Still And Straight

腰不動，足不發 

The feet do not emit if the waist doesn't move. 

勁從足下起，還得丹田足

The strength rises from the feet on the prerequisite the cinnabar field is full. 

For internal practices, roots are an active relationship between the feet and the waist. Hence, moving the whole body while keeping the feet still is a way to work and enhance such relationship. Semi-static postures in the three-steps training were paying special attention to two things, keeping the feet as still as possible and the pelvis as straight as possible. 

In such training, the idea was to move the body to challenge both the feet and the pelvis. Static posture in open or close feet positions actually already challenges the straightness of the pelvis, the butt naturally pushing outwards instead of being kept tucked in. To challenge even more one’s roots, one would bent the upper part of the body, but while trying to keep the butt tucked in at all times, and then move the body while keeping the feet still at the same place. 

Three-steps training semi-static postures aimed at teaching how to keep the butt tucked in at all times as well as to improve drastically the pelvis elasticity and the down part of the backbone mobility. It was also, for the most extreme postures, a way to learn how to keep one’s balance on just a very reduced part of the foot. 

Connection and the Butt 

The pelvic area is probably the most important part of the body for an internalist, both for its impact on the internal organs and as the connecting part between the upper and lower parts of the body. The butt, being the most important part used to keep it aligned, naturally becomes one of the main parts to be checked when training the pelvic connection through the three-steps method. 

One of the most basic exercises is to bend the upper part as if wanting to touch the ground with one’s hands in any of the feet postures described in Posture With A Little Twist, but while strictly keeping the butt tucked in at all times. This will seriously hinder the capacity to bend down. Indeed, the main aim is absolutely not this kind of flexibility*, but to drastically improve all and any fascia elasticity in the pelvic region. Then, from this bent position one should move the upper body while trying to keep the butt tucked in and the feet still. Motions shall be small at the beginning, more and more extended as one starts to understand how to maintain butt and feet at their rightful place. 

Of course, different feet angles will stress different fascia lines. Hence, open feet and standing on the toes insist on the front, the lower stomach while closed ones and standing on the heel on the lower back for example. 

If such exercises would first impact the back part of the pelvis, the aim was also to work on the lower part of the stomach up to the pubic region and finally to train the inside links between the hips. 

Backbone Mobility 

A good internalist knows no back problem at all. If one’s back hurts, it shows he/she does not have a basic understanding of the alignment principles for the least. Hence, a backbone which can move as freely as possible and with no tensions is also one of the aims of training. 

The three-steps method focuses on the roots, as it was already mentioned in Posture With A Little Twist, and training the lower backbone is one the focuses. Indeed, this part is a major connection between the lower and upper sections of one’s body. Not only is it the upper part of the roots, but it also functions as the root of the backbone. Hence, improving its mobility will have not only a great impact on one’s leg motion but also on the capacity to transmit power all the way to the hands. 

Basically, when one moves in the posture described in the previous chapter, as far as the lower part of the backbone is concerned, the first target is to stretch it horizontally to improve its left and right mobility. Since it is a stretching process, the need to keep the feet still becomes obvious. This type of work belongs to “waist training” as far as internal practices are concerned. 

Semi-static exercises do not only focus on the upper part of the roots, they are also a way to learn how to keep one’s balance with whatever part of the foot on the ground. 

Balancing Act 

As described in Posture With A Little Twist, the three-steps method knows actually seven basic feet postures, normal, opened, closed, on the toes, on the heels, on the outer and on the inner sides. Trying to not to lose one’s balance while moving faster and faster is one of the ways to learn how to avoid finishing on the floor in any manner one’s feet land on the ground. It may be interesting, apart from the normal posture, to see what different feet positions bring to semi-static postures: 

Opened 

Such posture teaches how to use the front of the feet to keep balanced. 

Closed 

In opposition, it is the heel that will be used for balance. 

Toes 

Balance is in the connection between the toes and the lower part of the stomach. Furthermore, some motions can lead to pressing each toe after another, a way to strengthen the fascia lines. 

Heels 

Balance is the connection between the heels and the lower back. 

Outer 

Balance is the connection between the outer side of the feet and the outside of the legs. 

Inner 

Balance is the connection between the inside side of the feet and the inside of the legs. 

Finally, as far as balance is concerned, there are also semi-static exercises where it is the feet that move while the whole body has to stay at the same place. The easiest one is feet starting from standing on the heels, going then to stand all the way on the toes, then back on the heels. This back and forth motion, whether done slow or fast, has to keep the feet centred. 

There are, of course, other semi-static exercises with different purposes, only the most obvious examples having been described. Aligned through still postures correctly, mobility and balance improved through semi-static motion, one can finally start to study pacing oneself through walking, the next post on this theme. 

* In a way, this gets to the heart of the internal practices, exercises which seems very easy from the outside and sometimes making someone looking like not flexible or not really training. Still, done correctly, they stretch more and in a much deeper way than the usual ones only aiming for an outside result. The usual difference between endurance and performance.