As far as I know, Taoist Master B. K. Frantzis, in his book Opening the Energy Gates of Your Body, was the first to document the importance of what he called “the 70% rule” and its application to all aspects of Tai Chi and Qigong practice.

In our advanced training, we describe this important practice rule this way:

The 70% Rule for Tai Chi and Qigong from Advanced Training Level 1

ESTIMATE YOUR GREATEST ABILITY to perform any given exercise, then practice at only 70% of that maximum level.

For example, if we ask you to bend over and reach towards your toes, and you know that you can only reach as far as your ankles, well, your ankles would be your 100%. So you should only reach down to your knees or shins.

Apply this 70% rule to everything: how far you stretch; how many repetitions you do; how long you practice in a given session. Any type of straining represents 100% or more, wasting energy and causing injury. And if you are injured or hurt, go only 40% or less. Practicing at the 40% or less level will give your injury the time and energy to heal without aggravating it.

The 70% Rule applied to the Spine Stretch in our Level 1 training

Through our work with various Tai Chi and Qigong masters, and in working with our students during the 6-year research project that produced our advanced training, we learned an important corollary to this 70% rule. It is what we call the Balancing 70% Rule of practice.

In our advanced training course, we first describe this rule while learning the exercise Looking Backward in our Level 1 course. Looking Backward is a simple Qigong pattern that is great for the head, neck, and tops of the shoulders. Many of these areas become frozen or stiff after long hours of sitting, especially at a computer. The simple neck turn of Looking Backward can help loosen and relax the muscles, tendons, and vertebrae in the neck and shoulders.

The “Balancing 70% Rule”
An Example from “Looking Backward” in Level 1

Please keep in mind the 70% rule when you practice. Use this rule for the amount of time that you practice and how far you turn your neck from side to side. Also remember to keep to 40% or less if you are injured or compromised in any way, especially with a neck injury, throat problems, head injuries, tinnitus, or thyroid conditions.

If one side of your neck is more stiff than the other, keep within the limits of the stiffer side on both sides. For example, let’s say your 70% limits (or your 40% or less limits if injured) are that you can turn 60 degrees from the center to the left, but only 30 degrees to the right. Then you should turn only 30 degrees to both sides.

This will allow both sides to eventually balance and get stronger. If you ignore this balancing rule, the strong side will get stronger, but the weak side will continue to get weaker. In Tai Chi and Qigong, however, we try to work on our weaknesses with the goal of balancing both sides.

We consider the Balancing 70% Rule so important that we introduce it within the first two lessons of Level 1 of our advanced training.