Instructor: Jonathan Loesch. 
CEU-Approved for 15 Contact hours
Prerequisites: None. All levels of experience welcome.

Format: This Course will be in-person only.

This Course is currently only open to Veterans Affairs employees. General registration may open if there is room to accommodate more attendees. If you are a VA employee interested in this training, please contact the Course Instructor through the VA system.

Course Description: Teaches the Tai Chi Fundamentals^® (TCF) Program Basic Moves: Optional Side Support version and the TCF Short Form Part One. Introduces the Walker and Seated versions of the TCF Adapted Program. Features Mind/Body Skills training, applications for wellness and rehabilitation, and partner teaching practicums. Includes introduction to the ROM Dance^® Program. See the flyer below for the full schedule for this training.

At the end of this course, a TCF Program Basic Moves Certificate of Completion is awarded to participants who have demonstrated the ability to teach Basic Moves. Course qualifies as partial contact hours fulfillment for TCF Instructor Certification.

This 3-day course will include all standard Course One training plus additional practice and teaching hours. 

Course Objectives
1) Learn the TCF Program Basic Moves with Side Support.
2) Teach the TCF Program Basic Moves.
3) Learn principles of movement adaptation for participants using chairs and walkers.
4) Describe TCF’s rationale, biomechanics & functional benefits.
5) Practice Centering, Breathing and Posture Awareness exercises.
6) Practice TCF Adapted Program Short Form, Part One

The Tai Chi Fundamentals Programs are adaptable, accessible programs for learning tai chi. Suitable for individuals with a wide range of abilities, they include instruction in three versions: Standing with Optional Side Support, Walker Support, and Seated. All program elements can be modified to accommodate individual needs.

Program Elements: All movements are taught in a motor development progression and have been modified for practice with optional side support, walker support, and seated. All 3 versions include:

– Basic Moves: a series of exercises that trains postural alignment, body mechanics, and energetic components of tai chi. Designed as building blocks for learning tai chi, they are taught in a simple-to-complex progression with discrete, measurable increments in difficulty and have applications as assessment and intervention tools.

– Tai Chi Fundamentals Form: a flowing sequence of tai chi movements based in Yang Style tai chi.

– Mind/Body Skills Training: integrated into both Basic Moves and TCF Form instruction. Fosters attention and focus; a calm, observant state of mind; awareness of posture and breathing; and physical relaxation. Characteristic of all traditional tai chi practice, Mind/Body Skills training helps foster the cultivation of healthy qi, or vital energy.

Development: The Original Tai Chi Fundamentals^® Program was developed in 1996 by Tricia Yu, MA and Jill Johnson, MS, PT, targeting elements from traditional tai chi that enhance balance, coordination, strength, and endurance. The Tai Chi Fundamentals^® Adapted Program was developed in 2014 by Tricia Yu based on the need for a program that is easier to learn than the original TCF program and that includes modifications for standing with support and seated applications.

The TCF Program has been featured in: PT Journal, Journal of Rehab Management, The Gerontologist, APTA’s GeriNotes, Medline Plus, Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation. Journal of Asian Martial Arts, Wellness Program Management Advisor, American College of Sports Medicine’s Health and Fitness Journal, Massage & Bodywork.