SLOW AND FAST

There are many different tools we can use to help us work on our Tai Chi, but today I want to focus on just two: moving very slowly or very quickly through the sets - two tools which are extremely valuable in helping us to diagnose weaknesses in our form.

SLOW:
Moving slowly through the form helps to point out weaknesses in posture and technique. Often during Tai Chi, when we experience an uncomfortable or unstable position, we subconsciously speed up in order to "get through" it. By resisting this urge, and slowing down it's as if we're focusing a spotlight on these problem areas. Our extremely slow movements will allow us to "listen" to our balance, and feel the exact moments that it starts to falter, and by making slight adjustments, and through repeated drilling, we will eventually create stability in even the most difficult of movements.

FAST:
Doing the form quickly helps us to feel the flow of the movements more clearly, seeing how the energy of one movement evolves into the next. When doing this exercise, we're looking for two things: 1) places where movements start to "collapse" losing their richness, and 2) places where we pause, hesitate, or stop, (losing the flow).

Our normal Tai Chi pace allows us time to remember what is coming next, or to "feel" our way through difficult movements. This exercise removes this crutch. Weaknesses in knowledge will manifest themselves as pauses.

Another cause for pauses is that we learn the sets in sections and sometimes subconsciously think of pauses as happening between these sections. In slow movement, these pauses will barely be noticeable. In fast movement, they become quickly apparent when our flow suddenly grinds to a halt.

Fast and Slow are both diagnostic tools. They help us to see where the weaknesses are. But the cure for the ills of form is always the same: drilling, drilling, drilling. Once we know what the problem is, the answer is to work on those parts again and again until the problem disappears. It may not happen the first time, or even the tenth time, but with patience and repetition, your form will develop a deeper richness, integrity, and flow.