Stepping; toe first, heel second and heel first, toe second – which in which case

[Anonymous]

Hello everyone!

This is my first post in the forum and I’m pretty excited about it.

I practice Yang Old style tai chi, but recently I’ve got much interested in ba gua.
I hope one day I could learn this art too.
So, excuse me if my question is elementary, but can someone explain why sometimes ba gua people, doing the circle walking step toe first, using it as a brake, then put the heel, and sometimes they simply walk as in normal life: heel, then toe.
I have my guesses on this question, but I don’t want to speculate.

Thanks in advance!

[Anonymous]

Hello there! -first posting, great.. pleasure to hear from another ‘seeker’…

(I’ve been interested in Bagua the most- sense before I knew what it was.. and recently learning Yang Old style tai chi: so the opposite of what you mention
elementary, but foundational (and not just the foundation to step-upon)… rather than seem A or B.. actually I’d write it three ways, the third way (the most common) is just stepping [ however the foot is placed on the ground, but without regards for the energetic- espec the compression driving the interstitial-fluids in the sole of the foot.. the springiness of the leg… ] …
Thus I’d say many styles ‘are almost’ as if someone is seen walking/stepping, and student/teachers copy.. but without a why…

[ as an example- of just one view/approach of this.. a different teacher, but brief and to the pt… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQ0X_O7RnP0 ]

…….
Further- if you refer to contact the heel and then roll on the flat foot (which then, once the full flat foot is aligned ~weightless- then has the weight of leg shifted into, body weight at that pt still through “the other leg”.. then .) .. this can be done very quickly.. even with a rolling (just like an opening/expansion in chigung/neigung is slow.. but can, and needs to, be fast to Fa-jin.. but much “wiring in” before can do)…
vs contacting the yong-quan (hollow-core of the ‘ball of the foot’.. and then the flat foot … (yes both of these are done with a slamming, or braking-jam.. also just ‘regular walking’… regular walking is good for cool-down… but also to more integrate it..)

big difference (in the little bit I know)- if do the “bagua” ball of foot (contacting, and then anchoring into the e-gate of foot that “rises-energy” .. thus ‘as you are shifting weight onto ‘leading-leg”.. the energy is surging up (don’t lose-root)… -vs- the heel pt = the e-gate of the foot that ‘drops-energy”.. (thus as you are shifting weight onto ‘leading-leg’.. the energy is draining down (like an avalanche… so as your ‘trailing leg’ is pulled up to anchored foot, is when the rebound rises…

(above not as a make the energy-happen.. not think that.. but if have the aligns one can feel it.. but the residual-tension must be released first… -like having the sloshing back and forth in a bowl of water, or tub… but if the water has no room to move (is locked-up) -like having a lid on the bowl and bowl filled up with water…..can’t really slosh it..
(weird ex but came to mind… and arose as oft the idea is “its something to imagine, or even visualize” –but just is mechanics.. or even not needed.. etc.

Anyway- not sure if that is on the same page, what you’ve experienced.. -unveil anything?

luck in your practicing..

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the thorough reply, Taokua B!

Yes, it clarified things for me.

Good luck in your practicing too!

[Author]

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