Peasant Talk: Class vs Lesson — Notes Are Important… Stupid

“In this series of articles, I delve into the old pile of handwritten notes that I took down during my training with Chang. Mainly to preserve such treasures but also to get the good information out about Tai Chi.”

Erle Montaigue Conversations with Chang Yiu-chun

“I learned Taiji Boxing from Yang Chengfu of Yongnian County for eight years. Since I am not clever, I enjoyed asking him about things when I was uncertain, and he, sparing no effort, patiently instructed me. During this time, he traveled south, and so I then learned from [his elder brother] Yang Shaohou for several months, absorbing much from his own theories… I have used what I have learned from the explanations of both gentlemen and made it into a number of question & answer segments, grouped into sections, merely to contribute to those who are intent upon Taiji. What I do not know, I have not dared to talk about.”

Chen Weiming Taiji Da Wen — Answering Questions on Taiji

“… this book is based only on what Professor Chen heard in his teacher’s classes. The questions are his own personal questions.”

Benjamin Pang Jang Lo

“The earlier version was likely an assemblage of observations and notes collected over time from Yang Chengfu’s teaching sessions. These “class notes” were then distilled into Dong’s terse, semiclassical style of writing.”

Louis Swaim Essence and Applications of Taijiquan Originally published1934; translated by Louis Swaim 2005

My cherished notes from my training with Erle from 1999 until his passing in January 2011.

There is a vast difference between students attending a class and those attending or paying attention to the lesson! In all my years as a student — in school, college or even in the dojo — it has always been the same.

Whilst the class may be full, not everyone is attending to or necessarily paying attention to the lesson, or even getting it. This is a simple fact of life. Further, even those who are paying attention will, again, not necessarily absorb it in its entirety. We are different. We understand and develop differently and we don’t all develop at the same rate. These are also simple facts of life as is the fact that, a poor student who does not pay attention and fails — will blame the teacher!

No less an authority than Yang Cheng-fu, himself, laments in ‘his’ book, ‘Taijiquan Shiyong Fa’ [Methods of Applying Taiji Boxing], co-authored by his student, Dong Yingjie:

Above: Watching Erle… circa 2010 Bottom corner: Notes on neurological shutdowns from 1999

“Yang Chengfu will teach boxing to anyone and teaches everyone the same. So why do some turn out better than others? Because everyone has a different nature, a different degree of intelligence, a different capacity to understand the principles. Also because Taiji theory is rather deep and takes more than one lesson to grasp. Since progress is a step-by-step process, Yang teaches in a step-by-step manner. If you only go halfway and quit before learning the essence of it, to proclaim that the teacher does not have the real stuff is truly an absurd assertion. If you put hardly any time or work into it and then demand it pay off with glittering results, you simply do not understand. By gradually and continuously advancing in your learning, there will not be a notion of neglect in the teaching.”

My teacher, Erle, would often say:

“Class is for learning not for training! You train at home in your own time. In class, you come to learn and ask questions that may have arisen whilst training at home!”

Often,

ask whilst teaching during a class, he would say:

“Ok everyone… Watch!”

And rest assured, only 2 or 3 of us would stop and watch him. The rest would either, be trying to do what he was doing whilst looking over their shoulders, oblivious to the simple fact that in doing so their structure was totally broken, or they would be distracted or paying attention to something totally different!

Only 2 or 3 of us would stop, watch, listen… and then do, and then questions!

Then would

there would be a nerd like myself who, in addition to the above, make handwritten notes, take photographs, record videos [as the technology became more affordable] in order to preserve and re-enforce what was being taught — a record that I could return to time and time again as and when needed, and as my understanding developed. There would always be questions — many questions… in person, over the phone and in writing. Each answer recorded faithfully in situ — not a day or week later, when memory had diminished or become hazy. Of course, the medium of video allowed you to preserve image, movement and words as they happened for posterity.

I was lucky in the sense that having studied Chemistry, I was trained to record and analyse even the smallest detail. Years of training, from school, college, university and in the industry! I was also privileged… Erle not only allowed me to film and photograph him intensively, he would also answer my questions in detail or refer me to, or send me a specific publication in which he had already dealt with the subject matter!

So, why is it important to tell you all this? For a pat on the back? Ego? A claim to mastery? To win you over to my point of view?

No, none of the above! I couldn’t care less for any of those!

