Recognising your lines of force.

Its been a little while since i have posted any information on here, so sorry about that. I have been very busy training in various arts to expand my knowledge base and test my body skill.  But i have a few posts on the go so will be updating again in the next few days with some more information.

I was recently talking to a friend who was explaining a method of pushing on a wall to recognise what line was in use in a given expression of power. It is interesting that this guy wasn't from an IMA background as this sort of structure testing is something we do quite often.

But this way of establishing the line is just the first step in recognising what is required of the body and its lines when expressing directional power. Lets have a look at some ideas relating to this method.

1) Push the wall.
Here we simple take the position of a specific method, a punch or kick, shoulder bump or elbow strike, while placing the striking surface on a wall. We then push or press against the wall to feel what parts of the body are being engaged. This anatomical line is the one we form up behind the given direction when we make said movement.

This is the first line to recognize and really feel. It will highlight to us what the forming up line is behind a given movement allowing us to tailor solo and power training to developing that line for maximum expression behind the applying surface.

2) The empty lines/areas
Next we need to focus on the areas of the body not involved in forming up behind the applying surface. So for instance, in a straight punch the back leg to front hand may be the primary line of force, so we need to examine the front leg and non punching hand/side of the body.

Once we are able to feel these ‘empty areas’ of the body we need to work to engage them. Or fill them so that they are no longer empty. All the while still applying force along our primary line. We don't want them to be along for the ride but actually contributing directly to the stability of the structure or expression of force.

This is much easier said than done but the aim is to have a unified force  assisted by complimentary forces fed in from areas not required in alignment behind the specified direction.

3) Opposite directional forces
It may seem counter intuitive to have a reactionary force opposing the primary direction, but this is also a requirement if we wish to establish and maintain an equilibrium. When applying force along a direction or around an axis it is easy to ‘overcomit’ our power in said direction making us very vulnerable. The application building of a complimentary but opposite force is needed to retain our centre and balance.

This isn’t an easy concept to grasp but for instance for certain strikes the spine will be used like a bow or a spring, in a bow the tips spring due to the opposing central pressures (otherwise the whole bow would move through space) In a spring the compression is opposed by the solid base or equal pressure from the other side. Without these opposing forces there would be no potential to emit power.

Summary
Actually developing these lines and ideas once recognized is the one of the overriding principles of the internal arts. We are aiming for Maximum efficiency and mechanics in a given direction. But first, as seen above we must understand what the direction actually is inside our body, rather than outside in the resultant motion.

UKIMA training session Clip.

This is an overview of a recent UKIMA training session covering application of some Pi Quan concepts, held at Seishin Dojo MMA & BJJ centre in Gloucester UK.

Covered was:
Relevant warm ups,
Bodywork, 
Connection,
Striking
Angulation
Gripping to control retreat
Tempo and Rythm 
Movement
take downs
and free work.

Stability in mobility

Recently in Tai chi Class we have been working on mobility and footwork while retaining the principles of stability and equilibrium  This is an interesting practice that can really put Tai chi folks out of their comfort zone somewhat when we really speed it up. Let’s have a look at a few of the key principles of retaining good mechanics while being mobile and agile in our footwork.

1) The Base (not ‘root’)

The idea of the base is an interesting one. It is generally thought to be the area covered by the body position on the floor. We see in many throwing arts the idea of having this stable base in order to effectively power throws, trips and take downs. But how does a stable base relate to agile and mobile footwork?

In a nutshell what we need is awareness of the coverage of our base even when we are in motion. This is of course a flexible and ever changing system. When we make shuffle steps or switch steps the base reaction will be different but we must try to understand our coverage and how far we can extend, turn or project our force.

2) Proprioception

What we mean here is feedback from the sole of the foot as to the body positioning. Without a doubt this is a very important part of movement capacity. If you have poor proprioceptive feedback then most likely your movement skill will not have stability.

There are 9 points on the feet that we can focus on when we stand.

5 x toe points

The ball of the big toe

The adjoining ball of the other 5 toes (this is a single pad)

The ridge of the foot

The heal of the foot.

These are the points to focus on when training in order to increase out proprioception. A very good training for people who have damaged ankles or feet as it will help the nervous system to learn control.

3) Axis Control

In my opinion one of the most important aspects of mobility with stability is the control of the bodies axis, the line the runs from the crown to the perineum. Once this line is under our control, that is to say it is not unconsciously tilting, bending, leaning or swinging, we automatically obtain a level of stability within the context of our mobility. A controlled Axis can move through space in any direction or manner within the base created by the feet. It can lean, tilt, bow, wave etc but this is all under conscious control and a result of intent to do so, no simply ‘slack’ in the system.

One of the points related to Axis control is the control of the base and top of the axis. That is to say the Pelvis and Head. We need to have a good understanding of how the release or fixing of the head and pelvis affect our control of the axis and its capabilities during dynamic movement.

For instance the head can lead the movement of the entire body, much like a goose flying, the head stretches out in front of the body to pull the axis. Or the head can fix in position as the body turns, creating a spiralling stability in the body during motion. There are many varied ways that the head can be used to create stability in the axis.

4) Breathing

Another important aspect of good mobility with stability is how we breath. Breathing is a seemingly overlooked aspect of movement in many arts, but in arts like Russian Systema it is central to how they move and create dynamic, structured movement.

In order to move freely and effectively we need to be very aware of how we hold our breath and the pressures that may result. It is often these pressures that can inhibit our movement in some way especially at combat speeds. Out breath is very useful to lead smooth movement. Especially whey in comes to changing direction, height or position. It leads relaxation which is one of the keys to efficient movement change.

That said sometimes using breath for structural re-enforcement is a necessity. It is used to create physical structure much like the skin of a balloon becomes taut as air is blown in. In this instance we can use the in breath during movement to help us maintain some axis stability during certain force expressions.

Summary

There are other important points to dynamic movement with stability. Such as Root, spatial awareness etc but these are just a few points to bear in mind when you work on movement skills. 

Fighting predisposition & self defence

Anyone who has worked in the security industry for any length of time will know that there are some people out there who love to fight. They are always ready and willing to get into a combative encounter should the need or opportunities arise. These people are sometimes the ones who eventually turn to combat sports, door work or other less savoury means to satisfy their need for combat, to satisfy their predisposition to fighting.

