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ByJoeVaradyINTRODUCTIONFormillennia,aroundcampfiresandingreathallstheworldover,storieshavebeentoldoflegendaryheroes,menandwomenofincredibleabilitywhoaccomplishedfantasticfeatsworthyoftaleandretelling.Inthatsametradition,talesofgreatmartialartsmastershavebeenpasseddownattributingtothemwondrousskillsandmiraculouspowers.Thesewerelaterexaggeratedinmartialartsfilmsforentertainmentpurposes,butattherootofeverystorylayakerneloftruth.Somemartialartsmasterswereabsolutelyfanaticalintheirtraining,andbecameseeminglysuperhumanintheirabilities.Couldtheyhavepassedonsecretknowledgeinthemartialsystemstheyspawned?Itisrumoredthat,eventoday,secrettechniques,aconcepttheJapaneserefertoasokuden(hiddenteachings),stillexistintheAsianmartialarts.Itistruethatforoverathousandyears,inChinaandelsewhere,itwasnotunusualforwarriorswhoreliedontheirparticularmartialartfortheirverysurvivaltokeepcertainkeytechniquesorprinciplesveryprivate.Thosetechniquesthatwereespeciallyeffectiveweretaughtonlytothemosttrustedofstudents,iftheywereevertaughtatall.Theywereneversharedwithoutsiders,whomightlatermisusetheknowledgeoruseitagainstthem.TheconceptofokudenwasespeciallyusefultotheOkinawanswhentheyintroducedKaratetoJapaninthe1920sand30s.CenturiesofbrutaloppressionhadmadetheOkinawansdistrustfuloftheJapanese,wholookeddownonthemasgaijin.ItwouldseemthatGichenFunakoshiandotherOkinawankaratemasterstaughttheJapanesethemovestothekaratekata,butdidnotexplainthebunkai,orapplications,thatmadethemeffectiveforfighting.Thosetechniqueswerekeptsecretandtaughtonlytothemostseniorandtrustedstudents.Today,therearepeoplewhobelievethesesecretteachingsstillexist;indeedtherearethosewhobelievethatnomartialartcanbecompletewithoutthem.

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Sowhat,then,aretheokuden,orhiddenteachings,containedinCuongNhu'sKarate-dokata?Thekataofalllinear,hardkaratestylessharethesameguidingprinciplesthatmakethemintoeffectivemethodsofself-defense.Thefactisthat,today,inourstyleaswellasothers,whatwasoncekeptsecretisnowtaughtopenly.Okudenisnolongerasecretknowledge,butaleveloftraining.The“hiddentechniques”ofCuongNhu'shardstylearetheadvancedprinciplesthatmakethekataapplications,orbunkai,practicalandbrutallyeffective.Inhisbook,TheMysteryofOkuden,CharlesJamesstates:

“Shodenisatermusedfor'abeginning',chudenfor'intermediate',andokudenisusedformore'advanced'instructionallevels.Thecombinationofshoden,chuden,okudenisthe'Way.'Itmerelymeansthattheothersideofthebasicshasmoremeaningthatwilleventuallycometothepractitionerastheyreachalevelintrainingthatwillrevealtheadvanced.Aninstructorcantellyouandexplaintoyouthoseadvancedaspectsoftheart,yetwhenitcomestodoingtheadvanced,astudentwillfinditcomplexandoverwhelming.Thisiswhywehavebeginner,intermediate,andadvancedtraininginanyart.”

