Experiences of Tai Chi to loosen the waist, collapse the hips and rotate the gears

This friend:

Regarding the problem of loose waist and collapsed hips, I happened to download an article called "The Cultivation of "Tai Chi Crotch"", which is now reproduced here. I guess you Issues of concern are included. Let us thank the author, Mr. Chen Xiong, and the publishing website "Shenzhen Tai Chi Network".

The practice of "Tai Chi Cross" (Part 1)

——Shenzhen Tai Chi Network

Author: Chen Xiong (2010-08-09 18:10:53 )Reprint▼

Tai Chi is a sect of martial arts, with visible physical movements and internal movements that are difficult to observe. The waist and hips play an important role in Tai Chi. How to describe its specific operation using words and sentences is difficult to be completely accurate. Therefore, there is a saying that "it can only be understood, not expressed in words." Due to my limited mastery of Tai Chi skills and limited writing skills, I apologize for the lack of clarity in some details. Therefore, after listening to the master's instructions and explanations, boxing practitioners must, with the master's consent, use their hands to touch the changes in the bones, flesh, and skin when the master demonstrates the movements of loosening the hips. This way, they will have a clear understanding of the method. clear. If you want to activate your hips, you must first start with loose and soft exercises. For adults to practice Tai Chi, because the hip bones, hip muscles, and hip ligaments become calcified and hardened, it is more difficult for teenagers to loosen their hips. It takes two or three years to loosen the hips. Opening the crotch is already relatively fast. In addition to cross-boxing and hand rubbing, you also need to practice some auxiliary skills under the guidance of a master, such as loosening the hip bones and muscles, and rotating the hips in flat and vertical circles (be careful not to mistakenly practice the basic dance skills of twisting the hips and raising the buttocks). , improve the awareness and ability to control the flexible movement of the hips. But the real loosening of the crotch still requires intention, not clumsy force.

Famous Experts Say Crossing 1

I saw such an anecdote about the waist and hips on the Internet. Let’s not distinguish whether the anecdote in the article is true or false, but believe in the importance of the waist and hips. There is a passage in the article that says this. Yang Luchan, an important figure in modern Tai Chi, taught Wu Quanyou Kung Fu, which was the beginning of Wu Style Tai Chi. Later, Yang Luchan told his old man to return to his hometown, and Wu Quanyou followed him. Yang got off the sedan and said to him: "I swear on that day, I have taught him all the Kung Fu." You don’t have a single move left. In short, you just remember ‘hit people inside the circle, push people outside the circle’.” The so-called inside the circle means the range of the pelvic force, and the so-called outside the circle means outside the range of the pelvic force. Tai Chi doesn't just use gentle strength to neutralize others' attacks, it can also use strength to hit people. The ultimate source of strength is the pelvis, in other words, the waist and hips (the original formulation is not accurate enough, the pelvis is part of the hip, not exactly equal to the hip). The largest bone in the human body is the pelvis, and Tai Chi uses the pelvis to hit people, which is one of the most powerful things. The force exerted by the pelvis is not easy to see clearly from the outside, so even if the opponent is hit with broken limbs and arms, he still I don’t know why, but this is the second most powerful thing (for this reason, some boxers spread the saying that "if you teach boxing without teaching the crotch, it will be a mistake for the master to teach the crotch". They regard the training and usage of the crotch as a precious tool for keeping skills, and teach the essentials of the waist and hips. At that time, I was unwilling to analyze it too much, because I was worried that my apprentice would surpass him in kung fu once he had perfected his crotch training - author's note).

Famous Masters Talk 2

Mr. Lin Quanbao told an interesting story in the article "Wudang Tai Chi Practical Insights". Once upon a time, a group of robbers robbed a passenger ship in a river. They tied up the hands and feet of all the people on the ship and threw them into the river. Although many people could swim, they drowned because their hands and feet were trapped. Only one person saved himself by swimming like a dolphin. Usually we are used to breaststroke, freestyle, backstroke, and butterfly stroke. These strokes are all performed with the movements of the hands and feet. However, dolphin stroke moves forward by twisting the body and does not rely on the movement of the limbs. Although there is no direct connection between swimming and Tai Chi, this story has some enlightenment for us in practicing Tai Chi to emphasize "leading the hands with the body" and using the body to guide Tai Chi walking and rubbing hands. Direct all the movements of Tai Chi in the entire Tai Chi movement. In the beginner stage, you use your hands to lead, that is, manually.

