The Importance of Listening

Sometimes, it is more important to listen than to practise. Each practice session is about two hours long. Of course, practice is important. But sometimes, just plain practising is not enough. After all, practice alone will not improve my technique if I do not know what my mistakes are. It is only when I listen to my teacher that I know what are the important details to watch out for when I practise. These details may be simple and small, but they are important since they affect the application of techniques. For example, not turning the forearm enough during peng may mean that I am unable to fully ward off an opponent's attack. Not shifting enough weight to the front leg may result in an ineffective push. These are the little details that a trained eye will be able to pick up and point out. Practice without listening may mean that I reinforce my mistakes even more, continuing to learn the wrong things. By listening, I correct my mistakes and also learn the reasons behind the movements.

By the way, the old Chinese character for listen, ting, is made up of the characters for an ear, ten eyes, and one heart. To listen, it is important to not just use the ear, but to use the eyes, and listening must come from the heart.