But can this attitude be learnt or applied to self defence through training and indeed should it?! I am of the honest opinion that it cant.

To say that in order to be effective in a self defence situation you need to be switched on or ready to fight at all times is simply not an option for most people if they are not predisposed to fighting. It is not a practical solution to the problem as it takes mental effort and focus that can often burn a person out, cause tensions and illnesses.

This is where the idea of ‘switching intent’ comes in.

Switching intent is simply going from one thing to another.

But there is more to it than that of course, It is going from one thing to something extremely different in a split second, and remaining functional in both. That is to say it is not simply to react, as reaction can be out of our control.

It can be said that the act of going from Wuji posture in Xing yi to san ti is mind training to switch on to the task to come. To manifest the intent and use it to direct movement. This can be a bit abstract for those that don’t do xing yi however. It is much simpler to describe it thus.

Lets say I am walking along a street and a car mounts the Kerb towards me, in a fraction of a second my intent, focus and body state will change in reaction to the change in situation. However, if I freeze and cover up, I will get hit by the car, this is an example of untrained reaction not being useful. If I leap out of the way then the reaction is useful, I was prepared to act even though I was not thinking of acting.

This is the process of ‘switching on’ to a threat or change in circumstance.

Do we need a predisposition to fighting to go from nothing to something? No. We can learn to focus our natural response reactions so that they become useful to us in a combative situation, so that they become recognisable to us. The action, reaction and focus of intent become one. It is easier said than done however as the majority of this work resides in the mind and can be difficult to consciously recognise.

If I get into MMA or another combat sport and start to heavy spar, compete or train with great coaches, does this reflect the mental change required to go from relaxing drinking a pint with friends to fighting for your life? Simply put, no it doesn’t!

This is not to say that MMA or another combat sport wont give you the tools to finish the encounter once you have switched on... in most cases it certainly will! But will it train you to actually switch on?

So there needs to be a layer of mind training in whatever art you do that will afford the awareness and Trained natural response reaction needed to save yourself. This is accomplished in many varied ways by many difference self defence trainers. But we can say that the need boils down to this:

‘In training,  do not let the mind be comfortable with the situation you get into.’

This is a process of targeted struggle as i have mentioned in previous articles.

If I am in my gym or dojo and we are about to do some combat work, sparring or similar i already have a level of mental preparation that i have set up to deal with the reality that is about to come. This is also true of competition, even though it is a random situation in some respects, it is also mentally preparable. Even if its hard heavy sparring my mind is still prepared for this.

So the training drills need to be focused on how to remove the security of knowing what is to come. This can be achieved in many ways as i have said. But here are a few examples.

1.       Recognising the switch (opening a form)

If your chosen art or method has forms then this is a good way to begin to train to recognise the switch of intent.

-          Stand completely still eyes closed and empty the mind of any notion of form or training

-          The millisecond you open your form switch your mind very clearly onto the task at hand.

-          Repeat.

This is actually a very hard mind training method. The process of loosing thought of training before training is a difficult thing to achieve!

2.       Unplanned Pad slaps
Here we are looking to take the mind from a state of calm to a state of reaction without preparing the person for the work.

-          In groups of 4 have 3 with focus mitts on a 1 without.

-          The one without leaves the room.

-          The three with select a person to make the initial attack.

-          Invite the partner back into the room

-          Walk in a group around the room talking and making idle chit chat. This can go on for 5 minutes or however long it takes for the person to become distracted by the conversation.

-          At that moment the pad man selected to initiate the attack makes his move with a high tempo of slaps to the body and head of the partner.

-          They have to react naturally to the threat

You can layer this training up and up and it becomes a very interesting process, much like Kato attacking Inspector Cluso in the Pink panther movies!

The really important thing with this drill if for the person being attacked to recognise how they switch and for the pad men to wait for however long it takes till the partner is lost in the conversation or whats happening.

In conclusion

It is not necessary to be ‘on’ all the time. Indeed it is an impossibility for most people that are not predisposed to fighting or combat.

As Self defence trainers we have to find other ways to switch someone on when the time is right. This idea of training the ‘switch’ itself is very helpful if it can be zoned in on and trained as a component unto itself.

What we end up with is a practitioner who leads a normal life without thought of combat, but when the time is right Naturally switches their intent to the task at hand.

New Location and schedule!

I am very pleased to announce that our Monday evenings will now be taught at the Seishin Dojo in Gloucester, home to Gracie Barra Gloucester and some great MMA classes.

http://seishindojo.co.uk/dojoblog/?page_id=716

The change to the schedule also affects the Tuesday classes so check out the information below:

MONDAY:
7.30 - 8.30 - UKIMA body work and combatives
8.30 - 9.30 - Hebei Xing Yi Quan (invite only)

TUESDAY:
7.00 - 8.00: Yang Tai chi beginners class
8.00 - 9.00: Yang Tai chi Advanced Class.

If you know anyone that could be interested in IMA then now is a good time for them to get involved. 

Many thanks to my students and friends for continuing to grow and learn with me.

Thanks
Chris

Taking the centre Idea 2 – finding the line through

Following on from the last post on Leading the centre i thought i would through some light onto the subject of projecting the opponents centre or ‘finding the line through’. This is a great skill to have and can create very different striking sensation as well as very useful throwing and take down skills.

What is the ‘line through’.

When i say finding the line through what i mean is the line from point of contact through the structure that disrupts the balance with minimal appreciable effort. Here we are not looking for the opponent to ‘form up’ behind this pressure, but for them to be unable to create any resistance back through that line.

A simple example.

Get your partner to stand with legs shoulder width and locked. Place your fist on their breast bone and gently push. This line is unopposed and can affect their balance with ease and minimal input of force.

Obviously that is just to give an idea, and when applied against a structure with dynamic movement and changing support positions the skill becomes more difficult and refined.

Why find the line through

Finding the line through the opponent’s structure is extremely useful for striking and especially throwing or taking an opponent down. The Line through essentially represents a past of least resistance into the internal body structures (organs, bones etc). For striking this is a very useful idea for obvious reasons!

