Bend Bow and Shoot the Tiger

[fchai]

Hi,
I have a question on the position of the right foot for 'Bend Bow and Shoot the Tiger'. I was taught by a master who was taught by Master Tung Hu Ling and he placed the right foot forward in an easterly orientation bow stance (if you assume a north facing start position), and his arms were held in a southerly orientation. I have also looked at videos of the Masters Yang Zheng Duo, Fu Zhong Wen and Yang Jun. In these videos the right foot and bow stance is in a NNE orientation and the arms in an easterly orientation. However, the photo of Yang Zheng Fu on the other hand shows the right foot bow stance in an easterly orientation and the arms also in an easterly orientation. Interestingly, in Fu Zhong Wen's "Mastering Yang Style Taijiquan", translated by Louis Swain, the drawing and the description both indicates a right bow stance and the fists facing forward in the direction of the stance. This is consistent with the photo of Yang Zheng Fu, but not with the videos I previously mentioned. I suspect my master, now passed away, may have modified the stance to make it more comfortable.
So, can someone elucidate this matter for me please. Thank you.

[fchai]

Sorry, I meant west when indicating east. And NNW and not NNE.

[Audi]

I am not sure I understand your compass directions. In traditional Chinese culture, compasses were oriented on the south, rather than on the north as in modern compasses. Most Tai Chi books adopt the same perspective as traditional China and conventionally assign south to the direction you face at the beginning of the form. That is the perspective I use below.

In the Association's Bend the Bow Shoot the Tiger, we step into a right bow stance directly from Turn the Body and Sweep the Lotus. In this latter posture, we are standing on the left leg, and the left toes are pointed due east. After slapping the feet, the arms are pointing northeast. From this posture, we bend the left knee to lower the body and set the right foot down with the right toes facing southeast to make our standard bow stance. Using the waist, the arms circle from northeast to southwest and then back to the northeast for the end of the punches.

[fchai]

Thanks, Audi. I am in the Southern Hemisphere and so get my orientation a little mixed up at times. Lol. So if I understand correctly, the right foot is oriented to the south-east and the arms are aligned 90 degrees to that, so that the punch points to the north-east and not directly east? It would certainly be a more 'comfortable' position and almost like that of my past master, who had an additional 45 degree offset; i.e. with the right foot bow stance facing east rather than south-east. The photo of Master Yang Cheng Fu may have given me an error in perspective.
Yours in Taiji.
Frank