What is the Most Difficult Tai Chi Move? Q&A

In 2021 I received the following question on one of my YouTube videos which demonstrates the Yang Tai Chi 10 Form:

Q:

"Andrew, random question, what do you think is the most difficult movement in tai chi -- whether it be because of balance, coordination, whatever..?"

I find this question quite interesting because there are different kinds of difficultly in Tai Chi training.  See my response to this question below:

A:

"Hmmmmmm......I am not sure I have a good answer for you. When I was teaching in-person classes it seemed that the Yang style's "Snake creeps down" movement is the one that most students would struggle with. When I was learning Lao Jia Yi Lu I would say that the "Dragon Rolling Downward" was the move I struggled with the most. 

I think the difficultly of movements changes during the course of one's training too. Things that seem difficult before, get easier and you begin to realize that there are a lot more layers to the things that seemed simple and easy before. If we are also considering competition Taiji forms, there are plenty of acrobatic movements that are ridiculously difficult. 

However, I would say the most difficult aspect of Taiji training is incorporating the correct movement principles into the body while training. Once that is accomplished Taiji becomes a whole new experience, but before that, it is just a lot of work that does not look impressive or flashy, and it does not really feel all that useful in the beginning and people tend to get bored with it quickly. So, rather than a specific movement, I think incorporating the correct concepts of movement into training is where the real difficulty lies in Taiji training..."

We can consider several types of difficulty. There is the difficulty of performing a complex or especially athletic movement.  Often this difficulty can be overcome and the movement can be performed without applying the internal principles of Tai Chi training.  So the difficulty only runs so deep and depends more on physical athleticism than on Tai Chi skill. 

Another type of difficulty is understanding the movement principles of Tai Chi to a depth that allows you to incorporate them into every movement, whether it is something as simple as "Begin Taiji" or as demanding as "Snake Creeps Down".  This level of difficulty instills a deeply transformative understanding of your own body motion and turns a movement that appears as simple as "Begin Taiji" into an entire universe of discovery.  This is where the real difficulty of Taiji training lies, but it is also the most valuable and beneficial pursuit in Taiji training.  

There is nothing wrong with learning, practicing, and performing impressive-looking Tai Chi movements, but if you want Tai Chi to transform you, strive to realize the Tai Chi movement principles in your body with every movement during your Tai Chi training. 

If you have always wanted to learn Tai Chi, but you do not have an instructor in your area, you are in luck. My YouTube channel offers over 300 free Tai Chi and Qigong instruction videos that can set you soundly on your path to learning Tai Chi.  Visit YouTube.com/AndrewPlitt today. 

Does the Bubbling Well/Yong Chuan Point Have a Martial Application? Q&A

About a year ago I received the following question on one of my "Qigong Basics" videos that discuss the the use of the Bubbling Well/Yong Chuan point:


Q:
"Does this have an application in martial arts?"


There are so many different explanations out there about how to use the bubbling well in Tai Chi marital art applications in addition to the many opinions surrounding its usefulness in Qigong training.  It is no wonder so many people find this point on the bottom of the foot to be such a confusing topic.  That is why I created the video that deals specifically with the Bubbling Well and it's use in Qigong/Tai Chi.  I have copied my response to this question below and I hope it helps bring some clarity on this topic.


A:
"...Yes, this is a large part of developing what is called a "root" in Chinese martial arts. The upward intention at the yongquan point is meant to make your foot feel a bit like there is a vacuum in the space between your foot and the floor that makes your foot "stick" to the floor. Think of your leg as a vacuum hose and the yongquan point as the end of the hose, when you stick it on the ground, the suction of the vacuum makes the hose stick to the floor. 

In reality there is no vacuum suction between your foot and the ground, obviously, but the intention of having that connection with the ground brings awareness to how your feet are interacting with the ground and it will give more solid footing which is important in martial arts. If you have ever stood on one foot and felt that the foot contacting the ground seemed to roll around so that the focus of your weight was shifting all over the bottom of your foot and it felt like your ankle was moving all over the place and changing direction every split second, you have experienced the type of instability and lack of root that the intention discussed in this video and the previous video are meant to address. 

That type of instability demonstrates a lack of proprioceptive awareness and a lack of integrated body movement that allows someone to control their own body, whether that is for balance in daily life activities or in martial arts. The connection of the feet with the ground is overlooked a lot in martial arts training, but when you think about the fact that having only two contact points with the ground (2 feet) is inherently unstable, it makes sense to maximize the usefulness of those contact points through specific training. 

Most martial arts start with footwork training, but arts that use Zhan Zhuang as a foundational practice, start with foot awareness and connection with the ground before moving on to footwork, or at least use it to supplement their footwork. This training takes away the complexity of martial arts movements and footwork, and it just lets the person practicing, focus on developing their connection with the ground. 

The ideal end-result is learning how to manipulate that connection as the practitioner learns martial arts movements and the feet take on a more active role. Additionally, this, along with the previous video and following video, help establish the foundation for silk reeling in Taijiquan."

If you have often wondered about the role of the Bubbling Well / Yong Chuan point in Qigong or Tai Chi training you should go to my "Bubbling Well / Yong Chuan Point" Qigong Basics video for detailed, free information.  

