Move of the Month |
Move of the Month – Step Back, Repulse Monkey
The footwork in Repulse Monkey is a continuous series of Empty-steps. Each step includes a body turn first one way, then back the other way – then step. But watch out! The most common error is crossing the feet behind yourself. You’ll wind up in an off-balance position, and will lose your stability and flow. Start out in an Empty-step with the weight on the right foot. SPOT CHECK: both knees are bent here so that the kwa is still drawn in (i.e. the hip joint is creased). The right knee is opened out pver the right toes. The left toes point forward, but there is no weight on the left foot. The torso (waist) is turned 45° to the right, but the head looks forward. Extend the left hand forward with the palm facing out. SPOT CHECK: The left elbow should be bent or curved so that the elbow is roughly lined up over the left knee and the palm is lined up over the left foot. Make sure the elbow is pointing down. Finally, the right hand should be held palm up against the abdomen about belly-button level midway between the belly button and the shoulder line.
Stand in the basic T’ai Chi posture – suspending the “headtop,” dropping the tailbone, lengthening the spine in between and letting the arms hang heavily. The sides of the big toes are touching, but the heels are slightly apart. The knees are softened, the weight is in the heels but the toes grip the ground. Now shift the weight to the right foot, letting the left foot completely empty. The heel peels up off the ground until only the big toe rests on the floor – then it too floats up into the air. Step the foot slowly out to the left shoulder width, and then let the foot gently touch down – toe first, peeling down until the foot is flat. Bend both knees, sinking down to your appropriate level. Now shift your weight back to the right foot, emptying the left foot. Take your time here. This is the heart of this exercise. Slow down. Really pay attention to the shifting of the weight so that you can distinguish the moment that you no longer have any weight on the left foot. When the left foot is really, really truly empty, let it float up and move forward until the heel touches down… as soft as a snowflake landing on snow. Spot Check: When the heel touches down, it still has no weight on it. It is a slow, careful process of transferring the weight from the point of the heel through the base of the foot all the way to the toes. Move too fast, and you miss it. Continue this pattern until you have walked forward at least ten steps… and then reverse direction. The Empty Step is a fundamental stance in T’ai chi, and you’ll find it as the base footwork in many techniques. In the 24-movement Yang Short Form, we find it in Crane Spreads Wings, Play Pi’pa, Repulse Monkey, High Pat on Horse, and Needle at Sea Bottom. “To distinguish Empty and Full” is one of the first skills I teach my T’ai Chi students. In the Empty Step, all the weight (100%) is on the supporting foot, while the other foot is completely weightless. On the toes of the empty foot lightly touch the ground. Both knees are bent, and both of the hips are flexed (kwa drawn in). The basic drill we want to practice here is the footwork transition that happens between a Bow Step and an Empty Step (as in the transition from Part Horse’s Mane to Crane Spreads Wings, for example). Basically, this transition is a shuffle step. The weight will transfer completely to the front foot (emptying the back foot). The back foot will draw forward – about half the original distance – and touch the ground with the toes. Then the weight will shift entirely to the back foot (emptying the front) and voila! You’ve created a perfect Empty Step. Now here are the important subtleties of this movement:
Here is the basic drill. Begin in Bow Step with the left foot forward. Shifting the weight to the left foot (filling the left), bring the right foot halfway forward, and touch the right toe down lightly. Now shift the weight fully back into the right foot, emptying the left until only the toe touches down. Keeping the hips level, step the left foot forward again to form a Bow Step. Once again shift the weight to the left foot (filling the left), and bring the right foot halfway forward, touching the right toe down lightly. Then shift the weight fully back into the right foot, emptying the left until only the toe touches down. Keep repeating this sequence, and focus on keeping up with the nuances I pointed out above. Stay balanced… PHM was one of the first movements I learned more than 25 years ago, and every year I discover more about it. On the one hand I sometimes think it’s depressing not to have gotten this move down after 25 years! But the rest of the time I think it