So I am going through the 5 basic fists in Xingyi (I'm on #3). Anyway my biggest problem through the first three movements is that I can't seem to keep my butt tucked under me. For most everything else I do it's "make sure your ass is out".
For example in football:
On defense you're supposed to keep your ass out when you start a play.
Squats:
Once again, get that ass out there...
Anyway that's my problem. I guess because it's like I feel like I have to get low? Anyway, let me know if you guys have any advice.
I'm not familiar with your style so I'm not sure what the movements are supposed to look like, but maybe get up against a wall like your doing wall squats to get used to having you butt tucked? I would show up to your next class a little bit early and just ask your sensie, or sifu? not sure what you have in you art.
My first thought is that many people might overly stick it out, or overarch the back, so the emphasis is on "tucking" the butt, but actually it mean a neutral spine and centered hips.
That said, I seem to recall a similar emphasis in one or another of the Tai Chi classes I was in years ago (Uhhh . . . like 22 years, I think.). I think the idea was a straight spine, movement revolving around the spine, etc, which meant tucking the hips. I think it gave me some bad habit, actually, in terms of figuring out how to properly center the hips for athletics, martial arts/taekwondo et al.
But, hey, it's martial arts, and the older and more traditional the arts, the more unique things sometimes arise in them.
Bottom line: ask the instructor, but realize that it won't change. A typical reply is "That's the way we teach it, that's the way you do it."
So I am going through the 5 basic fists in Xingyi (I'm on #3). Anyway my biggest problem through the first three movements is that I can't seem to keep my butt tucked under me. For most everything else I do it's "make sure your ass is out".
For example in football:
On defense you're supposed to keep your ass out when you start a play.
Squats:
Once again, get that ass out there...
Anyway that's my problem. I guess because it's like I feel like I have to get low? Anyway, let me know if you guys have any advice.
Thanks,
Keith
a lot of times people that do this in my KF class do it during horse stance and the issue usually starts with their shoulders and ends with their butts. once i get them to roll their shoulders back in stance it makes it easier for them to keep their tail bone tucked in and hips forward.
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a lot of times people that do this in my KF class do it during horse stance and the issue usually starts with their shoulders and ends with their butts. once i get them to roll their shoulders back in stance it makes it easier for them to keep their tail bone tucked in and hips forward.
I'm still wondering what "tucked means." Overly tucked, it seems, is an unnatural position. How tucked it tucked? And, if it is extra-tucked, why do this?
I'm still wondering what "tucked means." Overly tucked, it seems, is an unnatural position. How tucked it tucked? And, if it is extra-tucked, why do this?
keeping your tailbone tucked helps to keep your spine straight so that you arent leaning forward. tucking it to far would make you lean back a little. the goal is to find the sweet spot. i have asked why this is before and i was told its for stability and when in horse stance (which is when it is most commonly emphasized in my style) it helps with load bearing on the knees and hips. if you lean forward you are putting too much pressure on the wrong part of the leg and if you are holding the stance for long periods of time you become tired more quickly. if you are leaning back you put too much on the lower back. from a fighting stand point i don't knwo what the practical value of it is. our fighting stance resembles san da/san shou. so a low horse stance isn't employed outside of the training and isometric type of workouts.
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I intend to live forever, so far so good.
Swim! Bike! Run!
1.5k!, 40k!, 10k!
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Tucking is basic spinal stacking. Your legs, hips, ribs, shoulders and head should be in alignment when standing in a basic mountain pose (feet together or nearly so, arms to side, shoulders not elevated but slid down your back, etc). It helps maintain balance and alignment, especially anterior/posterior -wise. Without proper alignment you'd be unable to hold stances or postures for terribly long, you'd fatigue your spine by having it out of it's natural shape, you'd screw with your balance, etc.
It's not an over-tucking you're looking for, but it's usually something that gets emphasized, I noticed, when you have a lot of people with anterior pelvic tilt or other similar issues, or people who just tend to stick their butts out when they lower (ala proper squat form) and thrust out their chest. You're trying to avoid that.
Squatting is like the opposite of what you're going for. In the squat you send your butt back, your chest out, and maintain balance that way. You become a spring with your body to go lower under weight, then you sproing back up.
Tucking your pelvis to be properly aligned with your ribs and shoulders gives stability strength. You're also tensing your abs/tva and stabilizing your shoulders by sliding the blades down your back. You're turning yourself into a pilar, not a spring. You need this alignment for headstands, for instance, without throwing out your back or futzing up your shoulders.
It's like you're going for a static stability and strength, rather than a more flexible, dynamic one.
I think wall squats would be good, so would simple mountain pose. Move to some balances, even if it's just tree pose. Learn how to be still in that alignment, and then learn how to move. Movement is just with the arms and legs, in a way. Not as much movement beyond the shoulders and hips... the core stays stable.
Hell, you usually need that tucked position for planks and pushups, when you think about it... so you're not doing snake-ups instead of pushups.
It does mean that you may not be able to go as low in a stance... since it requires different hip movement (since you're not leaning forward which kinda puts your legs more in front of you) but that'll increase as you increase your ROM in that plane.
So, it's not really tucked. It's just in the ideal, normal, neutral position. Just not overly protruding back. Saying tucking is not necessarily accurate, unless normal is everyone sticking their butts back. Ironic that most people have to be told to do that when squatting.
yeah its kind of weird. but i think it has something to do with lots of people having poor posture. from my experience it seems most ppl have a tendency to lean forward which causes the butt to go back slightly.
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I intend to live forever, so far so good.
Swim! Bike! Run!
1.5k!, 40k!, 10k!
Intelligence is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in fruit salad.
yeah its kind of weird. but i think it has something to do with lots of people having poor posture. from my experience it seems most ppl have a tendency to lean forward which causes the butt to go back slightly.
Ah, so the "tucking" is also meant to help people stand in good posture so as to be balance/centered as well.
I try to avoid telling my female students to tuck their butt.
My first blush thought is that many traditional martial arts have stances and techniques that are poor in terms of biomechanics and posture. Of course I haven't seen it, so I wouldn't know in this case.
Upon further reflection and reading Aoife's great post (sg516's too)...if a neutral pelvic tilt is what "correct" looks like for this form, then all is good. Most people do have an anterior tilt, so tucking your tailbone in will feel like you are really tucking it, but just lead to neutral. If your "unit" is sticking way out...you are probably over-tucking!
Keeping Your Butt Tucked
). I think the idea was a straight spine, movement revolving around the spine, etc, which meant tucking the hips. I think it gave me some bad habit, actually, in terms of figuring out how to properly center the hips for athletics, martial arts/taekwondo et al.
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