Playing with footwork

Last week in class we went over some footwork in Lau Gar, specifically moving from a horse stance into a bow. This sequence shows up in quite a few places, and the general consensus seems to be to kick the back leg out first. The issue is that as the heel comes down, it often creates a backward shift. Sihing pointed out that the intention should be the opposite, we are supposed to hold our ground and drive our power forward.

I started playing around with this, questioning how I was doing it, and eventually I noticed something exciting. When I moved my front leg first, my hip seemed to snap around more easily and gave me extra whip and momentum.

I brought this up in my one-on-one this week, and the initial feedback was still that the back leg should move first. But the longer we talked through what I was feeling, the less black and white it became. When I mentioned the intensity of my hip snap, the answer shifted to: do what generates the most power for you, because it’s not the same for everyone. This felt like a small breakthrough, especially because the hip engagement we always talk about suddenly became so clear.

In the end though, I don’t know if I actually  found the final solution for this yet. The more I experiment, the more I realize I can still generate power when I move my back leg first. But for whatever reason, the front leg feels stronger right now and allows for the correct trajectory. So I may still have it all wrong but maybe the real lesson here is this: Stop being so afraid of doing it wrong, give myself the freedom to experiment, and remember that this journey is mine to figure out!