When it comes to throwing the line through will aid the direction of off balancing (see three pillars of throwing article). You will be able to effect the opponents position with minimal effort and maximum efficiency of direction (see defining martial arts article)

Some exercises

1 - The line through a stable structure

Here we get our partner to stand in the strongest stance they can and try to find the line through.

• Ask your partner to take a strong stance
• Place your hand or fist on the partner approaching him from the front
• Push straight ahead with a consistant pressure. Not enough to make him move.
• Maintaining the same pressure slowly adjust the direction and angle of your pushing force until the partner looses balance. It is VERY important that you dont ‘try’ to push them over but simply let the line find the best route.

Variation –

Your partner maintains doesn’t move their feet but tries to escape your pressure as you constantly change to find the line in a moving structure.

2- Line through a moving structure.

Here the partner is in motion using whatever footwork they like as you try to find the line through.

• Your partner starts from 4 – 6 feet away and walks towards you.
• You place your hand or fist on them and apply pressure to the line through
• The partner should be stopped, pushed back or diverted in their direction.

NOTE: it is important your partner does not try to use their arms to block yours or similar

Variation –

Your partner uses combative footwork as do you, still he is not utilising his arms and your simply applying a force to find the line through

In both of these training methods you should not be ‘muscling’ though the opponent, it should feel like you hardly push at all but the effect is significant. When this happens you have found the ‘line through’.

Coaching People

Coaching people

As a Martial Arts coach, sensei, shihan or Sifu it is common place to apply a subscribed syllabus of techniques methods or training to your school or group and teach people within the pre determined methods of the tradition. But is this enough? Does it fulfil your responsibilities as a Coach / Teacher but more importantly does it provide the solutions that the individual might require.

Of course structure is useful to a degree in teaching martial arts. With a set goal of training we can work towards a obtaining a certain skill set or method over time. However, especially in the early stages, the idea of a ‘one size fits all’ solution to the movement or structure problems of the individual falls down.

It is in this early stage that your MA coach should take time to specifically recognise and rehabilitate and movement or postural deficiencies so that your body is a capable container for the knowledge and methods it is about to receive.

It is not enough for everyone in the group to stand in horse stance for 20 minutes if 20% of those people cant stand in horse stance properly due to varying postural or structural problems.

In my opinion the Martial Arts Coach should cater for the following when he takes on the responsibility of teaching people his method.

• Recognise & rehabilitate movement or postural deficiencies specific to the individual
•  Provide a framework for the individual to use to advance their overall health.
• Provide a ‘Box Free’ Learning Environment and Philosophy.
• Provide practical, proven and honest Combative training methods.

As someone who came from Japanese arts with a lot of structure and a vast catalogue of techniques to the Chinese Arts with a few principles and virtually no Hierarchy and structure I can certainly see the rational and reasons for both. But which would I suggest as best?

It’s an interesting question and personally I don’t think that either really nail the coaching process as I experienced them.

1. The danger with structure is that the individual never gets the underlying simplicity behind all the complexity.
2. The danger with Freedom is that the individual never grasps the complexity behind the simplicity.

It is my opinion as a coach that we should be looking at each individual and giving them a specific exercise and skill set initially to work out any problems they may have. These methods can come from anywhere provided they are right for that individual ... they can be Tai chi, Xing Yi, Ba Gua, Modern Cardio training, even Weight training ... if thats what the individual needs.

After this point training structure can be picked up and utilised to provide specific combat skills or health training.

Does your coach give you specifically what you need? That is the question every martial arts student has to ask themselves honestly. Forget the colour belt round their waist, forget how many fights they have had or the reputation that follows them, look honestly at the present situation you are in and see if you get what you need.

What are internal arts

Hi all,

thought i would put together a short video clip of some of the foremost Internal Martial Artists in the world as an overview for people who don't have context for how some Internal Artists train.

This is meant as a tribute to the featured adepts and in no way am i affiliated to them.


Hope you enjoy guys.

Best regards
Chris

FREE seminars on the Internal Arts

hi all, i am now offering FREE seminars to any group or school interested. Please contact me for details. Further information can be found on my site: Thanks.

Click here

Defining IMA 2! - Efficiency in Combat

As i mentioned in the previous article, my definition of the internal martial arts is as follows:

Internal Martial Arts are practices to find efficiency.

We have talked about some of the training methodologies and why we train slow as well as fast, but now lets look at how IMA’s look to find efficiency in combat.

Firstly is it fair to say there is a single natural way that humans fight. To a degree, yes! But this is simply a guide not a rule. We are all build the same, two arms, two legs, muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones. So there will always be a measure of commonality in how we utilize what we have to combat an aggressor. However, looking at what is most effective in for instance combat sports we see that there is a real and quantitive difference between Brazillian JuJitsu and for instance Muay Thai. Very effective arts but very different outlooks, methods and training methodologies, neither being the 'natural way to fight' but both still highly effective.

IMA = MMA

When i say this it could be thought that I am jumping on the modern combative bang wagon, but nothing could be further from the truth! Mixed martial arts are thought of as a fairly new concept in the west. We think that this idea of cross training or looking at other arts is a modern phenomina brought about by the advent of the UFC. Nothing could be further from the truth. Long before the UFC, long before Bruce lee even ...  the ‘internal martial artists’ of china were cross training and exploring other arts with great enthusiasm.

A few examples:

The primary example of this ‘search and explore’ mentality would be Wan Lai sheng of the Ziranmen (Natural Boxing). His primary teacher was Du Xing Wu but he then went on to learn from a myriad of different teachers and meet many many other martial artists and specialists in various systems.  His books read much like Bruce lee’s Tao of Jeet Kune Do in their approach.

Then we have masters like Li Cun Yi, Sun Lu Tang, Zhang Zao Dong, Chen Pan Ling etc ... all very famous masters of various styles who cross trained extensively and met and learnt from many other fighters of their era .. that included Western Boxers and Wrestlers!! So this is the Tradition of the Internal Martial Arts.

It is very unfortunate that in many modern martial arts schools this spirit of freedom has been lost, with practitioners not looking beyond their primary style or practice and fervently defending their ‘lineage’ as the one true way. This is often at odds with the people who started the schools they train in!!

