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| Hip & groin | ||
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No hip
Asian people sometimes comment that Westerners have 'no hip'. This is
because Westerners are less inclined to squat and crouch.
Often the body looks stiff and inflexible. Sadly, this
rigid appearance often reflects the actual condition of the individual.
Bending at the hip
Hinging forwards at the hip joint is something that new starters must learn to
do.
For many people it is very unfamiliar. They are used to bending at the rib
cage/abdomen/lower back and often confuse hip and pelvis.
A crane
If you look at a crane being used on a construction site there is a long arm and
on the opposite side there is a counter-balance to prevent toppling.
The human body is quite different to a crane, but the same principle can be
employed.
Providing the body remains vertically aligned, we can bend at the hip joint
without toppling forward or leaning. The pelvis and buttocks serve as the
counter-weight.
Vertical
Bending at the hips trains the body to hinge at the hip rather than slouch,
stoop or lock the legs.
Without an ingrained ability to bend at the the hip, the student cannot use the
hip kwa nor explore 5 bows and ultimately jing.
Keep your length
Hinging the hip joint enables the front of the body to lengthen and the spine is
supported.
Bending should occur in the hips, not the lower back or waist. Correct bending
frees up the waist and allows rotation to occur without impediment.
Lifting
If you plan to lift anything up you will need to bend the knees and squat.
Lifting a heavy object from the ground using a hip bend will strain the lower
back. Squat instead. Draw the object closer to your torso. Then stand.
Bad lifting technique
Most people are quite aware of how to lift things correctly but many people
ignore the advice.
Hurried, sloppy lifting - with little or no adhesion to good structure and
alignment - can lead to problems.
Take the time to learn how to lift things properly. There is a bounty of free
information on-line. It is not complicated.
You just need to keep your mind on what you are doing, be sensible about the
weight and use your body well.
Horizontal
In terms of horizontal rotational movement, leave the hips alone. Think of
movement originating from the back of the body, not the front.
The sacroiliac enables the spine to stay erect without unduly involving the hip
joint or unbalancing the knees.
Allow the natural stopping point of the pelvis to determine how far you can
turn.
Wide stepping & kicking
When stepping through a wide angle or performing a kick, the hips need to be
capable of opening easily and comfortably.
This is where many people encounter a problem. Inflexibility of the groin
actively inhibits hip movement and the body simply cannot perform the desired
action.
Hip kwa
Once the hip bend is familiar, work on relaxing the kwa on the vertical plane
during tai chi practice. This will increase your connection to the ground.
Groin flexibility
It is quite easy to improve groin flexibility. Begin by sitting
less and walking more often.
Open your groin
We offer a wide range of exercises designed to build up groin
flexibility
safely and carefully:
Leg stretches
Psoas exercises
Many of the stretches
are passive; they allow body weight to do the work - rather than forcing an
outcome.
Martial practice
Groin flexibility is crucial for martial arts training. An inflexible
groin adversely affects mobility and prevents the lower body from operating
freely.
Instead of the body responding to the dictates of the mind, the student is
trapped by their own tension.
Martial arts require free, spontaneous movement and this is simply not
possible when the groin is tight.
Make time
Students usually underestimate the significance of fitness; falsely
believing that it doesn't really matter. This is highly naive.
Fitness affects all aspects of our lives. It determines to some extent how
healthy we are, how often we get sick and how well we can use our bodies.
Make time to comprehensively exercise your body... After all, you are using
it all the time.
A healthy, strong, fit body is a delight to use; you can move in almost any
manner you like and everything works gracefully and smoothly.
6 balanced pairs
When a student can squat easily and perform a horse stance with ease, it is
worth thinking about coordinating the '5 bows'.
Elbows & knees are one of the 3 external harmonies. Elbows and knees must
both be naturally relaxed and in line. Elbows and knees store and release
together. Without groin flexibility, this will not work.
Arms back problems feet hands hip & Groin joint health Knees legs pelvis shoulders
Page created
18 April 2005
Last updated
16 June 2023
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