Moving the Dang (Crotch)

Changing weight in Taijiquan practice involves moving the body’s centre from one leg to another through the action of the dang (crotch). There are three ways that practitioners move the ‘dang’: the first is to go along an upward arc, like moving an object, first picking it up, move it into position and then putting it down; the second is to take a straight line, like pushing an object on a table so that it moves horizontally across;  the third is to go along a downward arc, like a pendulum, a wave or a swing.  In line with the characteristics and requirement of Taijiquan only the third is correct. 

The right way to move the dang is an important factor to moving with agility, to storing before emitting, and to enabling the use of intention instead of exerting strength.

When the dang takes a downward arc it helps qi to sink and the intention to relax.  The downward relaxation fulfils the quan principle of "the centre of gravity is the third controller", which is borrowing gravity to facilitate movements.  Loose and sunken jin is the source of all the power and the root of all methods of Taijiquan.

Shifting the weight using a downward arc involves the whole body.  There are many subtleties that it takes focused long-term training to gradually find the feeling and master the method, as it is impossible to realise every action during every practice. Moreover, there are many nuances in details. Different movements and  different stages of practice may have different experiences in the same part. This requires one not to be bored with or skirt over details, whilst at the same time to not be lost in the details.  The many details and subtleties should be collated into a big picture with clear directions, in order to unify the complexities.