Can you really be a pro at Tai Chi walking? Well, probably not in the sense that someone will pay you to walk (they may pay you to teach them to walk, but that is different). But, you can walk properly!
So, what is Tai Chi Walking? In a general sense, it is a term for all methods of walking in accordance with tai chi principles. Why would you care? Because learning to walk while in balance will:
• Improve your Tai Chi Chuan form – when performing the form, footwork is key, and so is balance.
• Improve your balance – Tai Chi Walking strengthens the stabilizer muscles in the knees and ankles, thereby improving your balance.
There are four principles that apply to Tai Chi Walking:
- Walk slowly – the speed at which you walk is controlled by your natural breath speed.
- Walk with an empty step – don’t immediately shift your weight into your front foot.
- Shift your weight into the front foot in accordance with your breath.
- Don’t push-off with the back foot.
When discussing Tai Chi walking, there are two different approaches. The first is what I call Natural Walking. The second is a more stylized method of walking, which I call Formal Tai Chi Walking to distinguish it from the general term. We will discuss both below, but first a note about how we typically walk. When walking in everyday life, we literally let our weight fall onto the front foot and we catch it. We really aren’t maintaining our balance when we walk like this. It is really a form of ‘controlled falling’. This is why it is so hard to walk on a slippery surface like ice.
Natural Walking
I’ll describe natural walking first because it is somewhat simpler to perform. I recommend that you start with natural walking, then when you feel comfortable with it, try Formal Tai Chi Walking. Please read through this section and the Tips for Tai Chi Walking section below before you try walking like this.
To begin, stand in a natural posture. Relax – as with everything in Tai Chi Chuan, you should be as loose as possible. Shift all your weight to one foot and place the other foot forward, touching the heal first then the toe, without putting weight in it. This is the key point – do not immediately shift your weight into your front foot! Your front foot should be empty or insubstantial. Even though the front foot is extended out in front of you, no weight has been shifted into it, and it is resting flat on the floor. It can be picked up, off the floor, without needing to shift your weight again. If you have to shift your weight to pick it up, you are not doing it correctly. As I said, this is the key point.
Two things will help you keep your front foot empty. First, take a shorter step than you normally do. Second, wait at least two seconds (count one-Mississippi, two-Mississippi) before shifting your weight into the front foot. Now, with your front foot on the ground, but empty, slowly shift your weight forward until you have all your weight in the front foot. If you have to push-off with the back foot, try taking shorter steps. When you have all your weight in the front foot, bring the back foot forward and place it out in front of you – remember to keep it empty. Start the process over by waiting for two seconds with an empty foot, then shift your weight to the front foot, etc….
Tips for Tai Chi Walking
• You may need to stop midway and touch the toes of the back foot to the floor to maintain your balance. This is perfectly acceptable. Practicing Tai Chi Walking will help you build up the stabilizer muscles in your knees and ankles, which will eventually let you take a full step once those muscles are strengthened.
• Take shorter steps than you normally do. If the length of your step is the same as normal walking, you will probably have no choice but to fall into your front foot like we normally do.
• Make sure your weight shifts are controlled and performed slowly. Counting one-Mississippi, two-Mississippi is an artificial construct to make sure that you utilize an empty step. Once you are sure that you always do an empty step, you can quit counting if you wish.
• Let your foot fall naturally (this tip applies only to Natural Walking). By this, I mean that your toes should be pointed in a direction that is comfortable for you. Most walk with their toes pointed outward or toes pointed inward to some degree. Do whatever is comfortable for you.
Formal Tai Chi Walking
There are two differences between Natural Walking and Formal Tai Chi Walking. First, how the front foot is placed when you take a step. The second is how you shift your weight when transitioning between steps. The pace of the walking itself is done in the same slow fashion utilized in natural walking. In fact, all the description provided above for Natural Walking applies, with the exception of the last bullet that describes letting your foot fall naturally. So, please read through the Natural Walking and the Tips for Tai Chi Walking sections if you have not already done so.
The motion to be performed is the same motion used when transitioning between many of the postures in Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan (e.g. such as between left brush knee and right brush knee). Start in a Bow Stance with 60 – 70% of your weight in the front foot with it pointed in the direction of travel. Angle the back foot at approximately 45 degrees. There should be a channel between the heels of the feet so that you aren’t “walking on a tight rope.” See the figure to the right. The length of the stance is up to you, but make it shorter than normal. If you make it normal length, you will either fall into the step (no empty step), push-off with the back foot, or you will have to perform it much lower than normal to be able to do an empty step and slowly shift the weight forward. Doing this in a low position is acceptable, but requires much more leg strength. I suggest starting with the heel of the front foot about even with the toes of the back foot. You can always experiment with longer steps once you understand the principles.
To actually start walking, shift your weight back to the rear foot. Then, turn the front foot out to approximately 45 degrees. Wait two seconds (one-Mississippi, two-Mississippi) so that you are sure you have an empty step, then slowly shift our weight forward until all your weight is on the front foot. As you shift your weight forward, your body will rotate to align with the front foot. Place the rear foot out in front in an empty step, heel first, then toe. Wait two seconds, then shift into a good Bow stance. Note that this alignment will happen twice with each step. Once when you turn the front foot out and shift forward to put all your weight on the front foot. Then again when you move into the Bow Stance. Repeat on the other side.
Additional Tips for Formal Tai Chi Walking
• Take shorter steps than normal – I know, this is a repeat, but it is a very common problem to have.
• The angle of the back foot can be adjusted for comfort. Forty-five degrees is a starting point. It may be more or less, but whatever angle you use should be comfortable.
Walking to Your Breath
Earlier in this post, I said you should walk to your breath speed. To do that, you need to do two things. Exhale as put your weight into the front foot. And, inhale as you are transitioning between steps. Starting in a Bow Stance, as you shift your weight back, inhale. Turn your front foot out and as you shift your weight forward, exhale. Now put the back foot out into an empty step while inhaling. As you shift into the Bow Stance, exhale. So, two inhalations and two exhalations for each full step. This will take some practice to get it down, but it really is how you should practice the form too. The major point about all this is to adjust the speed you are walking at to your natural breath speed. Do not change your breath speed to match your walking speed. Do not hold your breath while walking.
Good luck, let me know how it goes.
Contact Jay Soderberg here:
[bestwebsoft_contact_form]