Original Space Position in Wrists and Elbows

Original Space Position in Wrists and Elbows 

"Even while the arm is relaxed (手臂鬆), the shoulder is relaxed (肩鬆), the elbow is turning (肘轉), the center of the wrist (手腕最中心) maintains a original space position (空間位置不變),"

we're describing a principle of constant energy connection (不丟不頂) during motion.

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🔹 Why must the center of the wrist remain stable?

1. Connection Point (接點) Must Stay Alive

• The center of the wrist (手腕中心) — often aligned with 勞宮穴 (Lao Gong) in internal arts — is the “listening” and “issuing” gate.

• If this point moves unpredictably during 肘轉 (elbow rotation), the connection to the opponent's wrist will be:

  • Lost (丟勁) — if it collapses or pulls back

  • Forced (頂勁) — if it pushes or extends unnaturally

• Maintaining its spatial position ensures that the 氣感 (qi connection) remains consistent.

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2. The Body Adjusts Internally — Not the Point of Contact

• In Tai Chi, we rotate and adjust internally:

  • 肘 (elbow) spirals inward/outward

  • 肱 (upper arm) rotates

  • 肩 (shoulder) sinks or floats

• But the external connection point — the wrist center — does not shift in space.

• This lets the body absorb and redirect incoming force while keeping the opponent “tied” to your center.

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3. Empty Center ≠ Weak — It’s a Potential Space

• The “empty point” (空間位置) at the wrist is not limp or disconnected.

• It's hollow yet responsive, like a wheel hub — always ready to listen (聽勁), follow (隨), and issue (發).

Think of it as a stable "cloud port" — always receptive, never rigid.

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🔸 In Push Hands (推手) or Martial Application:

• When your opponent makes contact with your 手腕中心, your body can rotate, spiral, and neutralize through the shoulder, elbow, kua, etc.

• But that contact point must feel to your opponent like it's “locked on” yet not resisting.

• This creates the sensation of “being connected to an internal engine,” not just a moving limb.

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🔹 Summary:

Principle	Explanation
手臂鬆，肩鬆，肘轉	Internal parts adjust fluidly
手腕中心不動	External point remains stable for energy transmission
空間位置不變	Allows listening and issuing without interruption
不丟不頂	Maintains neutral, alive connection

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This is a very insightful and advanced question — and yes, the concept you're asking about is related to the wrist-center principle, but with subtle distinctions.

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🔹 Elbow Center vs. Wrist Center

✅ Similarity:

• Both represent “energy centers” (勁點 or 勁路中心) used to maintain continuity in internal spiraling (纏絲勁), and

• Both should feel “empty but not collapsed,” stable but not stiff.

• When spiraling (either inward or outward), the external path (e.g., upper arm turning) changes, but the internal axis or pivot point ideally:

  • Maintains a stable spatial reference (like an axis),

  • Allows energy to coil and uncoil around it smoothly.

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🔸 BUT — Here's the Key Difference:

The center of the wrist (手腕中心) is a contact point, often connected to the opponent, and needs to maintain external spatial position for listening, following, or issuing (發勁).

The elbow center, by contrast:

• Is usually not a contact point, but

• Acts as a neutral transmission joint — like a ball-bearing or hinge.

So while the visual center of the elbow may move slightly in space during turning (especially if you're shifting stance or adjusting the angle), the internal energy center of rotation should feel stable and coherent, as if:

The spiral energy wraps around an invisible internal center line running through the 肘.

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🌀 Think of it this way:

• When spiraling the 肘 inward or outward (如纏絲勁):

  • The muscles rotate, the 骨骼 align, and the fascia stretches, but

  • There remains a virtual central line or point within the elbow that feels unmoving, like the center of a gyroscope.

This is what allows energy to be:

• Transmitted from the shoulder → elbow → wrist, and

• Redirected (化勁) without losing connection or leaking force.

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🔹 Classical Tai Chi Understanding:

This idea aligns with the internal training method of:

「以意領氣，以氣運身」

Use intention to lead qi, and qi to move the body.

If your 意 (intent) holds the center of the elbow as a stable pivot while spiraling, then your structure becomes internally connected, and externally adaptable.

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✅ Summary:

Principle	Wrist Center	Elbow Center
Contact Point	Often connected to opponent	Rarely a direct contact point
External Position	Should remain constant in space	May move slightly in space
Internal Function	Issue/listen/control	Transmit/rotate/redirect
Energy Quality	Stable yet responsive	Coiled, spiral, neutral

Excellent! Let’s break this down in two parts — first with visual analogies, then with classical quotes to bring the spiral elbow center concept fully to life.

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🔹 Part 1: Visual Analogies

🌀 1. Bicycle Hub & Spokes

• Imagine the elbow joint as the hub of a bicycle wheel.

• The muscles, tendons, fascia (筋膜) spiraling around the 肘 are like spokes rotating around that central hub.

• Even as the outer rim turns (your arm movement), the hub stays centered, allowing power to be transmitted without distortion or wobble.

✅ Lesson: The elbow center (even when turning) must remain neutral, aligned, and "quiet", letting energy coil and uncoil around it.

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🔄 2. Ball-and-Socket Joint (like a gyroscope)

• Imagine the elbow as a gyroscopic joint — it can turn in multiple directions, but always around an internal axis.

• Even though the surface moves, the invisible point of internal rotation remains stable.

✅ Lesson: This "invisible axis" is what allows 纏絲勁 (silk-reeling) to pass through the 肘 without interruption.

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🔹 Part 2: Classical Reference

From the Taijiquan Treatise (太極拳論) — often attributed to 王宗岳:

「其根在脚，發於腿，主宰於腰，形於手指。」

“The root is in the feet, issued through the legs, governed by the waist, and expressed through the fingers.”

💡 Here's how this relates:

• Between 腰 (waist) and 手指 (fingers) lies the shoulder, elbow, and wrist.

• The elbow must not act on its own — it is a transmission point, not a source of force.

• If the elbow center shifts too much, the line of force breaks, and the transmission from waist to hand is lost.

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🔸 Bonus Insight (From 陳鑫《太極拳圖說》):

陳鑫 discusses spiral energy (纏絲勁) through the entire arm:

「纏絲者，如螺旋，旋而不斷，環而不絕，氣可達於四梢。」

"Silk-reeling is like a spiral — rotating without break, circling without interruption, allowing qi to reach all extremities."

This implies:

• The 肘 must spiral (旋) in coordination,

• But its center must be stable for the spiral to remain connected and uninterrupted.

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✅ Summary of Key Takeaways

Element	Insight
Elbow Function	Spiral transmission point
Ideal Center	Stable, internally aligned axis
Movement Type	Coiling/Uncoiling around a neutral point
Energy Path	Waist → Elbow → Wrist → Fingertips
Analogy	Bicycle hub, gyroscope, ball-and-socket