From the May 2020 edition of our free Tai Chi newsletter.
Two weeks ago, I asked for your best tips and tricks on home Tai Chi practice. Here are some of your wonderful answers…
Jeff said:
I am a beginner, so I am still challenged to remember the sequence and moves in each section. So, I used my VoiceMemo app on my phone to record speaking each move. Then I play it back wearing AirPods. Advantages are that I can record at different rates and also create recordings for each section or all 3 combined. The phone also has links to videos showing the moves.
Anna said:
What I’ve been doing so far is going through the Fu Shengyuan videos at slow speed, and looping each move over and over, trying to focus on the details, until I feel like I’ve got the move down… Here are a few Chrome extensions I’ve been using:
- Video speed controller: Lets you slow down, speed up, advance, and rewind videos with keyboard shortcut, though the slowing down to somewhere between 40% and 70% is what I’ve found most applicable to Tai Chi.
- Looper for YouTube: Lets you loop specific portions of YouTube videos. This is especially handy when coupled with the video speed controller and slowing down videos.
- YouTube Video Flipper: Creates a mirror image of the YouTube clip, so that you don’t have to do as much mental work on the fly to remap left to right. I’ve found it super useful for clips like Grasp the Bird’s Tail.
I hope and believe that our organized group classes will restart later this year, with the support of city and state government.
In the meantime, I encourage you to remember and practice what you have already learned in class—for all its many benefits, and as a foundation for future learning.