To Mirror or to Follow

Understanding whether you are mirroring or following your instructor is very important to ensure you are doing things correctly. This is especially true if you are doing a taolu form in Shaolin Tai Chi or Shaolin Kung Fu.

If at the beginning of an exercise your instructor is facing you, you’ll be more than likely expected to mirror the movements. For example, if the instructor wants you to raise your right hand, the instructor will raise his/her left hand.

If your instructor starts an exercise facing to the left or right or away, you’ll be more than likely expected to follow the movements.

In all likelihood, your teacher will clarify whether you should mirror or follow.

Try a Mirror-or-Follow exercise with this video: