A very strong characteristic of Professor Cheng's form is having a vertical spine. However, one very observant reader noted that he did not always maintain this alignment while practicing push foothold and wonders why.

	Like it? Share it!
	Save on Del.icio.us

An anonymous reader asks:
"Professor Cheng did his form with his spine straight, yet when he is shown doing a foothold or rooting technique, sometimes he is tilted forward, why do you think this is?"

I have noted the same thing and I believe I know the reason why. Professor Cheng wanted us to do the form with our back straight, in a vertical position, so that we might benefit from the electromagnetic energy of the heavens and the earth. (See our article on What direction should you face while practicing Tai Chi? for more on this).

When he did push hands, he also was pretty straight, but he pushed very electrically also. People who he pushed can attest to that, myself included. However when he did foothold, or rooting technique, he sometimes did tilt. Let me be very clear about this, he tilted, and did not lean. Leaning would be wrong, a "resting of your meat on someone" to use Professor Cheng's own words. This he did not do.

You can see an example of this tilt in Robert W. Smith's book, Chinese Boxing: Masters and Methods, hard cover, published by Kodansha Intl. first edition, on page 26. The tilt aligns the spine. through the knee of the rear foot, with the bubbling well spring. It helps you to effortlessly take the force of several people and let it flow through you to the ground.

And so, when you understand, there are benefits to each technique, in its own time for its own purpose.

In Tai Chi,
Bill

Have a question for me? Ask it at Ask Sifu.

Do you like this week's question? Please pass it on to your friends!

William C. Phillips began his study of the martial arts in 1965. He currently holds a 7th degree black belt in Karate, and a 5th degree black belt in Ju Jitsu. He began his studies of Tai Chi in l967, studying with Prof. Cheng Man-Ch'ing from '70-'75. He became the most junior student ever to become a teacher in Cheng Man Ch'ing's New York school, the Shr Jung. Sifu Phillips became interested in the field of holistic health in the early 1970's, when a lifelong allergy problem was alleviated with Chinese herbal medicine. Since then, he has studied widely in that field as well. Sifu Phillips is available for seminars, lectures and demonstrations. He has produced two very successful Tai Chi DVDs, and is currently working on a book on Tai Chi form and a third DVD.For more information...

Did you know you could receive our QOTW every week in your email? For Free? You can!  Just sign up below. (We hate spam as much as you do. Your information will never be shared with anyone for any reason. Ever.) Email: Name:

Related Articles

·  Avoiding Back Bends in Tai Chi ·  Tai Chi's "Hidden" Secrets ·  Knee Position in Cheng's Tai Chi ·  Professor Cheng Man-Ch'ing Through the Eyes of a Young Man ·  Professor Cheng Man-Ch'ing