H. WON TAI CHI INSTITUTE


FAQ & Tips

Knee Pain/Injury: One of the most common, painful experience that tai chi chuan practitioners (traditional & non-traditionalists) face in his/her career is a knee pain/injury.

Solution: For many practitioners, knee pain/injury occurs because of the weak knees, an improper shifting of the weight, & the poor alignment of foot, knee, hip, & torso.

For many beginners, the knees are too weak. The knee is not meant to carry the weight of the body. When the knee is carrying the weight, it cannot stay relaxed, thus, causing unnecessary strain & discomfort.

When shifting the weight into the front leg, feel for the weight settling into the heel of the front foot & "distribute the weight" evenly into the foot. Physically, the knee should not align vertically with the heel or go beyond the toes, instead a practitioner should feel for the weight descending into the heel & the foot. When the weight is internally aligned with the foot & the heel, via. knee, one should not feel any strain, tension, or any uncomfortable sensations in the knee or the ankle; instead, he/she should feel the weighted foot.

When initiating the shift of the weight from back to front, or visa versa, the lesser weighted knee needs to relax completely; if not relaxed, the weight will not properly go into the knee & descend to the foot, thus causing the misalignment of foot, knee, hip, & torso.

In the forward stance, because the font leg has 70% of the weight, & the feet are parted a shoulder width, the upper body & the pelvic region need to be aligned properly over the front leg; if not, the front knee will bend inward, causing the knee to be burdened with the weight. Therefore, the center of mass should be in the front third part of the stance, & not towards the center (another common mistake).

One of the common mistakes is to have the front knee go beyond the toes. However, the suggestion (an unknowledgable solution) of having the knee stop just before the toes does not fully solve the problem. If the weight is not aligned properly, the knee is still burdened & strained with the weight. If the knee is burdened with the weight, then the strained the knee will eventually strain the ankle as well. It is the foot that carries the weight, which, actually strengthens foot. If he/she didn't already know, in the traditional Yang family Tai Chi Chuan, strong feet are essential in developing the internal power.

The mistake of all mistakes is to kick in the external style manner. For instance, throughout the U.S., there are many questionable tai chi schools that teach the energy, the power, & the martial art principles of other styles. Do not kick in the manner of Shaolin White Crane, Choy Li Fut, Karate, etc.!