Re:Why Flamingos Are More Stable on One Leg Than Two
by robert_tweed on Friday May 26, 2017 @04:42AM
(#14422758)
It's always interesting to see a technique evolve independently in multiple domains.
I practise taijiquan (tai chi) which is very heavily predicated on this principle. A huge part of it boils down to practising being stable on one leg so the other leg can move anywhere. You might be interested in the taiji stepping techniques, but these are not (visibly) part of the forms people generally think of as tai chi, and not all schools bother to teach them.
Of course, it's not the same thing TFA talks about. Especially in the context of traditional Chinese martial arts, with all their associated mythology, I think it's helpful to remember that human physiology is pretty unique, especially when it comes to balance. We're inherently unstable, so becoming more stable takes practise and conditioning. We're not flamingos (or snakes, or white cranes).
I practise taijiquan (tai chi) which is very heavily predicated on this principle. A huge part of it boils down to practising being stable on one leg so the other leg can move anywhere. You might be interested in the taiji stepping techniques, but these are not (visibly) part of the forms people generally think of as tai chi, and not all schools bother to teach them.
Of course, it's not the same thing TFA talks about. Especially in the context of traditional Chinese martial arts, with all their associated mythology, I think it's helpful to remember that human physiology is pretty unique, especially when it comes to balance. We're inherently unstable, so becoming more stable takes practise and conditioning. We're not flamingos (or snakes, or white cranes).