Then the body leads the hand, that is, the body controls the movement of the whole body. Every move and style, the control of all movements is directed by the hip joints. Tai Chi master Mr. Zheng Wuqing once had a metaphor to illustrate the important position of the crotch in Tai Chi. He said in a simple way: Puppetry is a traditional Chinese art. When the puppets perform various actions on the stage, they use the hands of the actors in the audience. The better the actors' hands are, the more exciting the puppet performance will be. The same is true for the hip movements in Tai Chi. The unpredictable changes of all movements depend on the movements of the hips. With the hips as the main body, it is involved in initiating whole-body movements. In layman's terms, the contraction, opening and rotation of the hip bones are integrated through intentional and non-forceful methods, driving the bones of the whole body to attack in conjunction, separating the segments and closing the segments. This is how the movement of the hips is used to generate force and transmit energy. . For example, when you use your right hand, instead of striking with your right hand, you strike with your crotch (the crotch refers to the perineum and the inner thighs). If you want to take back your right hand, you have to use your crotch to take it back. Retracting and releasing all depends on the crotch. Another example is the practice of pushing hands. The other party blocks my left hand with his hand and exerts force on my center. Although my left hand is blocked by the opponent, my crotch has been transformed. If the left is too heavy, the left will be weak, and if the right is too heavy, the right will be weak. If I advance, I will fail. If I advance, I will fail, because my body method has changed and my center of gravity has also changed. I will use my strength to make the opponent lose his center of gravity and fall out.

Famous Experts Talk About Crossing 3

Mr. Zhang Zhijun, the successor of Tai Chi, talked about the waist and hips in the article "The Requirements of Tai Chi Martial Arts on Various Parts of the Body" and said: "The principles of Tai Chi are: "When you don't have a chance, look for it with your waist and legs." I think there is a missing word here, it should be "seek it between the waist and legs." The waist and legs are particularly important for passing the reaction force of the ground. When the knees are brought to the hips, loosening the hips can send the power to the waist in an instant. Failure to loosen the hips will instantly break the strength and fail. If the hips are loosened, part or even a large part of the opponent's strength will be reduced, which will reduce one's own strength. The center of gravity stabilizes the lower body and creates conditions for the crotch to move downward; it can increase the range of waist rotation and coordinate the whole body; loosening the hips is a necessary condition for forming a round force; loosening the hips is conducive to adjusting body posture, footwork, and Taking advantage of the opportunity will make the lower limbs move more smoothly." I basically agree with Mr. Zhang Zhijun's views on loosening the crotch.

Famous Experts Say Cross 4

Looseness is the soul of Tai Chi. The most difficult parts to practice in the entire relaxation technique should be the middle and lower body, that is, the hips, knees, and ankles. Especially the hips, because the hips are where most people are used to carrying strength, probably because of the large pelvis. Most people use their hips to absorb the weight of the upper body. In addition, there are various posture problems, so some people suffer from back pain and spinal injuries. Usually the force released by the hips will go to the knees. If the knees do not release the force transferred from the hips, it will easily damage the knees (that is, the knee joint, which is composed of the lower end of the femur, the upper end of the tibia and the patella. It is the largest and more flexible body in the human body. complex joints), thereby hindering the deepening of practice. Because after the knee joint is injured, it may affect walking at least, or require medical treatment in severe cases. It is difficult to truly calm the mind and relax the body and concentrate when practicing boxing and walking. If you further release the knee force and transfer it to the ankle (also called the ankle joint, which is composed of the lower ends of the tibia and fibula and the talus pulley), you will enter the stage of taking root. Mr. Song Xujin, a famous Tai Chi master, said: For push hands and Sanshou martial arts, one is to borrow the power of others; the other is to borrow the power of the earth. Only by practicing to the point where the hips are loose and loose can the strength of the knees be put into the earth through the ankle joints and Yongquan point.

Famous Experts Say Cross 5

For beginners of Tai Chi, if you want to practice hip loosening, you must first understand the position of the hip. Physiologically, the so-called crotch refers to the upper section of the femur, the fold and depression of the thigh. In other words, we usually call the part between the waist and the legs the crotch. The hip joint is composed of the sacroiliac joint, the hip joint, the ligamentous syndesmosis between the hip bone and the spine, the pubic symphysis, and the pelvis. One of the key points in practicing hip loosening is to realize the hip swinging movement. The so-called hip swing is a rotational movement with the hip joint on one side of the buttocks as the center of the circle and the pelvis as the radius; hip swing refers to the arc-shaped hip lifting and arc-shaped hip lowering movements. Relaxing the sacroiliac joints plays an important role in accelerating waist relaxation. When boxing, relax from the roots of the thighs, and pay attention to training the flexibility and flexibility of the hip joints, so as to open and activate the hips. If you really let go of your hips when practicing boxing, your tail will be like a bell. When you turn to the left, your left hip will drop and your right hip will rise at the same time. Now that your right hip drops, your tail will have already come over, and your hips will drive your whole body until Springs spring up under your fingers and under your feet. Relaxing the groin and perineum points, loosening the waist and tightening the buttocks (also commonly known as waist collapse) also play a great role in loosening the crotch and rounding the crotch.