really is kind of cool that after all this time I still can learn so much from just this one move. Last month, we learned the movement Grasp the Bird’s Tail. From the outside, Grasp the Bird’s Tail and Parting the Horse’s Mane look very similar. But from the inside (on an energetic and practical application level), they are very different. The first thing to remember about this movement is that the final hand position will evolve from (and be a variation of) the basic “holding the ball” hand position called Embracing the Moon. Embracing the Moon is the fundamental hand and arm position in T’ai Chi. Try making the shape while looking in the mirror. The top arm comes right across the chest just below the shoulder line, and the bottom arm comes right across the line just above the hips. The two hands line up center of palm over center of palm – which means that the fingertips of each hand are more or less in line with the wrist of the other. The arms are rounded and the wrists slightly relaxed – curving around an imaginary ball… or moon. The shape is 3-dimensional, so the arms are held away from the body as if you had an apple under your armpit. (Traditionally speaking, you are holding a full moon. Holding your arms flat against your chest is called “a half moon.”) Stand in a T-step facing north, weight on right foot, embracing the moon with the right hand on top. Begin turning the waist to the left, and step out into a Bow Step. As you step out, the “parting” hand (left) will float up from the bottom of the moon diagonally. In fact, it floats out slightly as it floats up and across, and more than anything feels like a chop from bottom to top. Now let’s talk about the step. Last month, when we learned about Grasp Bird’s Tail, I taught you to turn the waist and hips completely toward your direction of step before you step out toward your Bow Step. In Parting Horse’s Mane, however, you only turn your waist and hips halfway to step towards your Bow Step. Spot Check: at the halfway point, the heel of the stepping foot (left) touches the ground, and the waist and hips should have turned slightly less than 45 ° from start of the move. The bottom hand (left) has floated up to a point roughly in line with the bottom of your rib cage and the elbow has dropped slightly so that the forearm is slightly less than 45° above horizontal. The top hand (right) should now be on the same line as the “parting” hand. OK – if that last spot check seems way too complicated and technical, think of it this way: the timing of the Parting the Horses’ Mane step is much more subtle and controlled than the timing of the Ward-Off step. After the halfway point when the heel touches down, there is not much more waist turn – only a few extra degrees. In the final position, the waist and chest are pointed just a little bit more than 45 – in between the starting position and the line of the Bow Step. This is known as an “open Bow Step” – much different than the final foot position of Ward Off, which is known as a “closed Bow Step.” Let’s try another Part the Horse’s Mane step. Now, we’ll be using the Bow step sequence we’ve been learning in the last couple of lessons.
Grasping the Bird’s Tail is a fundamental movement in all forms of Taijiquan. According to the T’ai Chi Classics, originally there were only 13 techniques, consisting of five directions of orientation (advance, retreat, look to the left, attack from the right and stand in the center) and eight methods of attack and defense (ward-off, roll back, press, push, split, pull down, elbow stroke and shoulder stroke). Grasping the Bird’s Tail uses all five directions, and four of the eight methods, making it a microcosm. 1. Preparation Start off facing “South”, which is what we arbitrarily call whatever your starting position happens to be. Sometimes I also use a clock face description, in which case your starting position is 12:00. Stand in the wuji position, which is feet together, hands by your sides, head erect, spine in neutral and your tongue at the roof of your mouth. Begin by stepping the left foot to the left (shoulder width), center your weight over both feet and bend your knees, sinking down to your comfortable depth. Now shift your weight to the right foot (empty the left) and round your arms into Embracing the Moon of the whole art of Taiji in itself! 