Dear Matt,

As a result of practicing your Badass Tai Chi course, my left leg which has always been my weakest leg is now much, much stronger. Now I’m worried about my left leg getting too strong and this leading to balance issues. Is this something to be concerned about?

Bobby Sox

Dear Bobby,

The thing you need to be worried about is the tendency to worry about things that aren’t worth the worry. Your left leg was probably out of balance, strength-wise, for a long time and you weren’t worried about losing your balance then – so why now?

Just for FUN, which is an unrevealed secret to making progress in anything, experiment with standing on one leg for 30 seconds, then switch to the other leg. Over time, play up to 60 seconds on each side. Then practice holding this posture with your eyes closed. In each of these single-leg postures make sure you have something stable to grab onto for safety. Rest assured, one-legged postures will balance out your imbalances and reduce the worry factor.

Matt Furey

Note: I’ve been “playing” with an all new “Tai Chi” short form that no one has ever seen before because I co-created it (with a download from the heavens and a fabulous teacher). It’s 13 moves that incorporate the tiger, crane, cobra, monkey, war elephant, mad rooster, orangutan and peacock. It’s really a blend of martial arts I’ve practiced for years, incorporating Thai, Indonesian and Chinese martial arts – with a pinch of All-American ‘rassling. I’ll keep you posted.