Knees (2) | ||
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Forward stance
In a forward-weighted stance, the front leg kneecap should point over the centre
of the foot.
When you feel the ball
of the foot absorb the weight and then push back, you should
stop.
The knee needs to be firm (but relaxed) and not buckling
inwards or outwards.
Rear foot angle
For the rear foot, the Yang-style traditional guideline is 45°. This is fine if
you can comfortably square your pelvis without twisting the rear knee. If you
experience problems, maybe adjust to 30°?
Striding
Beginners often stride rather than
step.
Over-commitment leaves you vulnerable and exposed.
You put mild strain upon your body and compromise your
balance.
When standing we should have a sensation of being more in our heels than the front of the foot. However, there should be no tendency to tighten the toes or lift them off the floor. Let the toes lie freely and allow the whole foot to 'soften'. Let the weight go down 'into' the floor so your feel grounded. This gives a firm base from which to think of lengthening upwards. Free your ankles so there is a little sway available to help discover upright balance. In order to enjoy standing without strain we should never get fixed in position.
(Noel Kingsley)
Weak
The human body is meant to squat. It is how we naturally go to the toilet.
However in modern Western culture we have the sit-down toilet. This
'convenience' has led to the legs becoming weak.
The lower back and knees are also affected.
Exercise your squat
We can carefully re-train the legs by squatting whenever appropriate. When
something is on the floor and needs picking up, squat.
If this feels awkward, then you are probably used to bending at the lower
back and neglecting the legs.
Squat carefully
If squatting hurts your legs, start slowly and carefully. Use the wall/door
frame/a stick for support. Make the movement slow and smooth. In time, your
legs will get stronger.
Only squat to pick things up
Do not try to maintain a squat or do your tai chi in a low squatting stance.
Be realistic. Everyday squatting is natural and healthy. If you are unused
to this, re-habilitate.
Horse stance
The horse stance is a great strength building exercise if performed
correctly and not held for lengthy periods of time. It can serve to open the
hips and develop strong leg muscles.
The old/classical Yang style tai chi does not typically employ the horse stance in form
practice or in combat. We use it purely as an exercise.
Bending
When you wish to bend, you must first hinge the hip joint. This enables the
front of the body to lengthen and the spine is supported. Bending should
occur in the hips, not the lower back or waist.
Correct bending frees up the waist and allows rotation to occur without
impediment.
Lifting
If you plan to lift anything up you will need to bend the knees and squat.
Lifting a heavy object from the ground using a hip bend will strain the
lower back.
Squat instead. Draw the object closer to your torso. Then stand.
Pelvis
Leave the pelvis alone; it does not need to be consciously tilted in any
direction.
Deliberate tilting or tucking-under is exaggerated and affects the knees
adversely because you are now leaning back slightly.
If the pelvis is moved too much during tai chi practice, you will lose your
centre and this will affect the knees. You need to open and close the hip kwa and sacroiliac joint instead.
Folding inwards
Knees often fold inwards, towards one another. To compensate, 'think' of the
outer edge of the foot whilst standing or walking. Do not force anything.
Simply think about it.
Alignment
The knee needs to remain in line with the second toe (the big toe is the
first toe). If your knees are bad, try to keep the lead knee as vertical as
you can without holding or fixing the joint.
Sideways
Some people twist their knee joints sideways rather than move it forward.
The joint moves inward or outward rather than forward.
This fault can be corrected by slowing down weight changes and paying
attention to the way in which the foot is connecting with the ground.
Outward-pointing knees require greater emphasis upon the heel, ball of the
foot and big toe. Inward-pointing knees require more attention on the little
toe or outer edge of the foot.
Exaggeration
Many faults are caused by exaggerating the size of a movement or action.
Movements that come from the centre involve weight transference, waist and
spine action.
If you over-emphasise the waist turn, this may well affect the knees.
Similarly, reaching your hands past your feet can create imbalance.
Squaring the pelvis
Tai chi practitioners may seek to square their pelvis to the front during a
bow stance. If the stance is too long, too narrow or the individual lacks
the requisite flexibility, this could be a problem.
Often, exponents seek to overcome the obstacle by buckling the rear knee (or
straightening it) rather than the more obvious solution which is to
square-up only to the degree that is comfortable...
The word slowness refers not only to action but to
a state of mind free from impatience and anxiety. Haste seldom solves
anything. Slowness is needed to alleviate the tense desire for
progress and success.
(Robert Smith)
Martial artists/sports people
In tai chi, the only people who get knee trouble are those with an
existing history of hard style external martial arts, sports injuries or
occupational damage.
Those people need to be very slow and careful in order to rehabilitate the
knees. Often, the student is bending the knees unnecessarily: particularly
when standing, walking or doing tai chi.
Knee pain can go away quite quickly once the student relaxes the knee rather
than bending it.
6 balanced pairs
When a student can squat easily and perform a
horse stance with ease, it is worth thinking about
coordinating the '5 bows'.
Elbows & knees are one of the 3 external harmonies. Elbows and knees
must both be naturally relaxed and in line. Elbows and knees store and
release together.
Arms back problems feet hands hip & Groin joint health Knees legs pelvis shoulders
Page created
18 March 1997
Last updated
16 June 2023
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