This is one of the many powerful exercises from LiuHaBaFa. LiuHaBaFa is an Internal Martial Arts. The fighting power comes not mainly from the muscles but from the good coordination of body parts and the use of much stronger body parts like shoulder blades (scapulas), hips, and tendons.
As we get older, our muscles of the hands, arms, and legs degrade. Stability and agility degrade accordingly. With this exercise, we regain stability and get our arm and leg power back.
First of all, watch this exercise for a moment before reading my instructions. For a bigger display, right click the below and select View Image if you are using Firefox as your web browser.
As we get older, our muscles of the hands, arms, and legs degrade. Stability and agility degrade accordingly. With this exercise, we regain stability and get our arm and leg power back.
First of all, watch this exercise for a moment before reading my instructions. For a bigger display, right click the below and select View Image if you are using Firefox as your web browser.
Now read the instructions.
1. Feet Placement
Step any one foot forward to form a front horse stance, as follows.
At the end, the heels are about two foot-length apart. You do not have to follow it strictly if you do not find it comfortable as we are doing this for health purpose. For example, if you find adopting a wider stance better or more comfortable for you, do so.
2. Moving Out A
Instead of stepping your rear leg into the ground, move the back of your knee slowly backward. (See the blue arrow.) This straightens your back leg, extends the tendon, and moves your body forward. At the same time, raise both your arms to chest-high. There is no special requirement of the hands as long as the palms are facing each other at all time.
The upper body and the hips move squarely forward and backward in this exercise despite the front and back horse stance. It will need practice to fully achieve this.
Do not pause, continue with the next step.
Do not pause, continue with the next step.
3. Moving Out B
Move the back of your knee backward further. At the same time, raise your arms more to shoulder-high. Keep the palms facing each other.
Do not pause, continue with the next step.
Do not pause, continue with the next step.
4. Moving Out C
Continue until the rear leg is straight and your arms fully extended horizontally. Do not extend your front knee further than your toes (not your shoe) to avoid damage to your knee.
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Just before fully extending your arms, points your fingers forward. Extend all your fingers and thumbs until a slight tension is felt. Do not extend too hard. A slight tension is all we need.
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Hold the posture still for a second or two. Relax and feel the very slight tension throughout your body.
5. Moving In A
Start with a lowering of your shoulder blades, move your elbows and body back. The rear leg will start to bend just a little bit. Relax your fingers but do not move your hands except keeping the palms facing each other. The forearms and hands will tilt upwards as you move your elbows down and back.
You may find that your shoulder blades could hardly move even when you try very hard. This is normal for beginners. Do NOT force the movements of your shoulder blades hard. Just keep the thought of moving them downward would be enough. With enough time and practice, the masters could move their shoulder blades by many inches. Their tendons have grown longer and stronger. The power coming from them is enormous. For the rest of us not seeking martial arts power, a notion of moving the shoulder blades is all we need.
You may find that your shoulder blades could hardly move even when you try very hard. This is normal for beginners. Do NOT force the movements of your shoulder blades hard. Just keep the thought of moving them downward would be enough. With enough time and practice, the masters could move their shoulder blades by many inches. Their tendons have grown longer and stronger. The power coming from them is enormous. For the rest of us not seeking martial arts power, a notion of moving the shoulder blades is all we need.
As a reminder, the upper body and the hips move squarely forward and backward in this exercise despite the front and back horse stance. Do not slant any part of your upper body and the hips. It will need practice to fully achieve this.
Do not pause, continue with the next step.
6. Moving In B
Move our shoulder blades sideways and down. Again, a notion, or command, from us is all we need. Do not force the shoulders blades. A slight tension is all we need. More stress than that is not appropriate. The arms now follows, moving back and opening wider. (See the front view.) The palms would face down due to a rotation of the arms. To keep the palms facing each other, we rotate our forearms slightly along the way.
As our body moves backward more, the rear leg bends further. The weight of our body on the rear leg is now more pronounced. Keep the weight on the rear hip joint. (See the green arrow above.) It is like instead of stepping your rear leg into the ground, step your body into your rear leg hip joint.
Do not pause, continue with the next step.
As our body moves backward more, the rear leg bends further. The weight of our body on the rear leg is now more pronounced. Keep the weight on the rear hip joint. (See the green arrow above.) It is like instead of stepping your rear leg into the ground, step your body into your rear leg hip joint.
Do not pause, continue with the next step.
7. Moving In C
Move our shoulder blades down a bit further. Again, a notion to move them down is all we need. While we pull our arms back further, move our body back further. When the front lower leg is about vertical, we stop. Out body weight should now be on the rear leg hip joint, leaving very little pressure to the rear knee and leg. Pause for a second or two and feel the slight body tension.
Do not lower your arms, repeat the forward movement by going back to step 3 above.
After a minute or two, repeat the whole exercise with the other foot in front. You may end the exercise any time, any where along the exercise as you want.
Do not lower your arms, repeat the forward movement by going back to step 3 above.
After a minute or two, repeat the whole exercise with the other foot in front. You may end the exercise any time, any where along the exercise as you want.
Recommendations for Beginners/Seniors
Do it in a relaxed manner. Move slowly, slower than that shown above. You may speed up when you know the sequence better. Try to do it smoothly without pause and hesitation. At the beginning, you may ignore the instructions for the shoulder blades and focus on the lower body movements only. You may limit the duration to no more than two minutes, then adding more time as you feel comfortable. There is no need to exceed five minutes unless you are training for martial arts purpose.
©2014, All Rights Reserved. Notice of Disclaimer: The information in this website is based on the author’s experience and opinions. Readers should understand that any practice, training, or treatment may be risky if performed incorrectly. Consult your doctor before you begin. The author assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of information contained herein.