Rounding the Crotch (圆裆) for Tai Chi and Zhan Zhuang

Chen Tai chi stylists speak of the need for the crotch (裆 or 襠;dāng) to be round (圆;yuán). What does it mean that the crotch should be round and how does this also apply to zhan zhuang? This article presents my current understanding of a seemingly "secretive" or at least, a not-well-explained aspect of Tai chi and zhan zhuang practice.

Contents
Article
References
Personal Training Experience
References in English
References in Chinese


Article
The Chinese word (圆 ; yuán) can refer to anything round, circular, or spherical. Depending on the context in which (圆 ; yuán) appears, "round" may also contribute to other meanings. For example, consider how "round" (圆 ; yuán) is used in combination with other words:

• (团圆 ; tuán yuán) means "to have a family reunion"

• (圆月 ; yuán yuè) means "full moon"

• (圆满 ; yuán mǎn) means "complete" or "satisfactory"

• (圆寂 ; yuán jì ) for Buddhist nuns and priests means "completing the peace"; to pass away; to die
  

• (圆场 ; yuán​ chǎng​) means to mediate; to help effect a compromise

Also, in the book, Understanding Global Cultures: Metaphorical Journeys Through 23 Nations (2001) , Chapter 24 "The Chinese Family Altar" includes a section titled: Roundness, Harmony and Fluidity (page 426) which further elaborates on the embedded cultural meaning of "round".

When I asked one of my Chinese friends, "What do Chinese think of when they think of "round"? What does "round" mean to you?", her body relayed the answer as she spoke: Round is not rigid. Rigid cannot be round. Round is not limp or weak. Round is round; full, relaxed and alive.

So, round is more than a quantitative shape. Round also represents qualitative properties.

At a seminar many years ago, I was told my stance needed to be more round. So, I moved my feet further apart and assumed a lower stance. "No! Not wider! Rounder!" I was completely confused. Much later I learned that "round the crotch" meant to "relax the crotch" and that the "crotch" refers to the perineum; an area of the "pelvic floor".

So if "round" means relax, then why not just say "relax the crotch"? The phrase "round the crotch" must be used for a reason. How then can the appearance and quality of "round" apply to my crotch?

Before proceeding, take a moment to identify and palpate the bones of your hip region; the pelvis, and femur head. While standing, find the top of your thigh bone (the femur head area) which is about a hand's length below the top of your pelvis on each side of you body. The top of the thigh bone that you feel is called the greater trochanter.

In many people, the greater trochanters are pulled slightly backward, typically due to chronic muscular tension throughout the pelvis and lower back. This creates a rather backward-orientation of your base of support (your legs), a narrowing of the distance between the greater trochanters which results in a narrowing in the groin and a "holding up" of the weight of the torso. This is referred to as an "A" or "V" shaped crotch.

What I've learned through long practice is that relaxing the muscles of the pelvic floor and lower back allows the greater trochanters to rotate slightly forward. This creates a more sideward-orientation of your base of support (your legs), a widening of the distance between the greater trochanters which results in a widening in the groin and a "dropping" of the weight of the torso. This is referred to as an arched or round shaped crotch.

Rotating the femur heads to allow the greater trochanters to move forward seems like a subtle movement however, the result is a huge change to the angle of the force vectors of the weight of the torso through the pelvis into the femurs. At this time, I am able to roll both my greater trochanters forward by about one inch (2-3 cm) and I notice a big difference in my ability to "drop into my legs". I still have much more work to do.

For a really excellent article on working the musculature of the pelvis, please see: Basic Tips for Zhan Zhuang and the pelvis. Here is an excerpt:

When one simply relaxes more deeply or as one learns to relax the muscles of the lower back and supporting muscles and relax the glutes while practicing stance training then the back can lengthen and the femoral heads of the right and left legs can be allowed to widen. This gives more room for the pelvis to adjust on the hip joints and with the opening/lengthening of the spine “allows” the tailbone or sacrum to shift and drop downward in these practices. This is VERY different than tucking.

To the untrained eye, there is no outward visible difference between my standing with my femoral heads pulled back or more relaxed at the side. However to someone who has achieved a greater level of relaxation, my chronic holding patterns are obvious. Hence, the written descriptions distinguishing an "A" or "V" or "sharp" shaped crotch from an "arch" or "round" shaped crotch.

What I understand now is that the saying of "round crotch" (as opposed to "relax the crotch") may be related to the mechanical stability of the stone arch bridges; the feet and legs form each side of the base of the arch bridge and the perineum is the "key stone" at the top between the two bases. When the greater trochanters are more side-ward oriented rather than backward oriented, then the legs and perineum more imitate the structural stability of an arch bridge.