If our goal is to strive for ultimate efficiency then we must be free to go and explore, test, experience and train in any method, art, system or practice we choose ... with one Caveat!

You must have roots to your tree first. This is a vital point. To be able to determine what something is, how it works and how it may be useful you must reach a point where your own body map and motion sensitivity are of a good/ high level.

Sometimes you see people who struggle with the simplest of movements while others pick them up straight away. This is largely down to body awareness, sensory awareness and internal awareness. Once you have this root body skill you can make useful observations that you can feed into your own practice. Without it you are in a dark room fumbling for the light switch.

Once you have it though you can explore various other systems somewhat and feed useful information back into your own search for efficiency.

Although I would say my roots are Xing Yi Quan and Aiki, because i have developed a relatively good body map, in recent years i have trained with experts in Russian Martial Arts, I Liq Chuan, Tai Chi Chuan, Ba Gua, MMA and Brazilian JuJutsu and have picked up useful insights and information from all of them. Which leads on to the next point in the search for combat efficiency.

The search and explore mindset

One aspect of IMA’s as i know them that may go against most peoples idea of ‘traditional Martial Arts’ is what i call the ‘search and explore mindset’.  This is a vital part of the training in IMAs in my opinion and is central to developing combat functionality.

Traditionally the idea is to develop some skill in your chosen root method, then go off into the world to experience, test and explore all the Martial arts, artists and methods you could.

NOTE : There is simply no teaching method, no art, no system, not training methodology that can give you the skill and understanding gained from ‘experience’.

This search and explore mindset can lead you to street fighting, ‘door work’, fighting for others or yourself in a real and dangerous environment, to competitions and combat sports and many other testing grounds ... but it can equally lead you to interesting and well thought of figures in the Martial Arts from a variety of styles that have something connected to what you already know.

You may go to one person who is a throwing expert to feed experience and understanding back into the throwing of your personal method, or to a high level tactician for understanding fight craft, or to a Knife expert to get an appreciation of knife work and defence.

This ‘search and explore’ mindset doest take away from your status as an ‘internal martial artist’ for the overall goal remains throughout. You go through periods of training your stuff based on what you know, then go out and test and experience, then come back and train your stuff again. Its a very interesting traditional way of training.

Some may say, ‘you say you do xing yi but thats from judo’. That is only true from a certain point of view. I would say back to them ... "i do my own method, sure my root method was from Xing Yi but my method is my own.

Remember no martial art exists outside of the individual. The concept of a system is a human concept. Really we are all doing our own art!

Efficiency in combat – the fundamentals

Whole body power = The biggest bang for the least fatigue

This is something that is often discussed in Many martial arts but what do we mean when we talk about this from the IMA perspective.  Well it boils down to this difference ... in this instance when punching.

• Muscles firing sequentially, 1 then the next then the next,  from floor to hand(cracks in the system between muscle utilization)
• The body (muscle, connective tissue, bone, internal pressure) being utilized simultaneously without any gap or cracks.

With the right unification of the body through strengthening connective tissue, Aligning the joints, and releasing areas of built up tension we can begin to work with this idea of whole body power as it is meant in IMA. It can be used to drive whipping forces, waves, ramming forces  ... a true diversity of methods.

What will happen when this connection and whole body power begins to work? Ironically people will start to notice that you are very strong without trying and while appearing very relaxed.

This unified power is extremely useful as a general principle for all martial movement which is why it underpins everything we do in IMA (the search for efficiency). We are looking for the biggest bang for the least fatigue .

Change > dealing with the unpredictable.

“No plan survives contact with the enemy”

British military saying.

If there is one thing we can say for certain about real combat is that it is a largely unpredictable endeavour. It is impossible to plan or predict what an opponent will do or when they will do it!

So why do we see so many ‘applications’ where A stick out their arm and B performs 3 techniques to their 1? In ancient times this may have been applicable to sword work, but today we need a more innovative approach. It was this innovative approach that got the IMAists a name in old China.

The IMA’s approach this subject with a clear idea of using principles and the combat ready body rather than techniques to create combat functionality.

For instance Xing Yi’s 5 element fists, although they can be used as techniques for splitting, for drilling etc are also very useful as technical principles for dealing with the unpredictability of a combative encounter. They train the major directions that force can go out or come in and flow seamlessly. Similarly Ba gua 8 mother palms or Taiji’s 8 energies deal with principles of expression or receipt. Without the reliance on set responses you are freed to work as is appropriate to the moment rather than what you think the future moment may hold.

The idea central to IMA’s is this idea of Change in the moment. This can be brought out by structured free sparring drills and high speed training. You learn that the foundation in force vectors will stand you in good stead for dealing with the changes that naturally happen in combat and the more you train at real speeds the more your body will fall back on the lines that have been trained.

"you do not rise up to the occasion, you fall back to the lowest level of your training"

Balance

As mentioned in a previous post, One of the main aims of IMA’s is to keep the opponent in an unbalanced state by taking their centre. I define taking their centre thus:

‘Removing the opponents physical stability, their ability to control their support, balance, structure and mind to the point where they must recover before being able to act.’

I have covered some of the methods to do this in previous posts but here is an outline of why we would want to do this.

• It breaks the structure of the opponent in such a way that he cannot strike or throw you effectively.
• It creates opportunity to strike an unprepared structure. They cant brace to receive the hit.
• It allows you to throw/take down the opponent with relative ease.
• It disrupts the timing and rythm of the opponent.
• It can nullify Fighting intent (but doesn’t always).
• It causes a feeling of insecurity and loss of control.
• It triggers defensive reaction instead of offensive.
• It buys you time in an encounter to bring the situation under your control.

Remembering the defining principle of ‘efficiency’ we can say that all of these things help us to dispatch an aggressor more efficiently than if they were fully balanced and capable of applying force as they wished.

Mind

The will and willingness to fight when it is needed is a very big stumbling block for alot of people. To take that step to really inflict injury on someone else. This is however the trade of the martial artists.

There are essential a few different ways to approach the mental requirement for a combat ready state:

1. Hunting animal mindset - focused, straight to the point and lacking emotional attachment to the situation, getting the job done. (professional Mindset)

2 The fighting animal Mindset - Extreme channelled violent focus.

3. Awareness mindset - No attachment to the an idea of outcome. Working from a position of awareness in the moment.

Most of the fighters of the world you can place into one of these 3 categories or for some fighters you can place them in all three! But from the IMA Point of view we are looking mainly at fighters in the 1^st and 3^rd category. These mindsets fit better with the overall idea of efficiency and lack of tension.

