Characteristics of Foot Movement in Tai Chi Exercise

The concept of proper foot movement is always emphasized in practicing Tai Chi (TC). The purposes of this study were to describe the foot movement characteristics of TC and to compare duration of single- and double-limb support time during TC and during walking. Sixteen experienced TC practitioners...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical therapy 2006-02, Vol.86 (2), p.215-222
Main Authors: Mao, De Wei, Hong, Youlian, Li, Jing Xian
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accidental Falls - prevention & control
Activities of Daily Living
Adult
Aged
Aging - physiology
Analysis of Variance
Biomechanical Phenomena
Exercise
Feet
Female
Foot
Foot - physiology
Foot movements
Gait
Geriatric Assessment
Humans
Male
Methods
Movement
Movement - physiology
Movements
Muscular system
Physiological aspects
Postural Balance - physiology
Posture - physiology
Tai Ji - methods
Time Factors
Videotape Recording
Walking
Walking - physiology
Weight-Bearing - physiology
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Summary:The concept of proper foot movement is always emphasized in practicing Tai Chi (TC). The purposes of this study were to describe the foot movement characteristics of TC and to compare duration of single- and double-limb support time during TC and during walking. Sixteen experienced TC practitioners participated in the study. The participants' performance of a whole set of 42-form TC movements was recorded with 2 cameras. A motion analysis system was used to identify the supporting and stepping characteristics of the foot during the practice. Seven foot support patterns and 6 step directions were identified. The results revealed that, compared with normal walking, TC movement had more double-limb support and less single-limb support in terms of total duration. The duration of each support pattern was longer, and movement from one pattern to the next was slow. The duration of each step direction was short, and changes of direction were frequent. Support patterns changed slowly, and, combined with various step directions, they were found to be better than those of walking in simulating the gait challenges that may be encountered in daily activities.
ISSN:0031-9023
1538-6724
DOI:10.1093/ptj/86.2.215