Monday, January 27, 2020

Tai Chi walking training





Jim R. said: What Master Hwa does here with students touching a post in this video link has proven itself to be indispensable in my classes. Also indispensable to ice and snow walking in beautiful Buffalo, NY. While we do not have a post we do use the walls on the 3rd floor Rockwell at the College. I do adjust a couple of ways by having students lightly touch one finger, keeping good structure. The body does not remember the finger but it certainly remembers good or bad structure Doing this also allows us to move down the hall as well as standing still Tai Chi walking training. There is nothing like his "static" stationary idea to also train the following characteristic: "The second characteristic mentioned in "Uncovering the Treasure", the great book by Stephen Hwa on Amazon, p.65

"The characteristic of keeping the body's center of gravity under control, not allowing it to fall forward as in the common walking motion, includes a key provision that when one steps out with one foot, the bodyweight stays back without moving until the front foot is flat on the ground, then one pulls the body forward until all the bodyweight is on the front foot. While in the common walking motion the body weight shifts with the foot stepping forward so part of the bodyweight lands on the heels of the front foot. Landing the body weight on the heel of the front foot combined with the back foot pushing forward on its toe is a primary reason that people slip and fall on icy or slippery surfaces."

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