Back in the day, when I was at school, I never (and I mean really never) liked to do anything even vaguely sporty and knew every trick in the book to avoid games lessons.
I even took up the Violin. You have no idea how many ways you can use a violin to avoid sports - practice, lessons, performances, rehearsals, orchestra and courses - I did them all.
It was only in my teens when I realised that girls liked the jocks that I started to experiments with sport: tennis, the gym, volleyball… I was useless at all of them.
I took up Judo. Big mistake. Within months I had sustained a bad enough injury on my skinny body to stop that. Thing was, I actually quite enjoyed it so I went back for more and did ok, but the shorter blockier people had the Judo thing completely sewn up.
I decided to go to the gym on a regular basis and that was ok as I could just go on auto pilot do my workout and go home.
At least going to the gym and also using the pool there helped to repair my Judo injuries although no matter how hard I worked my skinny frame remained skinny.
As the years passed nothing much changed - until the car accident.
I was sitting in my car waiting for the light to turn green when suddenly my body jerks back while my car seems to be flying forward.
My foot's pressing on the brake but nothing's happening. I remember my head being flung back and then banging against the
steering wheel.
How did this happen?
The occupant of the car behind lost control of her car and ploughed into the back of my car at speed. Seemingly seconds later the ambulance guy came over and asked me if I was OK, apart from being shaken I felt fine so I went home and left them to care for the woman who had suffered a brain haemorrhage.
In the days that followed a strange thing started to happen I could not hold my head up. It kept lolling to one side and started to hurt - a lot.
After numerous doctor visits, X-rays, painkillers etc. I finally found myself being thrown around the room like a rag doll by an osteopath. I came out feeling great but a few hours later ......... not so great.
I suffered several visits before deciding it was doing more harm than good. Eventually, as the pain lessened, I found my way back to the gym and asked my trainer what I could do.
He told me not do a thing! Seriously, this blunt, tough East End ex boxer and all round geezer told me my gym days were over and added:
"The only thing you can do is take up Tai Chi ... but I don't think you'll be any good!"
Why did he think that?
Well, he'd had already given me the award for the least athletic and inflexible man he had ever met so I guess I wasn't too surprised.
I still today have no idea why he said that I would not be any good but I think it was the fact that my poor coordination and rubbish flexibility were my greatest talents - not much of a recommendation.
Maybe the fact that I'd already told him I thought Tai Chi was rubbish didn't help. I had seen this stuff before a real silly load of people waving their hands about randomly. Tai Chi and Chi Gung were for old people and nutters! Not for me.
But my gym teacher wasn't old (or a nuttier!) he was a straight forward Londoner. He made it all make sense - all the strange sounding names and odd moves had a reason. It was a real martial art and I was soon hooked.
This was interesting. It didn't hurt my neck although I could still hear a crunching noise as I tuned my head.
I was hooked and I was rubbish! Or was I?
We worked to a very high standard and even today I still go to his classes at least once a week and continue to learn as an Advanced Practitioner.
How is my neck ? Pretty good. Thirty years later my flexibility has improved so instead of getting older and less flexible I am getting older,stronger and more flexible.
Did I do Tai Chi because of some higher calling? No
Because I wanted to feel my chi? No
I was interested in finding out about Chinese Culture and martial arts? No ( I am now!)
The only reason I wanted to get involved was because I could not do anything else!
As time passed I became more and more interested and thirty years later I am still learning. Perhaps the most important thing I learnt is that
Being a teacher means recognising the difficulties and blockages that students may have. I was not the best student so it took me time, but my teacher persevered with me and taught me to be a good teacher too.
Was it worth it? Absolutely 100%. It has transformed my health and my life and that's why I now love to write, teach, and do Tai Chi and Chi Gung.
