[Martial Arts] Structural Hip Positioning

Author: Jeffi Chao Hui Wu

Time: Thursday, June 26, 2025, 12:50 PM

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[Martial Arts] Structural Sitting Hips
Many people teach "sitting hips," yet fail to articulate its true meaning, often merely instructing learners to mechanically imitate the posture, lowering their center of gravity and spreading their legs, believing this is the essence of sitting hips. In reality, sitting hips is not a simple imitation of form, but a profound process of structural adjustment that requires time, patience, and countless insights into the internal and external connections. When I first practiced the horse stance, my thighs would often feel intensely sore and swollen, accompanied by slight trembling, and I would start to shake every couple of minutes, unable to maintain my stance. Strangely, however, after each session, I would not experience the typical soreness of muscle fatigue, but rather a light and pleasant sensation, as if a previously unnoticed warm current was flowing gently throughout my body. This made me realize early on that this soreness was not ordinary muscle strain, but a signal that the deep internal structures of my body were being activated and awakened, that the qi and blood were beginning to circulate and attempting to unblock the sealed pathways.
The real transformation occurred one day; I remember it was a winter morning by the sea when I practiced my stance. The temperature was very low, and the cold wind was biting, yet my body felt calm and stable. I stood in my stance as usual, focusing my mind, and suddenly noticed that my thighs were no longer straining, my calves felt relaxed, and my toes naturally pressed against the ground without any effort to "grip" it. It was a kind of relaxation I had never experienced before. At that moment, it felt as if the weight of my entire body had quietly "settled into my hips," with my center of gravity firmly resting deep within my hip joints, making the hips the true core pivot of my body structure. Standing still, my hips felt like a warm furnace, continuously radiating heat, with energy flowing inside at a steady pace, even creating a subtle sensation of movement throughout my waist, back, and legs. This state did not require conscious guidance; it occurred naturally as a result of repeated practice, where the structure automatically returned to its place and operated smoothly.
I clearly understood that to truly achieve "structural sitting hips," one must undergo a slow and arduous process of "opening the hips." Many beginners, while practicing their stance, unconsciously lean their upper bodies forward, trying to rely on upper body strength to maintain balance, or they deliberately lower their bodies to create a false sense of "stability." However, these actions stem from the hips not being truly opened, with the hip joints constrained, preventing the body from naturally sinking down, resulting in a separation between the upper body and lower body. Externally, it may appear composed, but internally, the structure is unstable. Without truly opening the hips, the body cannot form that "natural vertical alignment from head to toe," nor can one experience the penetrating power that comes after relaxation.
Opening the hips is an extremely long and arduous process. Especially when I started from scratch, every time I pressed, twisted, or sank my hips, it was accompanied by a noticeable tearing sensation, a pain from the deep joints being forced to expand, sharp and prolonged, reminding you that every step must be taken without haste. But I knew very well that this step was something everyone must go through; it cannot be skipped, nor can it be achieved through brute force in one go. The opening of the hips relies on a gradual process, slowly loosening and adjusting through each breath, each stance, and each release. Time and patience are the only keys; stance practice, footwork, and intention are merely aids. The core is to allow the body to enter a naturally relaxed state in every moment of practice, accompanied by a stable and gentle training rhythm to support the gradual release of the hips. During this stage, one must avoid impatience and cannot pull or tug forcefully, as once the hip joints are injured, recovery is extremely difficult, and the cost of such damage is often a hundred times more severe than practicing slowly.
Now, when I stand in my stance, my upper body is naturally relaxed, my waist and back feel like a soft bowstring, and my thighs and calves no longer feel forced. My toes gently touch the ground without gripping it, and my entire body feels as if it is connected by an invisible thread, heavy yet not collapsing, relaxed yet not scattered, with the weight of my body seemingly anchored in my hips. At that moment, my hips felt like a "boiler" bearing the load, the core of the entire structure's power and stability, rather than merely a joint pivot. This state has no shortcuts; it is not about how much theory one understands or relying on someone else's teachings, but rather about countless hours of standing practice, countless moments of silently adjusting breathing, structure, and perceiving subtleties, gradually building it up stance by stance.
When you truly achieve structural sitting hips, you will discover a change that almost overturns your understanding: even when the entire body is completely relaxed, even with the arms hanging naturally, there will be no tendency for the body to lean back or lose balance. This sense of stability does not come from tense muscles straining to hold on, but from the power that arises after the structure naturally connects. At that moment, the hips feel like an invisible "structural chair," quietly supporting the entire body, with the weight from the top of the head to the soles of the feet evenly resting on this "chair," completely stable yet not rigid. That is the true standard of sitting hips—not "developing more strength," but "finding the most precise structure," not relying on strength to hold oneself up, but naturally achieving "not falling over" in a completely relaxed state.
I can say with great certainty that sitting hips has never been an issue of appearance, but rather a matter of structure. Outsiders often underestimate low stances, thinking that the lower the stance, the deeper the skill; however, a master may not necessarily have a low stance. Soreness in the thighs does not necessarily indicate correct power application; rather, it often signifies that the structure has not truly returned to its place. Only when the hips can fully bear the weight of the body, and the entire person sinks steadily down, with the muscles and bones naturally aligned, breathing steady, and power flowing smoothly from the soles of the feet to the top of the head like water, can one be considered to have truly entered the practice. And this entry is not a shortcut in technique, nor a moment of deliberate imitation, but a grounded journey through repetitive and tranquil practice day and night, until the structure naturally unifies, until the power takes root from within, until sitting hips becomes a part of the body, stable inside and out, with every movement and stillness firmly established.

Source: http://www.australianwinner.com/AuWinner/viewtopic.php?t=696526