Knee
Health and Tai Chi Chuan
In the early days when Tai Chi became popular in the West, the medical
community was concerned with reports of knee pain / injury. Done properly,
there should be no problems. Possibly there was miscommunication through
interpreters or students were not corrected properly.
Lunge
The front leg in a bow stance is there for support. The energy for the hands
above does not come from the forward lunging action of the legs. This is a
common misunderstanding. Learning how to properly generate Fa-jin (issuing energy)
is why we study face to face with an actualized teacher. Crude energy is easy.
Refined takes study and practice. Very accurate choreography is not petty.
The knee should never go past the toes. It should be above the ball of foot /
metatarsals. Angle of knee flection can be decreased of increased by shortening
or lengthening the stance’s stride. Weight should be distributed equally in the
whole foot (no weight in the toes).
We need to avoid hyperextending the knee joint. An incorrect acute angle is a
result of shifting too far forward, which places too much weight onto the front
of the foot (as the heel begins to float off the ground), thus losing support;
the knee no longer provides a direct root for the upper body’s weight to drop
into the ground. Joints transfer weight, they do not support weight in a
properly constructed structure.
It is best to learn in a shorter / higher stance initially and then progress
through ranges until reaching a longer / lower stance. High, medium, and large
frame. Although, the essential skills can be learned just as well in the
shorter / higher stance. Longer / lower stances are for muscular training
purposes and extended range of motion through greater ease of movement. There
is no practical relevance to fighting. Real boxing utilizes shorter / higher
stances.
Knee Health and Tai Chi Chuan Practice
