Thursday, March 4, 2010

Goals and aims in training

In order to get the best from Tai Chi training, or from anything else in life, you have to have a clear idea of what it is you are trying to accomplish with your training. In the beginning of your training you may have a simple overarching goal like "I want to learn a Tai Chi form" or "I'd like to improve my health," or perhaps "I'd like to lose some weight." These are good general goals to have but they are the kinds of vague goals we set all the time. The biggest problem with them is that they lack specificity. They are general ideas not concrete destinations.

A goal has to be achievable in order to be useful. Learning a Tai Chi form has an end but learning the form is not an easy thing as anyone who has been to a Tai Chi class for more than five minutes will tell you. So in the beginning I try to give my students a very simple goal. They will learn one new movement per week. This enables them to have a concrete gain at the end of each class session. A good teacher strives to help you with your goals but the process is helped immeasurably by your consciously setting and discussing goals with your teacher. Then the two of you can work in tandem to accomplish whatever it is you want to accomplish.

So the next time you consider starting anything, or setting a goal for yourself please take the general idea and get into specifics. Be specific about what you want and you will find yourself getting it far more often.

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