Any person, who has had even the most basic of proper schooling and sat in a classroom will tell you what I have already said… that while the class may have been full — not everyone got the lesson or was even paying attention! Further, keeping notes — especially handwritten notes — was a way to reinforce the information being provided orally during the lesson and preserve that information. A student with good notes could return back to them time and time again to refresh and revise their knowledge, as well as find newer or deeper meanings as their own experience improved.

All good students, all serious students keep notes!

their I started this article with quotes from various renowned martial artists, including my teacher Erle, and they are all talking about or referring to notes from their times with their teachers. Some of these notes have taken on

the — shape of books and some of these books containing the notes of teachers of old when they began their studies — have gone on to be called ‘The Classics’!

These

‘note-takers,’ no matter what title they were referred to in later life or post mortem — they never stopped being students. They never stopped learning. They never stopped enquiring or delving deeper into their Above: A vast collection of Training Methods collated from Erle over the years — spiral subject matter and they… never stopped taking or making notes! bound — including handwritten notes on the head/neck/arms and legs targeting from the Again, why is this all important? Small San-sau, locks, throws and fundamental principles. Yang Cheng-fu has already provided us with the answer, so that, Below: 60 Litre Plastic container containing “…there will not be a notion of neglect in the teaching.” all original master copies of my personal videos of Erle during our classes and And that exactly is the crux of the matter. In the past decade or so, I workshops held in Wales, Leicestershire, have heard and seen some absurd notions being taught by those who Germany, USA and other parts of the UK, purportedly trained with Erle. Funnily enough, these are the very alongside screenshots of a few lists from my computers comprising of over 2.5 TB of data, of said images and videos. people who never made a single note in class and were mostly distracted or paying attention to other things, and yet claim that they know or understand better [having given themselves lofty titles in the process], making a mockery of the man and his hard-earned knowledge. How do I know? Well, because I was there for the most part of their ‘training’ and I assure you that their knowledge and skill is not even 10% of Erle’s [and I’m being generous when I say 10%]! Yang Cheng-fu reminds us:

“Taiji is fundamentally an internal boxing style. If you are doing the postures correctly and understand the internal principles, it qualifies as Taiji Boxing. If you are not doing the postures correctly and do not understand the internal principles, then although it may look like Taiji, it is no better than an external style.”

In all my classes and in my writings, I am constantly referring to my notes. My students can confirm this and I urge them to make notes too. [Some folk think that these are a myth and that I have made things up and or, Erle had made things up to entertain those who wanted to know “secrets” — so, I have sprinkled the pages with some evidence!] I even show up to classes and teach from written notes — they serve as a point of reference. A collection of facts both, oral and visual of how something was taught, what was the lesson order and what students need to take away and focus upon. Again, I reiterate, Erle teaching Ms Zhang in Kowloon Park, Hong Kong in 1981 — one of the several images he sent to me concerning his travels. [Whilst several of these images were placed by Erle in the public domain, he sent me the original scans for safe-keeping and as historical records for articles and publication, these notes are not taken from a hazy memory, but were taken in situ and where there was doubt in understanding or especially when I began researching and writing, ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway?’ uncertainty — questions asked and things — a project started within his lifetime and with his consent. clarified. I took my cue from Erle, who had done just that when he had returned to China in 1995 to train with Liang Shih-kan, and I quote: Pre-digital! Photographing Erle with a good old fashioned 35 mm SLR in 2001 and opposite digitally 30 January 2010. “I will not be able to film, so I will film myself each evening and have it checked the next day… so that I have an exact record of what was taught.”

Luckily, I didn’t have the restrictions which Erle faced. Living in a digital era, note taking is easy, which makes you admire those even more who were working with simpler tools and mediums… their tenacity to record what they were being taught.

Notes are not everything — a student also needs to understand and study their subject as well, otherwise the notes are useless — however, they form a critical component of our study and a point of reference.

Yang Cheng-fu tells us:

“Learning something well requires putting some heart into it.”

And that,

“It is certain that boxing methods from ancient times have not been passed down faithfully. People may move on from their teachers, but if as time

passes they are still able to remember what their teachers have passed down, it is certain the true transmission will

survive.”

And how will you “remember”? Through hazy memory? Pretence? Guesswork? Or by making things up? [When you haven’t done the training or study]

No! You remember through having payed attention to the lesson, studying the subject matter with “some heart” and by taking and keeping notes!

Forget mastery! Understand what being a real student means.