Crane Body CLASS NOTES

• taichi Day Four

WARM UP

The Brush Knee pattern

Begin with the carry the ball pattern from side to side. Stop on one side while forming the ball. Now turn the lower palm downward. Both palms now face downward. Now brush the knee by moving the lower palm across the opposite knee. The other palm follows the movement of the body and crosses the chest to the other side.

Crane Body

This movement is really a crane movement. Tai Chi was created from watching animals fighting in the wild. The crane movement has no strength in the palm so this movement across the chest is mainly an elbow strike. Keep the elbows sunk so that the shoulder remains relaxed.

Once on the opposite side, the palms reverse position as the body reverses direction and the brush knee is repeated on the opposite side. This is a form of circling and should be done as one continuous movement much like the carry the ball action.

Next, we review press, rollback and push using the same side to side motion.

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WALKING

Then we begin five star stepping with the alternate step using the same brush knee, press, roll back and push.

The principle taught today is that in Tai Chi we often step back before we move forward. So we line up in a line with plenty of room to move forward. Then we step using a Bow Stance and execute the brush knee from side to side. Once on the other side move the weight off of that foot while retreating the body and pivot the foot 45 degrees. Shift the weight 100 percent back to the front foot and step forward into the next bow stance while doing a brush knee on the other side.

After completing a row of brush knee, repeat the same retreating step and moving forward with ward off, carry the ball, rollback and attempt it for push. Note that push already retreats so there is no natural way of flowing push in the same manner. Often these various movements flow together and work in combinations.

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FORM STUDY

Next work on the form and notice in each movement where we retreat our weight from one side before pressing forward to that same side.

Review The Opening , The Beginning , Ward Off Left and Ward Off Right .

The new form study follows from our warm ups from last week.

Roll Back

Turning the waist to the right, the left palm rolls under the left elbow and the left palm faces 45 degrees to the right. The left palm begins to sink across the lower body while the right palm turns upward and begins a roll back across the upper body (palm facing inward). The weight shifts 100 percent to the left foot as the palms meet behind the body.

Press

Begin to press the palms forward until they meet in front of the body where the left palm presses into the right wrist. The weight is now 70 percent on the right foot.

Push

As you begin to move the body backward, separate the hands and trace a circular motion up, over and begin a forward motion at the mid point of the circle (from the press). The weight at this point should be 100 percent on the left foot. Now push downward and upward with only the body moving forward until the weight is 70 percent forward again.

The forward knee on all movements should not travel beyond the front toe. The correct position forward is the chinese point bubbling well. That is the intersection of two foot creases (like a cross) on the forward part of the bottom of the foot.

Do not move the arms to effect the press or the push. The body movement should contain the press and push.

Note that the roll back, press and push do not move out of the right Bow Stance .

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WARM DOWN

Use the brush knee as a warm down.