TCC teacher trainer offers movement tip

When students are using their shoulders to turn with and not the waist area, in side to side movements, try this technique:

Begin with holding hands behind the back. Shift the weight, yinning and yanging, without any waist turn. When a full weight shift is happening, allow the waist to begin to turn, integrating it with the weight shift. Continue moving for a while with the hands still behind the back. Then let the hands hang at the sides, continuing to practice the weight shift, focusing on letting the waist turn with the weight shift. Then, with minimum effort, let the hands (not arms) begin a movement pattern, slightly smaller than usual, maintaining the focus at the tan t’ien. Keep bringing the focus to the weight shift and waist turning and de-emphasize the hands. Gradually let the hands and arms resume the fullness of the movement. If the shoulders begin to creep back in, drop the hands to the sides again and go back to just weight shift and waist turning for a while.

By taking the arms out of it, the student has the opportunity to feel the yinning and yanging and waist turning do the movement and the hands are as if an afterthought.