities or states of mind, typically with the goal of developing these capacities.

I tend to use the word more in its general definition, as a type of practice rather than a specific state or practice. But I also use the word seldom because of the confusion which can result from its various interpretations.

Getting to the point, however, one can view Tai Chi practices in general as having a meditative aspect, meaning that certain states and qualities of mind are desirable for practice, and can be developed through training. Form practice then adds a sense of flow and journeying that can enhance this meditative experience.

That said, the serious practitioner will likely find that a separate undertaking of practices which emphasize qualities such as mental stillness enhances their Tai Chi significantly, just as the athlete undertakes strength and conditioning practices to improve the physical capacities upon which their sport relies.

|Tradition|

The forms connect us to the practitioners who have come before us in the art. This continuity has implications on a spiritual and ancestral level which I will not expound on at present, but suffice it to say that the forms are handed down like precious family heirlooms, and ought to be treated with the sanctity that such an heirloom merits.

This is particularly true if you have had the good fortune of learning the forms directly from an accomplished teacher, as they are sharing their work in the art with you, and preparing you to continue that work yourself. Doubly true if you intend on being a teacher yourself and sharing that work with others.

This view of tradition matters more for me than the cultural context out of which Tai Chi was born. The art was born in China, but it was also borne out of that land long since. We as practitioners ought to have gratitude for the cultural origins of the art, but it is not necessary to affect an overly Chinese aesthetic. That said, I do not think it is wrong to delight in the Chinese roots of the art, particularly if that cultural context truly resonates with you, or is part of your heritage or circumstance.

My own teacher is very proudly Chinese, and he has introduced me to a great deal of Chinese culture during the years I have been learning with him. However, I consider this to be more important as a component of learning Tai Chi from him specifically, rather than a requirement for learning Tai Chi in general. This Chinese influence will have its echoes in the experience of learning Tai Chi with the Black Feather Academy, but I also intend for my school to represent my own cultural heritage (Atlantic Canadian), and function as an entity within the context of the land where it resides.

The seed came from China, but it has grown in the soil of the West.