Teaching The Forward & Back Weight Shift: One Perspective

When teaching new students the movements with the forward and back weight shift, I try to keep in mind that they’ve just learned Rocking Motion and Bird Flaps its Wings and now they’re onto yet another different something. As with anything new, this can be a bit daunting. I try to keep this fact in mind and help them to learn the forward and back movement with easy-to-remember steps. I reiterate that T’ai Chi Chih is done mostly from the waist down and that we will be practicing what’s happening below the waist first, then integrate the whole body into the movements. The upper body is relaxed and upright. I invite them to put their hands on their tan t’ien as well, so that they have something to do with their hands and get familiar with where their tan t’ien is.

I have them stand comfortably, bend the knees, then staying at this level, shift the weight to the side that will be the back leg, and then set the other foot out, landing gently on the heel with the toes up. I advise them not to take an extra-long step. That’s working too hard. Just bend the knees, shift the weight, set the foot out. Easy. I always hear Carmen in my head telling me those words when I tell them to my students.

Now that they’re set, I don’t leave them on the back leg very long. That’s hard on them. I have them move forward onto the front leg with one knee bent, one knee straight, but not locked and with the back heel slightly off the floor. We shift the weight back to the back leg having one knee bent and one knee straight with the toes up. We shift forward and back on both sides to allow them to get a feel for the forward and back movements. I’ll also remind them as we shift the weight all the way forward to be strong in the front foot and as we shift the weight all the way backward, to be strong in the back foot. This helps get their attention in their feet.

Every subsequent class and with almost every forward and back movement I begin the same way, with the same words. Bend, shift the weight, set the foot out. Near the end of the eight weeks of classes, I use the phrase a bit less to allow them to make it their own. Are they perfect? No. Do they have some solid instruction to remember? I think so.