Double weighting is not what you think
Double weighting is frequently described as having an equal weight distribution on both sides of your body. This situation is believed to lead to stagnation and can result in a lack of coordination.
This is obviously not true as it would mean that every time you shift weight you make a profound error. While performing Wave Hands for instance you are constantly shifting weight from Right to Left and back again. Even if it is only for a moment there is a time during that weight shift when your weight is 50/50.
Even in Push posture, there is a weight shift from front to back and back to the front to finish. If ‘evenly weighted’ defined as Double Weighting you would have the same issue here, and with every posture where there is a weight shift.
The Role of Hips in Taiji and Qi Gong
At the heart of the matter is the role that hips play when performing Taiji, and Qi Gong. Taiji is frequently called “The Art of Kua and Dang.” The Kua pertains to the inguinal fold found at the hip joint’s apex, where the thigh meets the waist. On the other hand, the Dang represents a more comprehensive idea, characterized as the curve that stretches from one knee to another while traversing both the front and rear of the waist.
When we talk about hips, it’s important to consider their role in generating Peng, the vital energy found in Taiji and Qi Gong.
The fundamentals suggest that one hip functions to provide Stability and Rotation, whereas the other hip is tasked with enabling movement.
To aid in this we have a visual as well as a physical checklist.
Visually, one hip should be elevated in relation to the other.
We achieve this by sinking the hip on the side we are departing from. For instance, when I am in the retracted phase of performing Push, as my weight shifts forward to the front hip, the hip I am leaving behind must lower even further. This action not only facilitates my movement (keeping in mind that ‘the body functions as a single unit’ should always be considered), but it also helps generate the soft energy known as Peng, which is essential for this posture.
A brief description of Double-Weighting
Considering the concepts we just covered, we arrive at a straightforward explanation of Double Weighting.
A Taiji player cannot have power and weight on the same side.
In keeping with the Yin/Yang principles inherent in these arts, we must separate weight (the stable side) from energy (the descending side).
For example, in Brush Knee, the arm on the stable side is utilized to unbalance our opponent, whereas the arm on the sinking (rear) side is employed to generate our own form of power.
A more complex posture is Wave Hands. In this posture, the top arm, which is the same as the direction we are moving towards, is the destabilization side. The side we are departing from is the power side.
In Yang style, this posture has become stylized and has lost much of its application. The low arm and hand should be positioned so that they are capable of delivering power through the use of Peng.
Referring back to Ward Off postures, the extended front arm is not the power arm, it is the destabilizing arm.
