Friday, February 17, 2012

3 Students Preparing for Their White Sash Test

I'm very pleased to announce that 3 of my Tai Chi students will be testing for there white sashes next week.  They have been training for a little over a year at this point and I'm very proud of them for all their hard work.  I'm also very excited that they are about to take this next step in their training.


Below is a list of all the things they will be tested on and will need to show proficiency in to pass the test:


  • Zhan Zhuang Qi Gong (Standing Like a Tree Qi Gong)
    • Correct movements into posture, correct posture, and correct closing movements as well as an understanding of what you should be focusing on during this Qi Gong
  • 8 Fundamental Stances – Static  (Ji Ben Ba Shi)
    • Able to hold each Stance for 30 seconds 
      • Horse Stance
      • Bow & Arrow Stance
      • Sitting on Crossed Legs Stance
      • Four-Six Stance
      • Tame the Tiger Stance
      • False Stance
      • Rooster Stands on One Leg Stance
      • Squat Stance
  • 5 Stepping Practices – Solo and with a partner
    • Stepping Forward
    • Stepping Backward
    • Stepping to the Left – Inside and Outside
    • Stepping to the Right – Inside and Outside
    • Keeping the Center
  • Yang Tai Chi 24 Postures Form
  • Tai Chi 10 postures Qi Gong
  • Basic Off-Balancing Concepts
    • Explain the concept of the “3rd leg of the triangle”
    • Demonstrate where to lead someone to take them off balance from Horse Stance, Bow & Arrow Stance, and Four-Six Stance
  • Correct Wushu Salute and Its Meaning


Many of these things may sound very simple when just reading the titles, but each section of this test requires a great deal of attention to detail.  There is a reason it has taken these students a year to prepare for this test, but all their hard work has definitely earned them the right to take part in this examination of skills.  :)


Stay tuned for pictures and updates from the test and the ceremony.  :) 

4 comments:

Kelvin Ho said...

I am not used to any grading system. Which organization sets the standard for different sashes that you are using? By the way, your taiji blog and my taiji blog happen to have the same background :)

Andrew Plitt said...

Hello Kelvin, Thank you for your comment. I had a chance to look at your blog a bit today and I thoroughly enjoyed it. :) Very cool blog.

As far as the grading system is concerned there is a very good reason you are not used to one....that is because traditionally in Tai Chi, as I'm sure you know, there isn't a sash grading system.

The sash ranking system I am using is one that I am developing to help my students keep track of their progress and to provide structure to their learning. As an instructor I have found that students are much more focused in their training when they have a goal to strive for as opposed to just coming to class.

Also, many Tai Chi classes I have been exposed to don't seem to have a very obvious structure in their curriculum and I want my students to have a clearly set direction that they can focus on during their training.

I just put up a new page with the first three sash requirements and the requirements for the later sashes will be posted in the near future. :) I hope that answers your question, but if not, please don't hesitate to write more. :)

Kelvin Ho said...

Thanks. We also have a facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/practical.method.toronto/.

Andrew Plitt said...

Very cool! Thanks for the heads up. :)