Here is an exercise from Wujifa class that demonstrates "rounding the crotch". While I was standing in zhan zhuang, two of my Wujifa school brothers each grabbed one of my thighs and physically twisted my upper leg (turning from outside to inside as shown above) to get the femur heads to rotate forward. At the same time, my elder brother, our instructor, was adjusting my pelvis and torso to help me maintain proper structure. Eventually, after struggling through my many counter-adjustments, I felt my weight drop so heavily into my legs that I literally could not remain standing and I collapsed to the floor!

While this method gave me a quick demonstration of "rounding the crotch" and an experience of how weak my legs are, it is my experience that such a demonstration has no long-term effects. Only through the personal work of relaxing the chronic tension of the pelvic floor and lower back will the femur heads naturally rotate forward on their own. And as they do, the legs slowly and naturally build the strength needed to support the dropping weight. It's a process.

So... My conclusion then regarding "rounding the crotch" is that:

• Round is a quality as much as it is a shape.

• A "rounded" crotch or perineum or pelvic floor is one that is relaxed, not limp or weak, not rigid, yet full and alive and contributes to the harmony, fluidity, continuity, connectedness, and structural completeness of the whole body.

• It is a mistake to try to mechanically create the shape of a "rounded crotch". Simply spreading your feet further apart does not create the quality of "roundness".

• Relaxing the muscles of the pelvic floor and the lower back happens with intention. An initial intention or purpose might be to intentionally work on identifying and relaxing tension in the pelvic floor and lower back.

• Relaxing and rounding the pelvic floor contributes to a strong and stable zhan zhuang stance and Tai chi stepping.
  

Finally, of all the articles I read, while every one says the crotch should be round, relax and loose, not a single one describes specifically how to do that. See also my article on Relaxing the Pelvic Floor for Tai chi and Zhan Zhuang.

Note: Below are excerpts from various English and Chinese articles (with translations). These and Wujifa class explanations and my own experiences helped me reach the understanding of "rounding the crotch" I presented here.

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References
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Personal Training Experience

One of the focal points of Wujifa zhan zhuang practice (explicitly taught at The School of Cultivation and Practice) is the emphasis on rolling the femur heads forward. I don't know of any other school that approaches "rounding the crotch" in this way. In fact, working with the pelvis, lower back and femur heads has been one of the major and ongoing adjustments and refinements to my zhan zhuang structure over the years. This training experience and how it is explained and approached in Wujifa class has contributed to my experiential understanding of "rounding the crotch".

References in English

Basic Tips for Zhan Zhuang and the Pelvis by Rick Taracks (2009) can be found on his Wujifa blog site. Of particular note for us here is:

The first point I’d like to share is that many people carry a lot of tension in the glutes or more simply said the butt muscles. When people have a normalized patterning of tension that is carried in the glutes you will find that the femoral heads are pulled back and twisting the legs so they often stand in daily life with their toes angled slightly outward.

The second pointer is also very common in so many people and that is the muscles found in the lower back area are shortened and tight. Some of these seemingly normal imbalances are found in these muscles and fascial groups: Erector spinae, Thoracolumbar fascia, Latlissimus dorsi muscle, Petlit’s, Gluteal aponeurosis, Quadratus lumborum, Psoas, just to name a few.

(and skipping down)

What we aim for in the Wujifa standing practice skill set is to repattern or build in a more open responsive posture. We do this in learning to relax and adjust accordingly. Often is the case found in hip adjustments and relaxing the glutes and lower back muscles so the pelvis can shift and adjust to a more functional space for example in the standing practices.

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The Way of Qigong: The Art and Science of Chinese Energy Healing by Ken Cohen (1999) in the "Notes" section for chapter seven, "The Posture of Power", on pg 373, referring to "Song Kua" 7, says:

This expression is often combined with yuan dang "round the crotch", meaning relax the entire groin-genital region. The opposite of yuan dang would be to stand pigeon-toed with knees collapsed inward. This squeezes and compresses the crotch. Yuan dang is emphasized in Taiji Quan but not in all styles of qigong.

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On Stance, Kua (Hips) and Dang (Crotch) by Tu-Ky Lam can be found on his site, Tu-Ky Lam's Taijiquan and Yiquan site. Of particular note for us here is:

Our crotch has to be round like an arch, not pointed like a capital A. When our crotch is round, we can shift weight and so move more freely.

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How to Align Your Body For Better Qi Flow: A Guide to the Correct Practice of Taijiquan, by Tu-Ky Lam, Section #2. "Keep your crotch round and loose" says,

The crotch is where your legs join or fork your body. It should be kept round like an arch so that you can turn or shift your weight easily. It can help you step forward (or backward) and yet can retreat quickly if need be. That is to say it help you have the insubstantial in the substantial and the other way round.

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The Eight Skills of Taiji

5. Make the Crotch Round and Relax the Hips

The crotch is the perineum of the body.

