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New starters
New starters usually suffer from
tense muscles, bad posture, poor poise, ineffective
skeletal alignment and limited physical
awareness.
Our first concern is to free the body from
tension and encourage a greater degree of
movement.
This is accomplished by following the basic
guidelines.
Basic guidelines
These basic guidelines are essential for all students:
Head floats upwards
Hips & shoulders maintain horizontal alignment
Lengthen the front of the body
Natural spine
Coordination of hip & knee
Bend at the hips & knees rather than the waist
Hips & shoulders work together
Do not tense the muscles or over-reach
The human body
People who exercise commonly ignore the body
and actively work against it, rather than with
it.
Beginners often put the body under unnecessary
strain.
The human skeleton and body movement favours the upright body.
Yet many martial arts encourage low
squatting stances and physically awkward positions.
These are fundamentally unnatural. Injuries
and long-term damage are common.
When standing we should have a sensation of being more in our heels than the front of the foot. However, there should be no tendency to tighten the toes or lift them off the floor. Let the toes lie freely and allow the whole foot to 'soften'. Let the weight go down 'into' the floor so your feel grounded. This gives a firm base from which to think of lengthening upwards. Free your ankles so there is a little sway available to help discover upright balance. In order to enjoy standing without strain we should never get fixed in position.
(Noel Kingsley)
Ignoring the body
Do you ever see a wild animal go against its own nature?
Humans are the stupidest creatures on the planet.
We cripple our bodies to satisfy our minds and we
defecate where we eat.
Anatomy
Some knowledge of anatomy can be useful in tai chi.
The body needs to be used appropriately because mistakes can sometimes lead to
injury.
Many people call the abdomen the 'stomach'.
The abdomen contains the largest volume of water in the body and is the location
of the lower tan tien.
Another common error is pelvis and hip.
Moving the pelvis rather than the hip can lead to knee problems and fails to
massage the hip joint.
Both pelvis and hip need to be passive in tai chi. We move from the centre and
the hip follows.
Feeling not thinking
If you are content to simply listen to what somebody else is teaching
you, then you will probably never know what it means to be natural.
Natural body use means feeling what your body is doing and being acutely aware
of even the slightest strain imposed upon it.
What you think does not matter. What you are doing does.
Thoughts will not help you to move in a natural way. Only
feeling can accomplish this.
You need to cultivate physical sensitivity and
awareness.
Foundation
If you want power in your tai chi, begin with your
lower body.
Without a firm foundation, power cannot be expressed through the framework.
Your feet must have three points of contact and the weight balanced equally
between front and rear of each foot.
Move up to the pelvis.
The pelvis must be stable, with most of the work happening in the hip joint.
Now focus upon the torso.
It must be comfortably upright, without strain; lengthening from the hip to the
crown.
Without these basic skeletal requirements in place, your structure will crumple
if you deliver through it.
Weight
Sinking and rooting provide an inherent use of gravity.
Dropped shoulders, elbows, sunk hips and relaxed spine, knees and ankles improve
root.
Without root, you are 'floaty' and weak.
Additionally, you must weight shift with every
movement except for kicks. If your weight is not behind the movement, where is it?
When shifting weight, the alignment of the pelvis, hips and knees must be
considered.
Alignment
Pay close attention to your framework. The body must be connected together
with the optimal angles in order to transmit energy efficiently. Align
appropriately behind the line of force.
Ensure that your body is with every strike and helping to fuel it.
Verticality
Vertical alignment is the most important component. Without this, you may be
prone to slumping and this will put strain on the body. Imagine your head
being pulled away from the hips.
Do not watch your hands.
Natural power
The first level of neigong practice is about utilising the natural framework
of the body for power.
Instead of struggling with muscular force, let the stronger network of
bones, tendons, ligaments and facia bear the brunt of the work.
Then, when muscles need to be more fully employed, use the stronger ones and
not against undue resistance.
Disconnected
Instead of relaxing the lower back and allowing the pelvis to remain
neutral, many people shorten the lower back.
The spine loses its natural curvature and becomes weaker; more vulnerable to
injury. They are typically unaware of this habit because it is 'familiar'
and seems 'normal' to them.
Unfortunately, this habit prevents people from fully utilising their lower
body.
Unite upper & lower
Releasing the lower back is easy. Just relax it by thinking to let-go and
lengthen. However, you need to monitor it repeatedly throughout the day
until it becomes an established habit.
Lack of progress
If a student remains a beginner for a prolonged period of time, they will
not be using their body in the optimal way. The tai chi will be poor and the
fitness benefits limited by their grade.
Progress through the grades is essential. It enables the body to grow
stronger, healthier and more functional.
Page created
18 February 1995
Last updated
16 June 2023
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