Introduction
The phrase, “sink the shoulders, drop the elbows” (沉肩墜肘) is well known for Tai Chi practitioners.
I prefer the phrases "relax the shoulder" (鬆肩) and "sink the elbow" (沈肘) more. I will discuss more in the later part of this post.
For the more popular statement “sink the shoulders, drop the elbows” (沉肩墜肘) , where should they be sunk down to? Is it just anywhere? Is it the front? back? side? or the centre of the body? Or perhaps towards the feet? Do they have to sink down all the time?
Do shoulders and elbows have to sink down all the time?
My answer is No.
The shoulder joints are useful parts of the body. Seniors often have problems with the shoulder joints. If one does not have major issues with the shoulder joints, one should keep them active. So during Tai chi practice, if it makes sense to move the shoulder joints, one should move them. Keep the shoulder muscles relaxed like all other parts of the body.
In terms of martial arts, there may be times that one would want to raise the shoulders and retract the head for example to protect the neck and head.
Similarly for the elbows, there may be times that one needs to raise the elbow. For example, when we wish to do an elbow strike or when the opponent pushes one's elbow up and one needs to deflect with the elbow.
So the statement "Sink the shoulders, drop the elbows" should be considered to be a general recommendation. Tai Chi practitioners should not be afraid to raise the shoulders and elbows when required.
Where should one sink the shoulders to?
Should one sink the shoulders to the front of the body? back? side? or the centre of the body? Or perhaps towards the feet?
To answer the above, we need to clarify what we mean by "sinking". In general, "sinking" does not mean forcefully pushing the shoulders or elbows down. It means relaxing the shoulders and elbows and allows them to comfortably relax down due to gravity.
If one is in a normal standing position with hands to the side, the shoulders and elbows should sink down to the side in a relaxed way, with the body in a good posture, not leaning forward or bending back and balanced between left and right sides.
During Tai Chi practice, for example, when doing the starting form, both hands move forward and up. The elbows stay relaxed and sink down in front of the body. The back is slightly rounded and both shoulders point forward slightly.
So in general, elbows sink down to the ground at whatever positions they happen to be. The shoulders stay relaxed supporting the movements of the arms.
The above is a general recommendation. There may be particular movements or situations where the shoulders and elbows should sink down in a particular way, or be connected to a certain part of the body, or raise up, or move in a particular way. Therefore, when practising the Tai Chi form, one should focus well on the movements, and analyse the movements when appropriate.
Relax the shoulder (鬆肩), Sink the elbow (沈肘)
In Wu(Hao) style Tai Chi, "relax the shoulder" (鬆肩) and "sink the elbow" (沈肘) are two of the body methods that Hao style Tai Chi practitioners are required to pay attention to. Master Hao gives the following comments about these two body methods:
Relax the shoulders
Use yi (thought) to loosen and open the two shoulders. Qi should sink down. Add the word "quietness" to the yi. This is called relaxing the shoulders.
Sink the elbows
Use yi to circulate qi. Let qi circulate to both elbows. The wrists should be agile. The tips of the elbow should always have the sense of hanging down. This is called sink the elbows.
