1 Circle Walking Direction Change - Complete Footwork

BAGUA MASTERY PROGRAM
I

...... , , __ __
MODULE 7
Circle Walking Direction Change:
Complete Footwork
BRUCE FRANTZIS
Copyright 2011 Bruce Frantzis
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Table of Contents
Section 1: Toe-in and Toe-out Steps ....... 9
Overview ..................................................................... 9
Variations of
Toe-in and Toe-out Steps ........................................ 12
Yin-Yang Qualities of Toe-in
and Toe-out Steps ..................................................... 12
Benefits of Twisting and Spiraling .......................... 14
Health .......................................................................... 14
Chi Development ....................................................... 14
Meditation .................................................................. 15
The Importance of the
Body's Centerline ..................................................... 17
Section 2: Toe-in Steps ......................... 19
Overview ................................................................... 19
Instructions: Toe-in Step ......................................... 20
Right Toe-in Step ...................................................... 20
Left Toe-in Step ......................................................... 21
Eleven Basic Principles ........................................... 22
Principle 1: Fifty, then Seventy Percent ................ 22
Principle 2: Leg Alignments
are Even and Unified ................................................ 22
Principle 3: Do Not Collapse Any Joint ................. 23
Principle 4:
Move from Your Waist, Kwa and Foot ................... 23
Principle 5:
Roll or Tuck the Pelvis Forward .............................. 24
Principle 6: Wrap the Pelvis and
Position the Tailbone Forward ............................... 24
Principle 7: Shrink the Kwa ...................................... 26
Principle 8: Spine Straight ....................................... 27
Principle 9:
Crown of Head over Center of Pelvis .................... 28
Principle 10: Do Not Twist the
Pelvic Joints or Sacrum ............................................ 28
Principle 11:
Backs of Knees Remain Open ................................. 29
Five Stages of the Toe-in Curve ............................ 29
Requirements for Increasing the Curve ................ 30
Stage 1 ......................................................................... 31
Stage 2 ......................................................................... 31
Stage 3 ......................................................................... 31
Stage 4 ........................................................................ 32
Stage 5 ........................................................................ 32
Important Points to Remember ............................. 33
Intermediates ............................................................ 33
Benefits of Larger Toe-in Steps .............................. 34
Health and Chi ........................................................... 34
Martial Arts ................................................................ 34
Taoist Meditation ...................................................... 34
Direction Change Using Only Toe-in and
Straight Steps ........................................................... 36
Alternate Toe-in Method ........................................ 38
Intermediates ............................................................ 39
Section 3: Toe-out Steps ...................... 41
Overview ................................................................... 42
Three Toe-out Step Methods ................................. 42
Method 1: Hips Remain Forward,
Only the Unweighted Leg Moves .......................... 42
Variation 1:
Hips are Stationary, Foot Steps Sideways ............. 42
Variation 2:
Hips are Stationary, Foot Steps Backward ............ 43
Variation 3: Hips are Stationary, Unweighted Leg
Rotates and Foot Moves Outward ......................... 43
Toe-out Method 2: Hips Rotate
Outward, Carry Unweighted Leg ........................... 44
Toe-out Step Method 3: Combine
Methods 1 and 2 (Intermediates) ........................... 45
For All Methods ......................................................... 45
For All Methods (Intermediates) ............................ 45
Basic Principles ......................................................... 47
Principle 1: Fifty, then Seventy Percent ................ 47
Principle 2: Maintain Your Four Points
and Other Core Alignments .................................... 48
Principle 3:
Root Your Bodyweight through Your Legs .......... 48
Principle 4:
Maintain General Leg Alignments ......................... 50
Principle 5: Learn and Realize
Subtle Knee and Thigh Alignments ....................... 52
Principle 6: If Mud Walking,
Focus on the Footbrake .......................................... 53
Principle 7:
Do Not Let Your Head Wobble ............................... 56
Loosen Your Leg and Torso
Interconnections ...................................................... 56
Toe-in and Toe-out Steps:
Repetitive Practice Method .................................... 57
Section 4: Direction Change -
Complete Footwork .............................. 59
Overview ................................................................... 59
Review of Three-, Four- and
Two-part Stepping Patterns .................................... 60
Three-part Stepping .................................................. 61
Four-part Stepping ................................................... 62
Two-part Stepping (Intermediates) ....................... 62
Steps 1 and 2: Toe-in to Toe-out ........................... 64
Transition from Step 2 to Step 3:
Toe-out to Straight Step ......................................... 65
Transition during Three-part Walking .................. 66
Ideal Method ............................................................. 66
Easier Option 1 .......................................................... 67
Easier Option 2 .......................................................... 68
Transition during Four-part Walking ..................... 68
Ideal Method ............................................................. 68
Easier Options ........................................................... 69
Finishing the Transition
during Mud Walking ................................................ 69
Step 3: Straight Step ................................................ 71
Complete Your Direction Change and
Continue Walking the Circle .................................. 71
Practicing Complete
Direction Changes ................................................... 73
Other Stepping Practices ....................................... 74
Section 5: Additional Considerations
(Intermediates} ..................................... 75
Direction Change Steps 1 and 2:
Toe-in and Toe-Out Steps ...................................... 76
Finish Your Toe-out Step and Transition to Your
Straight Step: Three or Four-Part Stepping ........ 78
Finish the Toe-out Step ........................................... 78
Shift Your Weight Forward and
Transition to Your Straight Step ............................. 79
Shift Weight Fully to the Forward Foot ................ 79
Move Forward to the Feet Side-by-Side
and Parallel Position ................................................. 81
Finish Your Toe-out Step and Transition to
Your Straight Step: Two-part Stepping ................ 83
Physical Considerations ........................................... 83
Energetic Considerations ........................................ 86
Straight Step, then Curving Step
to Get Back on Your Circle ..................................... 88
Protect Your Knees .................................................. 89
Section 6: Alternative Direction Change
Stepping Methods ................................ 91
Appendix: Martial Arts Applications .... 95
Toe-out Steps:
Knee and Thigh Alignments .................................. 95
Toe-in and Toe-out Footwork
for Martial Applications .......................................... 95
Offensive and Defensive
Fighting Applications .............................................. 96
A Step Is a Kick and a Kick Is a Step ....................... 97
Toe-in Applications .................................................. 99
Knee Locks, Throws and Foot Sweeps ............... 103
Arms, Toe-in Round Kicking
and Foot Sweeps ..................................................... 104
Kicking without Arm Contact ............................... 104
Kicking with Arm Contact ..................................... 106
Hand Techniques for Counterattacks ................. 106
Section 1
Toe-in and Toe-out Steps
Overview
In Circle Walking, the most important steps are those you take when changing
direction. This is the point at which you can most intensely experience the nature
of change and the energies generated and released by change.
Within the different bagua schools, there are many methods for stepping to
change direction. The direction change method presented in this program has
been used in the foundation Circle Walking practices of the monastic bagua
tradition for millennia, as well as in various martial schools. It is considered to be
the best method for developing expansive energy in the legs during mud walk-
ing and facilitating chi flow to fully reach the toes.
In Module 3, you learned a simple version of the initial steps of the complete
direction change footwork, as illustrated in Figure 7.1.1
9
2011 Bruce Frantzis-AII Rights Reserved.
10 Bagua Mastery Program
A 8 c D E F
Figure 7.1.1
Simple Version of Toe-in and Toe-out Steps
1. Beginning Position (7.1.1 A): Feet are side by side and parallel with one
foot off the floor. This is where you will initiate a change of direction.
2. Toe-in step (7.1.1 8-C): Known in Chinese as ko bu, in this step you turn
your torso from your waist and shrink into yourself toward your body's
centerline.
3. Toe-out step (7.1.1 D-F): Known in Chinese as a bai bu, in this step you turn
your torso and/or your leg in a direction away from your body's centerline.
Your toe-out step normally ends with a footbrake (not shown), followed by
additional steps that allow you to smoothly transition into Walking the Circle
in the direction that you just turned toward. All of these steps make up the
complete direction change method of the monastic bagua system.
In Circle Walking, you can practice the toe-in and toe-out steps in a simple
manner as illustrated above. This method can allow you to turn one-hundred-
eighty degrees and walk in the opposite direction.
The simple toe-in and toe-out steps shown can be compared to digging a hole
Module 7: Circle Walking Direction Change-Complete Footwork 11
for a building's foundation. The complete toe-in and toe-out steps described
later in this document for intermediates are more appropriately compared with
pouring the concrete that completes the building's foundation. Part of that
foundation will include a competent, well-qualified instructor teaching at least
the most basic rudiments of opening and closing the joints and kwa.
The complete turning footwork enables an intermediate practitioner to turn
around significantly more, say potentially as much as two-hundred-seventy to
three-hundred degrees, while staying rooted on one leg (see Figure 7.1.2).
A 8
(
Figure 7.1.2
Intermediate Version of Toe-in and Toe-out Steps
When you reverse direction from walking counterclockwise around your circle to
clockwise or vice-versa, you must do the physical movements that are described
in the Bagua Mastery Program well. Above and beyond that, a central goal is to
develop a smooth, calm state of mind throughout the reversal, starting during
the transitional space of the last few steps before beginning the turn itself. This
space can be compared to the space between gear shifts in a stick-shift car. Its
purpose is to prepare, warm up and smoothly transit your body, mind and chi for
doing the next set of parallel yet opposite external and internal motions within
the turn and steps that are to follow.
Variations of
Toe-in and Toe-out Steps
There are many different ways to do toe-in and toe-out steps. Different bagua
schools usually emphasize particular variations. Some of these variations will be
discussed in the sections below.
Yin-Yang Qualities of Toe-in
and Toe-out Steps
The fundamental quality of a toe-in step is its yin or energetically absorbing
motions. A toe-in step closes and creates inward yin spiraling movements of the
arms.
Conversely, the fundamental nature of a toe-out step is found in its yang or
energetically expanding qualities. The toe-out opens and creates outward yang
spiraling movements of the arms.
Toe-in and toe-out steps ultimately drive and amplify the physical twisting and
spiraling actions of the arms and waist. Both steps emphasize the depth and
power of horizontal rotating, twisting and spiraling. Energetically, if the toe-in
twisting oft he legs is weak, then the inward twisting and spiraling actions of the
arms cannot be strong. Similarly, if the toe-out twisting of the legs is not strong,
then the outward twisting and spiraling actions of the arms can only be weak.
BAGUA AND TAl CHI FULLY APPRECIATE
LATERAL MUSCULAR MOVEMENT
The internal arts of bagua and tai chi appreciate and engage lateral
(i.e. rotational or horizontal) physical movement of all parts of the
body. Both use lateral movement much more often than most West-
ern sports or physical activities.
Taoists recognize that in terms of health and physical training, the
more common physical motions we perform each day should be
emphasized at least as much as the more spectacular and dramatic
ones. In daily life, horizontal movements are critical to normal
functioning, such as rotating the arms completely from side to side,
unscrewing jars or turning car steering wheels. The legs also turn
frequently, for example, when walking and changing direction.
People also turn their necks and heads from left to right.
During an average day, we do these horizontal physical motions as
least as much and usually more than we use vertical motions-for
example, raising the hands well above the head or bringing a hand
over the shoulders to scratch a shoulder blade.
Most Western physical training emphasizes large, physical, hyper-
extended and vertical bodily movements. These include the more
dramatic vertical physical motions, such as full leg splits, bending
forward to touch the floor, bending over to put your head to your
knees or rolling your head in a fashion that gets close to touching
the bottom of your neck.
