Connecting with Gravity

I would like to kick off my blog with a small post on the use of ‘gravity’ in the martial arts specifically how it relates to generating force.

Firstly when we look at working with gravity in a functional way, what are we really describing? Well, in the main we are looking at utilizing weight and utilizing weight to pull on body structures, but this is not the end of the story ... i will go into that later. Firstly lets look at what it means to utilize weight with regard to gravity.

The central underlying principle that we need to develop is the ability to release or let go of the structure we are holding up. Now this does not necessarily mean that we aim to go ‘floppy’, but that we are able to immediately disengage stabilising and supporting muscles so that the structure being held up is able to drop freely.

There are some simple exercises that help the student appreciate the ‘release’ of support and i will post a video of some in the near future.

However, for the moment lets examine what it takes to release a structure successfully so as to generate useful force.

‘Recognising weight’

First and foremost we need to appreciate the weight of our body, this is the first recognition of gravity acting upon our structure. Often called ‘Sung’ in some Chinese arts, we are aiming to mainly feel the bones are as lead and the tissue surrounding them is wrapping around down to the earth, much like wet clothes becoming heavy around the body.

An easy way to begin to feel this quality is to raise the arms to the front, then with every out breath relax the shoulder, elbow, wrist . Each out breath relaxes the structure more and more until your arms feel extremely heavy but have not moved. We need to aim to have this feeling all over the body.

‘Recognising the up-force’

Just as the Taiji symbol depicts the interplay of opposites, when working with gravity we cannot only focus on the ‘down’ effect that gravity has. We also need to connect with and understand the forces and structures in the body which prop us up against this down force.

It is funny, we connect with this up force ever day of our lives but rarely really feel what it is doing!

This force is produced by the various lines of force or structure that wrap the body and make it a dynamic unit so it is a large topic ... but a few simple points can help to establish a feeling of this ‘up-force’.

• Stand feet shoulder width, rock back and forth to find the centre of the feet.
• Ensuring that the feet remain flat with even pressure, put slightly inward with the feet. Ensure that the knees do not change their position. This should create a slight ‘pulling up’ on the inside of the legs.
• Stabilize the pelvis and ensure that the base is stable and the pelvis is not tilted in any direction
• Push up slightly with the crown point to extend the spine
• Feel a force moving up the inside of the legs to the base of the spine or central channel, then up to the crown point.

At this point the force will feel like it is raising in the central lines and falling in the side lines that run from the armpit to the outside of the foot.

Releasing the structure

So now that we have built a structure propped up but relaxed and recognising the gravity acting upon it we can begin to start releasing exercises. I will not cover these exercises here as they will be explained on the Youtube post. But some general points to note about how to release follow

• Allow the breath to move in and out naturally. Use the out breath to aid relaxation.
• When releasing be careful and mindful not to ‘load up’ mentally or physically before you release. The release should be from the point you are currently in, not a CURRENT POSITION > LOAD> RELEASE
• Try not to lose your centre when you release, this may seem counter intuitive but the release shouldn’t cause you to lose your own centre in most cases. There are some instances where this is not true but for the main it is a good rule to work too. Often the release will feel like the centre is moving from one point to another on an unstoppable trajectory but never comes out of your control.
• Start big to get small. Usage of gravity power can be applied to striking, throwing, checking, covering, take-downs, ground work ... all aspects of combat. But in order to refine the feeling of release we have to start large and get smaller and smaller. Eventually you should be able to apply a release inside an inch and it still transfer the full power of the body.

Summary

Play about with some of the exercises I show in the Youtube Video and get back to me with your results or questions. I think you will find them useful and rewarding and after some time practicing them you will notice a distinct increase in function.