The moving foot has no weight

I think I worked you all hard last Wednesday. I tend to teach too much. Take home one or two important points and work on them. I am sure I will be repeating most of what I say. You will also note that I keep ticking you off for the same habits of movement. Ha! Ha! They say you have to practice a movement 5,000 times for it to become a habit. That may be a bit optimistic.

Following on the last posting, many of the masters have noted that the moving foot must carry no weight. What it means is that you have to draw your weight away from that foot to be able to lift it off the ground and then move it to its intended spot. If there is a bit of weight at the lifted foot, then the move will be hurried and both the start of the lift and the deposition of the foot will be jerky.

Therefore, it is the transition between one stance and another that is important. In order to "flow like a stream" one move must flow to the next with no noticeable pause. Beginners tend to note particular stances eg Single Whip and a following stance eg. Pat High Horse and practise these stances while in a stationary pose. This is not a good way. It is better to concentrate on MOVING from one stance to the other.

Practise the needed weight change to free one part of the body (and one leg). Once the moving leg has touched the ground, then practise the smooth flow of weight change to complete the move and set up the next move. Enjoy!