Fundamentals of T’ai Chi Ch’uan lesson 1
12/31/2010 14:05
Stand like a balance;
Rotate like a wheel.*
- 1. Stand with your feet parallel approximately shoulder width apart.
- 2. Position the weight of each foot to just below the ball of the foot at the point that in Chinese terminology is called the bubbling well.
- 3. Experiment with the three ways of supporting the weight of your body.
a) Dropping your weight passively into the legs and catching it.
b) Standing up and locking the knees.
c) Flexing the ankle and pulling your weight into the legs.
- 4. Knee alignment, How to make your legs function as shock absorbers.
a) Positioning the knees so that they transfer the weight of the body instead of
bearing the weight thereby straining them.
b) Combining ankle flexing with knee alignment to create the condition of being Tsung.
- 5. How to align and straighten the spine.
a) The wrong way, tucking under the pelvis.
b) The right way, connecting the upper and lower body by relaxing the pelvis while flexing the ankles.
- 6. Lateral weight shift in the parallel stance.
a) Positioning of the knees.
b) What are the Kuas, and how to open and close them.
- 7. Stationary waist rotation “The water axis”.
a) Weight remains 50/50.
b) Ankles flex, weight stays over the bubbling well.
c) Knees stay aligned with the feet.
d) Keep the waist level while rotating.
e) Held at chest level the arms fold and unfold with the rotation of the waist.
- 8. “The constant Bear”(lateral weight shift with waist rotation).
a) Moving the arms in connection with the waist.
* From the T’ai Chi classics a compilation of writings that describe and instruct the practice of T’ai Chi Ch’uan.
Copyright 2000 Tom Maxon
