Power from the ground up

I have mentioned, on occasion, the importance of the moving "from the ground up" in Tai Chi. This is equally important to any athlete and in doing daily tasks around the house or at work. Tai Chi training helps develop good stance, proper posture and coordinated action in the body, so you use your energy more efficiently.

There was an article in the Washingotn Post (29 May 2007), titled "Learning How To Twist Like Tiger", that examined how pro golfers generate power and club head speed compared to the average weekend player. The key result of the study was that pro golfers generate power "from the ground up" in a specific coordinated fashion. The legs, hips, shoulders and hands acelerate in sequence, arriving at peak velocity at almost the same time, at ball contact, then decelerate in coordinated way as well. The golfer begins and ends his swing in a stable balanced position.

On the other hand, the weekend golfer seldom gets legs, hips, shoulders and hands moving together in a consistent coordinated manner, resulting in wasted energy, lower club head speed, and excessive strain on the body (back, knees, etc). The body is fighting itself.

In reading the article, I recalled a quote from what is called the "Tai Chi Classic I", a treatise by Master Chang San-Feng (ca.1200 C.E.), the possibly mythical Taoist monk, said in legend to have created the Tai Chi after experiencing a vision. Among the many insights in the classic are:

"...The internal energy, ch'i, roots at the feet, then transfers through the legs and is controlled from the waist, moving eventually through the back to the arms and fingertips.

When transferring the ch'i from your feet to your waist, your body must operate as if all the parts were one; this allows you to move forward and backward freely with control of balance and position. Failure to do this causes loss of control of the entire body system. The only cure for such a problem is an examination of the stance.

...Besides clearly separating the positive and negative from one another, you should also clearly locate the substantial and insubstantial. When the entire body is integrated with all parts connected together, it becomes a vast connection of positive and negatice energy units. Each positive and negative unit of energy should be connected to every other unit and permit no interruption among them. ...

Notice that this 800 year old treatise is recommending what modern sports biomechanical studies have shown professional golfers actually do (or should do). So, whether you are a martial artist executing a throw or punch, a householder mowing the lawn or moving a piece of furniture, or a golfer on a weekend outing, using the Tai Chi principles will help apply the power generated in the legs to efficiently and safely (to avoid injuring your own body) execute the task at hand.

And of course, the best way to learn the Tai Chi principles, is to join a Tai Chi class.