In addition, pay attention to relaxing the hip joints and buttock muscles, and not pressing the pelvis tightly or stiffening the crotch. Loosening the hips must achieve at least two purposes: first, it is light and flexible. Through the muscles and ligaments of the hip joints, they can contract and relax reasonably, so that the bones and joints of the hip joints can rotate flexibly without auxiliary muscles and ligaments doing negative work; second, loosening the waist is stable and stable. , loosen the hips to better loosen the waist, use the body to lead the internal and external movements of the limbs, and properly integrate the mind, qi, and energy, so that the body can be coordinated and complete, loose but unremitting, and heavy but not stiff.

Famous Experts Say Cross 6

For the body, insisting on scientific and systematic exercise and long-term activities can thicken the articular cartilage in the hip area such as sacroiliac joints, hip joints, etc., and weaken tendons. , the ligaments thicken, the diameter at the bone attachment becomes larger, and the amount of collagen fibers increases, thereby improving the tensile strength and stability of the hip joint. Through relaxation and stretching exercises, the strength of the prime mover muscles involved in joint movement can be enhanced, and the stretchability of the antagonist muscles can be improved. At the same time, the joint capsule, ligaments and other soft tissues stretch under the action of force, increasing the joint size. The flexibility of the joints increases the range of motion of the joints. The change of the center of gravity of Tai Chi movement is inseparable from the effective movement of the hip joints. For the practice of Tai Chi internal skills, the crotch is the dominant line of boxing practice, so that the body leads the hand. , triggering Tai Chi rotation in the abdomen and controlling reverse abdominal breathing. A series of up and down, internal and external combinations, continuous, are all formed from this. Yin and Yang, deficiency and excess, and Dantian breathing all depend on the movement of the crotch. On the outside, it is the practice of boxing and hand rubbing (also commonly known as push hands); on the inside, it is the movement of Dantian. Finally, the mind and mind are united, and the Dantian directs the movements of the entire body. The foundation of strength is at the feet, and the source of starting energy is the waist and hips. The hip root is the axis that drives all joints to move. The crotch strength circle moves from the outside to the inside, and from the inside to the outside, completely integrated. (To be continued)

The practice of “Tai Chi Cross” (Part 2)

——Shenzhen Tai Chi Network

(2010-08-09 18:44:32 )Reprinted▼

Twelve types of crotch skills in Tai Chi:

The two sentences of crotch rounding and crotch support (intermediate stage) and crotch loosening and crotch loosening (advanced stage) do not seem difficult. I understand, but it’s not easy to get it right. In order to help Tai Chi enthusiasts understand how to loosen the crotch and use the crotch, and to discuss it with everyone, I am here to borrow some ideas from the magazine forum and roughly organize my many years of practice and experience for the reference of colleagues. This article uses examples. Refers to Yang style Tai Chi, which is briefly introduced as follows.

1. Hip contraction

Hip contraction is the contraction of the hip bones, muscles and ligaments from the front foot to the hind foot backward and inward, so that the waist and legs join the hips as one, rather than flexing and protruding the hips. Hips. Hip contraction is often used in movements that use defense as offense (the first half is defense and the second half is offense). Under normal circumstances, the hip contraction movement in the first half can not only cause the body to degenerate, but also stabilize the lower body and provide sufficient momentum for the attack in the second half. Hip contraction is used for actions such as closing the posture, chasing the monkey upside down, sea needle, or other actions that convert the lunge into a half-horse stance.

2. Hip drop

Hip drop means that the hip bones, muscles and ligaments drop downward when the groin is relaxed. When lowering the hips, the front feet should be buckled inward, and the abdomen should sink when the hip joints are released. The limbs below the crotch are relaxed and sink to Yongquan point, and the limbs above the crotch are directed upward to receive the energy (i.e., they are empty to receive the top force). Only when the hips are dropped steadily and the foot pedals are coordinated and smooth can a sufficient rebound force be formed, and the force can be applied to the target with the support of the solid bottom plate to produce the expected release effect. Hip drop should be a level of relaxation, not a superficial posture technique. Because no matter how skilled you are, once the hip drop is exposed to external force, you will still instinctively push it up. However, when entering the loose crotch, the external force coming in is either swallowed into the body, or is easily eliminated. Mr. Lin Wentao, the successor of Tai Chi, was invited to teach at the Tai Chi Push Hands Tutoring Station in Qinzhou, Guangxi, and said: Jie Jin is to drop the hips, and the hips must be agile. The lowered crotch is used for actions such as holding the bird's tail, beating the bird, and beating the crotch with the finger.

