Comments on: Tai Chi Classmates http://equivocality.com/2008/09/07/tai-chi-classmates/ To be equivocal is to truly live. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:14:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Jeff http://equivocality.com/2008/09/07/tai-chi-classmates/#comment-27379 Jeff Tue, 09 Sep 2008 01:43:40 +0000 http://equivocality.com/?p=1979#comment-27379 It was actually my daily life that has given me the "character building" required to understand the benefits of practicing with less desirable partners. Work especially, where one is stuck with the same people for eight hours — generally as much time as one is awake at home — and many of whom with which I would otherwise conflict. I'm currently thankful that I'm smaller rather than larger, if only for the fact that I can easily tell when I'm cheating with force. I'd probably feel differently in a real confrontation though. It was actually my daily life that has given me the “character building” required to understand the benefits of practicing with less desirable partners. Work especially, where one is stuck with the same people for eight hours — generally as much time as one is awake at home — and many of whom with which I would otherwise conflict.

I’m currently thankful that I’m smaller rather than larger, if only for the fact that I can easily tell when I’m cheating with force. I’d probably feel differently in a real confrontation though.

]]> By: Michael http://equivocality.com/2008/09/07/tai-chi-classmates/#comment-27376 Michael Mon, 08 Sep 2008 16:57:23 +0000 http://equivocality.com/?p=1979#comment-27376 It's important when studying any martial system to train with a variety of partners -- including the ones you don't like training with as much. I've learned a lot over the years from being tossed around, thumped or humiliated by people that I had to train with in a group setting. As long as the person doing it isn't a bully [and it's the supervising teacher's job to make sure that no one is bullied]; working with someone you might not otherwise even talk to in a different setting is "character building" in martial terms. Oh, and learning these lessons can spill into daily life as well so that you get an extra benefit from the training. In martial terms, size and weight do matter -- though the movies often would have us believe otherwise -- and a smaller person has to learn to deal with it in the same way that a larger person has to learn not to rely on any size advantage that the Gods may have given them. It’s important when studying any martial system to train with a variety of partners — including the ones you don’t like training with as much. I’ve learned a lot over the years from being tossed around, thumped or humiliated by people that I had to train with in a group setting.

As long as the person doing it isn’t a bully [and it’s the supervising teacher’s job to make sure that no one is bullied]; working with someone you might not otherwise even talk to in a different setting is “character building” in martial terms. Oh, and learning these lessons can spill into daily life as well so that you get an extra benefit from the training.

In martial terms, size and weight do matter — though the movies often would have us believe otherwise — and a smaller person has to learn to deal with it in the same way that a larger person has to learn not to rely on any size advantage that the Gods may have given them.

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