Without a balance of vertical and horizontal motion, people get
back, neck and shoulder pain, which is widespread in the West. The
twisting and lateral/horizontal physical motions inherent in the
toe-in and toe-out steps of bagua-that also enhance the ability to
turn, twist and spiral the arms and waist-are therefore immensely
beneficial to your long-term physical health. (ifl
c:'l0 =
!
1
Benefits of Twisting and Spiraling
Bagua walking, especially when changing direction, consists of combinations
of toe-in and toe-out steps that cause the soft tissues of the legs, waist and
upper body to repetitively twist strongly in and out, ad infinitum. Doing such
movements allows you to "wring out" the body as you would a wet towel.
Health
Twisting motions within the body anatomically loosen and free what gets lateral-
ly stuck, speed up and smooth the interchanges of all bodily fluids, and increase
the brain's plasticity and energetic movement between the left and right side of
the brain.
Chi Development
At the intermediate level, energetic spiraling can be applied to stuck energies
that bind the progressive opening of the central channel.
Inward-outward twisting can be used to open up the energies of both the ethe-
ric body and central channel by absorbing and projecting chi in both directions
between the central channel and etheric body's boundaries.
Each inward-outward twist or spiral enables a tiny bit of chi to store in the spine,
internal organs and lower tantien. The cumulative effect, eventually via the bones,
is that your body can link and seamlessly connect the chi of the bone marrow to
the central channel. The energies of each thereby mutually reinforce the other.
For martial applications, see the Appendix on p. 95.
Meditation
The alternating inward-outward twisting and spiraling motions of toe-in and
toe-out steps (and the way that they eventually generate the same spiraling
actions in the arms and torso) are directly linked to various essential Taoist
meditation principles and spiritual practices. Every single time you perform
a toe-in or toe-out step, you have an opportunity to delve into actualizing the
principles of Taoist meditation, such as:
Experiencing and becoming consciously aware of your body's
natural internal light.
Finding stillness within movement and movement within
stillness as described in the Tai Chi Classics. This is a
meditation quality equally taught in Buddhism and Lao Tse's
school of Taoism (i.e., the Water method). This stillness-move-
ment principle is what allows the Heart-Mind to be utterly
calm, still and uncompressed while engaging in any form of
activity. Regardless of content, from the slow and measured
to the hyper-fast multitasking of either physical, intellectual or
Circle Walking activity, the Heart-Mind can be ever present.
Catalyzing the mind and spirit's ability to project, absorb,
activate and bring clarity using the Inner Dissolving process.
This can be applied to resolve and smooth out unbalanced or
distressed yin-yang emotions or mental or psychic states.
Overcoming internal paralysis or inertia. In order for
continuous fluidity of physical movement to occur, you can't
freeze, become paralyzed or otherwise succumb to any form of
inertia-even for a moment. Regardless if a movement derives
from a foot, hand, waist turn, leg twist or weight shift, it goes
from here to there and back again. You must make your body
fully conscious. You must also be conscious of the quality of
your mind and spirit. The Heart-Mind enables you to be
consciously aware of what's actually happening from one
moment to the next without gaps.
Enabling infinite space and clarity to exist within the mind. At
some point you will transit to easily recognizing this as a
natural ongoing perception that can be effortlessly maintained
without needing to exert any energy or focused attention. This
might be compared to exerting effort and
energy to visualize the night sky with infinite stars while locked
in a room without windows. By standing outside at night, you
can simply relax and look at the sky without needing to add or
subtract anything in your mind.
You can read more about the Water method of Taoist meditation
in the author's meditation series consisting of books and audio
presentations.
The common polarizing yin-yang quality of the mind prevents space and clarity
of mind. Most people alternate between contraction, tension and closing down
with being relaxed and feeling a sense of space. When you're stuck in a very
primal conflicting yin-yang position, your inner being cannot be free.
You can become free if you arrive at a non-dual state of awareness. In this space,
yin and yang collapse into the unpolarized space from which any yin-yang
dichotomy is born, including that of infinite spaciousness in the mind. You arrive
at what Taoists call "tai chi;' which also happens to be the philosophical meaning
behind the term in the internal martial art of tai chi chuan.
In this internal tai chi place, you can simultaneously be completely open to where
the sense of internal spaciousness never disappears. You can then become free
of the paralysis or contraction generated by a yin or yang imbalance of emotion,
thought, psychic states, karma or whatever.
Bagua's regular and strong alternations between yin and yang, through the twist-
ing and energetic movements of toe-in and toe-out steps, help loosen the depths
of your mind. First, so you can follow the interplay of yin and yang within your chi
and mind. Then, so you can recognize what is stable and still within that interplay
until you transcend yin and yang, and find tai chi within.
Opening the body's central channel of energy is a necessary foundation for
stabilizing movement within stillness and stillness within movement. The central
channel is also complete space and as such essentially has to be still. It doesn't
go anywhere and yet within that deep quiet, there is the simultaneous ability to
allow everything within your mind to happen.
The Importance of the
Body's Centerline
A B
Figure 7.1.3
The Body's Centerline
(A) The hips are square and the four points are correctly aligned.
(B) The centerline is straight from the perineum to the top of the head.
A 8
(
Figure 7.1.4
Maintain the Centerline and Four-points Alignments
The four points and centerline are maintained in the toe-in step (A),
small toe-out step (B) and very large toe-out step (C).
The body's centerline must be maintained when performing the toe-in and toe-
out steps. The location of your torso's centerline, from the bottom of your throat
to your perineum, remains in alignment with your four points at all times (see
Figure 7.1.4 A-B).
In the early stages of learning when your feet move relatively little, your nose
should also remain in line with your body's centerline. For intermediates who
have larger turns and movements, (as in Figure 7.1.4 C), your head may turn off
your (facing forward) centerline as you learn to coil your body.
Section 2
Toe-in Steps
Overview
In bagua, generally the toe-in step is essential to:
1. Absorb energy into and down the body.
2. Dissolve energies.
3. Compress or shrink the body into a tiny ball.
4. Make fast and tight inward turns.
5. Perform defensive martial art techniques.
19
Instructions: Toe-in Step
Right Toe-in Step
A 8 c
Figure 7.2.1
Toe-in Step with the Right Foot
1. Beginning Position (Figure 7 .2.1 A): After Walking the Circle with a three-,
four- or two-part step, you arrive at a feet side-by-side and parallel position,
where your rear (left) foot is fully weighted and your forward (right) foot is
weightless.
2. Figure 7.2.1 B: Step forward with your right foot and begin to curve your
leg and foot inward.
The left foot is still rooted.
Horizontally fold your kwa, inwardly twist the muscles of your
right toe-in leg and curve your leg inward.
3. Figure 7.2.1 C: Continue to circle your leg and toes toward your centerline
and put your foot down. There are two ways to firmly plant your toe-in
step on the ground.
Easier method: While your foot is off the ground and after
completing your toe-in step's full curve, immediately put your
foot down vertically.
More complete method: Use a footbrake step.
4. For the footbrake step version, the lead foot is parallel to the ground during
the step's first 70 percent.
5. During the step's final30 percent, the lead foot curves and extends slightly
more, touches the ground and breaks with the ball oft he foot. At this point,
the foot and entire side of your body immediately closes. This enables you
to very stably grip the ground and turn your hips and waist very rapidly, as
desired.
Safety Notice: It is important when closing during the toe-in step that the joints
of your lead leg remain properly aligned and threaded, so the potential shock of your
foot braking on the ground does not cause any shock to lodge along your leg, hip or
spine. Instead, as your footbrake pulls or absorbs the force of the foot landing and
braking up your leg, hips and spine, so too does it harmlessly dissipate along the
whole of your back, arms to fingertips, and up your neck and out of the crown of your
head.
Left Toe-in Step
The method for a left foot, toe-in step is a mirror image of the right toe-in step
as just described. When considering which leg is weighted or weightless, simply
substitute left for right and right for left in the instructions.
Eleven Basic Principles
There are eleven important principles to remember in the complete toe-in step.
The first two pertain to purely physical footwork of the toe-in step while the rest
equally pertain to the toe-in step's footwork and all other bagua steps (e.g., toe-
out and straight steps).
Principle 1: Fifty, then Seventy Percent
The soft tissues of your waist, lower back, buttocks, legs and feet must all
eventually twist inward. Initially, practice the toe-in step to only fifty percent of
your physical ability, avoiding overstrain of your body or mind. Over time, you
will increase the toe-in step to approximately seventy percent of your physical
capacity.
Nothing beats the advice of a well-trained, competent instructor when deciding
when to increase your level of effort.
Principle 2: Leg Alignments
are Even and Unified
Alignments of the weight-supporting and weightless legs, from
the spine down through the pelvis-kwa-knee-ankle-foot to the
floor, must be even and unified (see Figure 7.2.2). The weight of
what is above will then smoothly flow into and through what is
below all the way to the ground. This must be done without overly
stressing any single joint as an unbroken and unbent thread flows
through the center of each joint from the kwa to foot to floor.
Figure 7.2.2
Principle 3: Do Not Collapse Any Joint
Prolonged repetition of exercises with collapsed or misaligned joints can
potentially cause damage to the joints of lower body. For example, if the back
of the front or rear knee in a toe-in step collapses, then over time the .knees can
wear down or become overstretched. You can even tear the cartilage or ligaments
that hold the knee together. This normally indicates the other joints are at least
somewhat out of alignment and not threaded through the center oft he leg joints.
A 8
Figure 7.2.3
Poor Leg Alignments: Knees Collapse
Principle 4:
Move from Your Waist, Kwa and Foot
The motivating force for the toe-in step must originate from the waist, kwa and
foot-not the knee.
Principle 5:
Roll or Tuck the Pelvis Forward
Roll or tuck the pelvis forward. This principle, along with the next two where you
move the tailbone forward and shrink the kwa, is called liu tun shi kwa in Chinese.
It is composed of multiple interconnected parts, which should all be activated
simultaneously. You start by tucking the pelvis forward and under your torso, but
with no muscular holding.
Principle 6: Wrap the Pelvis and
Position the Tailbone Forward
The pelvis must gently and slightly roll or tuck forward in a relaxed way without
force. The tuck is accompanied by several simultaneous supporting actions:
1. The buttocks should tuck under, spread and wrap forward horizontally.
2. This he Ips the muscles and other soft tissues of the lower back and buttocks
to horizontally extend on both sides from the spine, until they wrap around
the body towards the front of the body's centerline. This will stretch the
buttock muscles and fascia forward in a clear curving motion.
3. As the buttock muscles stretch, relax them so eventually they have no
muscular tension. In this way, your buttock muscles will act like an
extremely stable bowl or container that supports and strengthens your
spine.
4. The spinal vertebrae from the energy gate mingmen (located near the
lowest lumbar vertebrae) to the tailbone, including the sacrum itself, must
be slightly and gently stretched downward (Figure 7.2.4).
\_j_
OiL
Figure 7.2.4
Mingmen
The tailbone must be directed slightly forward. Do not stick your buttocks back-
wards or strongly arch your lower back to make it happen.
Figure 7.2.5
Incorrect: Back Is Arched and Buttocks Stick Out
Principle 7: Shrink the Kwa
Vertically and horizontally (all the way to the spine) shrink the muscles of your
abdomen near your lower tantien as well as those of the entire front of your
pelvis below your pubic hair (see Figure 7.2.7). This shrinking action of the kwa
will naturally cause the anus (and testicles for a man) to close and lift slightly. This
pulls chi up your spine. The three main hinges (joints) of the pelvis must also close
while the front of the body commensurately shrinks inward (see Figure 7.2.6).
