Instructor
Certification
Tai Chi
Healthways is internationally recognized as a leader in Tai Chi/Qigong
education and instructor’s certification. Our mission is to
uphold and pass on the traditional teachings of this unique Chinese
martial art and healing art. We are committed to setting and promoting
the highest teaching standards in the industry today in order to
preserve and carry on the classical teachings of Tai
Chi and Qigong. Tai Chi Healthways supports diversity and encourages
the advancement of all styles of Tai
Chi and Qigong.
We are proud
and honored to follow the proven teaching methodology of Professor
Li Deyin,
one of the foremost Tai Chi experts in the world today. We are
dedicated to providing the highest-quality training. We provide a
comprehensive set of resources, including individual and group
training, supplemental educational training aides such as DVD videos
and manuals, and opportunities for convenient distance learning.
Our instructional DVDs provide teacher's reference for all major
styles/routines
with suggested class-hour to meet the demand of growing
class. To enhance the learning process, we host several
workshops annually, which are conducted by world-renowned Tai Chi Grand
Masters. Three of today’s most respected Grand Masters, Chen
Zhenglei, Zhu Tiancai, and Abraham Liu,
act as Tai Chi Healthways honorary advisors. We also offer continuing
education programs in order to provide our instructors with
ongoing support.
Your
application will be processed by our Certification Committee Members:
Master Jesse
Tsao, Ph.D.;
Katharine Iskrant, Master of
Public Health; Dr. Larry
Cammarata, Ph.D., licensed
consulting psychologist; and
Sheryl Wilde, three-time USA
national Tai Chi
Grand Champion.
Tai Chi is
the fastest-growing practice in the fitness and wellness industry.
The need for great class teachers and private instructors is quickly
expanding. If you are interested in helping others improve
their health, relieve stress, and develop energy and vitality
– all while improving your own health and well-being
– this instructor certification program is for you!
Let Master Jesse Tsao be your mentor. There are no
prerequisites. New students can simply enroll in any of our regular
classes to begin accumulating class credit.
If you have previous Tai Chi experience and can perform any short or
long routine/form, you are eligible to enroll in our leadership
training class. Your prior Tai Chi training can come from any school.
Tai Chi Healthways certification is based on your knowledge of the Tai
Chi Classics and is not limited to a particular style. The leadership
class teaches you not only the practical, day-to-day skills necessary
to excel as a Tai Chi instructor, but gives you the theoretical
knowledge you need to succeed as well. Workshop hours hosted by Tai Chi
Healthways count as credit, and private lessons with Jesse Tsao may
also count as credit. We offer
weekend leadership training for people living out of San Diego area.
Potential
instructors will be evaluated by our Certification Committee Members
based upon ability to meet the following criteria:
- Perform
and name moves or postures accurately.
- Describe
guidelines of each move or posture.
- Demonstrate
ability to effectively adjust clients into proper alignment.
- Complete a
written exam: write a handout to demonstrate your ability to research
Tai Chi philosophy or its health benefits. This handout could be used
later when you teach your own class or for presentations.
- Explain
applications to be used in self-defense and the major energy points for
self-healing (Senior Instructor and above).
Each
Certificate Level requires progressive development and refinement of
skills as determined by the Committee.
| Certification
Level |
Hours
of Tai Chi class credit |
Hours
of leadership training |
| Associate
Instructor |
200 |
20 |
| Instructor |
300 |
30 |
| Senior
Instructor |
500 |
100 |
| Executive
Instructor |
700 |
150 |
Potential
instructors must meet both the abovementioned Guidelines for
Certification and Minimum Credit Hours to fulfill certification
requirements. The required class credit hours can be earned from our
school or another accredited school. If you have studied at another
school, a letter from your former teacher stating your class hours
would be helpful; however, the final decision regarding certification
will depend on the Tai Chi Healthways Certification
Committee’s evaluation of your skill level.
Special
Offer: There is a large and
growing demand for qualified Tai Chi instructors. To accommodate this
need, we are offering a special Entry-level
Instructor Certificate now!
Personal trainers and group fitness instructors are especially welcome.
The Entry-level Instructor Certificate will qualify you to teach Tai
Chi’s basic skills and lead exercises safely and effectively.
