Try Tai Chi Chaun taster class at Hargrave Hall and get your child interested in a new activity.

The course aims to teach Children the basic principles and practice of Tai Chi Chuan as exemplified in the Wu family style of Tai Chi Chuan. Classes are held in upper Hargrave Hall on Thursday afternoons 5:00 - 6:00 pm during school term times.

The course costs is £90.00 per term - classes are aligned with the school terms so there will be a half term break in the course

Classes comprise the following activities

• Warm up exercises - for toning, conditioning and general fitness
• Rolls and break falls - to develop physical confidence
• Tai Chi Forms - for balance, coordination and focus
• Wu style 12 step form - a sequence of Tai Chi Movements
• Meditation - for focus and developing midfulness and inner calmness
• Push hands - to develop martial skills

Children should wear:

• T shirt or sweat shirt - academy t shirts are available
• Jogging bottoms or loose fitting trousers
• pumps, trainers or kung fu slippers, stocking feet are acceptable but please - not bare feet

Good behaviour and proper conduct are important in all martial arts. The following are the ground rules for acceptable behaviour whilst training at the academy.

1. Be punctual both when arriving and leaving
2. Be attentive and diligent in your training
3. Be respectful to the teacher and to fellow students
4. Do not bully or intimidate fellow students
5. No eating or chewing in classes - water is permitted
6. Be suitably dressed, presentable, neat and clean in appearance

If you are staying to watch the class remember that you are not the teacher. You may think that you are encouraging your child by shouting out advice, but it divides the child's focus. So please if you are watching, watch in silence, give encouragement afterwards. The child's focus should be on the teacher and not the parent.

Research has established a positive correlation between the level of physical activity and self esteem, therefore in a sense any activity is good for children, so what is particularly good about Tai Chi Chuan?

There is a spurious notion that exercise must be high activity and linked to competitive sport, to be of any benefit and therefore Tai Chi, which often seen as 'exercise for oldies' is hardly ever associated with young, developing, minds and bodies. This is a tragic mistake. Tai Chi Chuan requires good balance and coordination, the ability to relax, focus and concentrate and is done both as solo and group exercise. It emphasises attaining inner calmness for both personal development and social development, as well as developing self confidence and the ability to deal with change.

Many Children are put off physical activity because it is structured in some sort of competitive framework where the child is part of a team and the aim is to win against an opposing team or opponent. Tai Chi Chuan is practiced mainly as a means of self development, in a non competitive manner, where progress is measured in self referent terms i.e. how much the individual has improved. It is therefore ideal for those who wish to exercise but not to compete.

However because it is a martial art Tai Chi Chuan can have a sporting element, both as demonstrations of the quality of movement (Forms) and in the discipline of Tui Shou or pushing hands, which is a form of wrestling. There is therefore a large range of activities available as exercise for a child (or adult), in the art of Tai Chi Chuan.

Lastly there is a deeper agenda to taking up Tai Chi Chuan, and that is to make exercise part of the normal lifestyle, both of the child and the emerging adult. Gradually they will understand that some form of exercise and activity is good for a person's health and should be done on a regular basis to achieve a happy and healthy life. If the child takes on this idea it will be a real advantage to them in adulthood, and in Tai Chi they have a comprehensive exercise system that requires little equipment or space. Learning Tai Chi Chuan is a gift for life, just as much as reading, writing or arithmetic.

Don Spargo is chief instructor at Wu's Tai Chi Chuan Academy, Archway and has many years of experience teaching Tai Chi both to adults and to Children. He is fully insured, CRB (DBS) checked and accredited by the International Wu Style Federation and The Tai Chi Union of Great Britain .