Do not use force on any part of this exercise!
Figure 7.2.6
The Front of the Body Shrinks Inward
B A
c
Figure 7.2.7
Three Hinges of the Pelvis
The top of the pelvis attaches to the sacrum (A-B), a ring called the
pubic symphasis connects the two bottom halves of your pelvis together (C).
Principle 8: Spine Straight
The spine, from ming men upward to the base of the neck, must be straight and
not curved. A lack of straightness could occur by strongly:
Arching your mid or upper back as is commonly seen in a
standard military posture of arched back with chest raised.
Over curving the spine forward so the head juts forward and is
not centered over the pelvis (as in Figure 7.2.8).
Figure 7.2.8
Incorrect: Spine Overly Curves and Head Is Forward
Principle 9:
Crown of Head over Center of Pelvis
Ideally, the crown of the head is directly centered over the middle of the bottom
of the pelvis- neither ahead nor behind it.
Principle 10: Do Not Twist the
Pelvic Joints or Sacrum
The pelvic joints and sacrum should not twist at all. Serious damage may occur
if you twist these joints. Twist the soft tissues, but never the bones or cartilage
directly. In all Taoist chi techniques, soft tissues should twist while hard tissues,
such as bones, joints and vertebrae must not-ever. When they do, attached
ligaments are at risk of becoming overstretched and weakened. This sets the
stage for wearing down or tearing knee or other joint cartilage.
Principle 11:
Backs of Knees Remain Open
The backs of both knee joints must remain open without collapsing. This releases
any locking within the knee joints that might be caused by the inward twisting or
shrinking of the kwa. This also helps the tailbone point slightly forward.
Five Stages of the Toe-in Curve
-g
A B
(
D
Figure 7.2.9
First Four Stages of Developing Your Toe-in Curve
The learning progression for the toe-in curve is done in five distinct stages. With
each stage, increase how strongly you curve your curving leg and how far you
cross over your other foot.
Begin with the curve of your toe-in step being fairly small and gentle {Figure 7.2.9
A). Eventually, you may arrive at a degree of curve and crossover that is very large
and radical {Figure 7.2.1 0).
Figure 7.2.1 0
Fifth Stage of Development of the Toe-in Step
When attempting to walk quickly, gentle angles make for slower and wider
turns (Figure 7.2.9 A-8). More radical turning angles (Figure 7.2.9 C-D and 7.2.10)
enable you to make faster and tighter turns.
The more your toe-in step curves and crosses over your other foot, the fuller the
range of your direction change can become. This will help you progress toward a
total turn of two-hundred-and-seventy degrees or perhaps even more.
The toe-in step's leg moves by folding horizontally both sides of the kwa as the
corresponding muscles and soft tissues twist inward.
Requirements for Increasing the Curve
There are specific requirements for each larger degree of toe-in curve.
A) Stage 1
Stage 1
B) Stage 2 C) Stage 3 D) Stage 4
Figure 7.2.11
Toe-in Curve: Stages 1-4
Initially, it is sufficient for only the toes of your weightless toe-in foot to barely
reach the extended line of the big toe of your weighted foot, effectively forming
an upside-down "L''with your feet (Figure 7.2.11 A).
Stage 2
As your body loosens and the toe-in leg and heel move and curve yet more in-
ward, your weighted foot finishes by bisecting your toe-in foot, making a "T"
shape (Figure 7.2.11 B).
Stage 3
As your toe-in leg and heel move and curve yet more inward (and to the side),
finish where the toes of your weighted foot bisect the heel of the toe-in foot,
creating a right angle (Figure 7.2.11 C).
Stage 4
As your toe-in leg and heel move and curve yet more inward (and to the side),
your heel moves past the toes of your weighted foot into the empty space
beyond it-until your toes can go no further (Figure 7.2. 1 1 D).
Remember the seventy percent rule. Although an extremely thin and naturally
flexible practitioner may be able to go this far from the outset, it is recommended
not to until the folding of your kwa and inward twisting of your hips and legs are
definitively natural and stabilized.
Stage 5
The curving foot's toes point almost in the
opposite direction as those of the weighted foot
(Figure 7.2.12). This type of toe-in step enables the
fastest and tightest possible turns. It also can ex-
tend your direction change range from one-hun-
dred-eighty degrees to two-hundred-seventy to
three-hundred degrees or more-regardless ofthe
size of your toe-out step.
This type of toe-in is necessary to walk a very small Figure 7.2.12
circle of four to six steps, as done by advanced Toe-in Curve: Stage 5
bagua practitioners. This type of turn should
only be attempted by those receiving personal
instruction from a very knowledgeable bagua instructor.
A person with thinner legs will find the toe-in leg crossing significantly easier
than someone with thicker legs.
Important Points to Remember
As the angle of your turn increases:
Keep your four points aligned.
As you progress through each stage, the folding and inward
twisting of your lower body must conform to the 50 and then
the 70 percent rule.
Toe-in turning angles of more than ninety degrees will demand much greater
turning and torque of both your legs and waist.
For the best long-term results, only increase the degree of your turn by discrete
increments of a maximum of ten to fifteen percent. However, only do so after
each new larger increment of folding and twisting becomes relaxed, smooth and
comfortable for a minimum of a month-then and only then should you go to
the next larger increment.
Intermediates
To a certain degree, greater toe-in angles can be safely done purely through
greater turning of the waist, leg twisting, closing of the leg joints and belly, and
closing and folding of the kwa. Final stages, however, should only be done by
originating the turning from the central channel, which can smoothly release the
smaller and more deeply bound restrictions within the body's substructures.
Benefits of Larger Toe-in Steps
Larger, intermediate-level, toe-in steps can benefit you in several ways.
Health and Chi
Larger toe-in steps increase the ability of your joints, cavities and spine to close
more strongly. They also enhance the ability to absorb chi into your physical body
and central channel.
Martial Arts
Larger toe-in turns provide an essential skill for prevailing against multiple
opponents. It makes your kidneys, spine, ribs and head a moving or spinning
target. An opponent will find it difficult to land anything more than a glancing
blow or cause more than minimal damage.
Taoist Meditation
The more powerful the toe-in step, the more efficiently it can bring your mind and
spirit into your central channel from where you can more easily still the blockages
of your third to seventh energy bodies. This sets the stage for fulfilling the first
half of the principle, "from movement comes stillness and from stillness comes
movement:'
Becoming deeply and internally still and silent comes from drawing your chi into
the central channel with the toe-in step. From deep stillness, the balancing act
of movement is born and activated with the outward twisting arm movement or
toe-out step of Circle Walking that immediately follows.
The aut hor works on t he bagua second pa lm change wit h his main teacher,
liu Hung Chieh, in his Beijing courtyard.
A
B c D E F G
Figure 7.2.13
Changing Direction Using Only Toe-in and Straight Steps
Direction Change Using Only
Toe-in and Straight Steps
The sequence above that continues on the next page shows how you can use
only toe-in and straight steps to change the direction of the circle. This is an
excellent practice to do whenever you wish to explore how toe-in steps affect
your body and mind.
Beginning Position (Figure Z2. 73 A): Feet are parallel.
1. Figure 7.2.13 8-C: Turn using a toe-in step and shift your weight.
2. Figure 7 .2.13 D: Turn your waist to create a 90-degree angle from where
you started.
3. Figure 7.2.13 E: Bring your weightless foot side by side with your weighted
foot. Ideally, the bottom of your foot is parallel to the ground.
H
J K L M N 0
p
Figure 7.2.13 (continued)
Changing Direction Using Only Toe-in and Straight Steps
4. Figure 7.2.13 F-J: Do a four-part straight step toward the center of your
circle.
5. Figure 7.2.13 K-L: Turn using another toe-in step and shift your weight.
6. Figure 7.2.13 M: Turn your waist to face a 180-degree angle from where
you started as you bring your weightless foot beside your weighted foot.
Ideally, the bottom of your foot is parallel to the ground.
7. Figure 7.2.13 N-0: Begin to walk the circle in the opposite direction from
which you started. Adjust the size of your steps and the curve of your
curving step as is required to put you back on your original circle.
Q
A 8 c D E
Figure 7.2.14
Alternate Method for a Toe-in Step
In some bagua styles, practitioners end their toe-in step in the Single Palm
Change and other palm changes with a pigeon-toed step (see Figure 7.2.1S).It
has several distinct components.
1. From the forward-weighted position of a three- or four-part step (Figure
7.2.14 A), swing your unweighted hip, leg and foot in an arc through the air
a short distance above the ground (Figure 7.2.14 B). Your body turns and
your weighted foot remains unmoved and rooted.
Alternatively, this swinging arc may be done by first bringing your feet
parallel and side by side.
2 As you continue this arc, your swinging leg opens in the hip joint in much
the same way as a martial artist would do a roundhouse kick to someone's
shin or ankle (Figure 7.2.14 8-D).
3. When the toes of your swinging foot have circled and come forward in
space as far as to be on a straight line with the toes of your opposite (left)
foot, especially activate your waist and kwa to do a powerful closing action.
4. The lead foot curves inward in the manner of a foot sweep.
5. You finish by bringing your leg and foot down with a footbrake in a pigeon-
toed position (Figures 7.2.14 E and 7.2.15).
Figure 7.2.15
Alternate Toe-in Step Method: Final Position
In this alternative, pigeon toe-in method, your feet will finish much wider apart
than in the first method.
Intermediates
In terms of intermediate practice, the most important chi principles to be
implemented in the toe-in step are:
Inward twisting of the legs.
Closing and absorbing energy into the kwa, joints, cavities,
spinal system, brain, all of the body's soft tissues, the bone
marrow of the legs and the central energy channel.
Section 3
Toe-out Steps
Overview
The toe-out footwork technique is what distinguishes bagua from most
other martial arts. The two other martial arts commonly found in the West that
copiously use the toe-out technique are the Japanese martial arts of ninjitsu
and aikido. Bagua's toe-out step, however, can have a larger range of motion
than that found in aikido and as such it is very likely that practicing this bagua
technique can improve and add new dimensions and power to an
aikido practitioner's techniques.
Aikido has traces of and may have originated in part from the
martial art of bagua. See the author's book The Power of Internal
Martial Arts and Chi for more information.
The two most common places the toe-out step is found in Western physical
culture is the turn-out step of ballet and martial arts.
41
Three Toe-out Step Methods
A toe-out step is any step in which you move your toes away from your center-
line. There are three basic ways to do such a step. All three start from a beginning
position of your feet being side by side and parallel, with one foot on the ground
and the other off the ground (Figure 7.3.1 A).
Method 1: Hips Remain Forward,
Only the Unweighted Leg Moves
In this method, your hips face forward and your unweighted leg moves out from
your centerline in some way. There are three core variations of this method, which
can be combined to create more complex variations.
Variation 1 : Hips are Stationary, Foot Steps Sideways
Step directly to the side (Figure 7.3.1 B).
8 A
Figure 7.3.1
Toe-Out Step Method 1: Variation 1
Variation 2: Hips are Stationary, Foot Steps Backward
Step directly backward.
Variation 3: Hips are Stationary,
Unweighted Leg Rotates and Foot Moves Outward
Rotate your unweighted leg to some angle (Figure 7.3.2 A-C). For example, the
stepping leg and toes may turn outward so they finish facing thirty degrees (Fig-
ure 7.3.2 A), ninety degrees (Figure 7.3.2 B), or beyond ninety degrees away from
the body's centerline (Figure 7.3.2 C).
