Claude and I

Claude and I wrote this together:

Your student noticed this morning that the twist felt natural on the sideways strikes (3 and 4) and was more difficult on the angled strikes (1 and 2, and especially 8 and 9). Her explanation is that on 3 and 4 she could stay crouched and level, and only turn. The angled strikes required a turn and a change in height; her synchrony was off, and she felt unstable. She suspects that the two motions are not meant to be strictly simultaneous.

Claude, an AI, agrees and offers a mechanism. On a sideways strike the body turns about a vertical axis, so the hips stay level and the legs have one task, which is to turn her. On an angled strike the legs have two tasks, to turn her and to raise or lower her, and the two must be coordinated.

Claude also guesses at the timing. On a rising strike the legs drive first and the turn follows. On a descending strike the drop comes last, so that her weight is falling as the stick lands. Claude is unsure about the drop.

Her question for you: Is a horizontal twist indeed easier than an angled twist? If so, then why are the first two strikes taught to beginners angled, and the two horizontal strikes taught after that?