Summer by the Sea: Our Sennen Training Intensive 2026

Tai Chi and Kung Fu on the sand at Sennen Cove

This July and August we took our training out of the hall and onto the beach. For two weeks, students and teachers from Cornwall Tai Chi’s Truro, Falmouth and St Agnes classes gathered at Sennen Cove, in the sweep of Whitesand Bay, to train from morning to afternoon with the sea in front of us and the sky above.

How it all began

The plan to train in Cornwall was formulated way back in 2005. I was in the bath and heard the news our Easter Course at Warwick School had been double booked. My Eureka moment was ‘what if we went down to Cornwall instead?’ This seed soon started to sprout, we had been visiitng Cornwall each Summer ever since we were camping in North Devon one year and our tent blew down in Hurricane. Having done the I Ching for many years I flipped a coin to consult the Gods, heads we go on tails we go back, the Gods smiled on us that day and changed our whole lives. So without further ado we decided to pilot this idea of doing a week long course in Cornwall. So we set about investigating where we could hold the course and how we could accommodate everyone and ended up in the St Just Sports’ Centre and booking a host of holiday cottages.

So year in year out we made the pilgrimmage and did a week at Easter and three weeks in the Summer in St Just. We came to love the area so much in 2010 we mistakely applied to book a holiday cottage which turned out to be a permanent let. Once again the coin led the way and so we did the course, and in September we came back and have been here ever since.

Come 2018 an ITN researcher phoned up and was asking about fimlimg our Summer Course, so I thought what would be better than filimg down at Sennen Cove where we would often hold our after course beaqch parties, Lucky for us the weather was fantastic for the week and so the film crew captured some incredible footage for inclusion in an ITN Tonight documentary about alternatives to painkillers.

Training from near and far

In previous years we have had students from all over the country and the world. This year teachers and students came from our local clubs, and also from the Midlands, from Brighton, and all the way from Switzerland. Training alongside people from other groups, with different habits and different questions, makes everyone’s practice sharper.

Week one: Tai Chi (27-31 July)

We worked through our Tai Chi forms and spent plenty of time on sticky hands, the two-person practice where you learn to listen, yield and respond. Doing this on sand is a wonderful teacher. The ground shifts underneath you, so your balance and rooting have to be honest. Bea was working with Jane who is a dance school graduate from Switzerland and we were amazed how quickly she picked up the moves and principles of spontaneous movement aka Wuwei.

The UK heatwave was in full swing, but a slight haze and patchy cloud kept the beach cool enough and shaded enough to train comfortably without burning up. At lunch, Bea’s big canopy gave us shelter from the sun, and everyone got a proper rest before the afternoon session.

Week two: Kung Fu, Hand of the Wind (3-7 August)

The Kung Fu week was mostly our more advanced students, so we went deeper into freeform training. We kept up the sticky hands work and spent time pulling apart single techniques that are notoriously difficult to get right, such as the rear naked choke. Slowing a technique down, breaking it into its parts and putting it back together is where real understanding comes from.

Camping, breakfasts and Cornish food

Many of us camped at Brea Vean Farm, and it couldn’t have been easier. There was no dew, and the nights were even warm. We were up early every day and headed to the Dog and Rabbit for breakfast, and we also sampled other cafés in St Just and Sennen Cove for a full cooked Cornish breakfast most mornings.

Evenings were for eating out around West Penwith: Newlyn, the Mackerel Sky, the Tolcarne Inn, Mousehole, the Coastguard Inn, and a takeaway from the Red Star Beijing in St Just.

Join us next time

Whether you’re new to Tai Chi, coming back after a break, or already training and ready to go deeper, our courses are built for steady progress over days and weeks rather than a single hour. Come to one of our regular classes in Truro, Falmouth or St Agnes, and you’ll be first to hear about the next intensive.