Practical Method Positive Circle 101

Positive circle is likely the first thing one learns in Practical Method.  The following are some starter instructions for a right-side positive circle:

1. The right side is considered the front side, and the left side is consider the rear side.
2. Find a line that is parallel to your chest on the ground.
3. Put your right foot at 45 degrees to the line with the heel touch the line.
4. Put your left foot at 90 degrees to the line with the toes touch the line.
5. The standard distance between the right heel and left toes should be about 3 times the length from your ankle to your knees. However, at the beginning, you may not be able to achieve easily, so put the feet apart far enough such that it gives yourself a bit of challenge, and gradually increase the distance to the standard. If the two feet are too wide, it is very common that you may be bending a bit forward and your buttock may be sticking out, reduce the distance a bit. When you kua is more trained over time in Practical Method, you will be able to not have protrusion in the buttock with a wider stance.
6. The weight should be closer to the right foot, making the front side shorter.
7. The right knee (the direction of the right thigh) should be pointing in the same direction as the right foot, however, it does not mean the right foot and the right thigh are on the same line, they are just being in parallel.
8. This is called a half horse stance.
9. Put your right arm up above your right thigh with the tip of the middle finger at about eyebrow height.
10. The right wrist should be completely straight, and stretched out.
11. Pick a dot on the wall where the middle finger can point at in this position. Throughout the positive circle with the right wrist being completely straight, the middle finger should be pointing at this same point with no deviation at all regardless of the arm position.
12. The tip of the elbow should be pointing to the ground at all times.
13. Eyes should be fixed on the target (e.g. the dot on the wall that the middle is pointing at) at all times.
14. Let’s consider doing a 3-count positive circle:
    1. In with elbow (Pull the elbow in to touch the side of the right ribs)
    2. Turn with waist (while keeping the elbow touching the side of the right ribs, without the right knee moving and without the chest or hip turning)
    3. Out with hand (Extend the right hand out towards the original starting position as if someone else pulls the middle finger out to straighten out everything else)

For a left-side positive circle, it is a mirror image of the right side one. As you progress in Practical Method, additional instructions/restrictions will be given to perform a more detailed positive circle.