[Martial Arts] Middle Frame Tai Chi拳

Author: Jeffi Chao Hui Wu

Time: 2025-8-19 Tuesday, 3:26 AM

········································

[Martial Arts] Middle Frame Tai Chi
Tai Chi can be divided into high frame, middle frame, and low frame. High frame emphasizes relaxation and is suitable for older adults or beginners, focusing on health and breath regulation. Low frame, on the other hand, requires intense practice, with a heavy lower body and significant pressure on the legs and hips, often chosen by practitioners pursuing practical combat skills. Middle frame lies between the two, allowing for both health cultivation and skill training, which is precisely my current main path of practice. My horse stance angle is approximately below forty-five degrees, considered middle frame, and this is also the stage where I gradually stabilize my foundation.

The greatest significance of middle frame Tai Chi lies in balance. It is not as relaxed and expansive as high frame, nor as extreme and strenuous as low frame; rather, it requires finding one's own measure between bearing pressure and maintaining relaxation. For me, with each transition between movements, I deliberately lower my hips, ensuring that the movements are not airy and that my breath remains uninterrupted. These seemingly subtle actions are, in fact, extensions of stance training. Transitioning is stance training; seeking stillness within movement is where true skill lies.

During middle frame practice, I can feel the strength of my lower body and the stability of my center of gravity. When I lower my hips, the angle between my thighs and hip joints gradually approaches ninety degrees from one hundred and twenty degrees, with the femur internally rotating and the sacrum sinking, resulting in a more stable center of gravity. The pressure on the inner arch of my feet noticeably increases, and my breathing deepens accordingly. This detailed bodily sensation is not just about practicing the external form, but about truly aligning the body's structure with the principles of Tai Chi. The external movements and internal breath gradually merge into one.

The training method for middle frame does not simply pursue "lower." I maintain the overall height of the middle frame in the forms, but lower during transitions, allowing my body to gradually adapt to the feeling of low frame. Once my legs and breath are accustomed, I then add low frame segments, and only then might I practice the entire low frame set. This gradual approach prevents knee injuries and joint damage, allowing for a natural transition. This is a more reasonable method than directly practicing low frame intensively.

In middle frame practice, I pay special attention to opening and relaxing the hips. Opening the hips is not about forcing but about loosening the joints, allowing the hips to become a rotating grinding wheel. Thus, during movement transitions, the waist and hips serve as the central axis, allowing the energy to flow up and down. Only by relaxing the hips can the energy sink into the dantian, and only when the energy sinks can the movements be stable. Tai Chi emphasizes that high does not depart from low, and low does not depart from high; continuously lowering in middle frame is actually a path of yin-yang complementarity, allowing the skill to gradually settle during transitions.

The benefits of middle frame training are very clear. First, leg strength and endurance are enhanced. I can maintain a horse stance for a long time; although my legs tremble, they do not feel sore, which is the result of long-term middle frame training. Second, joint flexibility improves, and the range of motion in the hip joints expands, avoiding stiffness and injury. Third, my breath becomes deeper and more stable. During transitions in the forms, my breathing naturally slows down to an average of four to six times per minute, which is a manifestation of breath regulation. Fourth, my mental state becomes focused and stable, not anxious or restless, entering a state similar to stillness.

Some of my personal experiences illustrate the effectiveness of middle frame practice. For example, in February 2025, I suffered from carpal tunnel syndrome, causing numbness in my right hand, and almost the entire arm lost sensation. However, I did not stop practicing; I persisted in standing postures, punching, and walking in a light-footed manner. During this process, the numbness gradually shrank from the entire arm to the forearm, then to the palm, and finally to the fingertips, until it completely disappeared. By August 13, I found that writing and holding a sword had returned to normal. Please refer to my article "Qi Attacks the Disease, Skill Cures the Illness." Middle frame Tai Chi is not just about superficial movements; it gradually repairs the body through the flow of qi and blood.

In a low-temperature environment of six to nine degrees by the sea, I once practiced for a month wearing only summer clothes: quick-dry sports pants, a T-shirt with a thin windbreaker, and a golf cap to protect against cold at the Baihui point. After three minutes, my body warmed up; after five minutes, I began to sweat; and after ten minutes, I was sweating evenly all over, not feeling cold. This indicates that middle frame practice has allowed the qi to circulate from the inside out, not merely enduring from the outside, but nurturing from within. A similar situation can also be reflected in my practice of standing on one leg with eyes closed. I once stood on one leg with my eyes closed for thirty-five minutes, sweating lightly throughout, breathing deeply, with a maximum heart rate of around one hundred and ten, without a significant sense of fatigue. This state is a direct proof of the "relaxation, stability, and breath regulation" of middle frame Tai Chi.

I have also observed that some people pursue high leg lifts in the single-leg stance, often lasting only tens of seconds to a couple of minutes. Because the center of gravity rises, the core pressure increases, making it difficult to sustain. In contrast, my eyes-closed single-leg stance, although my leg is not raised high, can last for dozens of minutes, indicating that the skill lies in "stability" rather than "appearance." This is also the core of middle frame Tai Chi: seemingly ordinary, not pursuing exaggerated forms, yet able to reflect true skill in foundation and endurance.

Another benefit of middle frame is that it is particularly suitable for people over thirty-five. While low frame can be practiced quickly, it places tremendous pressure on the knee joints, making injuries likely. High frame, while easy, lacks foundation. Only middle frame can strengthen muscles and bones while safely promoting health. As the saying goes, "As people age, their legs decline first," and middle frame precisely compensates for deficiencies in the legs and bones, enhancing bone density and delaying degeneration. Even without sweating, long-term persistence can nourish the internal organs from the inside out, improving physical constitution.

In summary, my insights into middle frame Tai Chi can be distilled into seven key points: First, a stable center of gravity, not floating or drifting. Second, open and relaxed hips, with energy sinking into the dantian. Third, transitions are stances; there is stillness within movement. Fourth, deep and long breathing, with natural breath regulation. Fifth, gradual progress, not rushing for lower. Sixth, perseverance leads to results over time. Seventh, cultivating both internal and external, balancing health and martial skills. Each point comes from personal experience and long-term commitment.

In today's restless era, many people pursue quick success and focus on performance. High leg whirlwind kicks and flashy forms attract attention but overlook the details of transitions. Middle frame Tai Chi, on the contrary, appears unassuming, yet hides true skill in the most fundamental transitions and hip openings. As someone once said, high does not depart from low, and low does not depart from high; transitions are the essence of skill. True Tai Chi is not in the splendor of movements but in the unity of breath, center of gravity, qi flow, and intention.

Middle frame Tai Chi is such a "path of balance." It is both a remedy for health and the foundation of martial arts. It has taught me that martial skills are not in flamboyance but in solidity; progress is not in quick success but in endurance. My practice may still be far from sufficient, but I know that as long as I earnestly experience middle frame every day, with each lowering of my hips and each steady breath, I am taking steps toward a deeper realm.

Source: https://www.australianwinner.com/AuWinner/viewtopic.php?t=697251