Some recent pictures

It's been a while since I have made time to sort photos for here, apologies. A new phone which doesn't like speaking to my laptop has made it a bit more difficult, but crossed fingers, that's solved. So here are a few nice shots from January. 

4 waist turn single pushing hands at Mark's Tuesday class, 

Charles and Richard practising 'bees knees'.

Wednesday morning beginners class at 

Tooting Bec Lido Pavilion, sticking practice. 

New crew joined old hands for the Dance. Congratulations on the long Form group 

on starting this wonderful aspect of T'ai Chi study, first posture already looking good. 

I got out during the last non-gale force winds moment of sunshine for a bit of staff practice. 

Oversized woolly hat is essential, obviously. 

London class news, Aberdeenshire and calendars

London Classes with Mark have resumed this week. We go through until Easter. Holiday dates TBC. I will post all the workshop dates on this blog in February.

Thanks to all for a great weekend, Wishing Alistair a speedy recovery too. There are a couple of nice pics form the weekend and I will add them on Thursday when I empty my phone.

Sorry for the duplicate picture in March and August in the calendar this year. I will print the one that was meant to be there and hand it round soon :)

Thought it was all checked and perfect, but print websites move in mysterious ways. Never mind, it's a lovely photo anyway, and as someone said this weekend, they'll have forgotten the march one by August...

If anyone in London wants to meet up and do staff partnerwork with me, get in touch. I have room here.

November Aberdeenshire workshops

Aberdeenshire workshops with Caroline are this weekend, 9-11th November.
The Weapons session is at Fetternear Hall, all other workshops are at Balvack. Great River students of any level are particularly welcome to the Saturday sessions.

Friday 6:30-9:30pm: Weapons
Saturday 1-4pm: Short Form, and related study
Saturday 5:30-8:30pm: Partnerwork
Sunday 1-4pm: Long Form
Sunday 5.30-8.30pm: Advanced Studies and Dance

The price is £18 (concessions £12) per 3 hr session. Please bring food to share on Saturday and Sunday. Get in touch with your instructor if you need travel directions or feel free to contact me with any other questions.

Staff workshop in London postponed

The planned staff workshop on Sunday 24th September has been postponed as Mark now has to go away that weekend. As soon as we have a new date I will post it here.

See you at class tonight!

Staff session

Thanks to Mark for a great session on a  hot sunny day by The Thames. Well done new Staff folks who stormed the whole form. Next date TBC.

Staff workshop this Sunday 5th July

All students of The T'ai Chi Centre and Great River are welcome 2-5pm outdoors near Hampton Court at usual riverside venue, contact for details if you haven't been before. Cost £22, tea provided, spare staffs available. We will look at Form and Partnerwork, all great fun. Students of other chools who would like to study staff with is, please get in contact for eligibility.

June Staff Workshop

All Great River and The T'ai Chi Centre students are welcome to come along to learn Staff on Sunday 5th June near Hampton Court at our usual outdoor venue. Class runs 2-5pm and costs £22. Get in touch for details. We have some staffs to loan.

Staff yesterday

... Was particularly good fun and productive. Well done to new staffers for finishing the form in one session! I have ordered 3 rattan staffs for those who wanted them from Playwell.co.uk, they should arrive in the next couple of days and cost 17.50 each, which includes the postage. I will make bags for them within the fortnight (I will be away for a week from Wednesday). I have also ordered a red oak staff for David as his old one went missing. They look very nice.

Staff workshop

... is tomorrow Sunday 25th October, 2pm St Mary Magdalene Church Hall, Trinity Rd.

Staff Workshop this weekend 25th October

All GR and TCC students are welcome to the last Sunday session of the year which will be Staff - Form and Partnerwork. This is immensely good fun and we have a big hall to work in: St Mary Magdalene Church Hall, Trinity Rd, SW17 7HP. Class will run 2-5pm, cost is £20, tea is provided. There are plenty of spare staffs, but bring yours if you have one. Remember, staffs and other T'ai Chi weapons, even if made of wood or rattan, must be fully covered with a case or cloth or similar,  to be legally transported in public.

 

The workshop will only take place if 6 or more folks sign up as definite in advance, as the hall has a high hourly rate. Please let Caro or Mark know by Thursday evening if you plan to come along. Confirmation will be posted here.

Staff workshop

... With Mark at St Mary Magdalene Church Hall, Sunday 31st May 2-5pm. All students welcome, cost £20.