3. Sitting on the hips

Sitting on the hips means that on the basis of lowering the hips, the buttocks also drop a little. The hips cannot push out when falling. When sitting on your hips, keep your body upright and let your buttocks muscles and hip bones droop naturally.

The knees should be slightly pushed in the direction of the toes, so that the toes have a kickback effect. To understand the tension of the lower limbs in a relaxed state, if the key is done correctly, the toes, calves, leg arches, and hip roots will all feel swollen. Mr. Chen Weiming, a famous Tai Chi master, pointed out when teaching Tai Chi Push Hands: The first step to transform strength is to sit with the hips loosened and to rotate the waist loosely and sinking. Sitting on the hips is used for actions such as holding the bird's tail and probing the horse high.

4. Collapse of the hips

Collapse of the hips and hanging of the head are both important rules for establishing a neutral body in Tai Chi. In terms of function, it is the same as Shen Jin, Hua Jin, Fa Jin, etc. Close relationship. Mr. Zhang Yijing, a famous Tai Chi master, talked about the hip joints in the book "Tai Chi Fist Theory": "Tai Chi mostly uses lunges. If you are new to hip joints, the hip joints of the hind legs will be tense and unnatural. This is why they are not loose. The reason is that the back foot of the lunge should be slightly bent. If it is bent too much, the hip joint will not achieve the purpose of exercise. However, it is easier said than done for beginners. It refers to something that is difficult to understand. To collapse the hips is to seek the flexibility of the hip joints, especially the flexibility of the body when the body is upright. , all just emphasize lowering the center of gravity while being flexible and stable. Only when the hip joints are flexible and the waist can rotate freely can the opponent's force be resolved and the opponent be stable and unbeatable. After strict hip-collapse training, the hip joints are not flexible and flexible. "When using lunges, the hips are lowered first and then the hips are collapsed. When the hips are collapsed, the muscles of the lower back and buttocks are relaxed, the hips naturally droop, and the hips form an arched position with the Yongquan point on the soles of the feet. Mr. Lin Mogen, a famous Tai Chi master, said at the training class for Tai Chi Push Hands coaches in Sichuan Province: When you relax your waist and collapse your hips when exerting strength, you will fall out. The flattened crotch is used for actions such as hugging the knees, stepping with the palms, leaning the body and beating.

5. Hip opening

It does not refer to hip opening in a broad sense, but to hip opening in a narrow sense, which refers to the loosening of the left and right hips and the abduction of the knees. The stretching and loosening of the hips is driven by the mind and body. It is a uniform tension and loosening of the muscles and ligaments around the hip joints, not a loose mechanical stretching. After the hips are opened, their posture produces a kind of elasticity that is both steady and flexible, forming an overall strength together with the thoughts. When you open your hips and send out strength, it should be an instant burst and should not be delayed and stagnant. Opening the hips is used for single whip palm, arm fanning and other movements.

6. Hip joint

Hip joint refers to the convergence of various parts of the hip joint between the Mingmen point and the Huiyin point, forming an organic whole with the waist and legs. Properly closing the hips can make the overall body posture stable. If it is properly coordinated with the mind, energy, and energy, the foundation will be as stable as Mount Tai. The hip joint is closed from the outside in, not from the contraction and stiffness of the hip joint itself. When the crotch is closed to generate energy, it should be instantaneous and should not be delayed and stagnant; when the crotch is closed to transform the energy, the camera should be slower until the other party's energy is completely absorbed. Closing the hips is used for movements such as fighting the tiger posture, bending the bow and shooting the tiger.

7. Hip rotation

Hip rotation refers to the state of the hip joints and muscles and ligaments of the front foot turning from inside to outside or from outside to inside in the horizontal direction. It is used for forward and backward steps. It is a transitional foot-raising movement in the middle, or a movement from straight strength to horizontal strength, or from horizontal strength to straight strength. If the hip is turned while walking, the hip is lifted up by the hip and the empty foot is lifted up and stepped out. The degree of hip rotation of the front real foot is based on the time when the back heel, back sole, and back toe are lifted off the ground. Turning too much will distort the body posture and affect the center of gravity. Turning too little will make lifting the feet unnatural and requires coordination throughout the body. The solid foot is steady, the empty foot is light and nimble. The boxing proverb says, "It is difficult for a bird to fly when the waist and hips are slightly turned." This not only emphasizes the importance of the waist and hips in generating strength in martial arts, but also explains that the final strength of some movements is exerted on the target from one side of the body. During the process, the hip joint must make corresponding hip rotation movements in order to coordinate the completion of the overall movement.