Ihavefoundthatourkatacontainmuch"hiddentechnique."AsIjuststated,it'snotreally"hidden"atall,butunlessoneistaughtthetechniques,itisunlikelyonewouldstumbleupontheirdeeper,more“threedimensional”(3-DasOSenseiDongNgousedtorefertothem)applicationsthatmakethemespeciallyeffective.Anoverviewofkeyconceptscontainedinourformsstartswithforwardflowingenergy,orchungchi,asseeninthePinanformswherewealmostalwaysmoveforward,intotheopponent,evenwhenblockingorbeingdefensive.Therefore,movingintotheopponent'sattackisanimportantconceptthatmustbethoroughlyunderstoodifoneexpectstofindanymeaninginourhardstyleforms.Thekeywordsherearespeedandmomentum,aspowerisgeneratedbyacceleratingyourbodymassintothetarget,aidedbytechniquessuchasthe“switchstep.”Anotherconceptcalledforcesummationandthekineticchainisaimedathelpingyougetthemost“bangforyourbuck”,thatis,maximumresultswithminimumeffort.Whichleadsusintoananalysisofalignmentandstructure,forpowercanbelostmucheasierthanitcanbegenerated.Anotherideacrucialtomakinghardstylekataeffectiveisthesimplifiedconceptofgeneralizeddefense,beingabletoeffectivelyapplythesamemovetoawidevarietyofattacks;ablockisnotalwaysablockandapunchisnotalwaysapunch.Thereactionhandplaysacriticalrole,eitherastheprimaryblockinglimbasseenwhenapplyingthedoubleblockingprinciple,orasagraspingandpullinghand,hikite,whichshouldtwistaswellaspull(3-D),breakingtheopponent'sbalance(kuzushi)andbasinghimforyoustrike.Basingisnotlimitedtohikite,however.Whenyouhitsomeone,muchofyourenergyislostastheopponent'sbodymoves.Knowledgeofproperbasingallowsyoutoalmostdoublethepoweryoucanputintoatarget.Vitalpointstriking,hittinganopponentinaspecificspotinaparticularwayfordevastatingeffect,alsobecomesimportantinthefinaltransferofenergyintothetarget.Footsweepsandstickylegtechniques,knownaschigerk,attackandcontroltheopponent’slowerbodyatthesametimethatyouareattackinghighwithyourhands.Finally,recyclingisthetacticofusinganopponent’sbodyasaweaponviaatakedown,throw,orprojection,andisespeciallyusefulinmultipleopponentscenarios.Finally,youmustadoptamindsetoffocusedintensity.Understandingeachoftheseconceptsisveryimportanttoyourunderstandingofhardstyle,linearkarate.Indeed,theyarethevery“hiddentechniques”thataresoughtforbysomany!Wehavequitealottoexamine,solet’sgetstarted.

Thebestwaytounderstandanyconceptistogainfirsthandexperiencebyexperimentingwithityourself.OSenseiwasfondofsaying,“Youhear,youforget;yousee,youremember;youdo,you

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understand.”Thiswastoexpresstoteachersthattalkingaboutatechniquewastheleastusefulmethodofteachingaphysicaltechnique.Showingthestudent,firstatfullspeedandthenmoreslowly,allowsthemtobetterprocessandreplicatethemovement,butwhenthestudentactuallydoesthetechniquethemselves,theyactuallyfeelthemovementforthemselves,allowingthemamuchdeeperunderstandingthancouldeverbeachievedthroughobservationalone.Therefore,itisimperativethatyouinvestigateeachoftheseconceptsyourselfoverseveralsessionsifyouareevertounderstandthem,andinmostcases,overseveralyearsbeforeyoucanclaimanysortofproficiencyintheirexecution.

Tohelpyouassimilatetheconceptswewilllookateachseparately,althoughyouwillnoticethatthereismuchoverlapbetweenthem.Eachisasmallcomponentinaholisticapproachtomakingyourbodyintoaneffectiveweaponofkarate-do.