(
A 8 c
Figure 7.3.2
Toe-Out Step Method 1: Variation 3
An acceptable toe-out step requires an angle at least thirty degrees from your
torso's centerline. A forty-five to ninety degree angle exhibits normal flexibility.
Any more than ninety degrees demonstrates exceptional flexibility and means
you're on the road to being a potential bagua circus performer!
Toe-out Method 2: Hips Rotate
Outward, Carry Unweighted Leg
D c B
Figure 7.3.3
Toe-out Step: Method 2
A
A second method of doing a toe-out step from the beginning position is to turn
your hips away from your weighted leg without independently moving your
unweighted leg. Your hips carry your unweighted leg sideways or backward while
the toes of your unweighted leg point in the same direction that your hips face-
no matter how far you turn your hips-sideways or beyond.
1. Figure 7.3.3 A: Begin with your feet parallel.
2. Figure 7.3.3 A-B:Turn your hips outward to the side from 30 to 90 degrees
and carry your unweighted leg with them.
Stay rooted on one foot.
Rotate your hips and torso to turn to the outside.
Maintain your four points.
At all times, your unweighted leg and foot remain aligned with
your hips, so that your toes point continuously in the same
direction as your hips and centerline face (Figure 7.3.3 B).
3. Figure 7.3.3 C-D: When you have finished turning your hips, then step
forward and footbrake.
As in all toe-out steps, it is imperative to keep your weighted rear leg's knee
aligned with your kwa, ankle and foot.
Toe-out Step Method 3:
Combine Methods 1 and 2
(Intermediates)
When you combine methods 1 and 2, you can
achieve larger toe-out steps, even one-hundred-
eighty degrees or beyond. This method is an in-
termediate-level practice and requires excellent
balance, stable alignments and sufficient body
awareness, as well as strong energetic connections
throughout your body.
1. Figure 7.3.4 A: Begin with your feet parallel. One
foot is full or weighted. The other is slightly off
the ground and is empty or weightless.
2. Figure 7.3.4 B: Stay rooted on your weighted
foot. Turn your hips and torso as far as you can
8 A
Figure 7.3.4
and maintain proper knee alignments. In addition, move and turn your
empty leg and foot toward the direction you ultimately wish to face.
3. Finish with a foot brake or heel-toe roll of your foot to place it solidly on
the ground.
For All Methods
Regardless of the toe-out method you practice, as you turn outward and extend
your foot to begin a toe-out:
1. No part of your lead foot-especially your heel-should move backward
toward your rear rooted and supporting foot.
2. The toes of your lead toe-out foot should only move away from your torso
and from your weighted foot. Your toes should NOT come closer and then
move away as you step.
This non-retreating step is necessary to fully open the upward
flow of energy from the earth, through your hips and up your
spine.
Intermediates: After the chi of your legs has opened, this rule
may be omitted, especially if stepping in very small circles or
initially retreating in martial applications before moving
forward to close gaps of space between yourself and an
opponent.
3. Your moving foot remains off the ground during the initial part of the step
before it sets down.
4. If you are mud walking, then your toe-out foot should remain flat and
parallel to the ground. Your toes point neither up in the air or down to the
ground. Finish with a footbrake.
5. In heel-toe walking, your heel remains off the ground as you step forward.
It extends slightly forward during the last inch or so for your heel to touch
the ground. After contact is made, roll the ball of your front foot downward
(weight still on your rear foot) to brake your step.
6. In both mud walking and the heel-toe stepping, the stepping foot's toes
lead your movement during the entire turn.
For All Methods (Intermediates)
1. During the toe-out step, your belly, kwa and joints open.
2. At some point during your turn, you must decide where your step will
finish. This might be anywhere from a 90- to 180-degree or more turn,
depending on your flexibility and level of experience.
3. After you can twist your weighted leg thigh's soft tissues outwardly, next
focus on horizontally twisting using all the muscles of the waist, legs, hips
and buttocks, thighs, calves and feet.
4. Maintain a stable feeling of your central channel as the motivating impetus
for your turn and use it to turn your waist. You should be aware of and
maintain the central channel's sense of a vertical axis running from the
center of your head, down through your torso's center and ending at the
perineum.
Basic Principles
Principle 1: Fifty, then Seventy Percent
Your toe-out step should be done within your comfort zone. When doing a
toe-out step, initially turn your leg and/or hips and torso to a maximum of fifty
percent of your physical ability. If you feel the turning causes twisting inside your
weighted knee joint or your spine, your body alignments are incorrect or you are
turning too far.
When you have become comfortable with and stable at your fifty percent point,
only then move to seventy percent of your capacity.
Intermediates may explore eighty percent of their capacity when they reach
superior condition.
Only turning between thirty to forty percent of your capacity is indicated if
recovering from a back, waist or leg injury.
Principle 2: Maintain Your Four Points
and Other Core Alignments
At all times during toe-out steps, you must keep your four points properly
aligned (see Figure 7.3.5). Likewise, maintain all the other alignments and points
previously mentioned, such as the straight spine, crown of the head connecting
to the perineum, chest rounded and sunk, spine lifted, and turn from the waist
and hips-not from the shoulders or head.
Principle 3: Aoot Your
Bodyweight through
Your Legs
1. The rear leg, upon which all your weight
rests, should remain rooted and not move
or change its angle to the ground. The
impetus of the toe-out turn best derives
from the opening and extension of your
forward foot's toes.
2. The soft tissues around the rear-weighted
leg's thighs should twist.
3. Initially, the muscles of your rear-weighted
leg can twist either outward or inward,
depending on which gives you the most
stability. Eventually, however, they should
twist outward.
lJ
A 8
Figure 7.3.5
Maintain Your Four Points
4. The kwa, knee, ankle and foot on both sides of your body should be aligned,
so that your weight cleanly flows (threads) through the joints of your legs
into the ground without obstruction (Figure 7.3.6). Without lowering your
body physically, let your weight sink through each side of your kwa, and
from there through your knees to your ankles and feet. The weight from
your kwa should pass through the centers of your feet to the ground.
5. Your bodyweight should be primarily, and
eventually entirely, centered over your rear-rooted
leg. Yet you should not use your leg, hip or pelvic
muscles to hold any of that weight. Conversely,
the forward lead leg should eventually become
weightless or empty. With time and practice and
as your chi becomes stronger and more connected
throughout your body, your forward leg can
become more and more weightless.
6. During a toe-out step, your weight must remain
at least 70 percent, and eventually 100 percent,
on the back leg and not be shared 50/50 (evenly)
between both legs.
50/50 weighting will significantly im-
pede the potential speed and smooth
transition of your turns.
Figure 7.3.6
Bodyweight Flows
through the Legs to
the Ground
At high speeds, the excessive torque caused when the weight
is evenly shared can harm the knees-even if you are very thin.
If your body type is larger or heavier than average, maintaining
a clear separation of weight becomes even more important for
the safety of your knees, and speed and power in martial arts
applications.
Principle 4:
Maintain General Leg Alignments
A 8 c
Figure 7.3.7
Toe-out Step: Correct Leg Alignments
1. Do not straighten your rear or forward knees or close the sit bones and
perineum {Figure 7.3.8 A-C). The sit bones collapsing and/or perineum
closing can block the flow of chi between your legs and spine.
2. Your weighted leg, knee and foot should remain stable and aligned at
all times {Figure 7.3.7). To ensure this happens, your weighted leg's knee
should not collapse inward or displace outward. Either of these scenarios
can be potentially injurious, especially to your knees as well as your ankles
and lower back. Heavier practitioners who have a greater potential of
damaging or straining the anatomical substructures ofthe knee and lower
back should exercise caution.
A B c
Figure 7.3.8
Toe-out Step: Incorrect Leg Alignments
A) Knee incorrectly collapses inward. B) Knee is incorrectly overly
straightened and locked. C) Knee is incorrectly locked.
3. The alignments of the weighted leg must not disconnect from each other
as your bodyweight comes to rest stably on the ground. Any disconnection
will jam the free-flowing and natural space within your kwa, knee, ankle
and foot.
4. If all the alignments are not maintained, the power of your waist twist can
easily bore directly into your knee, ankle joints or lower back, making them
vulnerable to injury.
5. When turning your hips, be sure to unfold and open the kwa of the
weighted leg as your weightless leg moves sideways. The weighted knee
must align directly with the ankle, so that the unfolding and opening of
the kwa takes the weight of the torso and NOT the knee.
6. The soft tissues around the weighted leg must twist, but not exert pressure
on the inside of the knee joint itself. If so, you risk damaging the knee joint
over time, as well as limiting your turn's potential speed.
7. To determine the size of your turn: the pressure exerted by your forward
weightless foot extending forward should not exceed 70 percent of the
ability of your weighted leg, hip and lower spine to carry your weight.
Remember that when gauging your limits it is better to turn less, say to
only 50 percent of your capacity.
Principle 5: Learn and Realize
Subtle Knee and Thigh Alignments
Figure 7.3.9
Maintain Subtle Knee and Thigh Alignments
..,_ __ A
1. Figure 7.3.9 A: Both knees must extend slightly forward from the kwa and
hip, so the hip socket and pelvic bones can open.
2. Figure 7.3.9 A: The knees of both legs must maintain a minimum 20-30
percent bend at all times.
3. Figure 7.3.9 B: Your thighs should feel as if they're growing out of
your spine.
4. Figure 7.3.9 C: The back of both of your knees stay open, which balances
internal pressures and thereby protects the knee joints.
5. Figure 7.3.9 D: Your sit bones and perineum stay open, which maximizes
chi flow between your legs and torso.
6. To stretch and extend the stepping leg forward:
Gently tuck under your buttocks and do not move from your
shoulders or head.
Open your sit bones.
Clearly feel for a distinct stretch in the back of the knee.
Principle 6: If Mud Walking,
Focus on the Footbrake
As in a regular mud-walking step, the toe-out step also uses all the same rules of
a Circle Walking footbrake.
In its final1/2 to 2 inches of forward movement, the stepping
footbrakes your body's momentum and fully discharges your
chi.
Pressing the bubbling well point of your foot firmly into the
ground causes the foot to spread out and grab the ground with
the friction of contact. This completes the circuit of chi down to
your bubbling well point and toes.
Make sure to do the foot brake in such a way that your energy completely releases
out your toes. The footbrake shouldn't generate a physical rebound force back up
your legs that can jam the joints of your feet, ankle, knee and hip or your lower
back. This same brake is applied in all bagua steps: toe-in, toe-out, straight, side-
ways and backwards.
Several techniques culminate during the toe-out footbrake that can give you the
ability to change directions significantly faster and more precisely than with any
other kind of toe-out footwork.
1. Pressing the bubbling well point on the ball of the foot causes an upward
energy surge that drives chi up your spine, to your fingertips. This
significantly energizes you and adds chi power to your arms.
2. The braking action steadies your balance. Without it, a slipping or rolling
of your foot can destabilize you-even if only for a microsecond-and
thereby interrupt your capacity to change fluidly and instantaneously
move in any direction.
3. Pressing the heel down as you finish your footbrake makes your balance
stable and powerfully rooted.
4. The footbrake enables you to, at the last millisecond of your step, change
directions by 5-degree increments within a very small diameter, such as
that of a large coin on the ground. This is immensely practical for either
fighting multiple opponents, impressively moving around a dance floor
or rapidly changing mind states of awareness during Circle Walking
meditation.
TWO ESSENTIAL SAFETY AND PERFORMANCE TIPS ,
Two basic ground rules dictate the safety of the joints and
maximum performance during all bagua footwork techniques,
which are especially relevant to the toe-out step.
