De-fanging the snake

Sounds pretty esoteric but I think this phrase often used in Chinese Martial Arts paints a good picture of what I would like to discuss in this post.

Essentially what we are talking about is damaging or destroying the opponents weapons or his desire to use those weapons. When i talk about weapons here i am talking about their body weapons, eg. Punch, palm, elbow, shoulder, headbutt, kicks, knees etc.

Its a pretty big subject so i aim to give a brief overview of what I think about the subject and also a couple of examples of methods that can be looked into and tried out.

AIMS & GOALS.

‘To remove the opponents desire or ability to use their primary weapons against you’

There are several ways to achieve this goal. Some can be used against semi aggressive attackers or people you do not wish to seriously damage, some can be used to mechanically destroy the opponents ability to use the weapon. Lets look at the options for achieving this goal.

1. Shock the system

Here we are aiming to shock the attacker into rethinking their choice to attack. This is one of the most useful primary methods than you can begin to work with as it is not a destruction but a much more light method. It can be used to strip away an aggressive persons intent and is linked directly to the opponents thought processes.

Often Termed ‘shocking the guard’ as it is commonly used to attack the opponents guard in some way, this method is all about ‘sharp pain’ and ‘shaking the centre’. The damage may not be great but we need the opponent to feel as though they have been shocked with electricity when you attack their guard. Once you have shocked their guard you need to leave room for the opponent to think ... this is where people often get the method wrong. It is in that thinking space that you follow up should come if that’s what your trying to achieve with your shock. Shocking the guard is very much like physically asking a question, as they think about the answer ... whack!

Of course you can also ask .. ‘are you sure you want to continue?’ ... if your shock is good enough they will more often than not say ‘no thanks!’.

2. Split the muscles.

This is a combination of shocking and partially mechanically disabling. The aim here is to target the muscles that connect to the body weapons and that are utilised in their deployment. For example you may Target the Bicep just above the elbow joint.

When we say split the muscle this is really what we mean! Usually you will use a single knuckle or the knuckle ridge to achieve the sort of penetrating force we require to achieve this. We want to hit with enough force that we actually damage the muscle tissue and cause a great amount of pain in a localised area. We also want this damage to partially inhibit the ability to use the limb.

There are a few very nice methods that can be used to split or damage the muscles, my teachers have shown me some of them to great effect!

3. Separate the tendons & Ligaments.

Next we move to real incapacitation of the attacking limb. Here we are talking about destroying the supporting structures of the joints in the main often without breaking the bones themselves. I know from personal experience that a separated, split or disconnected ligament or tendon can be much worse in the long term than a bone break.

These methods are normally applied in joint manipulations but can equally be applied when a joint is turned and then struck. This is a particularly violent way of incapacitation and is much more likely to separate the ligaments or tendons than a joint manipulation.

When applying joint manipulations in this instance there needs to be a strong, shocking or explosive force behind the method. You often see ‘wrist twists’ or joint ‘locks’ in JuJutsu, Shoalin Chinna etc but we are talking about something different here.

For example, if you get a wrist twist, the aim is to turn the hand around without affecting the rest of the opponents structure. Rather than the more classical, twist the wrist to take them down, type of force. This level of force requires a very strong pulse from the whole to achieve the method.

There are certain styles that will also specialise in gripping certain tendons and ripping them from the bone, although this is not a speciality of what I train I am reliably informed that these people can disable your arm very quickly.

4. Shatter the bones.

Finally there is the practice of shattering the bones, or as is said in The Chin na of Xing Yi ‘Turning their bones to dust’.

Here the aim is to actually break the bones in and around the joints or to break bones that will hinder limb motion. For instance, to disable the arm, you may strike the collar bone to smash it to pieces.

These methods can be linked very closely with separating the tendons as certainly if your breaking a joint you will often break or stretch the tendons and ligament of that joint. But mainly we are focusing on again, applying a very powerful full body movement against a single weak point on the opponents weapon structures.

Typical methods used are:

• Locking in place and striking through.
• Striking through (trust kick to the knee is a good example)
• Locking and crushing the joint.
• Striking associated targets (Collar bone etc)

Summary

These methods are very useful provided you are able to apply them in a live environment. I know fighters who can apply elbow strikes to the face of an incoming fist at full speed, this obviously takes time to achieve, but is very valuable.

Most of these methods, especially ones that involve locking or breaking should not be sought after but should be utilised when the time arises.

Many of these methods are psychological in nature, an opponent had the desire to attack you, you strike their limb with such force that the decide to re-evaluate that decision.

Some basic two man drills

Information on what these drills are training to come later but as a basic rundown we are training:

- recognisation of lines of force or attack,
- fine alteration of incoming force
- angulation
- flow
- structural feedback
- dynamic (not fixed) stepping and footwork
- focus
- co-ordination

Ground movement for Spine health and relaxation

Ground movement for Spine health and relaxation

Often in class we use the ground as a tool to massage ourselves and release tension in the body through rolling and moving around. This idea can be seen in martial arts from all over the world including Japanese Ukemi, some Chinese systems, Indonesian Silat and Russian Systema, who have taken this idea of ground mobility to a very high level. Its interesting and useful work if you have any tension in the back or hips and is not often covered so I thought it may be of use to some

This work is not the combative side of ground mobility and training like that of silat, but is focused towards the health, specifically regarding the musculature and structures around the spine and back. This work is also directly beneficial to the hip flexors and learning to release tension from this area.