ChungChi

Inthemartialartsyoumustlearntouseyourbody’senergy.ChungchiisaTaiChitermfor“middleenergy”,thatis,neithertoolittlenortoomuch.IfirstbecameawareofthisconceptthroughmytraininginWingChunKungFu,whereitwasreferredtoas“forwardflowingenergy”,andithasbecomeanintegralpartofeverythingthatIdoinallthedifferent“styles”thatIstudy.Infact,properuseofyourbody’senergyisbasictotheproperperformanceofallmartialarts.Inkaratekatawecanseethepractitioneralmostalwaysmovingintotheopponent,takingtheinitiativebyjammingtheincomingattackbeforeswiftlycounterattacking.ThisisthebasicstrategyoftheTaikyokuandPinankata.Thestrategiesandtacticsofmovingintotheopponent'sattackmustbethoroughlyexaminedifoneexpectstofindanymeaninginthesehardstyleforms.Thisisactuallyveryeasytounderstandandutilizeincomparisontothestrategiesandtacticsofsoftstyleswhichaimtoquietlyintercept,combinewith,andredirectanopponent’senergy,whichrequiresnotmerelythemasteryofforwardflowingenergy,butthemasteryofamultitudeofenergycircuitsmovinginalldirections.

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InTaiChi,theconceptofchungchiistaughtbyvisualizingyourbody’senergyemanatingfromtheareaofthekidneys,thenflowingevenlythroughouttherestofthebody.Halfoftheenergyflowsupyourtorsotosplitevenlydowneacharm.Theotherhalfoftheenergyflowsevenlydownbothlegsintotheground.Youarerootedandstrong,butnotimmobileortense.InbothTaiChiChuanandWingChunkungfu,thestrategyistomakecohesionwiththeopponent,allowingyoutosensehisbody’sweaknessesinstructureandalignmentthroughdirectcontact(touch)andthencounterattackbyflowingthroughholessensedintheopponent’sguard.Bothstylesareexpressingthesameconcept,onlyinslightlydifferentways.InWingChun,theenergyiscombinedwithcenterlineprincipleandchanneleddirectlyintotheopponent,thusthemis-translationof“middleenergy”as“forwardflowingenergy”,butagain,neithertoolittlenortoomuchenergyisapplied.

WingChunandTaiChilackonethingthatkaratepossesses,however,andthatispowergeneratedthroughforwardmomentum.Onceyouhaveanunderstandingofthemorestaticversionofchungchi,youcanlearntoflowyourenergyforwardthroughyourstanceandintotheopponentusingthedramaticfootworkcharacteristicofkarate.Thisforwardmovementofyourbody,combinedwithaninnerfeelingofchungchi,turnyourbodyintosomethingofatank,allowingyoutousetheweightofyourbodytoitsgreatestadvantage.Youmightnotbeinvincible,butyoushouldhavethefeelingofbeing“armored”andabletoexertyourwillupontheopponent.

Thisbringsustoanotherinterestingaspectofchungchi.Couldchi,orkiinJapanese,transcendsthephysical?ProfessorErnieCatesrecountedhowheusedittowinhisjudomatchesbeforeheeverenteredthering,by“ki-ing”hisopponentwithhiseyes.Histechniqueservedhimwelluntilthedaythatheenteredtheringtofindhisopponentki-inghimback!

SpeedandMomentum

IfIthrowabulletatyourchest,itmighthurtabit.IfIshootitatyouwithaslingshot,itwillhurtalotmore.IfIshootthatsamebulletatyouwithagun,itcouldeasilykillyou.Thedifferenceisspeed,andthekeytospeedisrelaxation.

Tounderstandspeed,youmustunderstandhowthebodymakeseachmotion.Everyactioninvolvesthetensingofmuscles,butnotallmusclesareneededforeverymotion.Protagonisticmusclesarethosemusclegroupsthathelpyoumakeaparticularmotion,whileantagonisticmusclesworkagainstyourintendedmotionandmustremainrelaxedinorderforyoutobefast.Sinceeachmovementrequiresdifferentmusclegroups,youmust,throughself-exploration,examineandidentifywhichmusclesareusedtoexecuteeachtechnique,andlearntorelaxthosemusclesthatarenotcontributingtothetechnique.Thefocusattheendofastrike(kime)comesfromthesuddentensingoftheantagonisticmuscles,actingasa“brake”tostopyourtechnique.Thistensingofthewholebodyatthemomentofimpactbringsthepowertoasuddenhalt,creatingafocusedstrike.

