Students interested in
the Chu Tai Chi Teacher Certification program should stop by the Chu
Tai Chi office to review the requirements and talk to Master C.K. Chu
about joining the program.
Frequently
Asked Questions About the Chu Tai Chi Teacher Certification
Program
Q: What is the Chu Tai Chi
Teacher Certification program?
A: In
an effort to make transparent the necessary
requirements for a teacher of tai chi, Chu Tai Chi has established a
teacher-training program based on the standards and best practices
developed by Master C.K. Chu. This program offers teaching certificates
to those students who fulfill certain criteria and demonstrate a
correct knowledge of the art and science of tai chi. There are four
certificates that build on each other, in the same way a
master’s degree follows a bachelor’s degree.
Q: What are the four teacher certificates?
A: The
four certificates are:
•
Eternal
Spring Teacher Certificate
focuses on chi kung but the
student must also begin studying the tai
chi form, Taoist meditation, and nei
kung.
• Nei Kung
Teacher Certificate emphasizes the study of nei kung but requires the student
to becomes more proficient in chi
kung, nei kung,
meditation, and the tai
chi form. In addition, the student will begin to learn push-hands and
the Flute form.
• Tai Chi for
Health Teacher Certificate
the student continues to build proficiency
in the above areas with emphasis on the tai chi fast form. Also, the
student will begin to study fighting applications, philosophy,
meditation, and
weapons.
• Master of Tai
Chi training encompasses the entire Chu Tai Chi curriculum but
emphasizes tournament fighting applications, sparring, and San Shou.
Q: What is the purpose of the certification program?
A:
There are several purposes to the certification
program. These include:
-
Encouraging students to learn and practice the full curriculum of Chu
Tai Chi (Eternal Spring, Tai
Chi, Nei Kung, and
Meditation).
- Instilling in the student a thorough
understanding of tai chi by
using the Chu Tai Chi system. Students will learn to teach using Master
Chu’s unique system, which uses move counts, correct weight
distribution, specialized terminology (tuck-in, see-saw, etc.), to help
the student in very specific ways.
- Helping the student learn how to
articulate these principles to their
own students in a confident manner.
Q: What kind of tests determine certification?
A:
Each certification has its own testing procedure
to ensure a student’s competency. The basic tests are the
same that have been used for several decades at Chu Tai Chi. The Tai
Chi and the Nei Kung
tests each have ten levels that reflect the sudent's performance during
the test (based on point totals awarded for performance).
Each certification requires
passage of a particular level. To be a teacher of Eternal Spring, for example,
requires passage of the written Eternal
Spring test and acheivements of level 4 on the Nei Kung Test and level 3 on the
Tai Chi Test.
The details of these tests are posted in the Chu Tai Chi office. In
addition, Master Chu reviews each student's teaching ability.
Q: How do the certificates relate to each other?
A: The
purpose of the program is to provide a more
rigorous training program for the student pursuing tai chi in a modern
format modeled on the university system. Accordingly, students begin
with chi kung training and
advance through nei kung
and the tai chi form to
fighting. Each teaching certificate is designed to reflect that
progression. Thus, the first certificate is like a bachelor’s
degree, the second a masters and so on to post-graduate study. For
example, even if you want to just get the certificate of Tai Chi for Health
Teacher Certificate, for example, you will need to
complete all the
requirements of the first two certificates.
Q: What can be done with a teaching certificate from Chu Tai Chi?
A:
Certification from Chu Tai Chi works like any
other degree or license. It says to the general public that the person
bearing the certificate has studied long and hard to receive a
school’s recognition of their ability to teach a skill.
Today, where there are many schools offering certificates after a
weekend seminar or, even, after a certain number of hours spent online,
the Chu Tai Chi certificate says a student has actually done the work
necessary to master tai chi. With certification, students can offer
classes in their area of mastery as follows:
| Certificate |
Permitted to Teach |
| Eternal
Spring Teacher Certificate |
Eternal
Spring |
|
Chi Kung
Nei Kung Teacher Certificate |
All the above plus Nei Kung. |
| Tai
Chi for Health Teacher Certificate |
All the above plus tai chi
form,
push-hands, and some weapons. |
| Master
of Tai Chi |
The entire Chu Tai Chi
curriculum, especially fast tai chi form, San Shou, and fighting. |
With certification, you can teach the Chu Tai Chi system in any martial
arts association, health club, or you may even open your own school.
You can use these opportuntieis to make money or as an additional
income. If you are a physcial therapist, doctor, acupuncturist, or any
health care professional, you could teach tai chi, chi kung, nei kung,
or meditation as an important supplement to your normal services.
Teaching tai chi is also a great way of giving back to the community by
volunteering in senior centers and nursing homes.
Q: What is the relationship between learning tai chi and teaching tai
chi?
A:
Teaching is essential to the learning process. As with teaching any
subject, teaching tai chi demands correct demonstration and
verbalization of central concepts. Through many repetitions of
these demonstrations
and verbalizations, tai chi principles are internalized as the frequent
practice improves your skill. With greater understanding and skill
come
more enjoyment and more benefit from tai chi.
Q: How long will it take to get certified?
A: The
length of time it takes for a student to receive certification
depends largely on how long the student has been a student at Chu Tai
Chi, their level of skill, and, as with any course of study, their
ability to attend class and practice at home. For example, an average
beginner will take approximately three years to fulfill the
requirements for the Eternal Spring
program (assuming minimum class
attendance rate of twice per week). To earn certification for nei kung
may take an additional year or two. Gaining a certificate to teach tai
chi could take another couple of years on top of that and so on. On the
other hand, a current Chu Tai Chi student who has been studying for a
while and has taken more classes will fulfill the requirements more
quickly.
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