Shocking News

I just found out that my teacher, Master Kwek Lee Hwa, passed away back in August 2024. I will probably write a more thought-out post after I sorted out my thoughts and feelings.

External Motivation

We all need motivation to train. Of course, it would be best if we have intrinsic motivation, the desire to want to become better that spurs us to keep practising and practising every day, for hours each day. However, it takes a lot of self-discipline to do so, and that is where external motivation comes in.

To me, external motivation comes in three main forms:

1. One's teacher

2. One's peers

3. One's students (if one is teaching)

For around 10 years, I had been under the tutelage of Master Kwek before I moved to Japan and ended up on my own. During that period, my motivation was to meet the expectations of my teacher. I kept practising so that I became better, which would prompt my teacher to teach me more. The more I practised, the better I became, and the more I was taught.

I also had other students of Master Kwek around me, and I kept practising because I wanted to catch up with those students who had started learning earlier than me, so that I can join in their class and not hold it back. When new students started appearing, I kept practising so that I remain ahead of them and served as an example for them. In this way, having peers (fellow students) served as motivation to keep practising too.

Eventually, I reached a stage where Master Kwek would let me lead his classes. This provided me with a pseudo experience of having my own students. It also made me practise more, because when you are leading a class and teaching others, they expect you to be "correct". Meeting the expectations of the "students" became another motivation for me to keep practising.

Today, I am on my own, without Master Kwek to look at my progress, no peers to compare my progress with, and no students for whom I need to meet their expectations. In a way, I no longer have external motivation to practise, and I seriously feel the impact of this. I no longer practise 2 to 5 hours each day, every day. Instead of practising to become better, my practice has lapsed into a state of repeating the movements so that I don't forget them. I don't feel myself getting better; I fear I have gotten worse. I only hope that I will find something that would trigger greater intrinsic motivation within me to practise more.

Sigh.

陈氏太极散手42式发劲 by 朱天才

I bought this video CD (VCD) a long while ago... it is a set of single practical taiji moves being passed down by master Zhu Tiancai. I thought I would just list down the names of the moves here for archival purposes.

 

 

 

起势

1. 腰拦肘
2. 上挑肘
3. 摘星掌
4. 穿心肘
5. 左背靠
6. 左挒
7. 右背靠
8. 右挒
9. 上掼拳右
10. 外摆拳右
11. 里合拳右
12. 前肩靠右
13. 锁喉
14. 背摔
15. 迎门掌
16. 左採
17. 索摔
18. 撩阴掌
19. 前肩靠左
20. 拦腰掌
21. 连环肘
22. 上掼拳左
23. 外摆拳左
24. 里合拳左
25. 右採
26. 索摔
27. 外摆里摔右
28. 挂肘摔
29. 右臀靠
30. 左棚
31. 左捛摔
32. 外摆里摔左
33. 挂肘摔
34. 左臀靠
35. 右棚
36. 右捛摔
37. 双摆拳
38. 双崩拳
39. 双拳迎门
40. 双按掌
41. 迎门靠
42. 双推掌
收势
 

Hope this list helps people who are looking for such information.

Tracking My Training for 2024

Continuing the practice in 2015, carried on till 2023, I have been tracking my training, and will also do so for 2024.

 

For 2023, I practised:
66 sets of Chen style Old Frame First Routine
66 sets of Yang style 108

108 sets of Sun style taijiquan
(total 240 sets of taijiquan in a year)

 

87 sets of Chen style taijijian

87 sets of Yang style taijijian
(total 174 sets of taijijian in a year)

145 sets of Yang style taijidao

And also many hours of basic exercises and single moves.

Total number of practice hours in 2023: 313.5 hours

Again, for 2023, I have not been keeping my training log... 😅
However, the amount of practice has gone up from 2022.
Still, I want to practise more in 2024!