"Lift Legs training using lower Quarter Body movement this way is very good. Jim, it should really help beginners on the footwork", Classical Tai Chi Master Stephen Hwa.
Jim Roach said: My Youtube Studio link of a video. This is my student, now a teacher, Sifu Jason Bulger doing a variation. I "discovered" it in my experimentation with lower body movement. Also "discovered" one needs to do this to 8 angles, N, NE, NW, S, SE, SW, E, W, not just front. That type of practice coincides with Classical Tai Chi Form instruction, wherein the first piece of business is teaching students to step and move in one of the 8 directions.
* Turning feet to various angles coincides with foot placement in the "Form
* Turning feet to various angles coincides with the numerous foot positions in the "kicking section".
*As you get comfortable with this, I recommend just very lightly touching (we had a tree) a surface, or wall with just the tip of a finger, even closing the eyes. A mirror is best in the beginning.
*Lightly touching with a finger is not a crutch but it is enough to help you maintain good body structure while you do this.
*This is Jason's first try, so he is bending his head too much; otherwise, the internal movement seems very good.
*Use abdominal and back muscles to lift
Master Hwa's instructions as well: "The leg lifting is accomplished by using abdominal and back muscles to lift either side of the pelvis, which in turn lifts the leg. In this case with Jason, either leg is completely relaxed since the lifting is done by internal power and not the leg muscles. The moving part is the leg and its associated abdominal and back muscles while the other parts of the body remain stationary to provide support and grounding. The Yin-yang junction may be visualized in either the right or left side of the abdomen and back region depending on which leg is lifted. One could classify this as a lower-quarter body movement. All lower body movements are from the core. This is just one example of it. Practicing with an imaginary mental picture that the legs do not end at the hip joints, but rather there is a leg extension into the core of the body has helped some students learn how to initiate lower body movements from the core."Lift Legs using lower Quarter Body movement
That was paraphrased and an excerpt from Page 5., "Internal Discipline of Tai Chi": Uncovering The Treasure: Classical Tai Chi's Path to Internal Energy & Health Paperback – May 12, 2010
by Stephen Hwa (Author)
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