The video shows the methods and exercises as well as the quality and speed of the work needed. It also shows free work at the end which constitutes part of my morning routine to relax and work out any stiff areas of the body.

Some points of practice.

• Be very careful not to hold your breath at any point in the work. Holding the breath causes a pressure in the body which does not allow it to fold or move smoothly, rather than an inflated ball as per some Ukemi, this work aims to work out tension through relaxing down through the earth.
• Start slowly and gently, do not attempt movements that you are unable to achieve due to tension. Most commonly holding the breath and holding tension in the hips is the cause of you not being able to achieve a movement pattern.
• the initial work should simply be for you to connect with the earth, the exercises are very simple in nature but should not be overlooked. They establish your connection with the ground ready for the work.
• Be strict in your method. Do not work at a freeform level immediately or you will not get the benefit of the correct lines of movement. It is important in the early stages that we work in a way that allows us to move on the ground in any direction with extreme softness
• Listen to your body and the noises it makes. When training on a hard floor its important that there are no ‘knocks’ or ‘bumps’ produced when you contact the floor. This is a sign of angular points and tension. Even if the elbow does down the body should be in such a state of movement that the contact doesn’t make noise.

These general points are true of all the methods shown in the following video.

Exercise 1: Simple squatting & squatted swaying

• This is not an exercise in structure but in release. So the aim here is to relax and drop the spine and drop into the hips. Do not worry about the normal requirements of straight spine, heels down, shin bones vertical.
• Make sure when you sink and stand it is from opening and closing the inguinal fold (kua) in the main
• Listen to the feet and bring your attension down to the earth. You need to start to feel the earth under your feet with a greater awareness in this exercise.
• When standing up make sure that you do so with a relaxed spine and without excess speed.

Exercise 2 – Crawl out.

• This exercise brings you closer to the ground and helps you to begin to get used to feeling the transition from standing to ground.
• Although very simple this is a vital exercise for the mind. You need to allow the mind to slowly overcome its natural aversion to going to ground.
• Relax the spine first and then the hips and then walk the hands out sequentially.
• Expand the practice by dropping the hips to relax the hip flexors.

Exercise 3 – Kick out to the side

• The aim here is to get use to relaxing onto the side of the body, releasing the body softly onto the side.
• This transition is more difficult and should be taken slowly. We need to lower ourselves as far to the ground as possible before we lay back onto the ground.
• It is fine to use the hands at first.
• Make sure that when straightening the feet and legs do not lift of the ground, this is a sign of tension in your hip flexors.
• When standing back up make it smooth and relaxed with no jerky or momentum based movement.

Exercise 4 – Kick out to the front

• Here is the same exercise again but this time to the front.
• Front foot should feel like it slips on ice and you softly transition to the floor.
• Make sure you take a couple of steps before you transition. This creates some momentum and a degree of change in the situation, which will help the mind to relax.
• Initially use the hands when going to the ground then transition to no using the hand when falling or getting up.
• Stretch the arms out over the head when fully down to stretch and relax the body from the feet to the fingers
• To aid the relaxation make a steady out breath for the entire movement as you transition the ground.
• Once on the ground begin to move the shoulders against the earth to relax and soften then. You can ‘walk with the shoulders’ letting the body trail behind softly.

Exercise 5 – Circle then kick out.

• This time we walk in a circle and spin inwards with we kick out and transition.
• Try to connect with the turning and spinning motion created by walking in a circle, this will help you when you begin to work on rolling.
• pay careful attention not to hold any tension in the knee as you turn into the fall.
• You can expand this by following the circular force to allow yourself to roll onto your front. This should not be forced but a result of you following the force.

Exercise 6 – Rolling

• As this is not combative ukemi where we are trying to dissipate another’s force but a health practice to dissipate force trapped in our body there is no need to work from a standing position initially. Start on all fours and begin to work from there.
• Make sure that the body DOES NOT form a ball for this work. This is contrary somewhat to the combative ukemi but we are trying to work out tension. The ‘ball’ idea forms tension in the body so we are aiming to do something different.
• At each point in the roll you should be fully able to stop and go back the other way. This is a sure sign that you have good relaxation in the body.
• Work very slowly so that you can appreciate the –
• - Point of balance
• - The body stacked above this point
• - If the breath is stopped
• - Any build up of pressure
• - That you are following the correct line.
• The line should be from shoulder to opposite hip
• Roll in both directions
• When completing the roll (unless changing mid roll) ensure that the legs extend fully so that you are not holding any tension in the hip flexors.
• Feel the earth massage the muscles of the back as you roll over them.
• In the initial movement feel that the neck and shoulders are being opened up.

Exercise 7 – Massage the upper back tissue.

