The ultimate aim of all Chinese martial arts and particularly tai chi chuan is to attain the maximum power with the minimum effort.
To achieve this end we align our body with gravity so that every part is supported by the legs and then we move by pushing the legs into the ground.
If you can’t transfer weight properly you’re either pushing yourself up away from the ground or, worse still, never attached to the ground in the first place
In most tai chi schools this skill is taught endlessly as it takes time to really master. The old tai chi classics said that to learn to master transferring your weight would take about ten years!
Yes that is probably true if you were taught in the old Confucian manner of just being told what to do and not being given any proper instruction on how to do it. But I think that’s a waste of your time so I give copious detail in all these movements so that you can master them in a fraction of the time.
But you still need to keep practicing – I do.
See the video below on how to transfer your weight. Without this knowledge your tai chi will be weak and the benefits next to zero.
The key is to stay fully connected to the ground through your legs throughout the whole movement. Allow no part of you to be lifted up.