Supported
by
Many Arthritis Foundations Worldwide
Calendar of instructor training workshop worldwide
For Students: you can learn the program from:
Instructional DVD
For Instructors:
- A list of things to do after the workshop
- The updated resource book (May 2008): A4 size or Letter size.
- Insurance: see this article in the April 2008 newsletter .
- Leaflet - one page information for the program
- Sample brochure - for your new class
- How to find more students and retain them, improve your Tai Chi and enjoy your practise, plus lots of practical advice and resources: read Dr Lam's book "Teaching Tai Chi Effectively".
- Update Workshop - your certificate should to be updated every two years
- The meaning of TCA's official greeting
- Updated (2004) warm up exercises in one page (PDF)
How to run classes more effectively?
Reference: ""Teaching Tai Chi Effectively" by Dr Paul Lam
Key Points:
- Referral to doctors or therapists if there is any doubt or medical problem
- Listen to your students
- Encourage your students to work within their comfort zones
These are general precautions for people with arthritis:
- Always
do warm-up and wind-down exercises.
- A good guide of how much to teach per hourly lesson one movement, pending on the difficulty of that movement. For example, movement 1 Commencement movement and movement 2 Opening and Closing are both brief, can be taught in one lesson, while movement 4 Waving Hands can be taught in two lessons. The Basic Six could be taught in a two month term of one lesson per week leaving last two weeks for revision.
- Ask your student to do daily practice of approximately 30 minutes for most days if they are physically able to.
- People with arthritis gets tired more easily than an average person, you need to understand this and encourage them to rest appropriately.
- Always work with medical professionals, refer your students to their doctor or therapist if there is any problem. Have students checked and cleared by their doctors before starting classes if there is any doubt of their suitability for exercise.
- Never over extend your students. Listen to your students carefully as they usually have a good idea what they can or cannot do. Encourage or help them to adapt if any movement is causing discomfort. Let them know that they don’t have to do exactly what you are doing, especially if they can’t extend themselves as much as you.
- Be patient, teach the movements properly and slowly. The designers of the 12 movements Tai Chi for arthritis have taken every possible precaution to compose a safe set. Instructors should to ensure students are learning the movements correctly and within their comfort zone.
- Students should move well within their comfort zone, if they cannot move to full range of movements, have them visualise performing full range of movements. Studies have shown that visualisation helps to improve the range of motion.
- Pay special attention to bent knees. Students should be encouraged to stand up in between whenever they feel uncomfortable and then gradually increase the length of time that their knees are bent as their leg muscles become stronger. The knees should never be bent too much, when standing upright with knees bent, students should be able to see the tips of their toes, otherwise they are bending too much.
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A list of things to do after the workshop
ASAP:
- Read and revise "Teaching Tai Chi Effectively"
- Practice regularly
- Start a class
- Subscribe Dr Lam's monthly Tai Chi, Health and Lifestyle Newsletter.
- Email Tai Chi Productions (Dr Lam's production company) if you wish to buy dvds, books and music CD with bulk discount.
Internet:
- Read Tai Chi articles to improve your understanding.
- If you have any questions go to Ask Dr Lam
- Go to Forum to shaer your experience and gain from others'
Your contributions
- Share your knowledge by teaching as many people as possible
- Tell your friend about the program.
Your participation
- Come back for update workshops.
- Consider coming Dr Lam's other workshop, especially the 1-week Tai Chi workshop in Sydney held every second week of January and in USA held mid year.
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THE
FIRST THREE LESSONS
You
can find a more detailed version inside Dr Lam's "Teaching
Tai Chi Effectively"
book
-
- Learn
the Stepwise Progressive Teaching Method
- Work
with students; find out their needs and their physical condition. It is much better
to work with them rather than talk down to them.
- Encourage
the student to practice regularly, ideally for 30 to 40 minutes a day. It can
be done in separate sessions.
- Criticism
is strongly discouraged. Give two to three positive feedbacks before one point
of improvement, and substantiate your positive feedback. For example, saying “You
are very good” has little meaning if you don’t point out what is good. Try to
say something like, “Your movements are slow and gentle.
That’s very good.”
- Keep
your talk to a minimum. Tai chi theory is very important but tai chi is an art
of doing. Too much talk will not make a student understand what tai chi is, nor
will it improve their health or their tai chi form.
- Before
you start, consider using a release form for your students and, if required, a
doctor’s clearance.
- Remember
to rehearse your lessons. Time yourself at the rehearsal.
Introduce
yourself. Don’t talk too much about how good you are. Give a brief introduction
of your qualifications and focus on what you can do for the students. For example,
the Tai Chi for Arthritis program is shown by scientific studies to improve arthritis
and other health factors so your students can expect to see health improvements
in at latest by three months (as shown by study).
If
appropriate, introduce each student or ask them to introduce themselves. Consider
using name tags.
Greet
each other before the start and the finish of each class. Explain the meaning
of the greeting gesture.
- Left
thumb bends to denote humility; right index, middle, ring and little fingers together
and extended means friendship
- Two
hands together with right fist on the left palm = Wushu (Chinese Martial Art)
greeting.
If
students arrive late or have to leave early, ask them to go to the door while
facing the stage, do the greeting quietly and join in or leave without saying
anything to disturb the class.
Brief
Talk (5
minutes)
Explain that some students might find our teaching is slow to start with because we believe in building a good foundation. With a good foundation, the student will gain the health benefits and improvement of tai chi skill in a shorter time in the long run. If one starts the wrong way, it’s much harder to set it right later on. Patience is also part of the essential principles of tai chi.
Warm
Up Exercises (15
minutes)
- Thigh
Punch
- Clench
and Release
- Arm
Circles
(a)
Maintain,
as much as possible, an upright but relaxed posture at all times.
(b)
Be
aware of the transference of weight.
1Greetings
and Warm-up
(10
minutes)
Talk
(5
minutes)
Speed
Control:
It’s
important at this beginning stage to work at the right speed.
- Continuous and yet fully execute the entire movement
- Even or same speed for all the movements
Revise
Lesson One
Movement
2 - Opening and Closing Hands
Movement
3 - Single Whip
Balance
It’s
important to have mental and physical balance. Tai chi is especially effective
for both. The “body balance” is the balance as you move as exemplified by the
movement three Waving Hands where you need to maintain good balance. Maintaining
good physical balance will improve muscular strength and minimise falls.
Cooling-down exercises.
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