We have a saying at Clear Tai Chi: Build skill, not score.
We play a lot of different games with the intention of building practical fighting ability. Sticky hands, push hands, and sparring are just a few.
The problem with playing a game is that often the players can get fixated on scoring points in the game, like moving your opponent in push hands. This is missing the whole point of why you play the game. So why do you play?
To build skill.
What kind of skill depends on the game, but this is why you play. You don’t play push hands to move your opponent. You play push hands to develop internal skill. Sound contradictory? Welcome to internal martial arts.
If you focus on building your score in the moment, you will typically do “whatever it takes” to win. Try it if you like, but it is doubtful you will develop serious skill anytime soon with that approach.
So how do you build skill? Take your time. Lose. Evaluate your loss. What happened? What can you learn right now as you are losing? When you take your time, you open your eyes. You see things you wouldn’t normally see. Then, the most amazing thing happens…
You grow.
Build skill, not score.
The key is to understand exactly what the purpose of each game is. Which specific skills are you building?
What are the benchmarks you’re using to measure progress?
How are you spotting errors and correcting them?
In Clear Tai Chi Level 1 you don’t just learn games, you’ll learn exactly how they are used to train all the level 1 skills.
Join now for only $5.
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