The change of center of gravity occupies a very important position in the operation of tai chi, and it is the basis for practicing tai chi well.
The "Treatise on Fist" says: "Standing like a scale, living like a wheel" is this truth. How the body "stands" like a scale, and how to "live" like a wheel, there is a considerable problem of skill. I have been practicing 24-style tai chi for many years and have a little experience in the change of center of gravity. Throw bricks and jade today, in the hope of getting the Fang family's correction.
First, the center of gravity is changed from "hand waving the lute" preparation. Taking the 24-style Tai Chi as an example, the first action of the left and right inverted humerus is to wave the lute in the hand, this action is the basis for doing a good job of the inverted curl humerus, the foundation is not firm, and the action behind it is difficult to do well. The standard action requirements for hand-waving pipa are "follow the step to let go of the hand, sit back to pick the palm, and take a virtual step to close the arm", and the key is on the "back seat to pick the palm".
The correct posture of the recoil and the correct center of gravity have laid the foundation for the shift of the center of gravity of the inverted curl in the back. Some people "sit back and pick the palm" sit badly, either left and right, or lean forward and backward, resulting in the body of the inverted curl humerus begin to shake. Therefore, the "back seat picking palm" of waving the pipa is the most critical step, and practitioners must not take it lightly.
Second, the center of gravity conversion begins with loose sinking. "Loose sinking" is one of the most important features of tai chi, without which there is no tai chi. Without looseness, the movement is not natural and smooth. The boxing tip: "Loose people are self-reliant, tight people are self-stagnant" is this truth. Pine and sink are complementary to each other, there is a pine and there is a sink, there is a sink there is a pine, they are like a pair of twin brothers, no one can do without the other. "There is no looseness and no sinking, and there is no relaxation, and there is no relaxation, and there is no hardness", which is the truth of doing tai chi well.
Therefore, the action of rolling the humerus must also start from the relaxation. Loose shen requires two spans of relaxation, and the crotch is strongly rounded, because the left and right rotation of the waist and the virtual and real conversion of the legs are completed by the loose work of the cross joints. If the two crotch joints are not loose, it is difficult for the waist to play the role of the axle. Only when the span is relaxed, the crotch is rounded, the rotation of the waist is light and round, the waist rotation is smooth, and all parts of the body will naturally be used freely. No matter how the arm is pushed and pulled back and forth in the inverted humerus, and how the legs and feet move back and forth, the change of the body's center of gravity will be smoothly completed.
Third, the center of gravity should be changed to be measured and support coordination. After the center of gravity begins to change, the legs should do two points, one is to bend the knees with a degree, that is, the two legs should maintain a certain bending angle, which is an important link reflected in the footwork of Tai Chi. The legs should seem straight, not straight, not curved, and neither stand up too high nor bend too wide. The drum is too high to lose the charm of tai chi, and the bending is too large to affect the shift of the center of gravity.
The second is to support the leg strongly, which means that the supporting leg should be supported strongly when the center of gravity is transferred, and the weight of the entire body should be supported with force, and the upper body should be driven to rotate freely. However, the supporting leg is by no means 100% bearing gravity, but should be done in the virtual and the real in the virtual, coordinated operation, and maintain the posture of the virtual collar to ensure that the two legs coordinate to complete the forward and backward movements in the inverted humerus.
This is the support state of the two legs during the center of gravity transition. When the legs are forward and backward, they maintain another state, that is, on the basis of loosening the waist, loosening the crotch, sinking, and supporting, do a good job of moving the legs back and forth. This requires that in addition to alternate support for the legs, they must also complete the leg operation process in the center of gravity conversion according to the "three rhythms". The "three-rhythm", that is, the span is the root node, the knee is the middle node, and the foot is the tip node. The subsection promotes the middle node, the middle node promotes the root node; the root node leads the middle node, and the middle node leads the branch node.
That is to say, when operating, the knee should be used as the axis, when lifting the foot, use the crotch to push the knee, and then use the knee to push the foot; use the foot to lead the knee, and then use the knee to lead the crotch, so that the knot runs through, completing a complete set of leg operation process. Never shake your body from side to side or lean forward as your legs move forward and backward to ensure stability and alignment.
