How to do Tai Chi Stances The Bee's Knees

Tai Chi and The Bee's Knees

In our tai chi classes at the Golden Lion Academy, you'll always be told “Make sure the knee is over the toe”.

It’s a simple truth, and fundamental to avoiding injury, stronger stances and better balance. So why do you find yourself at home with aching knees and frustrated that you’re still wobbling with those kicks?

Perhaps you’re only thinking in one direction (with the knee too far forward past the toe), instead of in two directions, where the knee can move left or right of the toe, which is just as bad.

Most of us worry about the knee extending past the toe: a common problem from trying too hard to force lower or longer stances. This occurs in tai chi when we lunge too far in a low stance, to compensate for lack of leg strength.

A more subtle problem can occur if your knee moves out of alignment from hip to toe: in any stance, if you draw a line on the ground from your hip to your toe, your knee should be somewhere along that line.

This error is often seen in a tai chi horse stance but also happens in a forward or bow stance. Usually the back knee drops inwards (not enough strength in the legs to hold the hips ‘open’), but even the front knee can drop inwards.

This can be hard to grasp, so here’s some illustrations to guide us through.

On the left we have a forward or bow stance, viewed from the side. The front knee has extended beyond the toe.

On the right we have a horse stance, viewed from the side. While the back is upright and thighs are almost parallel to the floor, the knees are extending over the toes again, which is incorrect.

So how do we correct these errors? In a forward stance, this problem usually occurs because we lean too far forwards, in a (failed!) attempt to stay lower. We need to stay higher up, until we build our strength so we can maintain a longer stance.

So that’s the knee forwards problem, but what about the knee side-to-side problems we talked about at the beginning?

On the left, there’s a forward or bow stance, when viewed from the front. The front knee is drooping inwards, throwing the leg out of alignment from toe to hip.

The same thing can happen with the rear knee, where it drops towards the ground. This also closes the hips, which is incorrect in tai chi.

Here’s an awkward horse stance on the right, viewed from the front. The knees are again dropping inwards. The knee needs to be over his toe, not sagging towards the centre. The shin should be vertical, rising from foot to knee, but you can see here that the shins are at an angle, leaning towards the centre-line.

The same thing can happen in empty stance or cat stance: the knee of the rear substantial leg can sag. This weakens the stance and makes it difficult to maintain any strength in the position.

All of these inward stances look (and feel!) bad: we have the weight of our entire body going through our knee while it’s twisted. It’s not comfortable and can cause damage to the joint and supporting tissue.

These poor postures can come about because we can’t keep our hips open wide enough, due to lack of flexibility in the hips or lack of muscular strength to hold the pose. It also can be made worse if your ankles roll inwards towards the arch of the foot, bringing your knee with them. (Look at the heel on the bottom of your shoe: if it’s worn away on the inner side, you might be at risk)

Try staying higher and build up your strength gradually. Don’t push beyond the capacity of your body. Joint pain is serious: if it hurts, don’t do it.

When training in tai chi, keep an eye on the mirror and glance down occasionally to check your stances. Definitely see a medical practitioner if you’re experiencing any pain. We’re here to improve our fitness, after all!

Good Luck. And Happy Stance Training!

--- P.S:

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Contribution by Nicola Nye

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