Many Sports professionals such as distance Runner Danny
Dreyer (author of Chi Running & Chi Walking); former Tennis player Ron
Passfield, PhD., (author of The Inner Game of Tennis – Tai Chi for centring and
balance); Professional Squash Coach and Trainer Mike Hall; American flat-water
Kayaker Rami Zur, as well as Golf Professionals Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson understand
the advantages offered by cross-training in Tai Chi. When we use chi, movement becomes effortless,
balanced and powerful.
The Tai Chi Body-Power™, Tai Chi for Fitness programme helps
develop five particular fitness elements that are used across all sports: cardiovascular
stamina, balance, kinetic ability, flexibility, agility, core strength and
internal power.
We train:
·cardiovascularly when we do
continuous repetitions of the Tai Chi
form
·balance, which is needed for
stability during transitional movements & controlled weight transfer of the
body’s weight.
·kinetic ability when we learn how to
do the correct movement sequence for upper body & lower body and/or hand
& leg coordination
·flexibility by increasing our range
of movements through open and expansive postures
·agility through stepping movements
·core strength and internal power
through Zhuang Zhong, Chan Ssu Chin, etc
How we train is instrumental in how we develop the above
elements.In Tai Chi we train slowly and
evenly: deliberate practice is essential to allow body (kinetic) memory to take
over from the brain, to become natural in how we move.Naturalness comes from using the body the way
nature intended drawing on the following principles:
·spine upright
·relax and sink
·movement from the centre
·differentiate full and empty
·rooting and grounding
These essential elements are developed and trained through
various exercises: exercises that focus on the necessary biomechanical
principles of the movements.Ultimately,
these fitness elements and principles are seamlessly integrated into our Tai
Chi form or chosen sport. The person, who continuously practices Tai Chi it is
said, develops “the strength of a lumberjack, the pliability of a child and the
wisdom of a sage”.