2. Ward-off The energy of Ward-off is Peng, the expanding energy. As you step into this technique, imagine creating a force-field that would bounce anyone or anything away from you. Rotating at both the waist and the hips, turn 90° to the left. Step the left foot forward to initiate a Bow Step, landing softly on the left heel. As the left foot begins its step, the left arm (still rounded) begins to float up and expand to initiate Ward-off. The right hand begins to float down toward the right hip, initiating its Pull-down maneuver. Spot check: by the time the left heel lands, the left hand is approximately in line with the belly half way between the hips and the chest. The right hand is on or near the left wrist. Continue the motion (it never stops, really). The weight should now shift into the left foot (filling the left and emptying the right) until the Bow step is complete, and the weight is 70% in the front leg, 30% in the back leg. The left hand continues to expand into the Ward-off position, and the right hand floats down to the right hip. Spot Check: in the final position of Ward-off, the left hand is in front of the left quadrant of the chest. The left fingers are barely dangling over the centerline of the torso. The left forearm is nearly horizontal, except remember that the left elbow is rounded down towards the earth. The curve of the left arm is nearly the same as it was when you were in Embracing the Moon… except that the energy of Ward-off is to expand, so there is slight extension forward (i.e. the elbow straightens ever so slightly). And finally, the left hip creases deeply, pulling the left thigh bone into the socket. Sink into the position. 3. Roll-back The energy of Roll-back is Lu, which is known as the yielding energy. The move requires deep flexibility in the hips, so that there can be a longer range of motion in your stance. From the Ward-off position, turn the waist slightly to the left by sinking deeper into the crease of the left hip. This is the initiation of Roll-back, and at this point there are three rotations happening simultaneously. First is the rotation of the waist as you turn to the left. Second is the downward (internal) rotation of the left hand from the Ward-off position as you turn the left palm down and extend the fingers forward, anticipating a grab. Third is the upward (external) rotation of the right hand as you turn the right hand up and reach forward. Spot Check: At this point, your weight is still deeply in the front foot and you sink deeper into the kwa (front hip). Both arms are still rounded. The left hand lines up over the left knee, and the right hand lines up under the left elbow. Sit back – shifting your weight into the right foot (emptying the left). As you shift back, the two hands pull downward from chest level to hip level. Spot Check: pay attention to the rise and fall of your hips as you shift back. They should stay on the same level. As you complete this part of the move, the weight is now approximately 80% in the right foot and 20% in the left foot, although the left foot is still rooted flat on the floor. Very important – the right thigh is rotating outward to keep the right knee lining up over the right toes, and the left thigh is rotating in the opposite direction to keep the leflt knee still ined up with the left toes. Continuing the motion, turn the waist to the right. Simultaneously, draw both hands across the waist and then upward to chest level, pointing to the right. Spot Check: this is the conclusion of Roll-back. The motion is soft and continuous, without any breaks, from sit back and draw hands down to turn and float hands up. In the final position, both arms are still rounded as they were when you reached forward. This time, the right hand is in line with the right foot, and the left hand lines up with the right elbow. 4. Press The energy of Press is Ji – which is following, sticking and compressing. In the T’ai Chi Classics, it says, “Looking up, he seems even higher. Looking down, he seems even deeper. Advancing, he is even further away. Retreating, he is even closer.”With the weight still 80% on the right foot, turn the waist back 90° to the left. As you turn, simultaneously bend the right elbow like a windshield wiper, bringing the right hand to the left wrist. Spot Check: At this point, your waist and eyes are pointed in the same direction as your original Bow Step, but you are sitting in a reverse Bow step. The left arm doesn’t have to do anything, since it was already in the perfectly rounded position – identical to the Ward-off position. Shift the weight forward to form a Bow Step (filling the left foot to 70%). This is the conclusion of Press, in a solid Bow Step, with the hands and arms formed to look like Ward-off “with extra strength.” Spot Check: if you bend the right elbow and place the right wrist naturally against the left, you will find the right palm faces in. As you shift forward, however, the right palm rotates until face palm out (against left wrist) just as you complete your Bow Step. 5. Push Finally, the energy of Push is An, which means Peace and release. Slide the right hand over the top of the left wrist, and then separate