After a brief welcome by Sigong we split in groups for the questions part which covering so much, from taijiquan history and theory to practical knowledge of how to run a class and be a good sifu. This is so good as it helps us clear our knowledge of the skill and it also sheds light to aspects of the skill that we can use in our practice. After that we all had time to practice together and polish our forms. This year Sigong had introduced the Shun and Ni Chan Si Jin early in the syllabus and this is going to be so useful especially for new students. Seeing Sigong masterfully jump from form to form and demonstrating the various parts and answering many questions is really impressive and so useful. Then the breakout rooms were open and we could all move from group to group depending which skill we wanted to polish first; there in each breakout room a senior student would lead each polishing session.
Questions, Polishing, then some more practice and in the end testing, offers a great opportunity for reassessing our Chen taijiquan path. Polishing and seeing the level of detail of Sigong’s and seniors corrections and comments should be an inspiration for us and then we can try to bring those corrections in practice. Chen taijiquan is very deep and every time you think you reached a good level, along comes a session of polishing revealing another height to be reached and so on. A spiral ascent to the summit, this is taijiquan. And it is a long journey so we better relax, straighten our posture, make our upper body relaxed and our lower body strong, move from the waist do some fajing and most of all have fun and enjoy it. As says the poem Sigong has been commenting on lately “Liàn quán wàn biàn shén lǐ zì xiàn”, that we need to keep practicing regularly and after long practice then one day it is revealed to us; the spirit and the theory are shown to us after our diligent practice. Then we take a deep breath and we practice some more.
by Michalis Akritopoulos
Student Comments
So incredibly grateful to have been able to attend the course this weekend. I feel lucky that the course was this particular weekend as it’s the first weekend after having had a procedure and I’m having to adapt the difficulty of my movements as a result. We all have physical setbacks from time to time and yet there’s always a way to continue practice if the mind and heart are together. The instructor course is such a great space to be able to double check that the way I am adapting my movement is correct and what to be mindful of. It’s like forging a sword, breaking a form/movement down in variety of ways and rebuilding it time and time again. Each time making it stronger. Being with so many seniors in a large group for the weekend also means there’s more collective, strong energy from going forward together.
I also noticed how my energy really came up even while being tested, and I could do deeper stances and a little bit of speed and it was ok.
These are some of the reasons why I love our skills- they really work!!! And with the right guidance and diligence, they can be adapted to help anyone no matter their situation. I can definitely attest to that!
Thank you Sigong, Siba, Sifu and all the seniors helping to organise and polish. Really loved spending the time with you and look forward to seeing you again soon!
Kay
Fantastic course, lots of new things to learn. Thanks to Sifu, Sihing and all the testers and posters for their hard work. I learnt a lot.
Peter Dickinson
The course is always interesting whether online or in person. This course was particularly interesting with the addition of the Chan Si Jin to the syllabus. It’s such a good experience to work through it with everyone and to see people you’ve not seen for a while too. Thank you so much to Sigong, Sifu and all the testers and polishers for a great weekend.
Malachy
Thank you to Sigong and Sifu for organising this year’s Taijiquan Instructors course. There is always so much to learn it is fantastic to have the chance to see Sigong’s forms and get polishing from senior students. I always come away invigorated to study harder to try to reach a higher level. As always it is good to see brothers and sisters from otherclasses and to have the chance to train together. Looking forward to next year already.
Gareth Price
It was such a shame when we found out we would not be in person so I was excited when my Sifu suggested we come to do the course at his house! Sigong got through a lot of material in the polishing and there was a lot to see and take in. Polishing was great as well, we did a lot of breaking down the tui shou and 8 Jing in the polishing room. Thanks Sigong for being able to fall back to online and give us a great course!
Lee B
A great Chen Instructor course, every time there is another level to think about and practise. The Chan Si Jin exercises add a whole new dimension to teaching the forms and really make you think about whether you are really applying the principles or not. The instructor courses always help to go deeper into the skill. Thank you Sifu and thank you to everyone involved in the organisation, it was a very smooth course.
Peter A
It was great to do the Chen Instructor course again this weekend! Every year small details and nuances of the forms become apparent through Sigong’s demonstration and the questions and polishing. By going over the questions, we also deepen our understanding of the skill and how we should teach. A big thank you to Sigong, Darryl Siba, and all the testers and polishers. Looking forward to next year.
Best, Tom Hogg.
Thank you Sigong for another brilliant instructor course. Lots to think about and remember, with so many aspects of theory and practice coming together to deepen knowledge and understanding of the movements.
Oliver
I was a bit disappointed when the instructor course was moved to online only but it was still a great event. Lots of comments and things to work on to improve my knowledge and skill. It’s tough to hear I got so many things wrong but it’s the only way to improve.
Marco
Great Chen instructor course, was really interesting with the varied questions and learning in more depth about the Chan Si Jin. Always good to see Sigong demonstrate all the forms, always pick up something new. Was good to see everyone on the course. Thank you Sigong for keeping on developing us.
Christine
Great course.
Interesting to have the Chan Si Jin as part of the syllabus. I enjoyed hosting the polishing room and helping people out or just catching up.
Thank you to all the seniors and Sigong for making this course happen.
Paul Hogg
A really wonderful 2025 Chen Tai chi instructor course. I really felt like I have been re- inspired for another year of tai chi practice. The balance of thought provoking theory questions and form practice and testing was perfect.
Each tester pulled out another layer of tai chi form clarification that has given me food to practice on for the coming months.
Many thanks to Sigong and Taisigong for enabling this amazing event to happen.
Daniel
I am very happy that every year I can immerse myself more in the Chen Taijiquan skill with all senior students and fellow colleagues. This year I learned a lot as well and have made that knowledge deeper. Thank you Sifu, Sihing and all fellow students and testers for a great course and for coming together to improve the knowledge and the skill.
Radu