Optimal Tai Chi Chuan and Qigong Teaching Paperback – January 22, 2015

Will never buy books from Martin again. Bought 2 together (Tai Chi Chuan in the History of Chinese Martial And Optimal Tai Chi Chuan and Qigong Teaching.), both are utterly disappointing. Certain pattern emerged. Extremely short (and pricy relative to the content), lacking substance. While the first one makes a feeble attempt to connect with historical facts the other one ... you can substitute Tai Chi word in a book with Salsa, Badminton or Soccer and it would still work just fine. NOT a guide on Tai Chi teaching. If you are looking for a generic pedagogic guide (and a very short one lacking substance) you've got a winner. If you are looking to for Tai Chi teaching guidance, there are plenty of better books.

At first glance this book might simply be overlooked because of its short length and plain simple design. However the old adage, "never judge a book by its cover", never rang truer in this instance.Tai Chi teachers Martin Boedicker and his late wife Freya have brought forth a treasure chest worth of Tai Chi and Qigong teaching insights which center on their life long commitment and experience conducting classes in the traditional art of Wu style Tai Chi and Qigong . The book does not focus on fighting techniques, postural sequences and stance alignment but nonetheless should be read by both the experienced instructor and, more importantly, by those students who are just starting out in a Tai Chi class.Why the beginners?Having taught Tai Chi over the last 20 years, a strange phenomenon often occurs among beginners. Within a month or two of instruction they often announce they want to start and teach their own Tai Chi classes. Understandably, they have become intensely enamored with and mesmerized by the novelty and beauty of the practice and want to share it with the world. And although they may be vaguely aware of their depth and level or lack of skill possessed, they nonetheless optimistically are sure they can do it with another month or two of instruction.But even after achieving some level of skill, they are often unaware of the difficulties in organizing a class and effectively delivering instructional material. This is where Optimal Tai Chi Chuan and Qigong Teaching fills the gap.Martin and his late wife Freya share, with the reader, a number of insights regarding the types of students attracted to the classes i.e. those who simply want the practice for health, those who want the practice for martial art skills, and those who may want both. Commentary on instructional and educational principles are addressed along with a number of other "classroom issues" such as how to organize and conduct the class.However, the book is definitely not a textbook. Academic readings, principles and jargon often lead to a rather "dry" and boring read and you won't find it here. Rather the style of writing is conversational, engaging and user friendly. Their writing has a depth of intimacy such that it felt as though these authors were personal friends and we were connected by our shared experiences of organizing and teaching Tai Chi classes.If I had my druthers regarding the title, I would have labeled the book as a compendium of personal notes regarding the teaching and practice of Tai Chi for a living.Don't pass this book up. Its price makes it a real bargain and I hope beginners, who desire to eventually teach, will profit from the experiences and suggestions of Martin and his wife, the late Freya.I look forward to his next set of writings and hope they come to the market sooner rather than later.

The art of teaching is often overlooked. For a deep transmission of knowledge to take place one needs a few ingredients: a teacher that has a thorough understanding of the system, a student that is talented, bright and hard working, and a way to get the knowledge and skills from the one to the other. Tai Chi Chuan is a subtle and complex martial art that is not easily grasped. This is a small book by an authoritative and thoughtful practioner that studied for a long time with one of Tai Chi's Grandmasters. A very interesting read.

Five stars

Outstanding insights by a highly regarded teacher and disciple of Ma Jiangbao...A great privelege to have had teaching from both Martin and the late Freya Boedicker...A real gem for any and all Tai Chi Teachers and serious students alike ..well done keep up the good work

Nothing worth remembering or using. I am a Tai Chi teacher but learned absolutely nothing new from this book. It was very discouraging and a waste of my precious dollars.

In this small booklet, which is very simple to read and quite short, are contained MANY important lessons. These lessons are mostly relevant for people who teach martial arts, and though the booklet was written by a Tai Chi teacher, any martial artist would benefit from reading it (!). It is a book about teaching pedagogy, as relevant to the martial arts - something the majority of martial arts instructors do not learn in an orderly fashion.What this book teaches the reader is how to pay attention to the wants and needs of the beginner student, whoever he or she might be. By the time we become teachers ourselves, we have usually drifted away from many of these, and have forgotten some altogether. This is of great value for augmenting and improving one's teaching, and even for marketing purposes. I have personally used the concept and ideas outlined in this booklet to improve the way in which I describe my arts to newcomers and on my website.Most importantly the author, who is a teacher himself of course, ask you, a fellow teacher, some very tough questions on the nature of what you teach, and how you choose to do it. This booklet forces you to tackle aspects of your teachings which you may have neglected, perhaps not purposely, but often because you wanted to avoid them. These kinds of harsh yet important reminders is something that the teacher is unlikely to get from anywhere else, apart from bitter experience.Though the booklet is a very quick read overall, it took me much longer than expected, because I had to sit down and think matters through every 2-3 pages. The book really grabs your core conceptions of what you do and gives you a friendly shaking so you can re-sort them in your mind.For one who is open to receive sound and very helpful advice on teaching, whose cup is not full, this book will prove a most useful and honest addition to his library.Jonathan BluesteinAuthor of best-seller Research of Martial ArtsHead of Tianjin Martial Arts Academy

This book is a must for every tai chi or Qigong teacher. It could also be useful to other martial arts teachers, in fact I'm sure teachers of any subject would benefit. I have been teaching tai chi for 30 years and this book has made me reflect on how I am doing this, I'm sure it will inspire me to make changes for the better in my teaching practice.

A superb book essential for any martial arts teacher.