WHAT IS A PROPER BOW STANCE?
The Bow Stance is the most commonly used stance in Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan. It is more stable than other stances used. In fact, it is the most stable stance possible for a human. If we were like kangaroos with a strong tail, that wouldn’t be true. Or if we walked on all fours like a dog or cat, it also wouldn’t be true. But, we walk on two feet.
So what does a bow stance look like? Well, one foot is forward, with the back foot angled outward at approximately forty-five degrees. The front foot defines the direction of the stance. This is because the toes of the front foot face forward. If you can, align your hips so that they are also facing forward — however, this is a function of hip flexibility. If you recently started your Tai Chi Chuan studies, your hip joints, (or in Chinese, your kua) may not be flexible enough to allow your hips to align that way. Give it time, they will loosen up.
Getting it Right
Also there needs to be a gap between heels of the feet. The width of the gap varies from person to person, but it is generally one to two fist widths. In Diagram 1 to the right, the arrow near the big toe on the front foot is pointing forward. Place the front foot parallel to it with the back foot pointed outward at approximately forty-five degrees. The exact angle is a matter of comfort.
The length of the step, or how far forward the front foot should be in relation to the back foot is also a matter of comfort. The longer the step, the lower the stance will need to be. Performing your form in a low stance is very martial, it is also a lot of work, and requires significant leg strength. The length of my bow stance is approximately as shown in diagram 1.
The gap between the heels is correctly measured perpendicularly to the direction of the bow stance as shown in diagram 1. Many people line up in a bow stance that is too narrow, look down at their feet, and decide that their bow stance is just right. That is because they measure the gap as shown in Diagram 2. Notice that the gap is not being measured perpendicular to the front foot. While it appears there is a gap between the heels in diagram 2, it is nonexistent if measured as shown in diagram 1. Many people make this mistake without realizing it. The stance in diagram 2 is much less stable. It is almost like walking on a tight rope!
Details of a Bow Stance
Now that we have the basic footwork correct, we can go into some of the details involved with performing a proper bow stance:
1. If you are doing a front bow stance, about two-thirds of your weight should be on the front foot. The same is true of a back bow stance – about two-thirds of your weight would be on the back foot.
- Distribute your weight evenly over the nine areas of the foot that make contact with the ground. These are the five toes, the two halves of the ball of the foot, the outer edge of the foot, and the heel of the foot. See diagram 3.
- Ideally, your hips should be aligned with the front foot, meaning that the hips should be aligned perpendicular to the front foot. If your hips are not that flexible, consider it to something to work towards as your hips do loosen up over time.
- The length of your bow stance needs to be comfortable. If you need to “push off” to get to the next posture, your bow stance is too long. A shorter stance is more comfortable and lets you put all your weight onto one foot without pushing off.
- The width of the bow stance also needs to be comfortable for you, but make sure it is wide enough to be stable – have one to two fist widths between your heels as discussed above.
- Keep your front knee aligned with the toes of the front foot. This will be much more comfortable for your knees. Not keeping the knee and toes aligned can cause knee pain.
Why Does it Matter?
Believe it or not, the foot work is the most important part of Tai Chi Chuan. Most students pay a lot of attention to the hands including where they go, how they get there, etc. Meanwhile they barely paying attention to the footwork. In reality, if the footwork isn’t correct, you will have a hard time performing the next posture correctly, or even getting into the next posture. Because the bow stance is the most commonly utilized stance in Yang style Tai Chi Chuan, you will want to get it right!