I recently went to a martial arts class with someone considered to be a master instructor and beloved teacher. But it seems that in the internal martial art of Ba Gua Zhang, there is the Gokhale-friendly notion of loosening up the hips, but also a lot of pelvic tucking as part of the training.
1) Is there a safe way to practice this martial art? Is there something about the rest of what they are doing that makes it safe to hold the pelvis in such a position?
2) If not, what is the general strategy for modifying the body mechanics of a discipline which is highly traditional and in which teachers' beliefs are there to be learned, not questioned? Is there any polite way to keep practicing this while protecting L5-S1?
10 years 7 months ago
07/21/2013 - 6:43am
i am interested in feedback as well. Recently started taking Taijiquan lessons, before I learned about the Gokhale steps. Now I am not quite sure whether to proceed as the position of the lower spine and pelvic bone is quite the opposite at times.
Can someone with experience help us out with this question?
Much appreciated! Rgds, Madeleine
9 years 10 months ago
03/27/2014 - 7:06am
Those and many other martial 'arts' are all some lead guy's way of positioning. His mechanics might be terrible. Like holding your fingers in certain ways, or hyperflexing your wrist (crane style). That's because some ancient guy had injured those body parts and had to hold his body that way! that's it. No science behind it, and usually not even practical experience. Unless you have their body type with all of their own weaknesses, you can't do it biomechanically correctly. Tai Chi is probably the closest thing to correct body mechanics--if you're ancestrally Chinese, that is. I'm very skeptical having been involved with about 5 'martial arts' in my past.