First, the inside of any joint must never twist. Only the muscles,
tendons, ligaments, fascia and other soft tissues surrounding the
joint can and should twist. That is unless you like pain, suffering
and giving your medical provider the money to buy their next
Mercedes Benz. This is true of all the joints in your body and most
especially the knees.
Allowing your knee joints to twist can make them weak,
ungrounded and unstable, and damage cartilage and ligaments.
It can also cause secondary pressures that can potentially do the
same to your hips, ankles, lower spine and back muscles.
Second, in all bagua warm-ups and footwork (and in all styles of tai
chi), the pressure from the left and right kwa must directly align and
go through the arch of the feet in an unbroken line. If successful,
this clean line causes your legs and spine to act like a well-function-
ing spring. This spring must take the weight of the upper body, and
directly transfer it to the soles of both feet.
Your body weight is not borne by the knee, which structurally is
poorly designed to bear weight. Instead, the knee is well-designed
to transfer weight downward from the hips to the feet, which then
relays the weight safely to the ground.
As many are insufficiently educated in the realities of sound
biomechanics, there is a phrase that I ask my students to repeat to
help them avoid knee injuries: "The knee is a weight-transference
joint. It is not a weight-bearing joint. If I knowingly put weight on
my knees, I will mess myself up, and, knowing what I know now, will
most likely deserve what I get for being a willing masochist." ( : ~ ~ ~
, ~ ~ : ! 7
'
'
,,
Principle 7:
Do Not Let Your Head Wobble
While turning, your head must not wobble or become loose from your spine. This
is especially important for intermediates during fast Circle Walking. A wobbling,
poor head-to-spine connection when executing rapid two-hundred-twenty-five-
to three-hundred-degree turns can easily cause you to become dizzy and lose
balance.
A
Loosen Your Leg and Torso
Interconnections
B c
Figure 7.3.1 0
Loosen Your Leg and Hip Interconnections
D
You may find that as you begin to do larger toe-out steps tension builds up in
the places where your legs connect to your torso. To help release this tension or
tightness, finish a large toe-out step and maintain your weight rooted on the rear
leg. Then, keep your spine straight and your four points stable while you:
Look at your feet to make sure your legs are properly aligned
(Figure 7.3.10 A).
Bend from the hips toward and then forward away from your
back leg, using whatever arm motions that you find helpful
(Figure 7.3.1 0 B-C). Make sure that your weight remains
centered over your rear leg.
Bend your torso toward the outside of your lead leg
Figure 7.3.1 0 D) and then to the inside of it (not shown).
Repeat these steps as many times as you like.
Toe-in and Toe-out Steps:
Repetitive Practice Method
Toe-in Toe-out Toe-in Toe-out
Figure 7.3.11
Repetitive Toe-in and Toe-out Steps
It is advisable for beginners to practice a series of alternating toe-in and toe-out
steps over and over to develop these two primary Circle Walking steps. This is a
valuable practice for those with extremely small apartments, such as the one in
which I lived during my university days in Tokyo, Japan.
1. Practice a toe-in step with one foot.
2. Turn your waist to line up with that foot and bring your other foot side by
side with it.
3. Practice a toe-out step with your other foot.
4. Turn your waist and bring your rear foot forward to have your feet side-by-
side and parallel.
5. Repeat steps 1 through 4 over and over again. You will move around and
around in a circle.
6. After 10 rounds or so, reverse direction and repeat steps 1 -5.
Section 4
Direction Change:
Complete Footwork
Overview
The complete footwork of the Circle Walking direction change method present-
ed in this program always consists of three key steps, regardless of your level of
skill or experience:
Toe-in step.
Toe-out step.
Straight step.
Once you have completed these steps, take a curving step to follow the outside
of your circle in the new direction you are walking and then proceed with your
normal Circle Walking stepping (straight step followed by curving step, etc.}.
Figure 7.4.1 shows a beginner doing a complete turn using three-part stepping,
a ninety-degree toe-in step, and a ninety-degree toe-out step.
59
Step 1 Toe-in Step 2 Toe-out
Figure 7.4.1
Overview of Direction Change Complete Footwork:
Three-part Stepping
Figure continues on the next page.
The direction change footwork is basically the same whether you do a three-part,
four-part, or two-part step. The only difference will be the way in which you make
the transition from your toe-out step to your straight step, as will be explored in
detail below.
Review of Three-, Four- and Two-part
Stepping Patterns
Before moving on, let's consider in more depth the primary functions of three-,
four- and two-part stepping patterns.
Transition Step 3 Straight Step
Overview of Direction Change Complete Footwork:
Three-part Stepping
Three-part Stepping
The primary function of three-part stepping is to get the three basic weight shifts
of walking smoothly into your system.
1. The step forward and footbrake moves the weight of your lead leg and
foot forward while keeping your entire torso's weight solely on your rear
foot.
2. The shift-weight-forward step moves the entire weight of your torso for-
ward to your front leg, so at the end your rear leg and foot are weightless.
3. The bring-feet-parallel step moves your rear foot off the floor and brings it
parallel and weightless to your front foot. In order for this weight shift to
be clean, it must fulfill three interrelated conditions.
The weight of your torso, from the bottom of your pelvis to
the crown of your head, and your weightless leg and foot must
evenly fall into the center of the bottom of your weighted foot.
The weight of your head should not be forward in space from
the bottom of your pelvis.
Your bodyweight must not be forward of your supporting foot,
which must entirely support your full bodyweight.
Four-part Stepping
Four-part stepping:
1. Is a more powerful way of developing the body's chi and internal power
than three-part stepping.
2. Activates the ability to powerfully open and close your joints and cavities,
which is fundamental to all intermediate bagua techniques.
3. Creates a much more powerful spring in the legs than three-part stepping.
The bend and stretch ofthe legs, once fully activated in your body (which
can take a long time), can be done so rapidly that it is virtually identical to
the speed of three-part walking.
4. Develops the leg ligaments and muscles more efficiently than three-part
walking.
Although the four-part step maintains the same smooth forward-moving weight
shifts as in three-part stepping, an extra step is added between the first and
second steps of the shift-weight-forward step. It is composed of two seamlessly
connected yet distinctive leg actions-bend and stretch-rather than occurring
as a single action.
Two-part Stepping (Intermediates)
Two-part stepping will eventually enable you to move at the speed of a
medium-paced run. This potential speed is beyond the capacity of either three-
or four-part walking. Two-part walking is therefore more aerobic than three-
part walking. However, for the average person primarily interested in health, the
benefits are not vast enough to warrant engaging with two-part stepping until
other methods are stabilized.
Two-part walking is an intermediate stage method that should only be attempt-
ed when three- and four-part methods have become smooth and stable in the
body, which could take several months to years.
In the two-part stepping method, you go from the step-forward step to the feet-
parallel position without clearly maintaining the transition steps of footbrake
or shift-weight- forward. It requires that the foundational internal twisting and
opening and closing be stable and smooth.
The internal transitions within two-part stepping are particularly rapid and
difficult when doing a toe-out step. Without the internal stability gained in the
three- and four-part methods, it is extremely difficult to transit to dramatically
faster speeds in two-part stepping.
A WORD OF CAUTION FOR THE MARTIAL ARTIST
Some martial artists might think it's a good deal to accept some
systemic jarring and poor balance as a tradeoff for the obvious self-
defense benefits of faster footwork and more physical power.
However, this is a lousy long-term strategy, as it can put a glass
ceiling on your potentia/long-term development.
Why can it be jarring? Going from the first footbrake to feet-
parallel position can cause shock to lodge in your joints rather than
smoothly pass through them. If this shock repetitively accumulates
and continues, you can sustain long-term damage to your joints.
Nothing can take you out of the game faster than bodily pain when
you are in combat or just walking down the street. So don't be in a
rush and the dividends will pay off soon enough. ~ ~ ~ ~
' 1 = ~
I
~
Two-part stepping is somewhat necessary if you wish to plumb the potential of
bagua either as a martial art or as a serious I Ching method of Taoist meditation.
In terms of either long-term chi development or meditation, the rush to practice
two-part stepping before you have stabilized the three- and four-part stepping
methods is a poor and unproductive strategy. In the majority of cases, this will
only accumulate to your detriment as you add other techniques. If you do not
rush, then downstream you will more smoothly interface with the energetic or
spiritual qualities of the I Ching.
Steps 1 and 2: Toe-in to Toe-out
A 8 c D E
Figure 7.4.2
Complete Direction Change Steps 1-2:
Toe-in to Toe-out
To begin your direction change, essentially you will do the same movements as
you did for the more difficult version of the basic change as presented in Module
3, that is, a toe-in step, weight shift and toe-out step.
Now you can apply all that you have learned in the previous sections about doing
these steps.
Once you have reversed direction with your unweighted foot in the air, move it
forward as you would in Part 1 of whatever stepping method you are using and
put your foot down, either with a footbrake or a heel-toe step (not shown).
Transition from Step 2 to Step 3:
Toe-out to Straight Step
For any bagua practitioner-regardless of experience or skill level-one of the
most challenging aspects of the direction change (complete) footwork is to
smoothly and stably make the transition from the toe-out step to the beginning
position of the straight step.
At the end of your toe-out step, your weighted knee and foot are positioned at
an angle to your lead foot of usually ninety degrees for beginners and greater for
those with more experience. This is a very different position than having both
feet pointing in the same direction as with your normal stepping.
So you must somehow shift your weight forward, turn your hips and bring your
now rear leg forward-all without losing your balance and flow.
Transition during Three-part Walking
A) Toe-out step B) Shift weight C) Feet side by side
Figure 7.4.3
Toe-out to Straight Step Transition: Three-part Walking
In three-part stepping, the shift from the rear to the front leg (Figure 7.4.3) is
done as a single movement, followed by bringing your rear foot forward and side
by side with your forward foot.
Ideal Method
To shift your weight forward, ideally you press your rear heel into the ground to
push your hips forward until your weight completely shifts onto your forward leg.
As you do so, turn your hips as far as you comfortably can toward the direction
that your front foot is pointing. Be sure to maintain your four points, and twist
your rear leg outward and forward leg inward.
Keep the alignment between your rear knee and heel constant without letting
your rear knee collapse inward.
When done properly-including keeping your sit bones and perineum open-
you should feel a clear stretching of the muscles on the underside of your pelvis.
To bring your rear foot forward, ideally you move your hips forward a bit in space,
draw your rear foot forward and complete the turn of your hips to face the same
direction as your forward foot. To draw your rear foot forward, you:
Slightly roll and tuck your hips under and forward.
Project chi forward from the rear foot's toes.
Lift your rear foot off the ground as your front foot and knee
remain stable and unmoving.
Twist your leg muscles inward.
Bend your weightless rear leg and knee, and move the knee-
cap forward to pull your rear foot off the ground. Bring it side
by side and parallel with your forward foot and parallel to the
ground.
You may find that the ideal method is too difficult to do while maintaining proper
body alignments and avoiding strain-especially while trying to maintain your
rear foot evenly on the ground with a proper knee alignment. This is usually
because your body or balance is not yet stable. Your body might be insufficiently
flexible or your muscles or joints are not yet strong enough.
As a bridge solution, try one of the following two easier options to take pressure
off your joints.
Easier Option 1
As you begin to shift your weight forward, turn your hips and let your rear leg
turn as well. As you do so, pivot your rear foot on its ball. Let your heel slide out-
ward and backward until it is easy for you to plant it stably. Next, strongly push off
your rear heel and maintain your leg alignments with any strain.
