Same Form, Different Day

One of the challenges of teaching the Daoist martial arts is that your students necessarily go through a phase of structure rather than expression, and you have to join them there. Let me explain.

In order to learn a form, for example, you must first learn the form exactly. "Put your foot exactly here, and your arm exactly here," and so forth. The problem is, the Daoist martial arts are about personal exploration and expression. At some point, you have to let go of the mechanics and explore the intent. From this point on, your form will never be exactly the same each time you perform it.

As a teacher, I'm constantly forced to do the form mechanically so as not to confuse my students. Occasionally, I will have a student who "gets it" and I can explore the form with them. With my other students, I have to constantly repeat the form exactly, or they will become confused.

One of the best things a teacher can develop is "senior students." They can teach the basics for you, and you can show up later to develop the more interesting stuff.