Yang Family Tai Chi Discussion Board

In the posture White Crane Lifts Wings, how do I make the fanning motion of the arms into a whole body movement?
Is it the integration of moving my whole body forward onto the left foot in empty stance along with the arms movements? Or is there a waist turn I'm missing that should be made after rooting with the weight shift and during the arm movements, and if so which way do you turn the waist?
I've been using the movement of weight forward to root the empty left foot along with the movement of my arms to "fan" them, but I've been doing a lot of waist movement after rooting training lately, and now I'm wodering if there isn't something I'm missing here in this form (and many others but I'll take them one at a time).
My notes from Master Yang Jun's seminar are inconclusive on this point, though I'm sure he covered it, and I really only thought of this as I was practicing the form a few moments ago while concentrating on rooting first, then turning the waist, like in Brush Knee and Twist Step.
I thought I'd wait for my next class to ask my instructor but then I thought, "Why not try the Members Only Forum for some traditional Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan Association form help?"
Any help would be appreciated.

[This message has been edited by Bamenwubu (edited 10-22-2004).]

Hi Bamenwubu,

As I understand it, there is a waist turn as one shifts all the weight into the right leg, but then nothing thereafter. I think the whole body movement comes from the fact that the right arm rotates into its final place only as weight is shifted onto the ball of the left foot. This weight shift will also cause slight changes in the left ankle and left knee, since you will touch the ground by extending the left leg fully, but then must close the joints slightly as the weight shift occurs.

As for other postures, I think there are often places where one is not supposed to turn the waist, or where one must reserve the waist turn for a specific place in the form.

Let me know after your class if I got this right.

Audi,
Thank you for your reply.
I didn't need to ask my instructor, we were at class and one of the other students asked him to break down White Crane Spreads Wings before I could. So that worked out very well.
The way I understood it, you do both.
I'm still not entirely clear on the concept, but I'm working on it, slowly.
OK, here goes how I see it now, I'm sure my viewpoint will change after my instructor read this and goes "No, no, no" and retrains me on it, then it will continue to change as I progress and understand more, but as of right now this is how I think of it.
After the transition from Raise Hands, turn upper body (waist) slightly to the right, using the slight wait turn to draw your left leg in and turn your arms to the front, your energy should be gathered in your dantien (loading), step to the empty stance, root, and as your weight begins to go forward you "fan" your arms, using the slight waist turn going to the left and the weight going forward and the spiraling of your arms from the energy in your dantien to "fan".
I hope this makes sense? I may not be using the right terms, but this is how I see it.
The "energy in your waist" refers to the "loading" of your waist by keeping it tucked in and sinking your chest and opening your back, that you use as you go forward in Brush Knee and Twist Step, and many more forms.
Again, I'm not 100% certain of my words, but this is how my brain fathoms this movment so far.

We also got some different exercises that put a whole nother layer of complexity for me on White Crane Spreads Wings, and what looks to be a lot of other forms down the line.
A couple of us got given the assignment of doing White Crane Spreads Wings as a single form exercise, using a turm very similar to Turn Body Chop With Fist to turn ourselves around and do a mirror image of White Crane than how you do it in the form, left arm up, right leg forward.
That's really hard to do!!!
Especially as you turn around 180 degrees and do it like in the form on one side, then change position and you're opposite.
It's getting easier now that I've been practicing it a lot, but I still find myself standing there going, "Um....?" sometimes as I practice.
We also are doing Right Ward Off this way, too. That's not so hard as White Crane, except for the occaisional habit of doing a Left Ward Off when you go to the opposite side.
It's been very enlightening. It's showed me how much of a slave to habit I've become.
I think the idea of the exercise is to help us overcome the pre-inscribed movement patterns in the form as we begin to think about training push hands, which is what he told us we're working up to.
I can't wait.

I'll keep you posted on my progress with White Crane Spreads Wings as I learn more.