The crotch must be round and solid. When the hips are apart and the knees turned slightly inward, the crotch is naturally round. If the knees are opened slightly, the thighs close inward and the hips separate a bit, the crotch is still round. When the perineum is raised slightly, the crotch is naturally solid. When the waist is relaxed and the buttocks tucked in, there will naturally be power from the crotch. Once the crotch has power, the lower limbs become even stronger and the standing steps steadier and firmer.

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Small Frame of Chen Style Taijiquan by Jian Ge (The article originally published in "Shaolin Yu Taiji", 9/2002; translated from Chinese and edited by Jarek Szymanski © J.Szymanski 2002-2004. www.chinafrominside.com)

II. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF "SMALL FRAME" OF CHEN STYLE TAIJIQUAN
#3 Footwork (Bu Fa)

Because of the requirement to open hips and round the crotch, both feet should be kept parallel to each other, and never placed with toes pointing outwards (in the shape of letters "V" or "T"), otherwise the hip joint will not fold and crotch will loose its curve (and will take shape of "V" letter - so-called "sharp crotch" - and hence the requirement of rounding the crotch will not be met);

#6 Strength Method (Jin Fa)

"Crotch shall open and be round, should not twist (Niu) or sway to the left and right horizontally (Shuan)". Bottom should relax and spread out to both sides, so that hips "wrap" (as if trying to embrace a big ball with legs), hip joint is kept tucked in (hips are folded), opening (Kai) at the rear and closing (He) at the front, so that the crotch becomes round;

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References in Chinese

Doing a "Google" search on Chinese characters yields a wide range of articles and blog posts in Chinese. Some of the words I searched on are:

• 裆 太极 - - crotch taiji
  

• 圆 裆 太极 - - round crotch tai ji

• 裆 圆 - - crotch round
  

• 怎么样圆裆 - - How to round crotch

• 怎样把握好胯关节呢 - - how to master the hip

I used the "Translate this page" function in the search results, and a few on-line translators. Here are the on-line translators I used:

• Mandarin Tools
• MDBG Chinese-English Dictionary
• iGoogle Translate Chinese English

I am glad to hear from anyone with better translation skills and I will make whatever updates needed. And too, if you have better sources, let me know. I am glad to include them here.

Based on my search in both English and Chinese, it seems there is more written material in Chinese than in English regarding "rounding the crotch".

I looked at a lot of Chinese articles. Here are excerpts from a few samples. You may get some insights even if the translation is not very smooth. (My comments are in italics.)

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The Essential Training and Coordination of the Waist and Hips in Chen Style Tai Chi Chuan Practice by Chen En. (Department of Public Physical Education, Jimei University, Xiamen, Fujian)

Author CHEN En
(Another site states the publication date as: 11 November 2010)

(Here is a section of Summary item #3 which is the final paragraph of this long article. I included the pinyin, a word-for-word translation and an attempt at a more free-flow interpretation.)

裆 要 圆，圆 而 稳, ( dāng yào yuán, yuán ér wěn )
crotch important round, round and settled/stable
Meaning: It’s important that the crotch area be round and settled

两 大腿 根要 开， ( liǎng dàtuǐ gēn yào kāi )
two thighs base open
Meaning: The base of the thighs are open

裆 开 不在 大小，( dāng kāi bùzài dàxiǎo )
crotch open not size
Meaning – it doesn’t matter if the crotch is open big or small

意 开 裆 即开，( yì kāi dāng jíkāi )
intention open crotch
Meaning – if your intention is to open, then it’s open

不会 开 裆 者，(bùhuì kāi dāng zhě )
Unable open crotch
Meaning – If the person can’t open the crotch

腿岔得 再 宽 也 无用。(tuǐchàde zài kuān yě wúyòng )
Crossed legs again width also useless
Meaning – then even if they open really big (spread their feet far apart), then it’s useless.

裆 口 要 放宽 撑圆，( dāng kǒu yào fàngkuān chēngyuán )
Crotch mouth relax maintain round
Meaning – The “crotch mouth” (the perineum) needs to be relaxed and round

易使 裆 劲 自动 尾闾 中正，( yìshǐ dāng jìn zìdòng wěilǘ zhōngzhèng )
easy to make crotch strong automatic tail middle/straight
Meaning – It’s easy to use the crotch strength to automatically straighten the tailbone

这 样 裆 劲 就更足，( zhè yàng dāng jìn jiùgèngzú)
this shape crotch strength more sufficient
Meaning – this shaped crotch has better strength

从而 可 稳 固 桩步。 ( cóngér kě wěn gù zhuāngbù )
then able to stable solid pole step.
Meaning – then you can have a stable and solid step.