It is important to mention when talking about mindset that this is something that we have to live with in every aspect of our life. It has to be utilitarian in nature, something that can be worked into the process of daily living, something that is natural. It has to help our efficiency in every day life.

With this in mind, for most people, the best mindset to have is the Awareness mindset. His allows us to live in the moment dealing with situations as and when they arise. Not waiting for that spark when the fight breaks out like it could happen any minute. For some people that is the way to be fight ready and it works very well for them.

If we live with awareness mindset then we can combine that with ‘Hunting’ mindset should a problem arise. Then we have the practice of ‘active awareness’ where we are working to finish the job while not planning past the moment.

Awareness boils down to lack of disturbance or distraction. So meditation is a key aspect of training to quiet the mind and remove the disturbance of future or past related thoughts.  For many IMAists Meditation is the key way to bring about mental efficiency.

Next Up – Efficiency every day.

Taking the Centre idea 1 - Leading the Centre

The first method for taking the centre i would like to discuss is the method of leading or re-directing the opponents mass, direction or support into ‘emptiness’.

This sounds fairly complicated to the uninitiated i am sure but it is something we have all felt from time to time. Imaging going to lean on a wall without thinking to much and it being a foot further than you assumed, or that feeling when we climb unfamiliar stairs in the dark, stepping on the last step that isn’t there. This is the feeling of falling into emptiness and is partially the feeling we look to recreate with this method of Leading the opponent.

For this method to work we obviously need to have something to lead so to discuss this method i will break it down into what types of things you can lead or do to create an opportunity to lead. Note that all of these methods mix together into one dynamic method of leading the opponents centre and are not to be thought of in isolation.

1. Leading a movement

This is arguably one of the simplest methods of leading the opponent into emptiness and it is seen in many  arts, especially those involved in throwing or taking the opponent down. I define this method of leading thus:

“Capturing an opponent’s movement during its trajectory and redirecting it into space where the opponents centre must compensate.”

This method can be broken down into two distinct parts. 1) capturing the opponents movement. 2) leading that movement.

Both of these things are far easier said than done, and dont work in all situations. Essentially what we are talking about here is recognising a direction of force from contact and then altering it so that it extends to a place where the opponent is not.

It is important to understand that this is not really possible from visual acuity. It requires, in most cases, a point of contact. Luckily the opponent will be striving to touch you in some way, be it a strike a grab or a shot so we are nearly always in a favourable position to use the method from a point of contact.

Exercises to try:

1) Redirect/Lead a push

This simple drill is a good basic introduction to this concept but can be refined and refined until it is quite subtle.

a.       You partner stands feet shoulder width, then steps forward trying to push your chest. Make sure this is a single step and push. The structure should be strong and powerful, not loose and floppy.

b.      From a natural stance you firstly try to connect with his arm as early as possible. Then as the power extends towards you redirect is softly to the opponents front.

c.       Reduce the power you need to do this more and more until it is extremely soft

d.      The aim is for the opponent to have to take a step to regain their balance or for them to go to the balls of their feet.

2Shoulder Barge
This drill teaches subtle redirection using the body specifically. You have to maintain contact and control of the opponents centre and recognise the forward force immediately.

a.       Stand one leg forward one back arms down opponent stands in the same stance, shoulders touching

b.      Opponent shuffles forward and bumps through your shoulder line with his.

c.       You rotate your Axis, and touch the opponents back with your opposite hand.

d.      The aim is for the opponents forward force to be converted to a force into the space infront of him making him go to tiptoes or take a step.

3)      Grip Leading
This is a fun, free training method that really boosts your ability to listen and lead the opponents centre when they apply forces.

a.       Both of you are working to off balance the other here.

b.      Take the same stance (forward back, front on, one leg! You can play with different stances)

c.       Your right hands grip the opponents left wrists (and change after some time)

d.      Then start to move the free hand to pull push the opponents structure around.

e.      Feel the directions of force and lead the opponent into emptiness.

f.        The aim is for the opponent to step or go to heals or toes.

2. Leading a response.

This method is extremely useful for creating the right conditions for an opponent’s centre to be led. It revolves around the natural body reaction of tissues forming up behind a point of excess pressure in order to provide support to the structure and maintain the structural integrity. I define this method of leading thus:

“The method of creating a consolidating response in the opponent and then leading the resulting return to the normal state’

This method can be broken down into 3 parts. 1) apply a force to the opponents frame 2) release the force 3) lead the resulting return to a natural position.

We mainly use this if the opponent is not moving towards you or is maintaining a position, however it can also be used to take an opponent off balance before an encounter happens. A friend of mine who had never done any martial arts but was a long time bouncer had a favoured method that included a very similar principle. He would put his hand gently on the chest of someone that was confrontational, as they talked and waved their arms around they wouldn’t notice they naturally increased the pressure on his hand. When he had enough he would remove the support and turn to take them to the floor in one motion. He was leading their return (actually they over stretched and were not returning but more falling from the removed support ... i will talk about this another time! ;) ). This is a good example of this principle in action, although a slightly crude example for an opponent with no ‘mind’.

We can create a similar situation when we apply a small force through a point of contact. The tricky bit here is you can’t just push the arm as it will move ... you have to put a pressure through their entire structure.

Exercises to try:

1)      Pressing the body
This is a very simple way of feeling the opponent ‘form up’ behind a contact point then recognising the resulting return to centre.

a)      Your partner takes a natural standing position, not a fighting stance

b)      You place your palm on their chest, back, shoulder etc and apply a very gentle pressure to their structure.

c)       Feel the line form up through their body as you apply pressure,

d)      Release the pressure suddenly and observe the body reaction

e)      Now release with control and try to capture that release and push with the other hand align their return line

2)      Pressing the Guard
Here we make a point of contact with the guard and apply a moment of force through their structure, before releasing. Then we must hook onto their structure and lead them off balance as they attempt to regain.

a)      Opponent takes a guard stance

b)      From your guard, put your hand over their guard hand and cover downwards

c)       Aim to find the line into their body and not just affect their arm

d)      Release the pressure as you lead them to their ‘off balance point’ (please read the three pillars of throwing post for information on this.)

e)      Play about with this method while moving, while covering strikes etc.

