Hi Kevin - On the three separation kicks Is it ok just to put toe or heel to the floor as apposed to kicking? The stretch is still the same but with some people not able to balance correctly they would get more out of the moves?
I always learn something when I watch your videos. Thanks for sharing your experience - it really helps make sense of the movements. I am still learning Tai Chi. I've been practicing for about 6 months. One of the aspects I have problems with is the weight transfer when stepping: I've heard it called "empty step". I notice you kind of flick the toe, then place the heel and then place the sole of the foot on the ground, before shifting weight onto the foot. I wonder if you could explain this further, maybe even devote a video to the subject, possibly with some exercises. Thanks again!
Hi Volstagg, Basically, the stepping is simply stretching out the leg, putting the heel down and then letting the foot plant (much like walking). The trick is to keep your weight balanced on the supporting leg with no weight in the stepping foot (empty step) until it is placed and then the back leg pushes and extends to transfer the weight to the front leg. It takes a certain amount of leg strength but that comes with lots of practice. That is where the idea of "sitting" comes in to play, where you "sit" into the supporting leg so that you can stretch out the stepping leg. The lower you sit, the longer the step so that you can begin to really stretch the body out. It helps to have someone guiding you with the stretching so you don't distort the form too much, but if you stick to the principles and foundations you should be fine. As far as "flicking" the toe, that's not really a deliberate thing LOL. A video on these kind of details is a great idea. Thanks for the suggestion and keep practicing! Cheers
I am so grateful for all of your videos! Thank you so much!
Thank you Kevin! The back step very well explained and clear!
Hi Ginette,
Thanks and you are very welcome!
Cheers
Kevin, Thanks for showing the step back. I always had the weight wrong.
Hi Bill,
No problem. You are very welcome.
Cheers
Thank you , so nice
Hi Allan,
You are very welcome!
Cheers
Hi Kevin - On the three separation kicks Is it ok just to put toe or heel to the floor as apposed to kicking? The stretch is still the same but with some people not able to balance correctly they would get more out of the moves?
I always learn something when I watch your videos. Thanks for sharing your experience - it really helps make sense of the movements.
I am still learning Tai Chi. I've been practicing for about 6 months. One of the aspects I have problems with is the weight transfer when stepping: I've heard it called "empty step". I notice you kind of flick the toe, then place the heel and then place the sole of the foot on the ground, before shifting weight onto the foot. I wonder if you could explain this further, maybe even devote a video to the subject, possibly with some exercises.
Thanks again!
Hi Volstagg,
Basically, the stepping is simply stretching out the leg, putting the heel down and then letting the foot plant (much like walking). The trick is to keep your weight balanced on the supporting leg with no weight in the stepping foot (empty step) until it is placed and then the back leg pushes and extends to transfer the weight to the front leg. It takes a certain amount of leg strength but that comes with lots of practice. That is where the idea of "sitting" comes in to play, where you "sit" into the supporting leg so that you can stretch out the stepping leg. The lower you sit, the longer the step so that you can begin to really stretch the body out. It helps to have someone guiding you with the stretching so you don't distort the form too much, but if you stick to the principles and foundations you should be fine.
As far as "flicking" the toe, that's not really a deliberate thing LOL. A video on these kind of details is a great idea. Thanks for the suggestion and keep practicing!
Cheers