Chen style Taijiquan problems

[grabmywrist4]

I was practicing for around a year and found I was having pain in my legs and couldn't figure out why. It turns out I was twisting my legs the entire time instead of twisting my actual waist. So I started trying to twist my waist instead of my legs, but twisting the waist without the legs hurts my back. Any advice?

[idquest]

Unfreeze your muscles. Until you unfreeze, decrease the speed and range of motions.

 

I had about the same problem. Start doing exersizes that encourage slow turning motions around hips. Also study how folding/unfolding of kwa works. At your stage, I'd stop doing waist turning at all until hip/butt muscles unfreeze enough. What helped me - sets from Bruce Frantzis, Robert Tangora, and Xing Shen Zhuang (Verdesi version).

[mYTHmAKER]

Your teacher should be able to see what you are doing wrong and show you the correct way.

[Taoist Texts]

I was practicing for around a year and found I was having pain in my legs and couldn't figure out why. It turns out I was twisting my legs the entire time instead of twisting my actual waist. So I started trying to twist my waist instead of my legs, but twisting the waist without the legs hurts my back. Any advice?

 twist both of legs and waist in a complementary sync for a safe and gentle exercise. Also, if you are seriously into TJQ please be aware that according to Chen Xiaowang its is not TJQ until your dantian starts to rotate. He also says that almost no TJQ teacher knows how to do it or even knows about it.

[Andrei]

Eat more calcium and magnesium.

[cheya]

Bruce Frantzis' Opening the Energy Gates is wonderful for understanding how to protect the back and knees while you do these movements.