Tai chi is a terrific martial art. Tom Gohring has unfortunately abused his role as a teacher. He fraternizes with his students, a crime that would call for termination in any responsible school. He has been involved with at least two students, though there have been undoubtedly more throughout the history of his studio. This became blatantly obvious when he promoted the girl he became involved with to Instructor level. It begs the question, how is it that a student with an orange belt come to teach when she hasn't even mastered the material? There is no doubt that the more advanced students realized what was going on when they were passed over for instructing positions.

With no oversight, Gohring uses cult-like practices to slowly indoctrinate and lock his students into his studio. He forces his students to become salespeople by mandating referrals. Students are only allowed to achieve their first belt (yellow) without a contract. After that, they must join the "Black Sash Club", a friendly marketing name for a binding 4-year contract. He sells it to you as a guaranteed monthly rate that won't increase over time. What he doesn't mention is that the student is obligated to pay out the entire sum (48 months * $100, or $4800) even if she quits. The total sum is in excess of $5,000 now. If you try to terminate the contract, he will send collections agencies after you. This isn't an isolated case, it has happened to more than a few people.

To add insult to injury, he changes class formats on a whim. He initially taught 1 class at a time, but changed to teaching 3 (yes, THREE) classes at once. Mind you, these aren't 3 classes of the same level, these are 3 DIFFERENT levels. So he locks you in on a contract, then changes the terms of his teaching by significantly reducing the time he can devote to each student.

While Tom Gohring has competent technical skills, it does not make up for his shady business practices and questionable ethics. I would not want my child in that type of environment. There are plenty of better tai chi schools to choose from. Caveat emptor.