The knees line up with the toes?

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The knees line up with the toes?

Postby justadude » Wed Mar 05, 2014 4:18 am

Hello all, I has a question about knee alignment in stance training. Dr. Yang says in order to avoid straining the sides of the knees you must ensure that the knees align with the toes. My question is what is meant by this? Does this imply that the knees do not reach past the toes when bent? Is it referring to the knees staying directly above the toes vertically in all stances? Or is it in alignment from the hip joint through the knee and out to the toes? Just a little clarity on this matter is what I'm looking for as I have a nasty habit of training through pain to injuring myself.
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Re: The knees line up with the toes?

Postby chh » Wed Mar 05, 2014 12:50 pm

Hello! I think knees not going over the toes is part of this. As I understand, as you condition your knees more, going beyond that angle is less dangerous, but it's still a potentially stressful position for the knees.

But I think the main 'knees line up with the toes' point is that the direction that your knee joint is pointing in (in front of you, to the side, etc.) should be lined right up with the direction your toes are pointing in.

For example, if you're in a front stance with your front foot wherever it normally points, your knee is likely pointing the same way. If you shift your weight back and turn your waist, it may be the case that your knee twists with that motion despite your foot staying still. This can be really stressful on the knee, and I think it's what that recommendation is about. The more flexibility you have in the kua, the easier it is to keep the knee aligned with the toe in that situation.
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Re: The knees line up with the toes?

Postby justadude » Thu Mar 06, 2014 12:41 am

Ah I see, so regardless of where the knee and toes are the goal is to avoid twisting the knee. Thank you for your help.
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Re: The knees line up with the toes?

Postby Inga » Fri Mar 07, 2014 7:48 am

Avoiding stress on the knees is important. In mountain climbing stance, the feet point in the same direction, parallel to each other on a slight angle. The leg in front with the bent knee should have the knee above the foot, it's poor form to go past the knee or to have the foot planted out in front of the knee.

In tame the tiger stance, both feet are again parallel but pointing straight ahead. The knee that is bent should line up directly over the ankle, and the hip should line up directly above - so hip, knee and ankle are all lined up.

Here you can see some correct stances:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYu5e2MJGtY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbz-G2pOdtk
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Re: The knees line up with the toes?

Postby Monsoon » Tue Mar 18, 2014 11:36 pm

Draw an imaginary line from your right eye through your right knee and it should end up at your right toes. Same for the left side.
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