Tai Chi

Todd: So, Monica, you do Tai Chi?

Monica: Yes, I've just joined a Tai Chi club?

Todd: What made you join the Tai Chi club?

Monica: Well, I wanted to do something that was a lot different to what I usually do, which is high impact sports like basketball and tennis.

Todd: So, you wanted to do something that was slower?

Monica: Yeah, well, I don't usually enjoy exercise that is quite slow such as yoga, but I decided to join this club and I'm really enjoying it.

Todd: So, what exactly is Tai Chi? What do you do in Tai Chi?

Monica: Well, there are different types of Tai Chi. There's the original Tai Chi which involves quick fast movements, and then there's a slower form of Tai Chi which is quite popular in Japan. I think it's called Mr. Young Tai Chi, and that involves very slow pronounced movements, and that's the Tai Chi that I'm doing.

Todd: How do you feel? Like after you do Tai Chi, do you feel tired? Do you feel energetic?

Monica: After I've done Tai Chi I feel quite energetic actually. I don't really feel tired because I haven't had a really hard workout, but I feel that my mind is very relaxed and focused and that I'm very motivated to do whatever I need to do for the rest of the day.

Todd: Now, you actually are a tennis coach, so you teach sports. Would you recommend Tai Chi for other athletes?

Monica: Yeah, I do recommend Tai Chi for other athletes. It's quite difficult to know exactly how you would benefit from Tai Chi, and how it can directly relate a specific sport, but I've heard that it works on your energy levels, and focuses your mind so that everything is in balance, and I think that can help in kind of sport because even in a sport like tennis, it's important to have balance when you're hitting the ball, when you're volleying, when you're getting ready for a smash. It actually involves having balance in terms of where your center of gravity is, so yeah, the concepts are similar.