Fourth, the center of gravity is converted to the waist of the "foot". The human body has two feet, the dancer's two feet are called the main foot and the action foot, and the Tai Chi world is called the supporting foot and the auxiliary foot. Because the support foot does not seem to have much action during the center of gravity conversion process, it actually potentially completes a series of action transformations.
For example, when stepping up, the center of gravity of the body gradually moves to the foot, and the back foot is lifted from the heel to the tip of the foot off the ground and retracted, and then slightly forward and outward through the support of the inside of the foot. When stepping back, the front foot is retracted off the ground, and it also retreats slightly backwards through the inside of the support foot. To first tiptoe and then heel landing, this up and down, the strength will move with the forward push of the right hand to the support foot, the front foot of the support foot began to grasp the ground with five toes, with the shift of the body's center of gravity, the entire foot begins to be "crushed" from the heel to the front foot " Process, the "milling" of this potential force determines the stability of the support foot.
The strength of the supporting foot is reasonable, the supporting leg can be stable and laborious, and the waist can drive the coordinated rotation of the body. This series of actions has also completed the action process of "belt feet" and "belt waist with feet", ensuring the accurate conversion of the body's center of gravity. Therefore, practitioners should not ignore the use of "feet". Otherwise, if the real foot is not alive, the body will be stiff, and the center of gravity of the body will not be good.
Fifth, the center of gravity transformation dominates the waist. In the Treatise on Fist, it is said: "Its roots are in the feet, originate in the legs, dominate the waist, and shape in the fingers; from the feet to the legs to the waist, it must always be complete." "The meaning is self-evident, the waist is the hub of tai chi, but also the transit station, is the largest joint part of the human body. There are also many discussions about the waist among celebrities, such as "waist as the driving force", "the source of the waist and spine to the femur", "the engraving of the heart at the waist", etc., all of which are said to be the importance of the waist in the movement of tai chi, and play an important role in carrying up and down, storing internal strength, rotating flexibly, and strengthening the body.
Left and right inverted humerus is one of the more important movements in the 24-style tai chi, "withdrawing the hand to turn the waist and turn the palm, bending the arm to turn the humerus to raise the foot to retreat, sitting on the leg and pushing the palm" and a series of actions, are driven by the strength of the waist. When the practitioner uses the waist, he must relax and empty it. Only a loose waist, the feet are strong; only a loose waist, the lower plate is stable. Only the pulling of the waist, the change of virtual reality is accurate and clear.
There is a mantra in the Eight Laws of Tai Chi, which says: "Squeeze in both arms, hold in the palm, squeeze in the back of the hand, press on the waist attack", of which "pressing on the waist attack" refers to the strength of tai chi to press on the waist attack. Therefore, the conversion of the center of gravity must dominate the waist, and the correct use of the waist is the basis for the conversion of the center of gravity of the inverted curl.
Sixth, the center of gravity is transformed into a hand. In the process of running the left and right inverted humerus, the hand shape is also extremely important, and the incorrect operation of the hand will directly affect the conversion of the body's center of gravity. For example, the first action of the right inverted brachio is "withdrawing", when the right hand is withdrawn to your right shoulder, your left hand will open on the outside of your left thigh, and the front foot will hit the ground.
When the right hand completes an arc and begins to push forward next to the ear, the shape of the hand is very important, some people's hand position is too biased, too outward swing, so that the center of gravity begins to shift outward, in the next step of the push hand retreat process, the body will shake.
When pushing the right hand forward, the angle of the palm should be between 50 degrees and 60 degrees, the angle is too small, the body is easy to lean forward, the center of gravity will move forward; the angle is too large, the body is easy to lean back, the center of gravity will move back; the palm is too left or right, the body's center of gravity will be shifted left and right.
Therefore, whether it is withdrawing the hand or pushing the hand, it should be appropriate to find a good angle to avoid the shift of the center of gravity.