Essentials of Tai Chi footwork for beginners
Tai Chi originated from Taoism and is the embodiment of Taoist philosophy, especially the thoughts of Huangdi, Laozi, and Zhuangzi. It is also the introductory skill of Taoist practice. Next, I will introduce to you the essentials of Tai Chi footwork, I hope it will be helpful to everyone!
The essentials of Tai Chi footwork
1. The ups and downs of Tai Chi footwork should be light and agile
This is the core skill of footwork. Master the footwork principles of rising and falling gently, rising and falling slowly, rising and falling slowly.
It is necessary not only to grasp the characteristics of lightness, softness, agility, silence and "soft landing" in the "cat walk", but also to understand that when "stepping into the abyss", one must be highly concentrated and cautious, The spirit of gentleness, prying, and the ability to take back and step forward at any time.
At the same time, it should be even, coherent, and continuous. Otherwise, it will not only affect the random exchange of footwork, but also affect the normal operation of Qi and blood.
2. The starting position of Tai Chi should be accurate
This is an important aspect to test whether the boxing style is standardized. Therefore, every movement should follow the basic requirements and place the foot where it should land. The principle is "four righteousness and four corners".
That is, the four positive directions of east, west, south, and north are the basic directions; the four directions of northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest that form an angle of 45° with the due east and due west directions are the intermediate directions. , is the oblique direction.
Among the four oblique directions, there are two situations: one is to the left or right of the routine's direction of travel, with an included angle of about 30°; the second is one with an included angle of less than 30°, this is The "Bagua" and "Five Elements" are used to represent the direction of Tai Chi's fixed posture, which is also the unique human body spatial positioning coordinates of Tai Chi.
It not only conforms to the rules of human body mechanism activities, but also allows movements to be changed freely. Therefore, when performing boxing, you must advance or retreat in the above four positive directions, or advance or retreat in an oblique direction, and cannot deviate from it. If it is not accurate, it will lead to errors that are "a slight difference and a thousand miles wrong".
3. The height of the foot lift for beginners of Tai Chi should be moderate
The principle is “low for progress and high for retreat.” The low one is close to the ground, and the high one is no more than the ankle bone. This requires special attention to the moderate and consistent height of the hip swing during footwork transitions. It cannot be too high or too low, or too high or too low.
At the same time, you should also pay attention to the principle of "stepping forward with your heels shoveling the ground, stepping back with your toes first". That is to say, when advancing, the heel of the forward foot touches the ground first, and then gradually and smoothly transitions to the full foot planted; when retreating, the toes of the backward foot land first, and then gradually and smoothly transitions to the full foot planted.
When walking sideways (lateral step), the inside of the forefoot touches the ground first, and then gradually and smoothly transitions to the full foot.
IV. When getting started with Tai Chi, a certain lateral distance should be maintained between the two feet.
The width of the distance should be in order to facilitate the conversion of the body's center of gravity. In other words, regardless of progress or regression, the body's center of gravity should be shifted from the original supporting foot to the other foot in as short a time as possible.
The general lateral spacing is: 10 to 30 centimeters for a false step, 20 to 30 centimeters for a lunge (the parted mane of a wild horse is the same as shoulder width), and the horse stance is about 2 to 3 feet long.
The front and back feet must not stand in a straight line, or cross-step left and right. When walking together, the feet should be parallel with a distance of 10 to 30 centimeters, forming a small open step, or a very tight step or a "figure eight".
5. The step size for beginners of Tai Chi should be appropriate
If the step is too big, the forward and backward placement cannot be adjusted accordingly, and it is easy to lose the momentum passively; if the step is small, it is not conducive to sagging of the waist, dropping of the hips, and internal qi. Sinking and center of gravity stability. Therefore, the size of the steps should be such that the steps are stretched, the center of gravity is stable, the front and back are not too forward, the forward and backward are equal, and the rotation is flexible.
For example, when doing a lunge, it is best to bend one leg for support and straighten the other leg naturally without any force. Practitioners should constantly understand, explore and sum up experience in practice based on their personal circumstances.
