Sil Lum Tao on One Leg

I have stated elsewhere on this board that my biggest problem right now is my rooting. Sifu has given me several different methods to improve this. However, I have decided my favorite is doing Sil Lum Tao on one leg. I haven't done it for too long, but I have already made some observations.

I wind up with a lot of pain in my foot because my balance is wobbling all around. I have to come out of the stance a few times before I can complete the form. This has to do with the fact that I am not letting the weight sink straight down into the ground...otherwise known as my rooting problem!

It's only day 3 of this new training approach. I'm monitoring my progress. After about 30 days, I will reassess where I'm at. Naturally, I will get Sifu's observations as well. Might not seem like a big deal to some, but I'm very excited to see what developments will come.

 

Good luck, it does take a while to develop the muscles and stability for one leg SLT.

 

Thank you!

Yes, that is the trick: to not get frustrated and give up. I was initially because I thought, given the fact that I also do workouts, I could manage...but then I found out: NOPE!

 

You know what doesn't help? I am also doing Insanity: Max 30, which is putting a beating on my calves!

However, I am going to push on. I know those muscles will toughen up before I even realize it.

 

Another good exercise is to do the form while standing on the flat side of a Bosu ball.

 

I have fused ankles with no lateral movement so I cannot make the small corrections so helpful in maintaining static (stationary) balance as in One-legged SNT. It's a real bear for me. I looked into operations to correct it. Bad idea. Ankles are tricky things best left alone!

Then I got to thinking, what about getting a tail so I had tripodal stability and could even lean back and fight with both legs at once like a kangaroo. It would allow for a whole new dimension of chi-gherk. Heck, you could do poon-gherk! The imagination reels...

 

Starting to wonder what they put in the water out there in Phoenix hahaha

 

While you're at it, I would add the front pouch. It would be a great place to keep a sandwich

 

Or butterfly swords...

 

Or a cerveza mas fina

 

I think we could do all 3. The sandwich, the knives to cut the sandwich, and a cold beer to wash it down.

 

Guy on the left has a great bo-pai, but its a poor exchange for the double ti to the peaches.
His problem: Stance is way too open, and he got caught double-weighted. Wonder what his lineage is.

 

I think that's the "Roo Wah Kang" lineage.

 

This has proven to be very frustrating.

I gave myself a timeframe of 30 days, practicing SLT 5 times a day: twice per leg, then once with both legs on the ground, in an effort to improve my rooting. Today is day 15, so I decided to do a "check-in" with myself. And you know what? I felt like my rooting is WORSE than it was before! When on one leg, my balance is all wobbly. Then when I do the form with both feet on the ground, I still feel wobbly. I mean, in a bad way...like when I pull my arms back into chamber, I feel like I might fall over! That's bad!!!

However, for the last two repetitions, I heard a voice in my head saying: "Try sinking the weight into the heel this time." So I tried that, and wouldn't you know it? I felt better...maybe not like a mountain, but I noticed there was much less wobbling. For those two repetitions, my quadriceps would not cooperate and I had to come out of my stance for a rest, but the muscles will adjust to that strain in time.

 

Try placing your focus on your knee. A relaxed & mobile knee will do wonders for stabilization of an ankle.

 

Do you grab the ground with your toes when rooting?

 

Trying, my friend...trying.

 

I tried this when I did SLT this morning. It helped a little for sure.

Last night I went to class and got a helpful tip from Sifu as well. Turns out I was not raising my leg high enough. I brought my knee up slightly higher than my hip, and wouldn't you know it? I felt like I was sinking into my roots better. The higher I raised one leg, the deeper I sank into my roots on the other.

 

Been at this for about 20 days now. My left quad still won't cooperate and stop giving out on me before I am done with the form, so I have to come out of my stance, relax a bit, and then go back into it.

Part of this is because I spend a lot of time fighting to merely maintain balance! So today I decided to take up another suggestion Sifu made, which is to not be a hero right out of box. Instead of just holding my leg up in the air, I put it on top of something. It has to be something that is the right height, of course, to ensure that my knee is slightly above hip level.

I tried it this morning, and it seemed to help.

 

Another training idea I had was from the first Wing Chun school I attended. I stood in front of the dummy and put my leg up on the lowest arm. He had me stand like that to help my adduction, but I think it could also help with rooting. Once I get my dummy finalized, I'll have to give it a try.123