u/Extend-and-Expand

I think swinging is part of most Chinese martial arts, including taijiquan. We certainly see it in styles like Long Fist (chángquán),  tōngbèiquán, and Spring Leg (tántuǐ). 

If you search YouTube, you will find dozens of videos teaching basic arm swinging (bǎi bì), the so-called layman’s qigong. 

In the Yang family style I like to practice, we work a lot with the idea of swing and rotate (or swing and twist). We have lots of different methods for swinging the arms, legs, torso, and hips–and, of course, to integrate all that into taiji movement. 

But I recently discovered how the western physical therapy method of arm swinging is similar to what we do in CMA. 

Here’s a video of a physical therapist demonstrating Codman's pendulum exercises. (I don’t know if this is the best example out there, but it helps illustrate what I’m on about.)

Obviously, this is not the same as taijiquan. People in recovery will sometimes do the Codman’s pendulum exercises with light weights, for example. In taijiquan, we swing with intention and spiraling, that's how you get "heavy hands"–but the core idea seems to be the same.   

Here’s Zhao Youbin showing a swinging technique from Yang style’s basic training. (This whole video is great, btw.)

In the beginning, the aim is to get your upper arms–their glenohumeral joints–to move freely. 

In my opinion, you also have to learn how to let the joint’s socket “absorb” the joint’s ball. (In kettle bell training, they talk about it like a turtle pulling its head into its shell.) If you suck in the shoulder joints too much, they become too stiff; if you don’t do it all, they become unstable. The Goldilocks zone is sōng.

I’m not posting this because I just discovered arm swinging and need to preach its value, or because I think people here are unfamiliar with the practice. It’s basic stuff. But I like to focus on basic stuff. 

I’m just trying to articulate some initial thoughts about it, so I can better explain its value to beginners, and introduce them to its safe practice. A lot of people here are experienced practitioners and teachers, and I hope they will share their knowledge and understanding about this basic but essential practice.  

Because whatever arm-swinging really is, it's not mindlessly flinging your arms about. That much is sure.

Maybe you have lordosis of the lower spine (that’s when it curves inward)? Maybe that keeps you from moving as freely as you like? Maybe you hear people talking about how they swing their tailbone, but you don’t have that kind of control?

Maybe you don’t have nice, flowing hips, that free-moving kua?

I get it. I struggled with my hips and shoulders and spine for years.

Rotating the shoulders is relatively easy. But the hips? Not so much.

I know it’s not traditional training, but Pilates rotational disks helped me a lot. Here’s the brand I use. They're pretty good. I have to lubricate their "lazy susan" hardware now and again. And I imagine you can find cheaper ones if you look around.

You can position them to work any basic stance. You can twist and hold, or wiggle around. I use four so I can easily change stances. Sometimes I use one to isolate.

I used to just use a barre bar (or a door frame) and twist one leg. This is much better, because you can twist both at once and play with your twisting.

We all put a lot of work into our training. And sometimes we need a little boost.