8. Hip rotation

Hip rotation refers to the state in which the hip joints and muscles and ligaments of the virtual foot turn from bottom to top along the vertical circle direction. It is used for the transition between horizontal steps. Lifting and retracting feet. For example, movements such as cloud hand and cross hand. Rotating the hips means using the hips to lift up the virtual foot and move it sideways to move closer or step forward. The range of hip rotation of the virtual foot should be until the heel, sole of the foot, and toes are lifted off the ground one after another. Too much rotation will deform the body posture and affect the stability of the center of gravity; too little rotation will make it difficult to lift the feet smoothly. The whole body should be coordinated, the solid feet should be steady, and the weak feet should be nimble.

9. Hip dislocation

Hip dislocation refers to the feeling that the acetabulum and femoral head seem to be detached, so there is a saying that "the hip is loose and wants to detach", and is used for right and left feet. , kicking, kicking and other movements.

The kicking and striking movements of Tai Chi are mainly completed by the hip joint composed of the acetabulum and femoral head, as well as the ligaments around the hip joint, iliofemoral ligament, pubic sac ligament, ischial sac ligament, etc., as well as the psoas and abdominal muscles. , pelvic girdle muscles, thigh muscles, etc. are assisted to complete the different foot kicking movements, which is a complex coordination task. When kicking or kicking, focus part of your attention on your toes or heels, and use the ends of your feet to lead up. This approach can reduce the awareness of control of the hip joints and unintentionally relax the hip joints. It is also necessary to do a good job in transforming the actual and empty posture of the entire body. If it can be coordinated with the release of internal energy in the Dantian, the effect will be better.

10. Hip lift

Hip lift means that the hip joints, muscles, and ligaments of the real foot are loosened downward, while the hip joints, muscles, and ligaments of the virtual foot are lifted upward, forming an upper and lower The competing state of loose hips. Used for hand gestures, golden rooster independence and other actions. By using the strength of the up and down folding of the hips, the hip lift can better transmit the ground reaction force, thereby borrowing the power of the ground and the power of others to attack the opponent.

11. Sending the crotch

Sending the crotch, also commonly known as the heel crotch, refers to the crotch corresponding to the front of the knee joint of the front foot thrust forward. You should think about the Mingmen point to push the hips forward, or think about the sacrum holding up the hip joints and pushing them forward, just like what Mr. Ye Dami said, "the tail is like the rudder of a boat." At this time, pay attention to relaxing the perineal point, groin, and knee joints, so that the muscles and ligaments of the waist, hips, and legs are just right. The way of sending the front foot of the hip is either a virtual foot or a virtual foot, or a real foot or a solid foot. The purpose is basically the same, but the transitional movements in the middle are different. The strength is transmitted from the hips to the waist, and the inner strength is used to hit and release the opponent. If the hip movement is made into a hip contraction (except for the contraction of the hips), the hip joint itself and the attachment to the hip will be affected. If some muscles and ligaments in the waist and thighs on the joints have negative work, part of the force originating from the feet will be offset or redirected at the hip joints, resulting in missed opportunities and potential energy, which will greatly affect the impact and release effect. Delivering the crotch just right is a sign of seizing the opportunity. Sending the crotch is used for diagonal flying postures, white snake spitting messages, movements of both melting and sending, etc.

12. Hip pumping

Hip pumping means that the left or right hip is intentionally pushed forward a little (but not intentionally pushed forward with force), and the hip joint is turned upward at the same time. The loose crotch state is like a water pump sucking up water. Hip pumping can naturally lift the virtual foot off the ground from the heel, sole, and toes, which can be used to switch between virtual and actual steps in forward and backward steps.

The above introduces twelve kinds of hip looseness states, which is convenient for boxing practitioners to check their positions when doing boxing stance and rubbing hands. Which position of this movement releases the hips? Is it a good feeling unique to Tai Chi? The cat-shaped steps of Tai Chi include lowering the hips, collapsing the hips, turning the hips, pumping the hips, pushing the hips, etc. Practice the cat-shaped steps more and practice the cat-shaped steps well. This step is very helpful for understanding the loosening of the hips. (End)