Recently I
have been looking into a concept that Erle Montaigue called “the Post”. Erle
described the Post as being an abstract way to learn very practical things. He
as even gone as far as to say that the Post contains two
exercises that give every thinkable internal body movement for self-defence
without having to think too hard, and are probably one of the most valuable
training aids ever . Certainly
this apparently simple sequence has much greater depth than is first apparent. I
am going to devote a few blogs to this topic and invite the reader to try it
with me.
What Erle calls the Post is actually two
sequences, one from Tai chi and the other from Bagua. The Tai chi one is called
“Stepping over the gate” and the Bagua “Cross stepping post”. Initially I am
only going to deal with Cross stepping post.
If you
dislike long complicated katas you will be pleased to hear that Cross stepping
post has only four different steps. These are mirrored on the left and right
sides so there are actually eight steps and two linking sets to change sides.
Complexity of the arm movements varies. Performing this exercise without the
arm movements is very beneficial since it lets you concentrate on your balance
and foot movements. You can go through the foot movements anytime that you are
standing around, waiting for the bus etc. In his main video on the post (MTG54)
Erle demonstrated a very simple set of arm movements. In MTG55 he also details
the post and there demonstrated a more varied set of arm movements. On this video
Erle points out that what is actually going on internally is actually more
important than the actual physical movements. Bear this in mind as you
practice.
Both videos
are available as downloads or DVDs from http://www.taijiworld.com
I am going
to introduce the Cross stepping post gradually. For this first blog I am going
to suggest learning just two of the steps. They are similar, and once you have
some grasp of these you will have learnt half the necessary moves. Just
practicing these two steps will also probably reveal to you that your balance
and stability is not what they might be.
The first
step we will learn is actually the second step in the sequence. I call this the
“Forward foot kick” although you must keep in mind that this foot action and
the others have many other applications than the one immediately apparent. It is not just a kick!
Your feet
are close together and your knees are probably brushing against each other. As
the lead foot heel withdraws past the other heel the foot straightens up so the
toes point forwards. The foot goes back about a foot length and swings in an
arc to the forward position. Heel and toe are placed down at the same time and
you should be in balance for the entire movement. Cross stepping post actions
are performed without obvious shifts in weight such as leaning.
The second
move is step four, a “Back foot kick”. Position of the feet is similar but a
little more natural in that there is some space between the forward and rear
foot. The feet are close enough for the knees to brush. In all these moves the
toes always point forward or to the outside. That is, if your right foot is
pointing at an angle it is to the right, and to the left for your left foot.
The
beginning of this step puts some torsion on your waist and hips. You utilize this
by moving the back foot in an arc and placing it down. This is a very similar
movement to the forward foot kick but uses the rearward foot and has less
initial backward movement.
No arm
movements yet. Work on your balance and footwork Experiment with these two
movements for a couple of days. See if you can improve your internal balance.
The Books
