This is an area that’s slowly coming into focus for me.  As I mentioned in “Grand Junction” (see below) I’ve been trying to get a handle on the KUA for a long time.  But certain things had me a little off track, such as “kua = inguinal crease”; “all movement should come from the waist”; “dantian rules!”; etc.

Some of Tu-Ky Lam’s excellent articles talked about the importance of loosening hip-joints, and flexing hips in taiji.  There wasn’t a ton of detail about this, but he was definitely stressing fundamental points.  (See blogroll link for more.)

So, what’s new besides various articles I read years ago?  http://internalartsia.wordpress.com/2006/07/20/function-and-usage-of-the-kua/ from the summer of ‘06, which put the parameters and possibilities into clear focus.  Then I purchased two Chen Zhonghua DVD’s that I’m quite happy with, though I don’t want to write about them until more time has gone by.  But it’s a pleasure to watch the man work.

Lying in bed the other night, pondering, I suddenly became aware mentally of my two hip bones – that is, the ball joints in their pelvic sockets.  I’d just never really pictured them in a “personal” way before.  But there they were, two golf balls  (for lack of a better simile) bracketing my central axis, like two hands on a steering wheel with the steering column dead center… and the steering wheel being turned as needed.

Also a few days ago, standing in line at a store, for once no “stance”, just narrow and stiff, dang not rounded, shifting restlessly from foot to foot (like a non-taiji person).  Think I was a little tired, my back a little sore.  Suddenly I wondered what was shifting my weight back and forth; I was just teetering really, zero “body mechanics”.  Decided that it was my hips; one side would release, letting me sway, then I would do the other side.  It was unconscious and effortless, albeit bad posture and not really comfortable.  But I’d never really understood what writers meant by “release” in this application… and suddenly it seemed to make sense.

I hope to write a bit more cogently on these matters in the near future.  In the meantime, I’ll finish here with a very eye-opening article on the incredible hip and all that’s connected to it: 

http://education.yahoo.com/reference/gray/subjects/subject?id=92