This method is frequently employed in Wu style tai chi to accomplish similar
purposes in such movements as Press Forward or Punch.
Easier Option 2
As you begin to shift your weight forward, turn your hips and let your rear leg
turn as well. As you do so, pivot on the heel of your rear foot to bring your toes
inward and forward until you can push off your rear heel and maintain your leg
alignments without strain.
This method is frequently employed in Yang style tai chi to accomplish similar
purposes in such movements as Press Forward or Punch.
Transition during Four-part Walking
A) Toe-out step 8) Shift weight
50 percent
C) Fully shift weight D) Feet side
by side
Figure 7.4.4
Toe-out to Straight Step Transition: Four-part Walking
Ideal Method
In four-part stepping, everything is the same as for three-part stepping, except
that you shift your weight forward in two steps:
1. Shift your weight and hips forward halfway by bending both of your legs,
especially your rear leg (Figure 7.4.4 A-B). Begin to turn your hips forward
by horizontally folding both sides of your kwa inward toward the centerline
of your body. Twist your leg muscles inward. Maintain your leg and knee
alignments and your four points.
2. Complete your weight shift by pushing your rear heel into the ground to
move your hips forward (Figure 7.4.4 C). Also turn your hips further toward
the direction your forward foot is pointing by unfolding, stretching and
opening the kwa of your rear leg, and continuing to fold the kwa of your
forward leg inward. Twist your rear leg outward and your forward leg
inward. Be sure to maintain your alignments and four points.
Complete the transition by drawing your rear foot forward and completing the
turn of your hips, as described for three-part stepping.
Easier Options
You may also use either of the two easier options described for three-part step-
ping as needed.
Finishing the Transition
during Mud Walking
For either three- or four-part mud walking, to finish the
transition and prepare for the straight step, bring your
feet forward and parallel to each other in a seamless
movement continuum (see Figure 7.4.5).
Figure 7.4.5
1. As you bring your rear foot forward and off the ground to the feet side-by-
side and parallel position, keep the sole or bottom of your foot parallel to
the ground if you can. If you can't do this, then raise your heel. At least try
not to have your toes touch the ground.
2. Both feet come parallel to each other. At a minimum, the toes of your un-
weig hted foot are even with the middle of the forward foot.ldeally, they are
even with your forward toes. They should never move past the toes of the
weighted foot, or your balance will likely become severely compromised.
3. The rear foot is weightless, so it can easily arrive parallel to your front
foot without your bodyweight creating a dragging force, which can
compromise either the foot's movement or your balance.
4. The impetus of the final forward-weight-shift to feet side-by-side position
comes from:
Tucking your hips.
Squeezing your kwa on both sides.
The pulling strength of your lead foot, leg and kwa.
Twisting your leg muscles inward.
Projecting energy from the toes of your rear foot as it moves
forward.
5. When arriving at the feet-parallel position, several points should
simultaneously occur:
Your hips, midriff, ribs, chest and neck should not lean to one
side or the other. All should remain stable and parallel to the
ground.
Regardless if weight-bearing or not, both legs and feet should
be aligned.
From the feet side-by-side position, if your weightless foot is
stable, you should be able to use it to step in any direction at
will. You must not let the toes of your now weightless foot go
forward of the toes (of the now-weighted and rooted foot). The
weighted knee should not go very far past the toes of its sup-
porting foot. Make sure the supporting knee-ankle-foot align-
ment is very strong and stable.
The weightless foot should come as close to your now weight-
ed foot as possible while keeping the perineum and sit bones
open. The thicker your legs, the wider your feet will be apart.
Ideally, you should be stable without any wobbling.
You are now ready to take a straight step.
Step 3: Straight Step
For the direction change method of this program, whether you are using three- or
four-part stepping (or two-part stepping for intermediates), always take a straight
step after the toe-out step. This is the same straight step used when Walking the
Circle each time you step with your inside foot.
To visually re-orientate yourself, see Figure 7.4. 7 on pp. 60-6 7.
Complete Your Direction Change
and Continue Walking the Circle
After the straight step, take a curving step to complete the change and follow the
outside of your circle in the new direction you are walking.
If you have turned one-hundred-eighty degrees to face in the opposite direction
(as in Figure 7 .4.1 ), then your straight step will be on your circle and your curving
step will be the same curving step that you normally take with your outside step-
ping foot.
A B c D E
Figure 7.4.6
Four-part Curving Step to Bring You Back onto Your Circle
However, what if your toe-in and toe-out steps have become sufficiently large
that you turn more than one-hundred-eighty degrees? When this happens, you
will end your toe-out step with your toe-out foot and toes pointing outside of
and away from the center of your circle. To come back onto your circle, do a
pronounced curving straight step to the degree needed.
Figure 7.4.6 illustrates the viewpoint from the outside of the circle, where the
practitioner has completed a toe-in, toe-out and straight step, and is facing
outside of the circle (Figure 7.4.6 A). He would then do a rather pronounced four-
part, curving step (Figure 7.4.6 B-F) to get back onto the circle and then return to
the usual straight step with the inside foot (Figure 7.4.6 G-H).
As your direction change increases progressively further beyond one-hundred-
eighty degrees and you complete your toe-out step (facing progressively further
outside your circle), then your final curving step essentially becomes a progres-
sively more pronounced toe-in step.
F G H
Four-part Curving Step to Bring You Back onto Your Circle
Practicing Complete
Direction Changes
Once you have learned and practiced the complete direction change present-
ed in this section (going from counterclockwise to clockwise circling and vice-
versa), then you can begin to use it in your regular Circle Walking practice.
Keep in mind the following points:
Stay within your 70 percent of maximum capacity and do not
overstrain.
Protect your knee joints. When a joint is damaged, it
regenerates only very slowly, if at all. Let your muscles take
the strain of physical movement-not the bone and cartilage,
which heal slowly, if at all. Soft tissue heals relatively quickly.
You start by walking a 12- to 16-step circle and change
direction after three complete revolutions.
An ideal practice is 300 circles a day with a minimum of 1 00
direction changes.
Walk an even number of circles in each direction. If 300 circles
are not possible for you, apply the 70 percent rule and develop
a realistic practice routine you can maintain without burning
out or feeling guilty.
Other Stepping Practices
In addition to and above and beyond walking a standard circle, you can use
the feet-side-by-side and parallel position as a starting point for other stepping
practices and applications, such as:
Practicing all the footwork techniques of three-, four- and two-
part stepping with your weightless foot moving to every
possible direction that your toe-in or toe-out steps allow as
your range of motion in each progressively increases.
Step forward, sideways or backward using a side step, straight
step, toe-in or toe-out to whatever angle and any direction
possible for your ever-increasing ranges of motion.
To facilitate the variety of these practices, when you are in the feet side-by-side
and parallel position, you can switch which is the unweighted and weighted foot.
Once you are stably in position, put the weightless foot down by sinking your
weight through that leg to cause the previously weighted leg to rise up and be-
come weightless.
By practicing regularly for prolonged periods, these steps can become
comfortable and natural for you even at rapid speeds. This will allow you to
actualize martial applications, and fluidly activate and transit between many
powerful meditative states-or just execute really slick dance moves!
Section 5
Additional Considerations
(Intermediates)
Intermediate practitioners walk an eight- to twelve-step circle and change
direction after two revolutions. These parameters hold true whether or not your
arms are engaged.
For higher-level intermediate practice, you must be able to walk a four- to
six-step circle. Initially, you will change direction after completing five full circles
then work down to four, three, two and finally one revolution before reversing
direction. Later, when your steps are smooth and free of any gross mistakes, you
can reverse direction whenever you wish. This is an important skill to develop,
especially when practicing Circle Walking as meditation.
Please note that as an intermediate practitioner, you may mix three-part or four-
part stepping with two-part stepping. For example, even though you have been
practicing three- or four-part steps in your normal Circle Walking, at the end
of your direction change toe-in and toe-out steps, your final straight step may
instead incorporate a two-part step. This is often done to:
75
Increase the length of your normal steps while Circle Walking.
Alternate the rhythm of your walking to loosen up your mind
and nervous system more strongly and fluidly.
Make it easier to increase the speed of your general walking
by removing subliminal resistance or freeze points in your
stepping.
Direction Change Steps 1 and 2:
Toe-in and Toe-Out Steps
When you reverse the circle's direction as an intermediate practitioner and as
your skill develops, your toe-out will face further and further outside of your
circle and away from its center. Eventually, you may be able to turn as far as two-
hundred-seventy degrees or more from where you started (Figure 7.5.1 ).
A B c D E
Figure 7.5.1
Intermediate Toe-in and Toe-out Steps:
Two-hundred-seventy-degree Turn
In order to protect your lower back and knees, any turn larger than one-hundred-
eighty degrees should only be eased into very, very gradually-over a minimum
of several months or years.
To do the toe-in and toe-out steps of an intermediate level turn:
1. Figure 7.5.1 A: Begin from the feet-parallel position. Your rooted (left) foot
is 100 percent weighted and is on your circle's center.
2. Figure 7.5.1 8-C: Do a back-weighted toe-in step. Twist your legs inward
and close your lower tantien, kwa, joints, cavities and spine. The toe-in
step shown in the figure is at 90 degrees to the rooted foot. As your toe-in
capacities grow, this angle may become greater. See the previous section
entitled "Five Stages of the Toe-in Curve:'
3. Figure 7.5.1 C-D: Next, without moving your feet, continue to close your
lower tantien, kwa, joints, cavities and spine, twist your legs inward and
shift your weight 1 00 percent to the opposite leg.
4. Figure 7.5.1 E: Open your tantien, kwa, joints, cavities and spine and twist
both of your legs outward, turn your waist outward and backward and
begin your toe-out step. The turning circle of your toe-out step may end
anywhere from being 90 degrees sideways from your weighted foot to
directly behind you.
5. Do as big a toe-out step as you can comfortably and proceed as appropriate
for three-, four- or two-part stepping, as described in the following sections.
Martial application: In midstride of your toe-out step, you could rotate your
leg and foot either inward or outward to make a new toe-in or toe-out step,
respectively, and change the angle of your walking trajectory yet again.
Finish Your Toe-out Step and
Transition to Your Straight Step:
Three or Four-Part Stepping
Finish the Toe-out Step
When doing three or four-part stepping, finish your large toe-out step with a
footbrake of the moving (lead) foot. The lead foot and toes should point in the
direction that you will take your next straight step.
The footbrake should ideally occur within the last 1/2 to 1 inch
of your foot moving forward to complete the toe-out step.
The footbrake ideally stops your momentum and fully
discharges your chi.
As you footbrake, strongly extend your chi outward from your
toes and downward from the bubbling well point on the ball of
your foot into the ground.
Shoot your chi deep into the ground, ideally to the bottom of
your etheric body or beyond.
Make sure to do the footbrake in such a way that your energy
completely releases out your toes. The footbrake should
generate no rebound force back up your legs that can jam the
joints of your feet, ankles, knees, hip or lower back.
At the moment ofthe footbrake, twist the soft tissue of your
legs just a little bit further, which enables the maximum
discharge of chi during the toe-out step. This would be the
maximum power point either of a martial defense or attack us-
ing a toe-out technique or to activate various Taoist meditation
procedures.
Shift Your Weight Forward and
Transition to Your Straight Step
Shift Weight Fully to the Forward Foot
When using three-part stepping, the weight shift is done as a single movement:
1. Press your real heel into the ground to begin physically pushing your hips
forward.
