I have had more time available for training during the COVID crisis and I have actually used it well. In general, my physical training modulates between strength training, Taiji-Qigong, and yoga. However, during the last 4-5 weeks I have focused more on strength training than I have in the past. So, obviously if I increase one thing something else will suffer. In this recent case that something has been my Taijiquan. I have stayed constant with my meditation and Qigong, but I have not put as much effort into Taiji form as I increased time spent on strength training--and it's starting to show. My Taiji feels clunky and double-weighted.
I'm not really worried per se. This is more observation than concern. I don't feel like I've lost something I may never retrieve. It's flow, and I'm basically not flowing as well as I can right now. But it's with good reason. This is in a way a confirmation of the importance of consistent focused training. And I can consider myself at a crossroads of sorts. If I continue my current trajectory I will gain more physical strength but compromise on agility and flow. Or, I can pickup my Taiji training and reduce my strength training back to a level consistent with where it has been for several years now. If I do that I will get back into the Taiji groove and continue my progress there, but won't likely see the gains in strength and muscle growth that I would get otherwise. I have to say in terms of overall fitness (fitness only), I'm not sure it matters much. However, I value my Taiji training and I know there is more to the practice than meets the eye.
I feel certain I will adjust my training schedule to allow for a balance that is more in keeping with my temperament and overall goals. Strength training is important for everyone. I just turned sixty this year, so it is especially important for me now. And I'm not going to scrap it. I'm just going to rearrange so that the balance is more like it has been for some time now. To that end, the benefits of Taiji are far more than strength, flow, and/or flexibility. Taijiquan, at least the way I have been trained and now practice is a holistic art that basically captures and nurtures what it means to live a full life. In short, if my Taiji is off, everything is off. And we just can't have that.
I'm not really worried per se. This is more observation than concern. I don't feel like I've lost something I may never retrieve. It's flow, and I'm basically not flowing as well as I can right now. But it's with good reason. This is in a way a confirmation of the importance of consistent focused training. And I can consider myself at a crossroads of sorts. If I continue my current trajectory I will gain more physical strength but compromise on agility and flow. Or, I can pickup my Taiji training and reduce my strength training back to a level consistent with where it has been for several years now. If I do that I will get back into the Taiji groove and continue my progress there, but won't likely see the gains in strength and muscle growth that I would get otherwise. I have to say in terms of overall fitness (fitness only), I'm not sure it matters much. However, I value my Taiji training and I know there is more to the practice than meets the eye.
I feel certain I will adjust my training schedule to allow for a balance that is more in keeping with my temperament and overall goals. Strength training is important for everyone. I just turned sixty this year, so it is especially important for me now. And I'm not going to scrap it. I'm just going to rearrange so that the balance is more like it has been for some time now. To that end, the benefits of Taiji are far more than strength, flow, and/or flexibility. Taijiquan, at least the way I have been trained and now practice is a holistic art that basically captures and nurtures what it means to live a full life. In short, if my Taiji is off, everything is off. And we just can't have that.
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