Not only is this program an excellent way to expand your repertoire of
wellness and fitness knowledge, but it will also increase your success
and value.
A minimum of
40 class hours, plus 3 hours of leadership training, are required to
become an
Entry-level Instructor. Once you are certified, you can begin teaching
Tai Chi’s basic easy movements, providing a valuable resource
for your community! Instructor
candidates living outside of the San Diego area
can simply order the Tai Chi
Fundamentals
for
Beginners DVD for at-home
self-study, with no workshops to attend and no expensive travel.
Leadership training materials will be e-mailed to you for self-study.
When you are ready, go to the next step for
evaluation (See below the "Distance Learning".)
After
completing the program, you will be properly equipped with everything
you need to turn your passion into a rewarding career. A student will
be awarded certification when he or she demonstrates the required
proficiency level to carry forward the Tai Chi tradition.
A 60-minute
evaluation can be scheduled in advance for those who come for
evaluation in person.
The total
cost for evaluation and certification is $275. Once you have
become a Certified Instructor, you will become a member of Tai Chi
Healthways Association, receive free referrals by Tai Chi Healthways
for your local
area. No monthly or annual dues to Tai Chi
Healthways. Life long valid after you become a certified
instructor.
Instructors
can be certified from anywhere in the world through Tai Chi Healthways'
convenient Distance Learning
certification program. You don't
need to make a trip if you can
provide enough evidence, and your video shows your skill well enough
for the certificate level you are applying for. Here is how:
- The first
step is to register as a long-distance instructor trainee. We will send
you the instructor’s training materials package, which
includes:
- (1)
The Tai Chi Fundamentals for Beginners DVD through regular
mail.
- (2)
Leadership Manual. We put a 20-hour self-study materials through
internet file, so you can study and train at your home. We keep this
Leadership Manual as an e-book continually updated with the most useful
information.
- (3)
The Exam for Tai Chi Instructor Certification.
- When you
are ready, return your exam answers to us and send us a videotape,
video file, or DVD of yourself doing Tai Chi movements. You can send
the answer of exam and video through internet. www.YouTube.com
and some other website provide free video sharing hosting.
You can just upload your video and send us the links. We will review
and evaluate it and will be happy to issue you the teaching
certificate. If your postures, movements or routines need more works,
we will provide corrections and suggestions for you to
improve. No monthly or annual dues to Tai Chi
Healthways. Life long valid after you become a certified
instructor, but we do hope you can come to workshop once every two
years to update your skills.
- The total
cost for this Distance Learning Certification program (including
materials package, exam, evaluation, and certificate) will be $275.
The package also includes permanent listing of
your name and contact info on the Tai Chi Healthways
Certified Instructors listing, and a 20% discount on all
Tai Chi Healthways workshops and all private lessons with
Master Tsao
You
can click the button right here to
through PayPal, or send a check payable to Master Jesse Tsao, 5051
Sterling Grove Lane, San Diego, CA 92130
- For Associate Instructor level, you also need
to choose an instructional DVD from which to learn a standard or
traditional routine/style through home study. Many Tai Chi and Qigong
DVD’s are available on the "Videos and Books" page of this
website. There is no need to order additional videos from us if you
have previous Tai Chi experience and already know a routine. The
Entry-Level Instructor applicants need only demonstrate basic hand
patterns and basic steps. No Tai Chi routine is needed.
- Those who apply for Instructor level and above
may need to attend our workshops or arrange for weekend leadership
training in San Diego, unless you can provide us strong evidence that
you possess the skill and teaching experience. You do not need a
trip to us if you can demo not only a tai chi bare hand routine, but
also a tai chi weapon routine, and push hands skill in your
video. This will be the best fit if you are a Tai Chi teacher
already, but need a standard certificate to gain more teaching
opportunities. Our evaluation is based on the Tai Chi Classic
which applies to all styles or routines, not only on Tai Chi Healthways
curriculum. The weekend training schedule is: Saturdays 8:00am
-12:00noon, Sundays 12:00noon-4:00pm. The training cost will be $160
for the weekend, or $80 for each day. Basically, you learn how we teach
Tai Chi and Qigong for different groups of people so you will be able
to bring the experience back to your city or country.