2. Extend your rear foot and leg backward and project your chi down the
outside of your extending (rear) leg into the ground, and reasonably
strongly behind you. The toes of your rear foot will continue to face behind
you as you push into the ground. Project energy out the toes to help
straighten your rear leg and drive your hips forward. This method takes a
lot of careful attention to maintain the correct alignments of your back leg
at each increment of moving forward.
3. Energetically, this physical and energetic projection down and back creates
a rebound force back up your leg, which will make it significantly easier
to straighten your leg and move your torso. This physical and energetic
technique, called deng jiao in Chinese, is also fundamental to all forward
weight shifts in tai chi chuan.
4. Maintain your rear leg alignments, project your weight forward, and in
addition to the deng jiao technique:
Twist your rear leg inward and open your kwa, belly and joints
to add strength to pushing your rear foot into the ground.
Twist your front leg outward to root your front leg and
energetically connect your foot to the energetic field below it
(i.e., ideally to the boundary of your etheric body or beyond).
Do all this without your front knee disconnecting its solid
alignment with your forward foot. For most practitioners this
requires that your front knee doesn't move forward past your
toes.
If the rear weight-bearing foot can't stay still in space while
being reasonably comfortable and stable, pivot your foot as
explained in Section 4. At the point where you reach your
70 percent limit, pivot your rear foot to point in the
direction of your forward foot, either moving your heel back-
wards or leaving your heel still and moving your toes forward.
Four-part stepping includes these additions:
1. Shift your hips and torso about 50-70 percent of the distance forward
while keeping your back knee and foot aligned:
Physically use your front leg to pull your torso and hips a bit
more than halfway forward.
Close your lower tantien, kwa, belly, joints and cavities of your
lower body and spine.
Twist your front leg outward to root it into the ground and your
rear leg inward to draw chi up your body from your foot.
Bend your rear leg to store energy in it.
If the weight-bearing foot can't stay still in space while being
reasonably comfortable and stable, pivot your foot as ex-
plained in Section 4.
Regardless if your rear foot stays still or your heel moves back-
wards or your toes forward, bring chi from the inside of your
foot up the inside of your legs and perineum, and to your lower
tantien.
2. Shift your weight 1 00 percent forward:
Continue to keep your back knee and foot aligned.
Stretch and straighten your rear leg to a 70-80 percent
extension to release energy from it and bring your weight fully
forward as you open your lower tantien, kwa, belly, joints and
cavities of your lower body and spine, and twist both legs
outward.
The rear heel physically continues to push backward into the
ground with a little bit of a spike in your energy at the very end
of the extension. This process is similar to a pool player putting
some "English" on the cue ball to send the next ball really flying
with great speed.
Energetically, as you push your rear foot into the ground, your
chi initially descends down the outside of your forward leg to
its foot and into the ground. From there, it should rebound to
rise up the inside of your rear leg without any additional effort.
This balancing action occurs in response to your chi touching
your lower etheric body's boundary, which activates and
releases the earth's energy to naturally rebound and rise up
your rear leg.
Pushing the heel of the back-weighted foot into the ground to shift weight to the
front foot is a key physical and energetic technique of tai chi as well.
Move Forward to the Feet Side-by-Side
and Parallel Position
In both three- and four-part stepping, the final part of the step is to bring your
feet forward and parallel to each other in a seamless continuum.
Ideally, your final position should be stable, without wobbling.
If both of your feet are stable in the feet-parallel position, you
should be able to employ various bagua techniques beyond
the toe-in and toe-out footwork to step in any direction at will.
1. Beginning from the weight forward position, gently and slightly tuck your
pelvis to bring it and your lower tantien forward an inch or so. Maintain the
crown of your head directly over your perineum.
2. Bend your rear leg and knee and move your rear knee forward to bring
your rear foot forward and off the ground with the sole or bottom of your
foot parallel to the ground. If you can't do this, then raise your heel, but at
least try not to have your toes touch the ground.
3. Close your lower tantien, kwa, joints, cavities and spine and twist both legs
inward as you bring your rear foot forward to be side by side and parallel
with your forward foot.
The toes of your rear foot will be on a line with the middle of
the forward foot at a minimum. Ideally, they will be even with
your forward toes, but never past the toes of the weighted
forward foot, or your balance can be severely compromised.
Your hips and torso must remain stable and parallel to the
ground.
Your hips, midriff, ribs, chest and neck should not lean to one
side or the other in order for you to maintain your balance.
Amplifying the Connection between Your Foot and Etheric Boundary
You can enhance your ability to bring your feet side by side and parallel by
amplifying the connection between your feet and the bottom of your
etheric body. Be sure to establish the energetic connection between your foot
and etheric boundary beginning with the step-forward-and-footbrake phase
of your toe-out step. Then, further strengthen this connection with the deng-
jiao technique of the weight-shift-forward step. When you do so, an upward
energetic rebound is automatically activated. This in turn naturally draws the
energy of the earth upward into your body. You can ride this natural wave and
concurrently amplify it as you bring your feet side by side by:
1. Energetically pulling the rear foot and projecting energy forward from the
toes.
2. Twisting the soft tissues of the weightless leg inward and closing your kwa,
belly, joints of the lower body, upper body cavities and spine.
3. Pulling energy up from the earth, through your weightless leg to your torso
and spine and then upwards simultaneously continuing to the crown of
your head and fingertips (via your shoulder blades).
Finish Your Toe-out Step and
Transition to Your Straight Step:
Two-part Stepping
Physical Considerations
A 8 c D E
Figure 7.5.2
Direction Change Finishing with the Toe-out Step
without Footbrake
1. Perform your toe-in and toe-out steps as shown in Figure 7.5.2, but without
performing your toe-out footbrake.
2. Then, tuck your hips and project your lead foot as far forward (with as large
a stride) as you can do comfortably with your rear foot remaining fully on
the ground.
3. At the beginning ofthe stride, as your lead foot moves forward (remaining
parallel to the ground), your rear supporting foot remains rooted, flat to
the ground and properly aligned with the rest of your leg to the hip and
lower back.
4. Tuck the hips and push your lower tantien forward to drive your torso,
hips, lead leg and foot forward.
How far in space your lead foot moves depends on the length
of your lead leg and the degree of stretch in your legs. This is
highly individual as some have dramatically shorter/longer
strides than others.
All factors considered, your hips will move approximately half
to three-quarters of the distance between the rear and front
foot of a long forward stance.
The lead foot's toes project and reach into the space in front of
you.
The lead leg will extend and stretch to approximately 70-80
percent of its possible extension.
The supporting knee and ankle must extend 70-80 percent as
far as possible to accommodate your torso moving very far
forward in space.
5. Just before the end of your lead foot's extension, tuck your hips to launch
your hips slightly more forward.
6. Do a footbrake after your lead foot gradually descends and touches the
ground.
At the point the footbrake occurs, your lead shin is
approximately at a 30-degree angle to your front foot
and your heel is off the ground.
When you complete the footbrake, your knee will still be
70-80 percent straight.
7. The footbrake is used to stop your momentum and fully discharge your chi,
which should be done in such a way that your energy completely releases
out your toes.
The footbrake should generate no rebound or force back up
your legs, which can jam into the joints of your feet, ankle, knee
and hip or your lower back.
The lead foot and toes should instantaneously close, grab and
grip the ground to stabilize your momentum.
Do not lean forward excessively or it can play havoc with your
balance.
8. After your front foot lands on the ground with a footbrake, shift your
weight halfway forward. The impetus of the weight shift should ideally
come from the:
Kwa squeezing (or closing) on both sides.
Gentle rolling under and tuck of your hips.
Pulling strength of your lead foot, leg and kwa.
Your bodyweight settling more and more strongly on your
front foot, so it is aligned and strongly rooted to the ground as
your hips and bodyweight simultaneously continue to move
forward with your step's momentum.
9. The knee and pelvis move forward together until your knee directly centers
over your front foot (Figure 7.5.3):
Your forward knee and foot are becoming perpendicular to the
ground. This enables your torso's weight to root more fully into
your lead foot.
Concurrently, the rear heel rises off the ground while the ball
of the foot remains in place. This aids your forward motion and
readies your entire rear foot to lift off the ground as required to
end in the feet side-by-side and parallel position.
Figure 7.5.3
Hips Remain Stable and Parallel to the Ground: Two-part Step
During the entire two-part step, your hips and torso must remain stable and
parallel to the ground. Your hips, midriff, ribs, chest and neck should not
lean to one side or the other for you to maintain your balance.
10. As your front knee and lower leg moves to vertical and perpendicular to
the ground, bring your rear foot off the ground and ideally halfway toward
being side by side with your front foot. Ideally, your rear foot moves forward
in a position parallel to the ground.
11. Bring your rear foot side by side with and parallel to your front-weighted
and rooted foot. Your hips roll forward just a little bit and your balance
remains stable as you bring your feet parallel.
You are now ready for your straight step.
Energetic Considerations
When you have developed well the energetic connections described above in
this section for changing direction with three- and four-part walking, then you
are ready for exploring the energetic aspects of the two-part walking direction
change.
1. As you perform your toe-out step, project your body and lead toes forward
through space by:
Tucking your pelvis to drive your torso forward.
Pointing your tailbone slightly forward.
Opening your joints, kwa and other cavities and spine and
twisting your legs outward.
Projecting chi down your spine, through your tailbone, down
to your toes and bubbling well point on the ball of your foot.
2. Footbrake to stop your momentum with your shin approximately at a
30-degree angle to the ground:
Continue the same internal work you did stepping forward,
and from your lower tantien send out a blast of chi to your toes
and the bubbling well point on the ball of your foot.
Use the footbrake to fully discharge your chi.
SAFETY NOTE: To protect your knees and lower back in two-part stepping. make
sure you completely release the energy out your toes in the footbrake. It should not
generate any rebound force back up your legs, which can jam the joints of your feet,
ankles, knees and hips or your lower back.
3. Shift your weight forward until your lead knee is directly over the ankle.
4. Strongly close your joints, cavities and entire lower body and bend your
rear leg.
5. Root your front foot and leg, and continue to twist it outward.
6. Use the chi of the energetic line from your spine to foot, the magnetizing
quality of the earth's energy field and the closing of your entire lower body
to:
Pull the weight of your hips completely onto your forward foot.
Pull your knee and shin forward to a vertical position.
Raise your back heel and (preferably) the sole of your entire
foot off and parallel to the ground.
7. Tuck your pelvis just a bit more forward to bring the weight of the rear leg
forward.
8. Bring the rear foot forward to the feet-parallel position by:
Twisting your front leg outward to further root your front foot
and leg.
With the energetic connection between your foot and
etheric boundary established, an energetic rebound or bounce
is automatically activated. This in turn naturally draws the
energy of the earth upwards. You can ride and simultaneously
amplify this natural wave to pull the rear foot forward. Do so by
twisting inward the soft tissues of the weightless leg and
closing your kwa, belly, joints ofthe lower body, upper body
cavities and spine. The essence of this phase is pulling up
energy from the earth, through your weightless leg to your
torso and spine and then upward, simultaneously continuing
to the crown of your head and fingertips (via your shoulder
blades).
9. Ideally, your final position should be stable without any wobbling. If both
feet are stable, you should be able to step in any direction at will from the
feet-parallel position.
Straight Step, then Curving Step
to Get Back on Your Circle
Once your toe-out step has become larger than ninety degrees, you will no lon-
ger turn and be on your circle. Instead, you will face to the outside of your circle,
away from its center. Then, you will do your straight step in that direction.
