How to stand?
We get asked this from beginners quite a lot. Often, they’ll stumble about, and try to mimic what we’re doing. And then some may ask. Others, we’ll have to volunteer the information.
The truth is, I don’t even know the proper / correct way to stand. I think the general idea is there. I used to think that the standard rules apply e.g. you should stand shoulder width apart when beginning. And for bow stances (that’s where one leg has more of the weight and is more crooked than the other leg), the feet will form a sort of ‘L’ shape with plenty of space in between the feet (as much space as your leg can take).
Nowadays, I don’t try to tell the standard rule, if it’s at all standard. I let the person decide. I have seen different people standing differently. I think the stand is meant to be different for different people depending on the body structure, the weight, the flexibility. I think we still need to train to our own specifications. So my question is normally,
how do you feel?
And if the student is feeling uncomfortable, i would say:
why don’t you try this?
“This” can be one of the following – relax the kua, relax the knees, relax the ankles, point your feet a little bit more inwards / outwards, shift your weight a little more to the left / right, keep your body straight, point your knees a little bit more inwards / outwards, keep your head straight, relax the neck, relax the shoulders etc etc etc…
I find this easier than handing out a standard prescription like “you must stand like me”. Suggesting minor corrections (1 or 2 would be more than sufficient) is easier to swallow for the student, because it’s still a suggestion. It’s better for the student, because he/she will need to think and feel around to see what works, and hence able to actually learn something rather than being spoon-fed.
How would you approach such a question?
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2 Comments
I do approach this using a formal of sorts and get students to work with it for a while to see how it works for them. When it feels to me that the stance isn’t quite working for their body structure I help them adjust it.
I like using a formula because I think it helps keep beginners from hurting their knees, hips, etc. because of standing in a way that stresses the body. I’ve adjusted my stance a little at a time since I first began and I continue to do so.
Although we seem to take different tacks on this topic, I think the fact that you keep an eye on your students and ask how it feels accomplishes the same thing in the long run. That’s really all that’s important anyway.
Cheers
Thanks John for the comment. I do believe in setting limits first, so I do agree with you there. However, formulaic approach does have its limitations as not all students respond the same way. Some insist on their way until shown otherwise, or until they realise something’s amiss.
I guess what i’m trying to say is, “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear”.
I also found another saying which I’m beginning to like. “appeal to interest, not reason”.
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[...] Truthfully? It’s tough. Learning Tai Ji is tough. I sincerely hope that the people I come in contact with do not make the mistakes that I did, but when teaching, I realised something – it’s ok for them to make some of the mistakes, as long as they don’t make a habit of making those mistakes. There are so many things that can be corrected, but my approach is to say one, or at most 2 (see post on How to stand?). [...]