3)      Close grappling
This training method is used in stand up grappling. Here we want to apply a force in through there structure then as they return we add to the movement and apply the three pillars of throwing and take downs.

a)      Start from elbow to elbow or knee to knee range.

b)      Opponent trys to hold onto you/grab and smother you.

c)       Your aim is to find a good place to apply pressure to their structure

d)      Then release and apply the 3 principles of throwing or take down. ‘off balance point’ ‘remove support’ ‘manipulate structure’

2. Leading the mind.

As esoteric as this method might initially sound it has far more to do with instinctual reaction and visual sensitivity than it does anything mystical. The basis of this method is the ideas of ‘support’, ‘security’ and ‘threat’. I define this method thus:

“The method of creating a mental response to a perceived thread, point of support or positional security that then manifests in the body as tension or movement”

This method is often very useful in the first few seconds of an encounter or before the encounter goes physical. After that point the mental receptiveness of the opponent may not be there to pick up on the presented threat level or capturing methods.

So how is this done? Well there are a number of methods that are used to create a mental response that manifests in the body. For instance if i lift my foot to kick you in the balls you may well react. That is me affecting your body through your perception and that is the sort of method we can take advantage of in this instance.

Unfortunately I am not a good enough wordsmith to put this information into a usable format for people. But if you try the methods above you may start to understand the way the mind is effected by the lack of physical balance. The method of leading the mind is like turning that process around and putting the mind before the body as the point under attack and out of balance.

Summary

So we now have three methods of ‘leading the centre’

“Capturing an opponent’s movement during its trajectory and redirecting it into space where the opponents centre must compensate.”

“The method of creating a consolidating response in the opponent and then leading the resulting return to the normal state’

“The method of creating a mental response to a perceived thread, point of support or positional security that then manifests in the body as tension or movement”

It is a fun and useful practice to try. I hope its helpful.

Next ... Projecting the centre (finding the line through)

Taking the centre (part 1)

Taking the centre of the opponent is a concept common to many martial arts. Some styles may call it taking the balance, some may call it contorting the structure and these are certainly aspects of ‘taking the centre’ as we mean it in the internal arts. But there can be more to this concept than these ideas. In these posts i will try to outline some of the many ideas associated with ‘Taking the centre’.

Firstly some definitions:

Centre.
This is open to interpretation depending on the theory of your style. But for now let define the centre thus:

‘A state where the Mind is in control of the body support, balance and structure creating a physical  stability’

Taking

Here we mean to bring something under our control, or take it away from the opponent.

Taking the Centre

So we can define taking the centre as:

‘Removing the opponents physical stability, their ability to control their support, balance, structure and mind to the point where they must recover before being able to act.’

Why take the centre?

Before i get into how we take the centre of the opponent, i think it is useful to ask the question of why do we aim to take the centre of the opponent.  In my opinion it boils down to these reasons:

1. It breaks the structure of the opponent in such a way that he cannot strike or throw you effectively.
2.  It creates opportunity to strike an unprepared structure. They cant brace to receive the hit.
3.  It allows you to throw/take down the opponent with relative ease.
4. It disrupts the timing and rythm of the opponent.
5. It can nullify Fighting intent (but doesn’t always).
6.  It causes a feeling of insecurity and loss of control.
7.  It triggers defensive reaction instead of offensive.
8.  It buys you time in an encounter to bring the situation under your control.

So here we have an outline of the aims and benefits of taking the opponents centre as i see them. In the next post i will discuss in detail the first method of taking the centre.

Stay Tuned!

Internal Training Exercises

Here are some of the basic internal training methods I have developed and been working on. I am not so good at them yet but they may be useful for some of you out there looking for internal training

The devil is in the detail with all these of course and over the coming months i will take each of these 5 exercises and put a detailed description of what they are and how they should be trained online.

1. Body cross
2. Body row
3. Pushing mud
4. Slapping water
5. Horizontal coil

Slow training for increased awareness

Awareness is one of the key points of IMA training, be that situational awareness, awareness of our body state or awareness of the moment in combative encounter. How can we really train to enhance our awareness in a free fighting / sparring setting?

Here is an interesting idea for increasing combative competency  through increased awareness.

Higher Speed >lower awareness of force and lines

Lower Speed < higher awareness of force and lines.

This principle of slowing the real fight down to increase our awareness of the nuances’ of the movement encounter may seem somewhat strange to some of the MMA or Sport fighting guys out there but lets examine what slowing the encounter down during training helps us with.

1. Increased ability of the mind to calculate angular change and movement
2.  More opportunity to become ‘in tune’ with the attacker
3.  Longer opportunity to pattern the attacker or break/change rythms.
4.  Awareness of the moment becomes more prolonged

The overriding difficulty with slow mo training is our ability to control ourselves. It is very easy to get excited and change speed. When you see a gap you shoot a fist through it 4 times as fast as the partner was moving!

It is ok, even good, to be quicker than your partner but you will never be 4 or 5 times as quick at real speeds so we need to keep our excitement in check.

Training at slow speeds should be a mutual ‘game’ of stratergy and awareness of the moment. If we work slowly with this idea of ‘play’ then the problem of ‘winning’ can disappear.

Try some slow sparring and see how you get on, after 20 – 30 minutes speed up to full speed and see whats changed. Your overall awareness and movement skill should have increased dramatically.

Leaking power

One interesting topic when we look at how movement and body mechanics work to provide optimum force is the idea of force leaking from individual joints during movement. These movements often contradict the overall goal of a movement and are normally confined to a single joint. They can be thought of as cracks or breaks in the power of a motion. Although small in volume the leaking of power from, for instance the elbow, can result in much lower overall efficiency of the limb at transmitting force in a certain direction.

For instance we say that Pi Quan in xing yi has the ‘heavy elbow’ in order to keep the direction of force down and maintain the optimum amount of power expressible in the required direction. However this Pi Quan movement gives us a good opportunity to examine what is meant by power leaking from a joint.