Figure 7.5.4
Intermediate-level, Curving Step to Get Back on the Circle
The larger your toe-out becomes, the further away from your circle your straight
step will take you. Therefore, your curving straight step must curve progressively
more sharply to put you firmly back on your circle again.
To do a more pronounced curving step will require a strong inward turning of
your hips, as demonstrated in Figure 7.5.4. As your curving step curves more and
more, it will resemble more and more-and eventually become-a toe-in step.
Protect Your Knees
As your toe-out step becomes as large as one hundred eighty degrees or more,
there are several important points that must be observed to support and main-
tain healthy knees.
You may avoid potentially significant problems from copious practice and larger
turns if and only if:
The ligaments of your knees are sufficiently stretched and
strong enough.
The fascia of your legs is in good working condition (i.e.,
smoothly separated rather than bound, stuck or clumped
together).
The muscles of your legs are very strong relative to your body
size.
Your knees, if previously injured, have been given time to fully
recover.
Neither foot wobbles or involuntarily shifts position during
your movements.
The front foot doesn't slip during the footbrake for any reason.
You rigorously maintain all of the proper alignments described
in this program.
You rigorously follow the 70 percent rule as you very gradually
increase your range of motion.
Section 6
Alternative Direction
Change Stepping Methods
E D
(
B A
Figure 7.6.1
Alternative Pigeon-toed Toe-in Step
91
A
8 c D E F
Figure 7.6.2
Alternative Direction Change with Multiple Toe-in and Toe-out
Steps and Waist Turns
There are many kinds of alternative turns to change direction. Each bagua school
has its own trademark hand movements, stepping sequences, smaller or larger
waist turns and Single Palm Change for which it is associated.
The complete footwork method for reversing the circle's direction presented and
recommended in this program is one of the least difficult in the bagua universe.
It only uses the three primary footwork patterns of bagua: toe-in, toe-out and a
straight step.
Other more complex direction change methods may include elements such as
different kinds of toe-in steps-one of which is done so that you finish pigeon-
toed with so-so weighting (Figure 7.6.1 ). From this pigeon-toed position, the
weight may shift from one leg to the other before moving on to a different kind
of step. Or, before stepping again, the waist may make very large turns to one or
both sides.
Some bagua schools use only one toe-in and toe-out to turn and reverse
direction. Other schools may use two toe-in steps and two toe-out steps, one
after the other, to accomplish the same goal of reversing directions. For an
example of such a sequence, see Figure 7.6.2.
G
H
~ - - - {
(
I
I
J K
L M
Alternative Direction Change with Multiple Toe-in and Toe-out
Steps and Waist Turns
1. Beginning Position (Figure 7.6.2 A): Walking in a counter-clockwise
direction, weight is shifted forward on the left foot, which is on the inside
of the circle.
2. Figure 7.6.2 B: Right toe-in.
3. Figure 7.6.2 C: Lefttoe-out, facing away from the center of the circle.
4. Figure 7.6.2 D: Right pigeon-toed toe-in to 50/50-weighted position.
5. Figure 7.6.2 E: Waist turns to left.
6. Figure 7.6.2 F: Waist turns to center.
7. Figure 7.6.2 G: Waist turns to right.
8. Figure 7.6.2 H: Right toe-out.
9. Figure 7.6.2 1: Weight shift onto forward leg still in a toe-out position. The
direction change is complete.
10. Figure 7.6.2 J-M: Walk a clockwise circle.
Appendix
Martial Arts Applications
Toe-out Steps:
Knee and Thigh Alignments
Your front leg must be well-aligned from the kwa and lower spine down to the
ankle, foot and ground. If an opponent were to stand on your front thigh, their
weight should smoothly transfer to the ground. You should be able to bear the
weight of an opponent standing on your leg stably and without difficulty or
discomfort.
Safety Note: Do not trv this exercise with an opponent without guidance from a
competent instructor.
Toe-in and Toe-out Footwork for
Martial Applications
A toe-in step moves power from the outside to the inside of your body. It sucks
in or absorbs either your own or your opponent's power into your core (lower
tantien).
Conversely, toe-out steps move either your own or your opponent's power from
the inside to the outside, sending out power from your lower tantien.
95
A B
Figure 7.A.l
Toe-out Step Martial Applications
Offensive and Defensive
Fighting Applications
Toe-in and toe out steps connect the power of your legs and waist to your arms in
a ten-to-one ratio. That is one unit of power transmitted from the legs and waist
delivers ten units of power to your arm techniques.
Power generated from the waist and legs in toe-in and toe-out steps are essential
to:
Enable the rapid, sudden inward and outward reversals of your
hand and arm techniques.
Mitigate or completely stop disconnections within either the
power or physical movement of drilling-, twisting- and spiral-
ing-based martial techniques. Such disconnections can occur
in the beginning, middle or end of a technique, as well as dur-
ing transitions.
A Step Is a Kick and a Kick Is a Step
This is a fundamental principle related to the fighting applications of all bagua
footwork. Every stepping action-whether a toe-in, toe-out or a straight step-
with only the slight modification of lifting the foot, becomes a kick or a knee butt.
A 8
Figure 7.A.2
Toe-in (A) and Toe-out (8) Steps become Kicks or Knee Butts
A 8
Figure 7.A.3
Bagua Kicks Can Be Done with a Foot or Leg
Likewise, bagua kicks may be done with any part of the foot or leg, including the
inside or outside edge, toes, sole, heel or instep, shin, knee, hip or thigh. If you
can twist your leg muscles strongly enough you can hit your opponent with your
thigh-making it almost as nasty as kicking them with your shin.
Every stepping action in bagua can also become various foot sweeps or throws.
While some are obvious, others are not. Practice making your foot go higher or
lower than the exact way the step is done in the form. Slightly changing the angle
ofthe form's footwork in any way suddenly creates another potential kick, throw
or foot-sweep fighting application.
Toe-in Applications
Initially, you should use your arms to contact your opponent's arms, so you can
turn their attacking arm away from you. If you don't, they will likely hit you. Most
martial artists prefer to avert hits.
After changing your opponents attack angle, your toe-in foot comes around in
the manner of a round kick (as practiced in martial arts, including kick boxing and
karate). For example, you could kick the outside of a person's foot and damage
the big malleolus bone on either side of the ankle.
Figure 7.A.4
Kicking the Achilles Tendon
If you're wearing shoes or your toes are sufficiently strong, by changing the angle
of your toe-in, you could go to the back of your opponent's foot and kick his
Achilles tendon. If your step is strong enough, you could really slow someone
down or snap the tendon clean.
At the end of the toe-in, with a strong enough closing action, you can come
straight down and stomp your opponent's instep, and break the metatarsal bones
on the top of the foot. At a minimum, you're likely to cause great discomfort and
render them incapable of running after you and continuing their attack (if you
choose to strategically disengage and not finish them off).
A toe-in step can be used to attack the outside or, at the very end of the exten-
sion, low or high on an opponent's body. To do this immediately after a front-
weighted straight or toe-out step, use your toe-out hand to trap your opponent's
attack and root him to the ground using downward-pushing chi. He will become
planted like a tree.
Figure 7.A.S
Root Your Opponent as You Prepare Your Toe-In Kick
Then, immediately swing your rear leg around in a toe-in fashion and, by adjust-
ing the height of the swing, kick the outside of your opponent's body.
Figure 7.A.6
Kicking the Ankle
Kick at the level of the ankle to injure the malleolus bone on the outside of his
foot or his Achilles tendon.
By going higher, you can hit the back of the knee. This technique is commonly
done by those with strong toes or when you're wearing shoes that can snap the
tendon right behind the side of the knee for crippling effect.
Figure 7.A.7
Kicking the Side of the Knee
By going yet higher, you can kick the side of the knee to break it or take your
opponent down quickly.
By going even higher, you can kick the nerves on the outside of the thigh, which
can create numbness and painfully destabilize the ability of your opponent to
stand on that leg.
Figure 7.A.8
Kicking the Thigh
By going higher still, you can kick an opponent's tailbone, spine, kidneys or
elbow of the arm you are controlling. Kicking either the spine or kidneys can
permanently cripple or kill your opponent.
Figure 7.A.9
Kicking the Tailbone, Spine or Kidneys
Using your toe-in round kick can also break your opponent's elbow, preventing
him from attacking you with that hand. Breaking or dislocating the tail bone-
although a terrible thing to do-will ensure that your opponent can't chase you.
If you are flexible enough, you can increase the angle of the upward arc and kick
your opponent in the back of his heart, spine or side of his head, especially if you
are much taller than him.
Knee Locks, Throws and Foot Sweeps
Figure 7.A.l 0
Knee Locks
1. Figure 7.A.1 0 A: Deflect your opponent's attack.
2. Figure 7.A.1 0 8-C:Then, a toe-in can be used to come around and trap the
back of their leg from behind their ankle.
3. Figure 7.A.10 D: As you shift your weight forward, your knee presses on
the outside of their shin and bends their knee. This can either cause your
opponent's lower back or hips to lose stability, and hopefully lose his
balance. He will be significantly less able to defend himself from your next
counterattack. If you do this technique strongly enough, you could break
his knee.
Using the same toe-in technique, you could pull or hold your opponent and use
the arcing motion of the toe-in to throw him. This is especially effective if you can
pull him slightly so his weight becomes planted in the middle of both feet.
Arms, Toe-in Round Kicking
and Foot Sweeps
A 8
Figure 7.A.ll
Arms and Toe-in Aound Kicking
c
To kick your opponent, there are only two ways to do it-with or without
touching his arms.
Kicking without Arm Contact
Your timing and movement must be impeccable to nail your opponent without
getting countered-especially for higher kicks. It's not always the most brilliant
idea as when your leg is higher in the air:
Your groin is extremely exposed.
Opportunistic, well-trained opponents have a tendency to
Module 7: Circle Walking Direction Change-Complete Footwork 1 OS
grab and pick up your legs. They can then possibly break your
spine or throw you either right on your head or down onto the
ground where they might continue kicking or stepping on you.
Given these problems, experienced bagua practitioners use the technique of
kicking above the kidneys sparingly.
D E
Figure 7.A.ll (continued)
Arms and Toe-in Round Kicking
Figure 7.A.12
Kicking with Arm Contact
F
Before kicking your opponent, you should simultaneously break his
balance and root him to the ground, so he can't move. Upon contacting your op-
ponent's hands, there are various ways you can effectively use both inward and
outward twisting and opening-closing methods to physically move your hand in
space or maintain your arm position, where initial contact is made. In either case,
you want to transfer the fa jin power of your legs through to your hands, so you
can make your opponent lose his balance.
A 8
Figure 7.A.13
c
For example, with your open palm (A-B) you can control your opponent's hand or
arm to control his body without needing to grab him (C). Then you can use either
toe-in or toe-out kicking techniques.
Hand Techniques for Counterattacks
What do you think will have a greater effect when using a kick or hit for a
counterattack?
A 8
Figure 7.A.14
Scenario 1:You hit your opponent without rooting them to the ground. Image a
boxer being hit in the head, but he moves his head back so that most of the force
dissipates.
Scenario 2: You put your opponent's head up against the wall and then hit him.
Obviously, the inability to dissipate the force will make the blow dramatically
more severe. But you don't need a wall to put your opponent up against. All that
is required is really rooting them into the ground-at the moment of contact-
so he can't go anywhere. He then has no choice but to take the full force of the
blow.
To create an even stronger effect, simultaneously root and pull him into
your counterblow, which creates a double-impact force. If you can pull your
opponent toward you as your foot simultaneously hits him, you create the
kicking equivalent to grabbing the back of his head and pulling him toward you
as you punch his head.

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