Understanding Footwork and Stances in Yang-Style Tai Chi Chuan

In the intricate world of martial arts, a fundamental truth holds: “hand, eye, body, foot, and step” are interconnected elements crucial for mastery. Among these, footwork (步法), encompassing the methods and rules for lower limb movement and transition, stands as a cornerstone. For Taijiquan, it is the very foundation upon which hand, body, and leg techniques are realized, and it guarantees the art’s characteristic lightness, agility, and rooted stability.

As ancient martial arts proverbs wisely advise, “First observe the steps, then observe the hand,” and a more guarded saying states, “Teach boxing but not footwork; teach footwork and beat the master.” This underscores the paramount importance of precise footwork.

The Foundation of Yang-Style Taijiquan

Yang Chengfu, a revered master of Yang-style Taijiquan, articulated the essence of “upper and lower body following each other” in his “Ten Essentials of Taijiquan”: “Its root is in the foot, issues from the leg, is directed by the waist, and manifests in the fingers. From the foot to the leg to the waist, it must always be a complete, unified flow.”

In his “Discussions on Taijiquan Practice” from The Complete Book of Taijiquan for Body and Application, he further emphasized, “Both feet should clearly distinguish between substantial and insubstantial, their rising and falling akin to a cat’s walk.” These statements highlight the critical role of footwork and stances in Yang-style Taijiquan.

The foundation of traditional Yang-style Taijiquan lies in the mastery of the feet and footwork. Taijiquan’s movements are inseparable from the direction and orientation of the feet; the foot is the root for orientation. Without this root, traditional Yang-style Taijiquan loses its fundamental essence.

Common martial arts adages emphasize this importance: “Skill won’t develop in the body if the lower limbs (footwork) are not practiced,” “If the feet aren’t trained, the whole body is difficult to relax,” and “Seven parts look at the bottom, three parts look at the top.” Practicing Taijiquan’s palms and fists without training the feet results in a “half-punched” style. Therefore, “practice the feet first” is the initial subject of training in traditional Yang-style Taijiquan.

Historical Context and Dynamic Footwork

Traditional Yang-style Taijiquan texts surprisingly offer no systematic treatise on footwork. However, Mr. Zhang Zhaoping, a long-serving chairman of the Taiwan Taijiquan Federation, documented eighteen types of footwork in his 2002 book, On Taijiquan. These include: Sitting Step, Curved Step, Retreating Step, Rolling Step, Hooking Step, Auxiliary Step, Inverted Insertion Step, Connecting Technique Step (连枝步), Immortal Step, Dividing Body Step, Turning Body Step, Sticking Step, Collapsing Step, Intertwining Flower Step (绞花步/套步), Diagonal Step (斜步/弓步), Gathering Step, Chasing Step, and Charging Step.

A mnemonic verse, attributed to the Yang family but of unknown authorship, encapsulates these eighteen steps:

While this list integrates both dynamic and static elements, it diverges from contemporary common interpretations. Dynamically, Taijiquan employs various movements such as advancing, retreating, following, withdrawing, sidestepping, swinging, hooking, inserting, striding, and jumping. Although naming conventions may vary among different schools, the core principle remains consistent: “Stepping like a cat.”

Yang-style Taijiquan is generally divided into Old Frame (老架), Large Frame (大架), and Small Frame/Low Frame (小架), each with distinct footwork and stances.

The Inner Technical Principles of Stances

To truly understand Taijiquan stances, one must delve into their underlying technical principles:

Clear Differentiation of Substantial and Insubstantial: Each stance requires a precise distribution of weight between the legs and feet, defining which leg is “substantial” (bearing significant weight) and which is “insubstantial” (bearing minimal weight). This dynamic interplay is crucial for agility and responsiveness.

Empty Head, Lift Crown, Loose Waist, Sink Hips, Stable Center: The upper body must maintain a state of “empty head, lifted crown” (虚领顶劲), while the waist is relaxed and the hips are settled (松腰沉胯). This alignment ensures the body’s internal and external uprightness, projecting the center of gravity within the support base of the feet.

Loose Chest, Qi Sinks to Dantian, Lowered Center of Gravity: Relaxing the chest and allowing the qi to sink to the Dantian (气沉丹田) lowers the body’s overall center of gravity. This principle, derived from physics, significantly enhances lower body stability.

Vertical Sinking Force, Avoid Horizontal Clumsy Force: Whether it’s the relaxed sinking of the limbs from top to bottom or the sinking of intention and qi, all forces in Taijiquan are primarily directed vertically. The avoidance of “horizontal clumsy force” (横向拙力) ensures efficient energy transmission and prevents unnecessary tension.

Open Hips, Round Crotch, Expanded Base: Many beginners simply arrange their legs to form a stance. A more effective approach involves using the principle of “opening the hips and rounding the crotch” (开胯圆裆) to naturally spread the legs apart, thereby expanding the supporting base.

Key Footwork Methods in Yang-Style Tai Chi Chuan

Traditional Yang-style Taijiquan places immense emphasis on how the feet move and settle. In solo form practice, the feet move in an arc shape, avoiding straight lines. The arc-shaped step smoothly transitions from bent to extended, slowly stepping out. The toes gradually lift from a downward position, the heel lands first, followed by the sole and then the toes, ensuring a complete grounding.

My teacher, Mr. Jin Xiwu, explained that the Old Frame Yang-style Taijiquan is a “weight-bearing” style, where the body’s weight is pressed onto one foot during the “rolling and turning” (碾转/卖碾) motion. This implies the integration of “step” and “stance” (“势中有桩，桩中含势” - the posture contains the stance, the stance contains the posture), not allowing the center of gravity to shift before stepping.