Evenwhenexecutedwithperfecttechnique,thespeedofyourmuscleshasanupperlimit.Theonlywaytoaddfurtherspeedtothestrikeistoaddmomentumbymovingyourentirebody.Imagineforamomentthatyoucanthrowaballat50milesperhour.Ifyougetinacarmovingat50milesanhourandthenthrowtheballoutofthewindowaheadofthecar,theballwillnowbe

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movingatcloseto100milesperhour.Thisishowmomentumofyourbodycanaddspeedtoyourstrike.

Youmustmoveyourbodyperpendicularlytothetargetsothepowergeneratedfrommovementcanbedirectedalongtheattackinglimbandintotheopponent.ThisistheingredientthatmadekarateuniqueamongAsianmartialarts.TheuseofthelegsandboldfootworkseenintheTaikyokuandPinankatagetyourentirebodymovingquicklyandpowerfullybehindthestrike,generatingtremendouspower.

ForceSummationandtheKineticChain

Theprimarytacticofhardstyle,linearkarate,theonethathasmadekaratesoeffective,ishittingwithdebilitatingpower.Basicphysicsteachesusthatforceequalsmasstimesacceleration.Whilethisisrelevantonabasicscale,whendealingwithstaticmassesandconstantforces,themartialartsaspectofthisbasiclawisperhapsbetterunderstoodintermsofmomentumandenergytransferthroughwhatbiomechanicsreferstoasthekineticchain.Eachelementaddedtothekineticchainaddstotheoverallenergyexpendituretodeliverthestrike.Whattechniquesaimtodoismaximizetheenergyoutputofthekineticchainthroughmostefficientuseofbodystructure.Whilethisstillrequiresanamountofenergythatisnotinsubstantial,theoutputismaximizedthroughefficientmotiongainedthroughpropertraining.Therefore,youmustfirstlearntocommitasmuchofyourbody’smasstothetechniqueaspossible,thenworkonincreasingtheaccelerationofeachstrike.

Forcesummationisaimedatgettingmaximumresultswithmaximumefficiency.Youareacquiring,storing(orinthecaseofmomentum,“generating”),andultimatelytransferringenergyandmomentumtoyourtarget.Whenyoustrikeatarget,youapplyanimpulsetothetarget,whichisdefinedasaforceexertedforacertaintimeinterval.Thisimpulseisdirectlycorrelatedwiththetargetmassandthechangeinvelocityofthetargetproducedbyyourstrike.Therefore,thefasterandlargertheimpulsegenerated,thegreaterthetransferofenergy.

Therearetwomethodsforgeneratingthisimpulse:bottomup,asinkarate(utilizingmusclepowerandlinearstructure),ortopdown,astypicallyseeninwesternboxing(utilizinggravityandatwistingmotion).

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Bottomupbeginswiththerearheeland,asyouexecutethetechnique,eachmusclegroupaddsitsownpowertothetechnique.Noenergyshouldbelostonothertrajectories(verticallybycomingupinyourstanceoroutthebackdoorthroughthebackheel);allenergymustfunneldirectlyintothetechnique.Thestrikingsurface(hand,foot,elbow,knee,etc.)ismerelythevehicleusedtoconveythepowerofthebody.Whenapplyingkarate’sversionofgeneratingpowerthroughthekineticchain,sayshiftingfromadiagonalstancetoaforwardstanceasyouexecutealungepunch,youneedtofirstrootyourselfinastrongstance,withtherearkneebentallowingittoactasacompressedspring.Beginbykeepingyourfeetflatontheflooranddrivingofftherearheel,whichisfirmlyrootedontheground.Thisactsasthemasterlink,oranchor,foryourthekineticchain.Ifitisnotfastenedproperly,thechaincan’tmaximizeefficiency.Therefore,anymovementoftheheel,suchaspivotingontheballofyourfoot,willcausepreciousenergytoescape“outthebackdoor.”Itisimportanttonotethatthetoeendofyourfootmayneedtorotateslightlyforwardtoallowyourhiptoturnfreelyintothetechnique,butbesuretopivotonyourheeltomaintainasolidconnectionwiththefloor.

