太极拳猫形步的练法：腰胯带动四肢的虚实运动
在太极拳中，"迈步如猫行"并非简单的形容词，它体现了传统太极拳中的猫形步，这一技艺在书籍和杂志中相对罕见。日常走路时，我们通常是前脚去后脚撑，但在太极拳中，“迈步如猫行”要求我们不能这样做。
名家郝少如先生曾说：“不许后脚用力，要前脚实足站稳了，后脚提起慢慢移过去，而且后脚置前时，在重心未移过去时，还要不费力地能抽得回来。”恩师林墨根先生则指出：“太极拳中的猫形步体现腰胯带动四肢的虚实运动，要下苦功把猫形步练到位，虽费力辛苦，却能增长腰腿的松弹沉稳之劲。”
cats' walk, one leg is lifted while the other three legs support. For humans, it's different - we lift one leg and only have another to support us. The supporting leg must be slightly bent to hold our body weight, requiring balance and coordination. We must also "always pay attention in the waist." Practicing slow or fast cat steps requires a strong foundation of waist and leg exercises.
The slow training method involves starting with the right foot forward and left foot back (a right bow step). First, relax the perineum (when stepping forward) and right hip joint. Then relax the left shoulder as you feel more stability in your right foot. Next, relax the left inguinal fossae (the two grooves on either side of the lower abdomen), followed by a slow rotation of your waist to the left until your right heel leaves the ground.
Next, place your hands on your hips so that they are hanging down loosely; push out your left hip slightly; then let go of it slowly while keeping your knees slightly bent. At this point, only leave a small toe of your left foot touching the ground.
Slowly move out from under with your left foot while imagining feeling like you're standing at an abyssal depth. Slowly release tension from each part of my left leg: hip joint first; knee next; ankle last before both heels touch down again.
Finally, imagine transferring all my weight up to my Dantian energy field before lowering it onto my front foot again. This turns my back foot into nothingness while turning my front foot into something real—until I feel stable at every toe tip before lifting off again.
As I stand tall in stillness with relaxed waistline and dropped hips forming an eight-sided stance outside but internally holding a bow-like non-bow posture for front feet & non-supporting posture for rear feet – inside there is machine-like flexibility & strength as if pulling strings within oneself during practice session after practice session…