(and then skipping ahead a little)

同时 还 应与 腰部 密切 配合，( tóngshí hái yīngyǔ yāobù mìqiè pèihé )
At the same time, also should waist area closely coordinate with (the crotch)
Meaning –The waist and crotch should be closely coordinated

塌 腰 时需 含 裆，( tā yāo shíxū hán dāng )
Sink waist required to keep crotch
Meaning - Relaxing the waist helps keep the crotch relaxed

活 腰时 需 松 裆， ( huó yāoshí xū sōng dāng )
alive when waist and loose crotch
Meaning – when the waist is alive and the crotch is relaxed

而 拧 腰 发劲时 需 扣裆，( ér níng yāo fājìnshí xū kòu dāng )
As well as waist twist when exerting strength requires pulling crotch
Meaning – when twisting the waist as in fa-jin requires using the crotch

这样 上下盘 才易合，( zhèyang shàngxiàpán cái yì hé )
this then upper and lower plate very easily joined
Meaning – when the waist and crotch are relaxed, it’s like stacking dishes

内劲 在 周身 各处 才能沉着 透达。( nèijìn zài zhōushēn gèchù cáinéngchénzhuó tòudá )
Internal strength whole body calm penetrate.
Meaning – Internal strength is attained when the whole body is calm.

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(This page talks about the relation of the human structure to the arch bridge. I like the imagery of the feet as the base, the legs as the arch supports and the crotch as the keystone. For me this creates a very different feel from the more common "tree and roots" imagery.)

Chinese: 圆裆与开裆
English: Round and open crotch crotch

圆裆是太极拳的一个重要的要领，但裆部在生理结构的特殊部位，确实难以用可以让人去指点和现场纠正，定义的描述也确实让人把简单问题复杂化。
Crotch circle is an important essentials of Taijiquan, but the crotch in the physical structure of the special parts, really difficult to get people to correct the pointing and field, a description of the definition indeed makes the complicated simple questions.

圆裆的目的是为了让下盘符合力学的拱弧结构，古时候中国多拱型桥，人们造桥就是利用拱弧的原理。
Crotch circle is intended to make the next offer is in line mechanics arc structure, multi-arch bridge in China in ancient times, people bridge the principle is the use of arches.

造桥前先做一个扇面的木架，然后从底部的两端呈半弧状排列垒石头，到中间合拢阶段的最后一块石头是在圆弧拱的顶点，也就是相当于人体的裆部，底部的两端就是好比人的两足。
Bridge before the first a fan of the wooden, and then from the bottom of the arc-shaped arrangement of bases at both ends of the half stone, close to the middle stage of the last stone is the culmination of the circular arch, which is equivalent to the body's crotch at the bottom who is like the two ends of the two feet.

好的造桥师，垒石时不用灰浆，合拢最后的石头放上之后，拿开木架，大桥纹丝不动，原理就是能把力量传递到两端导如入地下。
Good bridge-building division, when the base stone without mortar, close after the last stone placed, removed the wooden bridge absolutely still, the principle is the power delivered to both ends of the guide can like into the ground.

所以中间的石头的大小就是影响到圆弧结构的合理。
Therefore, the size of the middle of the stone affects the arc structure is reasonable.

石头太大，也许就是故意的开裆撑裆，大桥没有应力，石头小了，就是尖裆和荡裆，架子就会散掉，即使*肌肉钢精扯着，毕竟不是一顶合理的桥......
The stone is too large, perhaps deliberately open crotch crotch support, the bridge is no stress, small stones, that is sharp and finishes crotch crotch, shelves will be dissipated, even if the * fine steel pulled muscle, after all, is not a reasonable bridge.

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(I appreciate how this page says the crotch can't be viewed by itself and I would add, conversely, it cannot be ignored. It must be considered as it is, an integral part of the entire body.)

Chinese: 太极拳裆的作用与要求
English: The role and requirements of Tai Chi Dang

所谓裆部，即会阴部位，也是指两胯根中间的部分。
The so-called crotch, that is, perineal area, but also refers to the root of the middle part of the two hips.

研究裆的作用与要求，不能孤立地看待，它是人体结构一个组成部分，与腿、脊、胯紧密相连，腰部旋转与它的转动是分不开的。
The role and requirements of the crotch can not be viewed in isolation, it is an integral part of human body structure, with the legs, spine, hips are closely linked, the waist rotation and its rotation are inseparable.

所谓裆部，即会阴部位，也是指两胯根中间的部分。
Crotch opening and closing, the key focus of round to be stable.

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(This page seems to have a lot of higher level details regarding consciously controlling the crotch which seems way beyond my present abilities. I'm still working on relaxing and opening the lower back.)

Chinese: 陈式太极腰裆功
English: Chen Style Tai Chi Gong waist and crotch

总的来说， 在每一个动作的练习中，都应开裆、圆裆，在松圆中使身法转换得更加灵活 。
Overall, in every movement of the exercise, should be open crotch, round the crotch, loose circle in a more flexible manipulation shenfa conversion.

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