If you are interested in learning more about Silk Reeling, which was mentioned at the end of my response to the question, you should check out my Silk Reeling playlist on my YouTube channel. 

Quad Tension During Zhan Zhuang Qigong: Q&A

About a year ago, one of my YouTube channel viewers left the following question on one of my videos:

Q:

"My right quad muscle feels more tense than my left during zhan zhuang, how do I fix this?"

Difficulties like the one described in this question are extremely common among Qigong and Tai Chi practitioners.  One of the primary reasons to train Zhan Zhuang Qigong is to help a practitioner become aware of imbalances in the body so they can be corrected.  I have copied my response to this question below and it is my hope that it well be helpful for anyone out there who is struggling with a similar problem.

A:

"The best thing to do is to find an instructor that can work with you in-person. That way they can observe your practice and help you adjust what needs to be adjusted. Generally when the quads are tense it has to do with shifting the weight too far forward onto the ball of the foot or tucking the sacrum too far under the body when trying to remove excess curvature from the low back (which also tends to push the weight forward onto the toes). 

Another common cause of excess quad activation is pushing forward at the inguinal crease, rather than folding the inguinal crease inward. This is often caused because too much outward (away from center) rotational force is being sent through the legs unintentionally. If only one side is feeling this, it can be due to imbalance in your structure that is causing you to compensate with the right quads, or it could be that both quads are equally over-activated, but your awareness is more drawn to your right side for any number of reasons. 

Those are all places to look when you are analyzing your structure as you practice, but without working with you in-person, there is no way for me to know which one of these issues are coming into play. I would recommend watching my "Qigong Basics" playlist. I am still posting videos to it because it is not yet complete, but the videos that discuss the correct weight distribution on the feet and the correct structure and intention in the lower body are all available. It might help you sort out what is going on with your right quad muscles if you do not have a skilled instructor to train with in-person. Here is the link to the Qigong Basics playlist :

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAzIKxB72CMCOedDLawWEphjNqWWbMEbL."

If you have not stopped by my YouTube channel and you are looking for a great source of free Tai Chi and Qigong instruction material, visit YouTube.com/AndrewPlitt today. 

Timing Calisthenics with Internal Arts Training? Q&A

Several month ago someone left the following questions on one of my YouTube videos: 

Q:

"...I have a few questions I was hoping you could help me with. When you do incorporate calisthenics into your training, do you do them before or after your internal arts training? Do you think it makes a difference doing them before or after? Do you do any extra cardio to supplement your internal arts training?..."

There are many different opinions out there about whether or not it is acceptable to practice calisthenics, cardio, or strength training exercise routines while training in internal martial arts like Tai Chi (Taiji) or Qigong (Chi Kung).  Because I have received several questions similar to this one in the past, I have copied my response to this viewer's question below.  It is my hope that this response will be helpful to those of you who have struggled with the same question. 

A:

"Those are great questions. There are times when I practice calisthenics, strength training, or cardio before I do internal training and times when I practice those things afterwards. I do not often practice them during the same training session though. 

Typically I start my day with internal training, so any other training I do that day comes afterwards. If I am going to train them during the same session, the order entirely depends on what training I will be doing and what my goal is, because the order does make a difference. There are a couple of benefits to starting with strength training, calisthenics, or cardio prior to internal training. 

The first is that it can act as means of priming the pump. It get your blood flowing, gets you breathing deeply, increases alertness, etc. and often, if someone feels stuck in their training or like their energy is blocked, a little cardio prior to internal training can help get things moving. 

For something like Zhan Zhuang, especially if the practitioner is having trouble holding good alignment and they tend to use excess muscular strength and finish their sessions more tense than they started, doing some strength training ahead of Zhan Zhuang training (to make the muscles tired) forces them to rely on good structure to hold Zhan Zhuang because their muscles are too tired to do the extra work that poor structure requires. Someone has to have a good understanding of good structure prior to trying this and they have to be able to really pay attention to their alignment to avoid injuries from over-stressing joints due to poor alignment. 

A similar approach can be used to solo form and push hands practice, but with the increased complexity of movements the risk of injury increases when following this approach and it is not really a necessary approach. I typically only use strength training ahead of internal work when I am going to be doing an extended Zhan Zhuang session, because it really helps me find errors in my structure that I might not notice easily otherwise.

Doing other types of training, following internal training, can be useful if a practitioner is wanting to practice transferring the body connection, alignment, and awareness that are developed with internal training, into other exercises/movement patterns. This can be more useful for reducing risk of injury in the other exercises. So the goal of this practice is not to enhance the internal training, but to enhance other movement patterns using the internal training as a tool. 

Aside from those uses for combining internal training with other forms of exercise, it's usually best to train them at separate times. The down sides or benefits of training them too close together is going to very from person to person. Right now, I have very little time for extra training, so I have not been doing as much cardio as I used to, but when I do cardio it typically comes in the form of bag work, since it is directly applicable to skills that I do not want to lose/want to develop further. So it takes care of two things at once and that is best for my schedule right now..."

If you have not visited my Youtube channel and you are looking for a great source of free Tai Chi and Qigong training videos, go to YouTube.com/AndrewPlitt and start learning today.