About me
I began learning tai chi in the 1970’s, after reading C.W. Nicol’s book, “MOVING ZEN.” This book, chronicling a botanist/wrestler learning Karate in Tokyo in the 1960s, was the first time that I realized that there was more to martial arts than loud noises and bad movies. The author’s description of his encounter with Taijiquan master, Wang Shu-Jin, inspired me to learn tai chi. It also prepared me for a serendipitous introduction to my first tai chi teacher, Baldwin Yang, within days of reading it.
Since then, many teachers have tried to pass some of their knowledge on to me, with varying degrees of success. I have studied more than one version of nearly every known style of tai chi, as well as many other martial art, qigong systems, and different types of meditation.
I began teaching in 1987, and then quit doing so when my ignorance became too obvious to bear. I searched the world for the best teachers. With their encouragement, I began teaching again in the 1990’s, and have been teaching and learning ever since.
I have had the great good fortune to encounter some amazing teachers, coaches, and mentors. Their generosity and kindness towards me and others formed part of the template for the sort of teacher that I would want to become.
At first, I was flattered when my teacher took me aside and said, “You should teach more.” It wasn’t long before I realized that encouraging me to teach had a lot to do with making me a better student. It continues to do so now, as I learn from all of my students, who now come to me from around the world.
However, I finally came to believe that the real reason he wanted me to teach more was so that he could be avenged. I suspect that he was thinking, “You should teach more. See how you like it, having students like you.”
‘I finally came to believe that the real reason my teacher wanted me to teach more was so that he could be avenged. I suspect that he was thinking, “You should teach more. See how you like it, having students like you.”
‘I have always been a difficult student.’
I continue to learn from my students, and they continue to inspire me, and motivate me to become better at what I do. Having the opportunity to work with students from around the world, drawing on their vast experience, and seeing them reap the benefits of the art gives me an endless sense of fulfillment.
A pedagogy which can be adapted for each student or teacher
Some students come to me as absolute beginners. Others come as experienced veterans of the art. Some are professional athletes, while others have major physical limitations. Some apply the skills learned here in sport, acting, music, policing, business, philosophy, or politics. I often find myself changing the curriculum to suit them, and they change the way I teach.
If you are a teacher yourself, you may find yourself adapting my pedagogy to suit your own classes, and you might be able to teach people who cannot learn from me.
We adapt as best we can, but not every teacher is right for every student and not every student is right for every school.
Learning from
the ground up
By building basic and mundane skills, you can progress to more sophisticated, and profound concepts, eventually exploring the mysterious.
First priniples
I try to avoid using obscure ancient terminology. Instead, we explore fundamental physics, and unique ways in which the mind and body interact with Newtonian mechanics. Over time, you may find you have skills that are difficult to explain. Discernment and appreciation of scientific method become vitally important.
“The profound and mysterious are based on the mundane. The first lessons are often the most important.”
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