Interesting that it’s often really difficult to tell if someone is listening. This is because good listening is a passive activity where the individual being listened to is barely aware that there’s anything happening.

Listening in Tai Chi or other martial arts is sometimes confused with adaptation or the transition to another technique when something isn’t working. While this is a very valuable skill, it can shortcut the listening process and shift the focus towards the rapid alteration of strategies and sometimes result in more changes being made than are required by the situation.

There is also the risk that more tension than is necessary will be generated as a result.

A quiet mind is a fundamental prerequisite to developing quality Ting Jin.