Many teachers will point to a prominent chart on the wall to impress upon potential students that they are standing in the hall of true masters. I remember this was my first experience with Tai Chi.

So how important is lineage when choosing a teacher? Well, it depends. The main styles of Tai Chi have been founded by extremely skillful masters. Most of them, in turn, passed their knowledge onto their immediate family as well as outside students. Those immediate family members also took on outside students while simultaneously passing their skills onto their children. Eventually, when an outside student progresses to a fairly high level they become an inside or “indoor” student and are considered disciples.

Here is an example of Tai Chi Family Tree…

A master may have scores of students, but only a dozen or two are considered indoor students or disciples. So, that’s the first thing to ask when the teacher points to his/her grand master and master on that chart: Were you and your master indoor students? You can usually know if the teacher is being truthful by the details they reveal. Most indoor students were close enough to their teachers to provide intimate details of their relationships with no hesitation while outsiders can only provide some general tidbits.

But the most important point to consider is that not everyone can teach. The teacher and his/her master and grandmaster may possess excellent skills but do not know how to effectively convey those skills to students. I personally know of two very prominent teachers who have great skills but cannot teach their students how to acquire those same skills. But this is something you can discover either in a sample class or after a few weeks of regular classes. Observing and talking to a teacher’s senior students will reveal a good deal about the teacher’s abilities.

Good luck on your journey.