This approach contrasts with the “New Frame” Taijiquan’s method, where advancing involves shifting weight backward, turning the front foot outward, then shifting forward - essentially a “shifting of weight.” In traditional frames, the weight is not “shifted” in this manner during advancement, maintaining a “weight-bearing” quality throughout the form.

The Eight Fundamental Stances

1. Small Open Stance (小开步)

The Small Open Stance, also known as the Open Standing Stance, is seen in movements like the Preparation Form, Beginning Form, Closing Form, and Cross Hands. Yang-style Taijiquan does not have a “standing at attention” posture, as this creates tension. The relaxed and calm Small Open Stance is used as the Preparation Form.

Key points: Empty the head and lift the crown, sink the shoulders and drop the elbows, contain the chest and lift the back, relax the body and calm the mind. Both feet should stand parallel and be shoulder-width apart; do not turn them outward.

Common mistake: A stance that’s too wide, where the horizontal distance between the outer sides of the feet exceeds shoulder width.

2. Side Bow Stance (侧弓步)

After the Beginning Form, in “Grasping the Sparrow’s Tail,” the first movement is “Left Ward-off.” The right foot turns outward 45-60° with the rotation of the waist, and the weight shifts to the right leg. The upper body sinks, the left foot steps forward with the heel touching the ground first.

Key principles: The left foot should step forward from its original position directly south. When stepping, the upper body sinks and the center of gravity remains unchanged. The left foot should land wherever it can reach. The lower the frame, the larger the step.

3. Bow Stance (弓步)

The Bow Stance is one of the most common stances, appearing in “Right Ward-off,” “Press,” and “Push” movements.

Essential requirements: The horizontal distance between the two feet must be maintained at 20-30 cm. The front foot’s toes should point directly forward, and the angle between the back foot and front foot should be 45-80 degrees. The knee of the front leg should not extend beyond the toes, nor should it be behind the heel.

4. Sitting Stance (坐步)

The Sitting Stance involves shifting the body’s center of gravity backward while keeping the feet in the same position as a bow stance. It appears in “Roll Back” and “Push” movements.

Key points: Use the waist to sit back - this is a form of storing energy. When the center of gravity shifts backward, the body’s height remains unchanged. The upper body should not lean backward; instead, use the waist and legs for the movement.

5. Empty Stance (虚步)

The Empty Stance appears in “Lift Hands Up,” “White Crane Spreads Wings,” and “Hand Pushes the Lute.” There are two types: one where the toes are on the ground with heel slightly raised, and another where the heel is on the ground with toes slightly raised.

Critical principle: The front foot bears minimal weight - “step on an egg without breaking it, step on an ant without killing it.” The knee of the front leg must not be locked straight, as this loses elasticity and creates vulnerability.

6. Horse Stance (马步)

While prominent in Chen-style Taijiquan, the Horse Stance appears only briefly in Yang-style’s “Cloud Hands” movement. It’s not a fixed posture but a transitional stance.

Key points: Upper body is upright, waist is relaxed and buttocks tucked in, both legs are semi-squatting, and both feet are parallel. The crown of the head, Dantian, and center of both feet form a straight line.

7. Falling Stance (仆步)

The Falling Stance appears only in the “Lowering Stance” movement and is one of the more challenging postures in Taijiquan.

Technical requirements: Both feet must maintain proper width, set beforehand. The center of gravity must not leave the support surface formed by the two feet. The upper body should remain upright, and the knee should align with the toes to prevent joint stress.

8. Independent Stance (独立步)

The Independent Stance is the core of movements like “Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg,” “Heel Kick,” and “Separate Kick.”

Essential principle: Maintain a straight line between the crown of the head, Dantian, and sole of the supporting foot, emphasizing stability. The intention should guide downward, “swallowing the sky and connecting with the earth.” Absolutely avoid leaning backward.

The “Cat Walk Step” (猫行步)

Master Yang Chengfu’s instruction, “rising and falling like a cat’s walk,” reveals the core essence of the Cat Walk Step. This embodies the cat’s light, agile, and silent movement, with a soft yet stable landing.

Traditional Yang-style Taijiquan’s Old Frame emphasizes the integration of form and spirit: “The form is like a hawk seizing a rabbit, the spirit is like a cat catching a mouse.” Both form and spirit should exhibit the cat’s agile body, sharp claws, substantial qi, and stable gait.

Practitioners must grasp the Cat Walk Step’s characteristics of lightness, softness, agility, noiselessness, and “soft landing.” Simultaneously, they must cultivate the mental qualities of high concentration, cautiousness, gentleness, observation, and the intuitive ability to retract and extend the foot at will, like “walking on thin ice” or “stepping as if approaching a deep abyss.”

The Cat Walk Step is a primary fundamental stance in traditional Yang-style Taijiquan routines. Its practice involves significant exertion, and prolonged training can lead to well-developed leg muscles, strong lower limbs, and can even help prevent and treat common conditions such as lumbar vertebral hyperostosis, calcaneal hyperostosis, and degenerative knee joint disease.

Conclusion

The true challenge in Yang-style Taijiquan often lies not in the upper limb techniques of palms, fists, and hooks, but in the intricate footwork and stances of the legs and feet. Mastering the precise nuances of footwork and stances is not merely about replicating external forms; it is about embodying the core principles of Taijiquan – stability, balance, agility, and the seamless flow of internal energy.

The greatest characteristic of Yang-style Taijiquan footwork is the integration of “step” and “stance.” In practice, consistently adhering to the fundamental requirements of the “Rolling Step” and “arc-shaped movements” is essential. This builds strength in the lower limbs, lays the foundation for relaxation, and ultimately enhances both combative effectiveness and the benefits for health and well-being.