# A great day in the class...



## charyuop (Oct 25, 2006)

The day started as usual with the warm up. After that one of the teachers went away with the beginners and the other one started working with us.
In the middle of the 8 form the Master enters and you could feel the excitement in the whole class. After the 8 form she explained that she came to give the certificate to some practitioners who passed her test. After that she told our teacher to go ahead with the class, she was jst there to watch.
Here we go again with the 8 form and the Master keeps hanging around me and watch us. Arrived at the single whip I feel a hand grabbing my hook a adjusting the position first then the hight. We don't stop and here again appears the Master moving my hand in the snake creeps down, it was just few inches...LOL I wonder why only with me...she also started doing the forms right in from of me. After that the teacher went on with the 24 form (up to where we got with leassons), but after the first time the Master stopped us at Repulse Monkey and took the class in her hands.
Her way of teaching is so different from my teachers, but I loved it immediately. She stopped us at the first movement having us keep the stence and checked it per each person. Coming near me she throw her leg out in a kick which stopped a couple of inches from my groin. She then moved my arm (the lower in the ward off) closer to my groin and kicked again showing how I could protect myself that way.
She went on with other stences and everytime stopping us to check person per person. We stopped a long time on repulse monkey. She showed us the correct movement (the way I know it) and then the movement she wants us to do (it is very different and difficult due to a pivoting on a heel). There she got me a couple of times (I was the only one who got caught doing wrong stuff  ) because I was not bending my knee of the leg in front, but only the back one (I find hard doing long steps backwards as she wants and still keep the front knee bent).

Overall was a GREAT day and for the first time I felt like I was with someone who really has a deep understanding of the Art. Watching her doing even simple movements like brush knee was unbelieveble. Her pushing hand was relaxed, but her hand had a way of moving which made me think in that hand there was alot of power. I enjoyed this class of Tai Chi as I had never done before (hee hee, don't tell my teachers) even tho she kept picking on me 
I am really sorry that I can't study directly under her, but I have to study under 3 students of hers who she recognized able to teach.

I will treasure this day in my personal Tai Chi history forever...


----------



## SFC JeffJ (Oct 25, 2006)

Sounds like a great experience!


----------



## terryl965 (Oct 25, 2006)

Sound like you enjoyed yourself great


----------



## East Winds (Oct 25, 2006)

Charyuop,

Repulse Monkey is a beautiful move and very difficult to perform correctly. The turning on the heel is important. If you turn on the toe you widen the stance and make it unstable. By turning on the heel you maintain the correct heel alignment for empty stance. And yes, the front knee must always be bent!! Incidentally in Traditional Yang Family Taijiquan the empty stance of Repulse Monkey is performed with the whole of the front foot flat on the floor!!!!

Sounds like you are enjoying your taijiquan. Keep it up.

Very best wishes


----------



## charyuop (Oct 25, 2006)

I know the turning on the heel is important, but it is the way it turns I can't do. The way I do it (not mentioninf the arms, because that is not the problem) is raising my front leg step backwards, shift my body weight to the back and as I finish the movement spin the heel of the leg in front. The way I am supposed to do it is raise the legspin on my heel and then step backwards. I am an heavy person and spinning on my heel with the body weight on it is very hard trust me.

But yes I am having a huge FUUUUUN!!!! Now I see how people can do Tai Chi for 30-40-50 years....it never gets boring.


----------



## Xue Sheng (Oct 25, 2006)

I am glad you are enjoying the class.


----------