Staff session this Sunday in London

Usual venue and price, 2-5pm. all TCC and GR students are welcome. It will be the last Sunday workshop for a while, so do come along.

Staff session on Sunday

Thanks to all who came. We really worked hard on new partnerwork changes- great fun.

Thanks

...to Mark for wonderful teaching and to all who came over the weekend for the 8th Annual Aberdeenshire October 3 day Workshop. It was busy, full of great folks, good work and delicious food. Many thanks again to Davina for all her organising and to everyone for their good energy and enthusiasm.

last night, working on the 'three timings.'

Staff: four jabs

delicious food!

connecting hands

Fetternear sun-seekers

Power and Staff workshops

Thanks to Mark for a great Power workshop. The next one of those will be on 1st December.

Posture testing during the session.

On 14th July we have a Staff workshop, the last of the term before the Summer Intensive and our August break. Please join us.

Staff workshop this Sunday

... will take place at St Mary Magdalene Church Hall, Trinty Road, Wandsworth, from 2-5pm as usual. All GR and TCC students are welcome. The session costs £20, (concessions are available by arrangement with Mark.)

This is the first of the regular monthly sessions for 2013, see you there!

Staff Workshop

The workshop was wonderful, thanks to Mark for a great session, and to all who came along.
It was held at St Mary Magdalene Church Hall, Trinity Rd, Wandsworth Common, 2-5pm, £20. The next one will be in the New Year.

Staff workshop - Jubilee weekend changes

There will now not be a Staff Workshop on Sunday 3rd June as it's the double bank holiday weekend, and many folks will be away. I have found only 1 other possible date to replace this at the usual hall, which would be the week we come back to classes, so Sunday 9th September, which has now been confirmed. Please update your purple flyers!

Staff workshop

...was last Sunday at St Mary Magdalene Church Hall, Trinity Rd, Tooting, 1-4pm, £15. It was great! New date for the next one soon...

4 jabs exercise

Training keeping at a constant distance whilst stepping.

Get your workshops here...

My week has been busy, but full of lovely things like T'ai Chi, so no complaints, however, it's why I haven't had time to blog, which I will remedy over the next day or so.

The Usual Swordspects

Sword: Yesterday we had the first session of the senior sword group, and I finished learning the sword form postures, which was great. Thanks to Mark for a wonderful workshop. I will be focusing on teaching sword at Aberdeenshire and Hackney so that more folks are eligible to come along to the planned senior sword workshop in about 6 or 7 weeks time where we will work on applications, partnerwork and refining the postures. There will also be another sword group, for those who only recently started sword with Mark, but this is not for total beginners newly starting the form. The cost will be approximately £15-20. If you've always wanted to have a go at sword, and would like to join this group, book a 121 with Mark or myself to get started so you can join in. I will book a hall for this group for about 2 months' time, if possible, and let folks know as soon as I can. I have filmed Mark to the end of the sword form, and will Yousendit it to all studying it later today. If you don't receive it, but would like it, get in touch.
Heartwork: There will be a Heartwork session at our usual workshop hall venue on 1st April 2-5pm. This will focus on Heartwork exchanges, (partnerwork), and is open to all those who have done some of this at Mark's workshops, last year's Intensive, or with John Kells. David is cat-herding this one, so speak to him if you are interested. The cost will be approximately £15-20. This is not suitable for those who have not done Heartwork partnerwork before, as we will be jumping straight in, so to speak, so some experience is necessary. The Summer workshop will include an introduction to this for those who want to join in for future sessions.
Staff: The staff workshop last weekend was great. I will book the hall and try to get another date for about 6 week's time. anyone needing video resources, get in touch with me. The cost will be approximately £15-20.

Last night I went along with Marli and David to The 1595 for a spot of European Renaissance martial arts. It was a great session, Chris the instructor was delightful, and the 2 hours of unarmed stepping partnerwork whizzed by. I really enjoyed it and will return again in 4 weeks time after my next teaching commitments are over, as sessions are only on Saturday evenings. The principles are clear and excellent, and everything is different enough from our T'ai Chi that I feel I could safely train in this for the enjoyment of it without messing things up for myself in terms of movement, memory or risking undermining any softness I now finally have... Also a novelty, we went down the pub afterwards, which certainly seems to be a historically accurate endeavour after a spot of English pugilism.