Stepping 90º in Tai Chi & Qigong

James Drewe
Jan 1
4 min read

Updated: Jan 7

In Tai Chi and in Qigong, it is not uncommon to have to turn and step at 90º to the left or right.

This is where balance, good posture, and leg strength become very important.

Falling into a step

What tends to happen when stepping to the left or right is that people tend to 'fall' into the new step, they do not step under control.

This means that, for the briefest of moments, just before the stepping foot arrives on the ground, they are falling and therefore unable to stop the step until the foot lands.

'Turn-out' in ballet

'Turn-out' in ballet is the ability to face (for example) a mirror with your pelvis square to the mirror, and then to turn your feet outwards with the heels together, so that they point to left and right.

As in the picture, it is also the ability to lift (e.g.) your right knee, and without your pelvis turning even slightly, point your knee to your right side - the right wall. It is the ability to allow the inguinal groove (the Kua) to open outwards like a hinge.

The picture is rather more than is necessary in tai chi and qigong, but nevertheless emphasises a couple of essentials that apply to both of these arts.

1) The pelvis has not turned

2) The standing knee has not twisted in the same direction as the knee which has extended to the side.

In other words, the hip joint on the right side is very flexible, and hasn't compromised either the leg which has the weight on it, nor the lower back.

'Sinking to Step' in tai chi and qigong

In tai chi, the woman in the picture above would not be standing 'on point' and would have her foot flat on the ground. However, if you imagine that she now wants to make a step, she would need to bend her left knee and place her right heel on the ground.

Usually, at this point, 2 things can happen:

1. The line of balance from standing foot to crown is lost.

2. The knee of the weight-bearing leg (in this case the left knee) collapses inwards.

The line of balance

The ballerina is displaying a really good line of balance - look at the line from the left foot to the crown of the head! In addition, the pelvis is level.

In tai chi and qigong we don't really need it to be as extreme as this, but the principle is still correct (ignore the 'on point' again!).

The knee of the weight-bearing leg

In tai chi, you do not have to keep your hip/pelvis facing forwards when you step to left or right, you can allow the hip to turn.

However, what usually happens when people turn their hip to the left or right, is that they bring the leg with it also, which twists the knee inwards. It's as though they don't have a hip joint on the supporting side, and therefore the turning hip makes the leg try to turn also - they're welded together.

As a result, the supporting knee starts to collapse inwards, twisting the joint, and the supporting knee no longer stays over the supporting foot but moves slightly in the direction of the step.

This is not good news for the knee joint, and over prolonged misuse, will damage it.

The kua (inguinal groove) needs to open on both sides

Stepping 90º to the side, therefore means that both the left and right inguinal grooves have to open on each side like hinges.

This can be difficult for some, I suspect particularly so if they have a sedentary job.

The picture is circling the position of the left inguinal groove (Kua).

The knee of the weight-bearing leg needs to bend

By and large, Tai Chi and Qigong tend to be practised slowly, and this means that you start to feel the strength, or lack of, of your supporting leg.

If you are stepping 90º to the (e.g.) right, the following should happen:

As you bend your supporting left leg, with all the weight on it, you simultaneously let the Kua open (on both sides), your body also turns to the right, and you place the right heel in such a way that it has zero weight on it (you could easily bring it back if you needed to).

The length of your step will be entirely dependent on how much you have bent your left supporting leg.

Compensating and 'recruiting'

If the vertical axis is not in place, and if you cannot feel that vertical line, then you start to look for ways to replace the vertical axis, ways that are not as efficient. This also happens when one of your legs is not strong enough to bear all of your weight.

The main one is that people stick their pelvises/bums out backwards (which bends the lumbar spine inwards); the vertical axis is immediately lost.As a result of this, the neck goes out of kilter as it tries to compensate, or in Alexander Technique terminology, to 'recruit' muscles - i.e. partially replacing the correct muscles needed for the job with unnecessary muscles, possibly to spread the load.

Habits

Much of this happens because of everyday habits that we've formed over years, but Tai Chi and Qigong are about returning the body to a position of 'balance' or stasis where the minimum amount of energy expenditure takes place in order to achieve an action.

It might be a lengthy process, but well worth it for longterm health.

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James Drewe teaches Tai Chi and Qigong in both London and in Kent and online.

Details of weekly classes both live and online can be found on the website, and there are classes for 2-person Tai Chi on one Saturday a month.