In the example below we see a diagram of Pi quan with heavy elbow, and pi quan with extending elbow.

In Figure 1, we see the back arm drawing back and around and the entire high arm structure maintaining its angles and expressing cleanly downward with no power leaking in the upward direction.

However in figure 2  we see a flatter expression of Pi Quan where the elbow is being used to extend the power forward. In this example the result is a leaking of power in the upward direction from the elbow. This ‘up’ force expression in the elbow will reduce the total ‘down’ force in the Pi Quan movement. This is an example of force leaking from a single joint within the totality of the movement.

It is possible to extend the elbow while minimising the amount of force lose within this movement. You have to be aware of when the tendons are still in use and when they are too extended to be utilised. It is important that the nature of the frame is recognised and the force isn’t allowed to extend too far outside of the structure.

This is not to say that the there shouldn’t sometimes be opposite directional forces in movement, indeed there normally SHOULD be opposite forces happening. What this highlights is essentially a crack or break in the efficiency of the body mechanics.

Such leaking force occurrences are normally limited to a single joint or single point of the body. Our aim is to minimise these occurrences of force leaking out of our frame and maximise the body mechanics at work.

Check your frame in your art and see if you can feel where power is leaking from certain areas of the body.

Happy training.

Chris

Developing the Legs (Part 1)

One of the key methods in Martial arts training, especially when you read about the old masters, is the development of the legs through deep stance training and a lot of hard focused work!  Often you hear that an IMA master would have spent many years training an external style and mastering its basic foundation training before moving into IMAs. Much of that time would have been devoted to training the legs so that the tree has good roots.

Beyond Kicking there are plenty of good reasons to develop good leg skill. We need good legs to transmit and receive force from the earth,  we need them for good powerful and connected footwork, we need to them to lift and throw people ... the list is a long one!

But what attributes are we specifically trying to develop in our leg training, well here are a few of them:

- Freedom of movement and mobility in the joints,

- Strong lines of connection 

- Endurance

- Power

- Sensitivity.

How do we train the legs to achieve these things?

Here are some basic training exercises to help develop functional leg skill and bring out some of the above attributes.

SQUATS

Clearly the Squat is one of the most fundamental excersises no matter what the discipline. It is a great tool for developing leg strength and how to align the bones of the legs with your direction of force. However beyond the basic squat we have several other ways in which we can train this basic exercise.

- Speed variation

Try performing a squat with variation in speed. You may go down very slowly and then shoot back up, you may fall into the squat as if someone took away your support then stand very slowly. There are a lot of ways you can try this .. but here are a couple of specific drills which are both challenging and useful.

1. 30 breath squat

Perform 1 squat but take 15 breaths to sink and 15 breaths to rise. This should be a very smooth and slow motion with not jerks or pauses.

2. 5 as fast as you can then 1 slow

Perform 5 full squats as fast as you can remembering to breath, then perform 1 squat with 5 breaths down 5 up. 

3. Explosiveness

Using a jump squat drop down very slowly, as soon as you reach the bottom point explode up into a jump, when you land again, very slow drop.

- Height Variation and holds

One very useful way to mix up your squat training is to hold the position every so often at different heights during the squat. Try the exercises below:

1. Step and Squat height variations

Take a forward step and then make a full squat, another forward step 2/3 squat, anther ½ squat, another 1/3rd ... Then turn around and repeat backwards.

2. Hold variations.

No in a static position try to hold  the ½ squat position for 5 seconds as you go down into a full squat. Then the same when you come back up. You can hold for longer and longer or at different points in the squat range.

Integrate breath

Clearly we need to breath to live! But when we  train any sort of loading exercise it can be useful and increase your performance if you actively think about how your breathing as you move through the exercise. The squat is a very useful exercise to start this training on as it acts very much like a pump, changing the pleasures in the body as you move through the exercise. Try these ways to begin to integrate your breath and movement.

1. Breath Pump

As you squat breath out for the entirety of the movement, then as you stand breath in! Its fairly simple, but you should remember that the breath should go out for the WHOLE movement down and in for the WHOLE movement up. Focus deeply on this cycle and repeat very gently and slowly for 8 repetitions. 

2. Listening to the Natural Breath 

The natural breath is what your Body requires in terms of oxygen. This natural cycle is very smooth and precise when there are no mental/physical blockages making the breath become stuck. Try performing relatively slow squats and breathing in accordance with your bodies requirements. Here you are merely watching what your body does and not trying to enforce any set breathing pattern. 

Breath integration can be continued in all exercises but it is good to start out with something very simple like a squat.

HIP MOBILITY AND LEG CONTROL

One of the most important factors in training the legs is training their ability to move and change direction at will. There are some very simple exercises that help to build the mobility attribute.

1. Leg hanging & swinging

This method is used to help the hip joint soften up and move unimpeded in its joint.

- Stand on a step with on foot on the step the other off the edge, so the edge of the step should be on along the inside of the supporting foot leaving the other leg hanging.

- Ensure the pelvis is level and that you have something to hold onto for support.

- Gentely swing the leg back and forth, extremely softly. 

- Focus deeply on the hip and release any built up tension with each out breath.

- Repeat for an equal amount of time on each side.

2. Tag the Target

This exercise is suprising demanding to do well! It is a simple game of touching targets that you have laid out for yourself with your big toe.

- Pin small circles of paper to a wall (or use post-it notes) These should range from next to the floor to hip height . You can extend this to shoulder height when you get better.

- Stand close enough to the wall so that you can touch it with your big toe with a bent leg.

- Stand on one leg ensuring that the pelvis stays level. Touch the targets in a random order continuously without dropping the foot to the floor for 30 seconds.

- Change legs

Note: Make sure that you are not leaning the body or tilting the pelvis as you go through the exercise.

3. Kick Walks

This one can look a little funny but has great benefits to the mobility and movement involving the Psoas and adductor muscles.

- stand feet together body upright

- Without adjusting the body at all or moving the arms or pelvis raise the knee and kick out the front holding the leg in place. Knee should be bent and the feeling of lifting should be in the hip. 

- Holding the leg up allow the body to fall forward so that you end in a front lunge with the kicking leg supporting.

