I’m all the time on the look out for attention-grabbing bio mechanical issues and that search just lately lead me to a personality referred to as David Weck, who is called the ‘Head over Foot Man’. In fact, that’s not his solely thought about biomechanics- he’s acquired a great deal of them – however this video is an effective introduction to his Head over Foot thought:
(It’s unlucky that there’s an image of the controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate within the header picture for that video, as a result of he doesn’t function within the video. I suppose they’re simply utilizing him for example of walker, however whereas he could also be walker, I don’t like him or his opinions, nor do I feel he’s instance for youths to comply with).
The ‘head over foot’ thought will be defined very simply – in the event you’re going to face on one leg, then your head needs to be straight over your foot in order for you your steadiness to be good. You possibly can do this now, by standing on one leg and taking part in with the place your head balances over your foot. I feel he’s proper – in the event you transfer your head wherever else however over your foot then your steadiness begins to go.
Weck then takes this into the concept of strolling, so as a substitute of the same old description of strolling that you simply learn, which is that it’s a sequence of managed falls, in the event you alternately put your head over your foot as you stroll then you find yourself with a extra athletic, balanced and assured strolling type with a little bit of swagger. You can begin off over exaggerating the swagger, then work on reigning it in and making it smaller till it’s hardly noticeable.
I prefer it – it takes a little bit of getting used to, however the various of making an attempt to maintain your backbone impartial and upright (as we’re inspired to do in Tai Chi) finally ends up with a really compelled, stiff, strolling sample. The choice strolling sample of inserting your foot over your head creates a form of infinity image motion across the photo voltaic plexus with an alternating sample of 1 facet of the physique shortening and the opposite facet extending.
The thought of being upright is talked about lots within the Tai Chi classics. For instance, the Tai Chi classics say “Stand like a wonderfully balanced scale” (from the Treatise) and
“The upright physique should be secure and comfy
to have the ability to maintain an assault from any of the eight instructions.” (from the ‘psychological elucidation of the 13 postures’.)
However that doesn’t imply that you need to appear to be a robotic once you do it. Your physique is a fluid assortment of exhausting unbending bones linked by gentle joints that enable for motion. It’s designed to maneuver in spirals, and the ‘head over foot’ thought promotes this spiral motion.
Quite a bit, the truth is, nearly all, of the time in Tai Chi your weight is both on one foot or the opposite, or you might be really standing on one leg with the opposite leg kicking. So, I discover that desirous about whether or not your head is over your foot as you do the Tai Chi kind is definitely a good suggestion. Whether it is then your steadiness might be higher.
Take into consideration the basic Tai Chi stroll. We do that train referred to as the Hero Stroll, which seems to be like this:
It’s value doing this and desirous about the idea of retaining your head over your foot as you do it, then making use of that to your Tai Chi kind. Hopefully you’ll discover your Tai Chi turns into extra balanced, particularly within the kicking actions. I discover that that is the place lots of newcomers have issues – they will’t steadiness on one leg. Nicely, right here’s the answer!