both wrists chest width apart (palms down). Sit back – shifting your weight into the right foot (emptying the left). As you shift back, the two hands pull slightly toward you and downward from chest level to hip level. This time, however, lift the left toes to give just a touch more range of motion.Now shift forward into a Bow Step again (filling the left foot). Simultaneously, float the hands slightly forward and upward from hip level to chest level. Spot Check: in the final position of Roll-back, the arms are still rounded to the same degree as they were in Ward-off. Our first Move of the month is the essential Bow Step (or North and South) drill. I start out every one of my practice sessions with this drill. I first learned this drill the first time I went to China for training and competition. My coaches at the Beijing Sports Institute asked for an audition, so I demonstrated the routine I’d been working on. They smiled and nodded (basically saying, “Not too bad for an odd White Guy.” Then they taught me this drill. For the next four days, this was all they let me do. Forward stance from one end of the training hall to the other… and back again. Six hours a day. The first day I just thought it was kind of weird. The second day I started to get bored a little bit. The third day I was getting kind of pissed off – after all I was paying for this! But on the fourth day, I suddenly understood that there was something really important and powerful in this practice. Try it – and let me know how it works out for you. The “forward stance” is the primary foot position in T’ai Chi Ch’uan routines. In Chinese, we call it gong bu - the Bow and Arrow step, or “Bow Step” for short. It is a lunge position, in which the majority of the weight is in the front foot (70%). In Yang style T’ai Chi, the toe of the front foot points directly forward, and the toe of the back foot is angled in at 45°. In the Bow Step, both knees are bent. The front knee is obviously bent, as in any lunge, and the knee is lined up with the front toes (in other words, not collapsing inward or bowing out) and should stay pretty much over the ankle. (In actuality, the knee often drifts forward to about the middle of the shoelaces… but no more.) The amount of bend in the back knee depends mostly on how much you sink down in your first movement. Important detail: the whole rear leg is rotating away from thebody. It feels as though the back leg was trying to turn out, and this moves the back knee towards alignment with the back foot. The Bow Step has three dimensions: length, width and depth. The depth (or height) of the Bow Step is determined by how much you bend your knees on the first movement. It doesn’t matter how much you sink down, just make sure you stay at this level – don’t let your hips rise or fall! The length of the forward stance is the distance from the toes of your front foot to the heel of your back foot. Ideally, this is twice the width of your shoulders – which means that everyone’s T’ai Chi lunge is a little bit different, but perfectly fits their own body. The width of the Bow Step is the side-to-side distance between the ankles, and ideally is just shoulder wide. The Bow Step is supposed to be a position of strength and stability. Both feet are flat on the ground, with the energy going deep into the earth. In Chinese we’d call it gen – rooted. It’s like having roots coming out of your feet deep into the earth. T’ai Chi teachers look to see if their students have gen. If you’re not rooted, they say, you’re “floating One of my favorite practice drills is the Bow Step (sometimes I call it the North and South step). The essence of T’ai Chi Ch’uan isn’t found in the routines – it’s found in the basic drills. I begin every single T’ai Chi workout with this basic drill as my warm-up.
This is the essential Bow Step (or North and South) drill. As I said before, I start out every one of my practice sessions with this drill. I first learned this drill the first time I went to China for training and competition. My coaches at the Beijing Sports Institute asked for an audition, so I demonstrated the routine I’d been working on. They smiled and nodded (basically saying, “Not too bad for an odd White Guy.” Then they taught me this drill. For the next four days, this was all they let me do. Forward stance from one end of the training hall to the other… and back again. Six hours a day. The first day I just thought it was kind of weird. The second day I started to get bored a little bit. The third day I was getting kind of pissed off – after all I was paying for this! But on the fourth day, I suddenly understood that there was something really important and powerful in this practice. Try it – and let me know how it works out for you. |
