the rum soaked fist: internal martial arts forum

The art of Neutralisation in Taijiquan: passive and active 5 steps

The 5 steps in 13 potentials are forward, backward, openside, blindside,and centre.

The passive forward stance with flexible joints and maximum centre of gravity, which enables the practitioner to step passively into the direction of the incoming force acting on the centre of mass.

Active steppings is done by the rotation of the crotch. My understanding is that movements are generated by stretching the large muscle groups rather than pushing by contracting the leg muscles. This is to move against an incoming force with maximum eccentric strength and maintain balance. This technique is to generate a recoil at the point of contact to neutralise the incoming force with the body weight and eccentric strength. Thus the residue force of such impact will be reduced to the minimum for redirection.

Maybe this is an alternative explanation to the concept of song 鬆, and the art of releasing tension upon impact and utilise the incoming force will take time to develop and and sort of bance back in alignment with the incoming force. So, just ask your training partner to push you in various intensities and directions against your centre of mass. This works even with beginners. Maybe this is why active and passive stances are good for improving the balance of practitioners.

The five steps in Taijiquan will enhance the 8 hand techniques when done properly, so it is important to get the basics correct. As most of the practitioners are pushing with their legs back and forward with some observable up and down motions. But the idea of rotating the crotch 轉胯 has been around for a long time in the Taijiquan communities.

Perhaps you should clarify what you perceive "eccentric strength" to be, since that isn't a commonly used term in most TCC styles.

Not to speak for Yeung, but eccentric strength is more predominant in one’s leg muscles while descending stairs, whereas concentric strength becomes more predominant while climbing stairs. This translates into how we use our legs in TJQ. Rather than pushing or bracing against the ground in order to push back against (or to ‘resist’) an opponent’s force (equivalent to “climbing stairs”), we train to receive their force into the ground (“loading the spring” or “bending the bows”, i.e. equivalent to “descending stairs”). This can also be used elsewhere in the body and, for example, one can use their arms to receive an opponent’s pressure into our structure (which is maintained like a rubber ball; again “bending the bows”), rather than extending our arms to push back against, or resist, the incoming force.

Eccentric strength is the quality of the muscles that allows us to withstand pressure without resisting, but also while not collapsing. Eccentric strength is lengthening muscles while they are under loads (rather than shortening the muscles under loads = concentric). It is my understanding that eccentric strength is the start of the “stretch reflex” which returns the limb angles back to where they were after being suddenly moved due to the incoming pressure on our structure (like a rubber ball’s rebounding force that will bounce incoming force away, and can be equated with “pengjin”).

While this terminology is not traditional, I do think that it explains physiologically what we are trying to achieve for TJQ. When we resist incoming pressure by pushing back against it, we are relying on concentric muscle contractions. When we receive incoming force while emphasizing eccentric strength, then we are neither resisting (pushing back against the incoming force), nor collapsing. I do think that this is the type of strength that we are trying to develop in TJQ training.

You are one of the first I have seen who understands the 5 steps
The only place I differ is where you say groin i say waist

Uncle Yeung,

rotating the crotch

Most of the people don't teach to rotate the crotch for reasons. Instead, they use 'rotate the waist'. Train the 'crotch' may come with consequences, sometime quite serious.

Rotating the crotch is simply pivot on the hip joints, this is why passive stance is important so that we can pivot on the hip joints. The problem arises when people contract their leg muscles concentrically and stiffen up the hip joint and turn the waist instead. And don’t forget that the Buttlock muscles are very powerful, just learn to use them to generate eccentric movements.

yes, the 'crotch' or torso can either rotate hingeing against the hips or the hips and torso can rotate together. some systems get dogmatic but really it's not a big deal to understand and get proficient at both ways.

cloudz wrote:yes, the 'crotch' or torso can either rotate hingeing against the hips or the hips and torso can rotate together. some systems get dogmatic but really it's not a big deal to understand and get proficient at both ways.

I agree. I think any time we start to get dogmatic about "this is the only way" we're starting to miss something.

origami_itto wrote:I agree. I think any time we start to get dogmatic about "this is the only way" we're starting to miss something.

Agreed, well put.

Personally I feel that it's more important to learn as much as possible about your own body and its possibilities, letting the body decide for itself what is most efficient, rather than restricting it with too much rules.

The problem arises when people contract their leg muscles concentrically and stiffen up the hip joint and turn the waist instead.

Yes, it is a problem and contrary to the teaching of 'relax, sit and sink' and 'breath down when fajin'. Most of the system have their own training methods of the coccyx actively and passively. Pivot on the hip joints would gradually make a gap between the spine and hip bone even though the muscles and tendons at that part are huge. The bottom part of the spin (coccyx and crotch) is the concentration and integration part of our nervous system. Over engagement of it could cause issues like kundalini yoga on emotional change. Rotating the waist would train the bottom part passively and get our body enough time to adapt. With time and practice, the results are the same. The rotating of crotch is essential but rarely being emphasized in the old literature.

The advantage of the passive stance is to enable the practitioner to explore the movements of the pelvis and awareness of the incoming force travelling in the body and identify the correct alignment to that force, etc.

Thank you LaoDan, I am not sure about "stretch reflex" which is not the same as stored muscle elasticity. The art of neutralisation can be described as the art of utilizing stored muscle elasticity.