onlyindreams Posted November 26, 2010 Exactly. The knee isn't designed to handle bodyweight at that angle, unless you have perfect form...and even then, it could cause damage. I go to school for physical therapy/athletic training, so this is not some unqualified statement. I've studied the anatomy/biomechanics of the knee in depth, and have seen many knee injuries during my clinicals... The knee is a modified hinge joint. It is primarily designed to flex and extend...forward and backward, like when the feet are shoulder distance apart. Going into horse stance (which is very wide) applies rotational forces to the structures at unnatural angles, either injuring you directly, or setting yourself up for easy injury by malforming the lateral structures. If there is pressure felt within the knee, you're doing it wrong. The lower leg should be straight. The knee should be aligned directly above the foot, as if the patella is pointing where the second toe is pointing and not going too far beyond the toes (which would overstress the anterior structures). The ankle should be aligned as if standing normally. The stretching and strengthening should completely take place in the upper thigh and hip musculature. I consider these two pictures to be good examples: Most people can't even accomplish these basics of the form...myself included! great post ill be sure to read it over tomorrow when i'm mentally fresh and i'll also be saving it on my computer for future reference and analysis as well Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gerard Posted November 26, 2010 (edited) Gerard, You're just taking things personally. My intent here is simply to help people not hurt themselves. What is your intent? Help people grow spiritually and attain good health, the most important thing. The rest doesn't matter. OK let me dig up some vids: 1. Circle walking Upholding heaven. Ask a teacher to show you how to walk properly using this sequence (correct feet placement): Walking the circle is an excellent training method to unblock all your meridians from bad karma and toxins, build yin and yang qi, massage and clean organs, tendon stretching and open all your joints in your entire body from jaws down to your toes. Advanced circle walk Practice what is shown in mins 0:15 to 0:24 once you are proficient with basic circle walk. No need to hold anything in your hands. 2. Horse stance training. They are not going to hurt themselves if they watch the invaluable info He Jinghan so kindly and selflessly offers in his YT channel. Some vids: Kwa exercises: With added weight: Two great exercises to release blockages in the mid-body, emotions mainly and open chest and spine: You can find a lot more here: He Jinghan's YT channel Good luck. I wish there were more teachers like him available in the West as he is fluent in English and his honest and proficient in Bagua. Edited: missed link. Edited November 26, 2010 by Gerard Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
