We all do demonstrations. We all think demonstrations are important. But why ? What should a demonstration consist of ? In doing a demonstration what are we trying to achieve ? Is a demonstration the best way to achieve this result ?
In a chequered career perhaps I've been more fortunate than most in seeing a wide variety of demonstrations in the Far East, in Europe and in the United States. Some of these, a very few, were marvellously inspiring. Some, perhaps most, were merely competent; while some achieved a deep awfulness that still sometimes keeps me awake at night.
So why do them ? Firstly, they are a test - for students in particular. It is one thing to do your applications with a partner or to go through your form in the friendly and familiar environment of your regular class. It is quite another to do the same applications or form in front of an audience particularly an audience of martial artists from other styles.
Secondly, a demonstration is a showcase for a particular style and a particular teacher. The best advertising is to do a good public demonstration. I took up Tai Chi Chuan largely because I was captivated by the demonstrations of a troupe of Wu Shu exponents who came to UK in 1974. I initially followed my teacher partly because he was able to convince me of the effectiveness of his art by demonstrating various aspects of it.
In a way this is like selling a car; prospective buyers don't just want to be told the merits of a particular model, they'd rather see or even try it for themselves.
If you are going to do a demonstration, the first thing to consider is your audience. Is the audience large or small, mainly martial artists or mainly virgins ? If martial artists, are they predominantly Tai Chi Chuan practitioners ? If non martial artists are they predominantly young or old ?
It is well known that the eye takes in more than the ear and yet I have seen numerous demonstrations where the so-called demonstrator spends most of the time talking. This is appropriate in a workshop or seminar where there is audience participation, but not when there is supposed to be a demonstration.
One demonstration of Qi Gong that I saw a few years ago plumbed the very depths of awfulness. Firstly it was announced that the demonstrator,a tall thin Englishman, would demonstrate Yang style Tai Chi, then it was announced he would demonstrate Wu style Tai Chi and finally that he would demonstrate Qi Gong. After talking about the benefits of Qi Gong in a low monotone for some five minutes, he lined up three of his students; one of whom was short and fat, another tall and thin and yet another large and broad. These latter day Three Stooges proceeded to swing their arms from side to side following their teacher who gave a barely audible running commentary. Other exercises involved bending slowly forward at the waist.
I heard later that the demonstrator was very angry with me for laughing at him. Although we were not friends, I wasn't laughing at him for any other reason than what he and his acolytes were doing was hilariously funny.
I mentioned the nature of the audience. It is remarkable that in what is now, compared to 20 years ago, a relatively sophisticated martial arts world that people are still doing what effectively are simple tricks and trying to pass them off as some type of mysterious power.
A recent example of this found its way to my address through the prosaic medium of the Royal Mail. It was a circular advertising a series of seminars on Tai Chi and Qi Gong, to be given by Chen Xiao-wang. The circular showed a picture of Chen Xiao-wang standing in a low stance holding his ground against a line of 6 men pushing him. There was no explanation of what this was supposed to represent, but many teachers, some of whom are little more than charlatans, use such demonstrations to convince others of their Qi power.
In fact this demonstration relies on little more than basic body mechanics and can be replicated by a small woman. Now Chen Xiao-wang is a well-known master and a number of people who attended his seminars had good things to say about them, so I find it sad that a genuine instructor like Chen has joined the ranks of those who demonstrate this trick. To non-martial artists or beginners it may be impressive, but not to anyone with experience.
Perhaps the most common type of demonstration is to do a hand or weapon form. However, this does not mean that the form should be done in the normal way; the object of a demonstration is to grab the attention of the audience, so when demonstrating weapon forms in particular, there should be a degree of fire. Tai Chi sword may for example be performed in two ways, either smoothly and relatively slowly or like a dragon soaring and diving. For a non-martial arts and most other types of audience I'd normally choose to do the sword the second way.
As well as deciding what to demonstrate, it is necessary to decide who should demonstrate. In 1990 when I went to Taiwan with Nigel Sutton and a group of our students we met three South African Tai Chi practitioners who were over for the First Chung Hwa Cup competition. Their preparation for the said event seemed to consist of spending their free time consuming vast quantities of the dreadful local beer whilst puffing on American cigarettes. I was intrigued to learn that they were going to do a demonstration for us.
They lined up to do a form together. The form in question did not require a high degree of athleticism, but even so the shortest and fattest of these three braves fell over as he attempted a kick.
On another occasion I saw a video of demonstrations at a martial arts festival in Scotland where a large fat gentleman attacked his teacher only to be thrown to the ground time after time; after a couple of throws our large friend was taking so long to get up to launch the next attack that you felt like getting up to make a coffee between throws.
There is unfortunately also the kind of person who in blissful ignorance of his own limitations believes his Tai Chi to be marvellous and wonderful and takes every opportunity to demonstrate it. I know one such in Hong Kong. Hunched backed, clumsy and forever smiling he is always there if a demo is to be performed, when demonstrating a weapon form he rarely ends up facing the same direction as when he started, even worse he wanted me to take him round Europe with me to assist me in seminars.
As a teacher you must know your students. There are large people who can demonstrate sword well, just as there are small persons who can do a good spear form, but these are exceptions; normally it would be better to pick a smaller person to perform the sword which requires precision and finesse and a larger one to do the spear which requires power and focus.
Finally it is in my experience better to leave the audience wanting more than leaving them feeling they have had more than enough of your skills and charisma.