6. When getting started with Tai Chi, the two feet should be clear about reality and reality
This is not only an important manifestation of the dialectical relationship between the unity of opposites in Tai Chi movement, but also a basic requirement for footwork.
The theory of boxing goes: "There is a virtual reality in one place, and there is always a virtual reality everywhere." That is to say, in every Tai Chi routine, except for the short standing of the feet parallel when starting and closing the posture, the rest Actions are carried out all the time in the transition between one virtual and one real, one real and one virtual.
Practitioners need to rely on the guidance of their thoughts, the opening and closing of postures, the shift of the center of gravity, and the coordination of breathing to adjust and achieve.
Specific method
Take the Mingmen point of the lumbar spine as the axis, turn the waist to the left, and move the body's center of gravity to the left foot, which becomes the supporting foot. The left foot is the solid; the right foot It plays the role of auxiliary support and is empty.
On the contrary, turn the waist to the right, shift the center of gravity of the body to the right foot, and become the supporting foot. The right foot is strong; the left foot acts as an auxiliary support, which is weak. The two are performed alternately, and it is necessary to prevent the "double" phenomenon of not distinguishing between virtual and real steps and the sloppy walking style boxing. In this way, the limbs can be put to their proper use, and attack and defense can be properly used.
7. The running route of Tai Chi’s introductory feet must be clear and arc-shaped
Walking arcs and drawing circles is a unique movement method of Tai Chi.
It takes the practitioner's spine as the axis, with circles on the hands and circles under the feet. The advancement is a circle and the retreat is a circle. Various arcs and circles run through each punch.
Therefore, regardless of progress or regression, both feet should move according to the trajectory of "first closing and then opening". Don't go straight back and forth, there are edges and corners. Taking the lunge as an example, whether you are doing a left lunge or a right lunge, you should first retract the back foot to the inside of the supporting foot, and then step forward to the left (right) side.
To roll back the humerus, first retract the front foot to the inside of the supporting foot, and then step back diagonally to the left (right) side at a 45° angle. In this way, a "crescent-shaped" or "arch-backed" arc-shaped route is naturally formed.
8. The steps for beginners of Tai Chi should be steady
This is the core of the steps and the guarantee for the realization of various techniques. The boxing proverb says, "Step forward like a plow moving across the ground, landing like a tree taking root"; "The waist moves like a snake, walking like a stick". Only with a solid foundation and a balanced body can the upper limbs and trunk be flexible and changeable. This requires practitioners to pay attention to: (1) opening the hips and rounding the crotch, supporting the legs, and expanding the base; (2) the body's center of gravity can only move with the change of steps, the footwork remains unchanged, and the center of gravity cannot change ;(3) Before changing steps, you must change the center of gravity. Only after the supporting foot has controlled the center of gravity, can you lift the other foot; (4) The supporting foot must grip the ground with all five toes and keep the whole foot firmly planted. Avoid "lifting the palm" or "uprooting" to reduce the supporting surface.
9. The movements of the introductory feet of Tai Chi should be closely coordinated with the movements of the upper limbs, coordinated and carried out together.
Make sure that the body moves with the steps and the steps follow. Everything that moves is motionless, everything that is still is motionless. Steps, body, hands, eyes. The inside and outside are in harmony, the top and bottom follow each other, and the whole body is coordinated. You can't walk and stay with your body, or walk and stay with your body. Each one does his or her own thing, and the upper and lower parts are out of touch.
The boxing proverb goes well: "You can only hit people by moving your body and move your body." "If hands and feet are not reached, ghosts cannot be hit; if hands and feet are not reached at the same time, King Kong will also fall."
In short, the foundation of Tai Chi lies in the feet. “First have good feet, then you can have good boxing.” Only by fully understanding the important position of the feet in Tai Chi exercise, paying regular attention to pile exercises and walking exercises, laying a good foundation for footwork and footwork, and strengthening the support and flexibility of the legs can the level of boxing skills be improved.
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