I have had a keen interest in martial arts since young and among the various martial arts I have picked up, nothing beats the challenge presented in TaiChi.

I picked up TaiChi a few years ago to pursue my interest in martial arts. My initial introduction to TaiChi made me realize to my surprise that it is so much harder to move slow, soft and smooth than to move fast and hard.

In the beginner's class, Master Chong corrected quite a number of my basic moves and over time I started to realize that the changes are giving me a significant improvement in my overall body stability and I am now able to execute the moves with better efficiency.

In the class, Master Chong places a lot of emphasis on the application of each TaiChi move in a combat situation, explaining why certain positions are incorrect and undesirable. Master Chong's explanation for each move application is both logical and clear and I find this knowledge especially useful as it makes it easier for me to remember the ideal posture for each move and transition between the moves and as such I am able to better correct myself during practices.

I understand TaiChi as an art of harmony, it is a lot about achieving harmony between yourself and the environment, yourself and the people around you and most importantly harmony within yourself. There are many different areas of life where TaiChi concept can be applied, including sports, day-to-day conflict management, stress management, etc. It is not easy but I am confident that training under Master Chong will help me further explore and grasp this harmony eventually.

 

November 2014