Importance of the "Back Foot"
A Review of Tai Chi walking
Body Forward Lean (import of back foot during push hands)
Along with several other requirements a proper forward lean
posture requires the back foot to be firmly on the ground. Let's emphasize the
import of "Tai Chi Walk" in order to do good "Push
Hands":
When one demonstrates Tai Chi Form to students, their
attention will always be attracted to the upper body movements first and
neglect the "foot work". The back foot's heel is to be firmly on the
ground and creates problems when it is not. The head, the body and the back leg
form a straight line in the lean forward. Under this structure, you will feel a
strong stretch from the top of the head down to the Achilles' tendon and heel
of the back foot. The stretch of the back foot counter balances the leaning
forward ability of the body, thus allowing one to lean forward even more.
While doing Tai Chi walk, the upper body is kept relaxed
with two hands hanging limp on the side of the body. This is the first lesson
on how to keep clear a differential between the energized and the relaxed parts
of the body working side by side. Even in such simple case, many students have
trouble
keeping the upper body relaxed in the beginning. This exercise teaches the
proper body posture, feet positions, body weight distribution, and unique
walking dynamics. In addition, it is a very effective exercise, tuning every
aspect of the lower body including the lower back.
The three main characteristics of this
exercise are:
I. using core power for leg movements, such as
lifting and stretching the leg
2. keeping the body's center of gravity under
control, not allowing the body to fall forward as
in the common walking motion
3. pulling the body forward or backward not pushing
by the leg.
The last move involves primarily the use of the power of the
core (described as contracting abdominal muscle inward) together with the pull
of the lead foot to move the body. A longtime student, Bill, describes the
sensation of this move as if the body is being sucked forward or backward. This
is the crucial step for converting the walking motion into an entirely internal
movement.
Normally, during walking, one uses the back foot to push
when walking forward and the front foot to push when walking backward. The
pushing motion by the leg muscle is entirely external and it also engages both
feet stuck to the ground until the body completes its move. In other words, it
is a double weighted move. In the case of pulling forward instead of pushing
forward, the back foot has no responsibility for pushing. It is free to be
lifted and moved thereby improving the mobility of the
person.
The same is true for the backward walk. This is one of
the advantages from a martial arts application viewpoint. Certainly during
applications, there are situations favoring "push" or situations
favoring "pull". For example, when an opponent is coming at you, you
want to adhere (stick) to him and sit back to neutralize the incoming force.
You certainly do not want to add to his incoming force by pushing your body
back with the front foot. Instead, you want to use the back foot and core to
control the pull back and at the same time plant the front foot's heel on the
ground to absorb some of the incoming force by pulling on the body.
"Push" is a natural move and It is further developed and strengthened
in the Large Frame Form. On the other hand, "pull" with the core is a
learned technique for almost everyone I know and is only developed in the
Compact Frame Form.