- To upgrade
your certification to the next level, the processing fee is
$100. This includes one DVD of your choice and another
evaluation.
We offer a
special program in conjunction with Somerset
Skills and Learning to attain
the Tai Chi Healthways Entry-Level
Instructor Certification for
only $95
if you are a qualified Open College Network Tai Chi Foundation
Instructor. OCN courses are accepted as qualifications in
England for people would work in health–cardiac nurses,
occupational therapists, Tai Chi instructors running health classes,
etc.
This fee
includes the Fundamentals DVD
and an assessment, submitted by video to Tai Chi Healthways, and
exempts you from the Tai Chi
Healthways written test. You will need to submit
proof of OCN qualification before you receive the Tai Chi
Healthways certification.
If you are
currently an OCN student preparing to achieve both instructor
certifications, please click the payment button below for the $95 Tai
Chi Healthways assessment and Fundamentals DVD.
Tai Chi
Healthways also offers Qigong Instructor Certification similarly to
the Tai Chi Instructor Certification program. There is no
written exam,
but you must write an essay giving an introduction to Qigong.
You will
also submit a video for assessments. The total cost for
evaluation and certification is $275, which includes one Qigong Essentials DVD of your choice for your
self-study. Successive levels of Qigong Instructor
Certification will be
based on the skill level shown in your video upon review by the
committee.
if you plan on purchasing many Qigong Essentials DVDs, please contact
Master
Tsao for more information.
Master Tsao's Annual Disciple Training
This is for serious Tai Chi and Qigong practitioners who are willing to carry forward Master Jesse Tsao's teachings.
- It is a one-week intensive training session in which Master Tsao will share his insights and expertise, training you to be a Tai Chi and Qigong expert.
- Disciples will be formally accepted by Master Tsao.
- The next training session will be July 11-17, 2011 (Monday to Sunday), and typically will be on the second week of July every year.
- Location is San Diego, CA, in the United States of America. International students are
welcome!
- Cost is $900 for the week, with 10% discount if registered
two-month in advance.
More About
Our Certification Committee Members
Jesse
Tsao, internationally
known Tai Chi master, Qigong therapist, and alternative medicine and
wellness consultant, is the founder of Tai Chi Healthways. He is
specialized in the areas of self-healing, preventive therapies, stress
management and mind-body wellness. Born and trained in China, he has
been practicing Tai Chi for over 38 years, including 10 years of
intensive study with world renowned grand master Li Deyin in Beijing,
China. He was the gold medallist in the Beijing Collegiate Wushu
Competition in 1980.
Katharine
Iskrant,
MPH, CHCA, is a tai chi practitioner and a public health auditor. Ms.
Iskrant has conducted over one hundred health plan quality of care
audits. Ms. Iskrant’s educational background includes a
Masters in Public Health from U.C. Berkeley and a Bachelors in
Psychology (Honors) from Columbia College of Columbia University. Ms.
Iskrant is in the process of publishing a manuscript on the Tai Chi
fundamentals.
Larry
Cammarata,
Ph.D. is a clinical and
consulting psychologist who maintains licenses in California and North
Carolina. He has practiced psychology for over 20 years and
has
special expertise in the areas of mind-body wellness, hypnosis, stress
management, relationships, and men’s issues. Dr.
Cammarata is a
professional speaker and workshop presenter who has made professional
contributions to local, national, and international retreats and
conferences. Besides his involvement in the profession of psychology,
Dr. Cammarata is a certified instructor of Tai Chi Chuan, an ancient
Chinese system of exercise, moving meditation, and
self-defense. In
his spare time, he is a professional musician who has performed
locally, nationally, and internationally.
Sheryl
Wilde
is a three-time International Tai Chi Grand Champion (2004
-2006) and a freelance writer specializing in corporate
communications.
She has also written for television, magazines and newspapers for the
past 15
years. She holds a B.S. in Accounting and has more than 20
years of
experience in the financial accounting industry.
Jesse Tsao/Tai
Chi Healthways
5051 Sterling Grove Lane, San Diego, CA 92130
(858) 793-8939,
E-mail: Jesse@TaiChiHealthways.com
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