- The rear hip should be open and stretched

- Pulling up with the original kicking leg drag the rear leg up and then kick up forward. 

- Repeat the process

4. Leg rolling Adductor/Abductor

Very simple exercise this but it can cause some difficulty in the rest of the body.

- standing on one leg raise the knee out too the side as high as possible.

- swipe inwards with the leg until it is just past straight ahead .

-drop the knee back in line with the standing leg and then repeat.

Be sure to change direction as well to work the outside muscles.

One important point with this exercise is to not have any resulting movement visible in the rest of the body. Make the body tight and tied together so that the arms are not flapping around and your not leaning or wobbling around.

In part 2 i will aim to talk about Power, Sensitivity and Connection training methods related to developing the legs for Martial Arts. Try the exercises above for a month and let me know how you get on. I think you will find a good improvement in mobility and strength fairly quickly.

Fascia 'fuzz' release

This is an interesting video showing the Fascial 'fuzz' that builds in between the body sliding surfaces when we are at rest or when we are injured and movement is inhibited.

I think this very nicely highlights the usefulness of integrating bodywork and movement into your daily routine.

NOTE: this video does show cadaver portions.

The frame from the ground up. (part 1)

The initial ability to stand with a functional frame is an important first stage in IMA body methods.
I thought i would throw up a quick post on some of the points for setting up the body frame ready for standing or movement practice. There is much greater detail that can be discussed, especially in terms of how the anatomical lines spiral and link to each other. But to begin with lets talk about the basics.

1. Feet
The feet are your best receptor for recognising how your body weight is paced. Listen to what the feet tell you in terms of position of pressure. The foot provides and all round receptor to feel motion forward back and side to side. The primary contact points of the feet are generally the toes, metatarsal heads (ball of the foot),  Outer longitudinal Arch and the heal.
To help us recognise and find the central point in relation to the feet, rock back and forward, making the movement smaller and smaller until you arrive at the central point with the balance evenly distributed. Repeat this rocking side to side.

2. The Toes
The toes play a very important role in how the foot connects with the earth. They help to control balance and stability but also allow us to connect more securely with the ground itself. We should lightly grasp the earth as if the feet were plungers or suckers.  This has the effect of activating the ‘bubbling well’ point just back from the metatarsal heads in the centre of the foot, which increases the connection with the earth.

3. Knees
The knee alignment is of huge importance when working with static postures or slow movement training when load is constant. We need to make sure that the knees follow their correct path. The Knee is in essence a weigh transfer joint, allowing articulation in a very strict limited direction, when compared to the hip for example which is what I call a movement joint. If we try to make the knees go in directions outside of this plane they will suffer tissue damage.
To maintain the proper alignment we should make sure than the knee follows the line of the big toe. The knee should be softly bent and relaxed, not locked or overly flexed so that the thigh muscles are working a lot.

4. Pelvis and related level
The pelvis is the base of the body lines. It is a very important area to set up correctly when starting to work with internal body mechanics. We need to look at the tissues surrounding the pelvis as well as the connections too it and the position of the bones themselves in order to set the rest of the body us correctly.
a. Relax the Glutimus Maximus. Your buttocks should be soft and relaxed, this will have the effect of helping to drop the coccyx down levelling up the pelvis.
b. Relax and open the Inguinal Crease. Also known as the Kwa we need to relax this meeting point of the thigh with the hips and let this crease naturally open up. This will further let the pelvis sink and sit naturally.
c. Pull up through the inside line of the legs. This will have the effect of stabilizing and ‘setting up’ the lower frame like the arch of a bridge and will help to maintain exchange up through the Hui Yin (perineum) point.

5. lower back and lower abdominals.
To help the pelvis find the right position we need to release and control the postion and state of the lower trunk of the body. There are two major areas to focus on. The Thoracolumbar Fascia plays an important role in correctly relaxing the lower back. This may take some time to come under conscious control so that you can release the area and allow the pelvis to hand in the correct position.  Also relaxing the transverse abdominis will allow the pelvis to sit even further down in a pendulum style position from the spine.

6. Spine
The spine should be straightened smoothing out the lumbar curve somewhat. But this should not be an enforced process of reversing the curves. The method is to lengthen the spine from the crown of the head. As we have already relaxed the structures around the pelvis the lower back should be relatively flat anyway. So the focus should be on extending to the top of the head, eliminating the outward curve of the upper back and inward curve of the neck. The feeling of pulling the chin in helps to open up the neck somewhat.

7. Rib cage
we want to aim for balance in the setting up of the frame, therefor its important not to collapse the chest inwards or puff it out. But rather keep it naturally in the centre. The rib cage will sit naturally allowing the diaphragm to work well aand keeping preasure of f the lungs and heart. When done correctly the chest will seem to hollow ( not cave in but become hollow inside) and the internal body weight will sink to the lower abdomen.
The other important point here is that the upper back remains naturally centred as well. The back should not be curved out or flexed back.

8. Scapular
The connection through the top of the back between the sides of the body is an important area to ‘set up’ in this initial building of the frame. The scapular should sit flat to the back, sunk and in towards the spine without undue tension in the creation of the posture. This will have the effect of pulling the shoulders back slightly in their socket and allowing the chest to be natural.

9. Shoulders and Arms
The shoulders are important as they are the movement joint for the arms much like the role of the hips for the legs. The shoulders should be sat down in position with the Trapezius muscle very soft and open. The more the shoulders are pulled up by the traps the less connected to the body frame they will be.
The result of correctly seated shoulders is that the arms should have the sensation of ‘filling up’ . Here we need to release the elbow joint by softening as much as possible and letting gravity do its work. The same is true of the wrist and finger joints.

10. Neck, face and head
The head and especially the face is often full of unrecognised tension and emotional residual tensions. If we are going to work freely we need to begin to desolve these points of tension from the outset. Practice releasing the Neck, then the face, then the tissue over the skull with every out breath. As you relax more and more the entire frame should start to be felt as a single unit. Allowing you to begin whatever work your going to start.

As i say there is a lot more detail that we can go into .. in Part two we will talk about.
- Drawing up with the legs,
- Arms and legs like drills
- Winding around the body
- Ming Men and Taodao
- Breath integration
- Intent driven structure setting.

Happy training