Preparation

 Saturday, January 24, 2009

Back in 1979 I had the chance to study Yang Tai Chi Chaun with Ernest Rothrock at his new Scranton, Pennsylvania school. I was a new sho-dan in Isshinryu but had a long curiosity about Tai Chi and when I saw his performance of the Yang form, I knew this was something I would enjoy studying.

I had no purpose for the study but to do Tai Chi. It wasn't to replace Isshinryu. It wasn't to explore the martial potential of its study. It wasn't to be able to wax about Chi. It was just for it's own sake.

Once the study began with 1/2 hour private classes once a week it did occur to me that there might be another reason for the practice. It occured to me that one day I may be too old to do Karate and I could always to Tai Chi.

Over the past 30 years it remains just the study of tai chi, but it's also become much more. I came to understand how it's basis was the basis for great karate practice. I came to touch the chi in my practice, a non-verbal experience that I don't describe in words, but I first experienced practicing with Ernest on a New Years day, running the form side by side, or had one of my karate instructors notice something too when I showed him what I was doing.

But the experience is not in words. Ernest and I don't sit around and share Chi lessons, in fact when we see each other all the talk is purely physical description of how to become more efficient in my motion. The rest might take care of itself.

I came to realize how the hardest part, Yang Tai Chi Sword, actually was the most important part to help me focus my technique together and led to finally understanding the relationship of kobudo training to karate.

I even came to see the relationship of tai chi and karate practice, but it's so subtle, so non-verbal that it might be best expressed as two circles gently intersecting, but when it does interesting things occur.

I have reached the age where I am getting too old for much of my karate practice, things accumulate over the years, but I'm also getting too old for some of my tai chi too.

Age is an equal opportunity destroyer in the end.

Tai Chi has become a way to preserve my karate, and as decrepit as I become it's practice preserves so much of everything for me.

Perhaps the best way to describe all of this is in the following picture. My wife looked out the back door on Thursday morning at sunrise and grabbed her camera to capture the moment.

That moment is my karate practice, my tai chi chaun, my friendship with all.

The non-verbal experience.