The true essence of Tai Chi is to stop interfering with oneself.

[Wing Woo Gar59 20]

Pekiti also has a similar concept. I haven't seen it in my limited study of other forms of FMA, but there are times when you 'jab' with your weapon and actually lean enough that you lift up your back foot to get that extra reach before recovering. I've used the same thing successfully in fencing as well.

This makes sense in this context. I think it’s sloppy, but I get it.

 

[Wing Woo Gar59 20]

To be clear, it is possible to maintain strong structure and balance while bending or leaning forward.

The fundamental stance in freestyle and folkstyle wrestling is a good example.
View attachment 34333

It's harder to use a strong lean while maintaining structure and balance in striking, but it can be done. Manny Pacquiao famously would throw his left cross and extend and lean way further than most boxing coaches would normally call prudent. But he made it work.

The key, as you note, is to maintain your base underneath you. (Pacquiao made use of an additional mechanic, where he would actually throw his balance outside of his base for a split second, only to immediately regain his base as part of the same movement. I would consider this a more advanced application and would only recommend it for fighters who have already developed a strong sense of base and structure.)

Personal habits and tricks are fine, but here I am criticizing what I view as incorrect teaching, based on misunderstanding the concept as it applies to posture, balance, and coordination. “ tucking” should be an internalized feeling, not a visible externalised attempt at realignment. Anyone can argue it based on their own ideas and experiences. This video teaching and demonstration runs counter to everything I was taught, so I disagree with it wholesale. I can, have, and will exploit this misalignment in an opponent immediately. A hunchback may normalize his misalignment and use it effectively, but that doesn’t make it valuable as something to emulate or teach, except to other hunchbacks possibly.

 

[Wing Woo Gar59 20]

To be clear are you both speaking to this video

.

Interesting that this fellow finds it necessary to prophylacticly insult other practitioners that might disagree with him. I see this as bolstering at best. He “wrote 3 books, and made over 2000 videos”.

 

[Marsha Larts]

The skill is not gained by adding. It is revealed by subtracting."

You can't really teach anyone anything - you can only bring out what is already there

Personal habits and tricks are fine, but here I am criticizing what I view as incorrect teaching, based on misunderstanding the concept as it applies to posture, balance, and coordination. “ tucking” should be an internalized feeling, not a visible externalised attempt at realignment. Anyone can argue it based on their own ideas and experiences. This video teaching and demonstration runs counter to everything I was taught, so I disagree with it wholesale. I can, have, and will exploit this misalignment in an opponent immediately. A hunchback may normalize his misalignment and use it effectively, but that doesn’t make it valuable as something to emulate or teach, except to other hunchbacks possibly.

This is exactly along the lines of the respect for body-type my teachers had when imparting the 'internal principles' of tjq.

Proportionality (back--to-leg-to-arm-to...ratios) and the perceptual-neural wiring one brings to the practice are going to determine what's 'right' for them. That's the true practice of not violating the principles and methods.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf124 2]

This makes sense in this context. I think it’s sloppy, but I get it.

It definitely looks sloppy, but I think that's part of what helps. Someone trained (or even just someone with good visual acuity) can generally tell how far a 'clean' strike will land. Doing this takes advantage of that, and is pretty effective.

It also helps that when you're using a weapon, you can still do a good amount of damage even if you don't have all your strength behind it. The downside is really that people who are not good with it, or get tricked, essentially overextend and have trouble recovering in time to protect themselves.