• Start with the head and arms down for the lowest amount of pressure.
• Raise the arms for medium pressure
• Raise the head and arms for deepest pressure
• If your spine is prominent then work on each side of the body individually
• power for the movement comes from the legs.

Summary.

I hope that you will try some of these simple movement methods. I have found them to be very useful for relaxing the back and hips in the morning and evening. They also can form the basis of initial training in combative falling and groundwork skills as they build a good foundation in familiarity with the ground as well as softness in the body.

Developing the ribs and chest for power and health.

This evening we were working on exercises to develop the ability to use the chest and ribs in a meaningful way to develop strong up/down force and to promote lung health. When practiced for some time the chest can open and close independent of breath and the practitioner is able to create a large volume of power from this one aspect of generation.

The bonus of these exercises is that they are very good for health of the lungs. I recently suffered the onset of Asthma from lung damage due to a chest infection, combined with a high volume of cardio vascular work. These exercises have cleared the asthma from my chest entirely so I can personally vouch for their effectiveness.

There are a few primary rules to stick by when working with the chest area and they are there to make sure that you don’t ‘raise the energy’ or compress the heart or associated structures. The primary ideas to stick to are.

• Relax the chest and upper back. This is easy to write… it is not easy to achieve! You need to work hard to relax the chest without disrupting its structure in order to free it up and give it the ability to move.
• Do not compress the chest inwards. This is a common issue seen in internal arts stemming from the phrase ‘hollow the chest’. However something hollow is something that is empty inside, not collapsed, so we need to keep the chest open and natural, but without excess tension held in the chest area … then the chest would be ‘full’ rather than hollow!
• Do not force the breath in and out. The main point of this practice is to promote mobility in the chest and promote lung health. We Should not lead the movement with breath or force the breath in and out so that its audible. The breath should be completely natural and go in and out as needed as you move through the postures. There is a saying that ‘The posture breaths for you’ that is useful for understanding this.
• In the early stages do not try to move the chest. Simply do the simple exercises and the chest will move naturally. Eventually the movement of the chest will come to your attention and then it will come under your control. Then you will be able to open each side independently of the other … even with the breath fully out.
• The upper back and chest should open together, be careful not to simply ‘puff the chest out’ by curving the back inward.
• Make sure that after the practice you stand still and focus your body energy into the lower abdomen (hara or dantien). This is not esoteric, but is a simple process of removing any residual tension from the upper body muscles and lead your body to become rooted and centred.
• All of these exercises should be done SLOWLY and SOFTLY. They are not to be forced at all if they are to be effective in developing useful force. There is also the real danger that you could damage your health if you over pressure yourself in them.

These rules should be adhered to in the following exercises. The videos show the method for this movement so I will not describe the movement process in detail. However I will mention some points of importance that I have found useful in developing lung health and Rib power.

Exercise 1. Bird flaps its wings.

• In the beginning lead the motion with your Elbows and have your attention there. This will help to pull your body open as your raise and lower the elbows mobilising the chest area equally without opening the front not the back.
• The arms and hands should be very relaxed and open. The main aim is to facilitate the opening of the chest and any tension in the arms joints will ‘lock’ the chest in place. Its important that the method is achieved through softness and not tension. Relaxing the arms helps to achieve this.
• let the breath naturally flow into the lungs as the arms raise and naturally come out as the arms fall.
• Make sure that the base is set and rooted. When you open upwards draw up with the legs and Crotch Arch leading up and aiding the opening movement. When you sink relax your force down through the legs into the earth.
• If you start to get any sensations in the head, upper chest or neck, such as dizziness or nausea then bring the palms to the level of the lower abdomen and focus on relaxing the body and feel the weight and dense areas drop down to the lower dantien. Then when you feel centred again continue practice with careful attention not to raise up your energy.
• Feel the initial rise come up the front of the body, the front of the chest and side line through the intercostals muscles. The fall should move down from the scapular closing towards the spine and then down through the lats to the base.

2. Slapping down

• This works on each side of the chest one after the other. Try to isolate the individual sides as you open and close rather than opening the whole chest.
• When raising up feel that a slight twist force develops in the body opening one lunch/side on all angles.
• When slapping down try to lead the movement with the chest. The chest motivates the drop and not the arm or hand. This exercise, slightly modified, is also used to develop gravity power(discussed in another thread) But here we are specifically trying to isolate the chest .
• When raising the arm ensure that the shoulder joint remains seated and the traps remain relaxed. If the traps become tense then the shoulder will raise out of its socking disconnecting the arm and side / ribs, halting your ability to lead the chest to open.
• Tilt the shoulder and body forward slightly as you slap down, this helps to fully close the chest without collapsing it.
• Feel that you force goes down through the earth but is powered by the ribs and chest.
• When you initiate the slap down by closing the chest, feel that it stretches the line into the arm, like elastic being stretched the released. This will help the body develop the lines needed to create the downward force

Summary

Give these exercises a try and let me know the results. I have found them to be very useful and they have helped me gain a high volume of power up and down as well as giving me a good degree of lung health. If you have any questions post below and I will be happy to answer as best I can.