Fromtheheel,feelyourbodybeginturningintothetechnique,eachmusclegroupaddingitsenergytothefinalforwardenergy.Thecalfflexes,drivingthekneeforward,notupward.Asthisenergyflowsupyourlegpasttheknee,thequadricepsflex,addingtheirtremendousstrengthtotheforwardenergythatturnsthehip,whichrotatesyourtorsoonthespine.Yourbackboneactsasapivotpointaroundwhichyourbodyturnssmoothlyasasingleunit,tensingthemusclesoftheabdomen,chest,andbackinsuchawayasnottoinhibittheflowofenergy,butrathertoaidinconveyingallthepowerofthelegstotheshoulders.Fromtheshoulderstheenergyisconveyeddowntheleadarmandfinallythroughthefistandintothetarget.Themotionofeachbodypartcontributesitsownpowertothetechnique:thestraighteningofthebackleg,therotationofthehips,therotationofthetorsoandshoulders,thestraighteningofthestrikingarm,andthelastsecondrotationofthefistasitmakescontactwiththetarget.

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Forcomparisonpurposes,intheartofWesternBoxing,aswellasMuayThaikickboxing,powerusuallyisgeneratednotfromthebottomup,butfromthetopdownutilizingtheforceofgravitytoputpowerbehindthepunch(anexceptiontothisistheuppercutpunchwhichdrivesupwardfromtheground).Tobegintounderstandtheconcept,weneedtolookatthewaywewalk.

Theactofwalkingisperhapsbetterdescribedascontrolledfalling.Asyoutakeastepyoupushoffofyoursupportingfoottobeginshiftingyourbody’sweightforwardofyourcenter.Therearfootthenswingsthroughtocatchthebody’sweightandbegintheprocessagain.Ifthereceivingfootisprohibitedfrommovingforwardforanyreason,you“trip.”Whenyoutrip,youfallforward(orsometimesbackwards)withthefullforceofgravitypullingyourbody’smassdown,aswellasanyforward(orbackward)momentumyouhadatthetimeoftheunfortunateincident.Thiscanmakeforahardfall.Inboxing,theideaistodropthebody’sweightinacontrolledfall.Youwanttoconveyyourbody’smassandmomentumcombinedwiththeforceofgravityintothepunchjustbeforeyourreceivingfootcatchesyourbody’sweight.Theresultisashort,controlled,spiralingfallthatpivotsthetorsoonthespinethenconvertstherotationalenergyofthetorsointoatrajectoryperpendiculartothetarget.ThismovewasmasteredbychampionboxerJackDempseyandisknownasthe"dropstep."

The“perpendicularslide”isanothermethodofaddingmomentumandmasstoyourstrikes.Energyisbesttransferredintothetargetwhenitmeetsthetargetatarightangle,allowingthemaximumamountofenergytobetransferredintothetarget.Byslidingyourbodyperpendicularlytothetargetasyoustrike,youcanaddsignificantforcetothestrike.Karateusestheperpendicularslidetodevelopforwardmomentum,attackingthetargetfromthefrontwithalineartechniquesuchasalungeorreversepunch.MuayThaikickboxingusesthesameconcepttoturntheirroundhousekicksintodevastatingattacks.Theconceptcouldbeillustratedbyvisualizingayoungmanhangingoutofastationaryvehicleandswingingabaseballbatatamailboxversusswingingthatsamebatatthatmailboxfromamovingcar.Thelatterwouldproduceconsiderablymorepowerthanthefirst,becausetheforwardmomentumofthecarincreasesthepowergeneratedbytheswing.

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AlignmentandStructure

IbecameacutelyawareofalignmentandstructurewhiletraininginWingChununderSenseiMikeRothmaninthemidtolate1990s.Hespentmanyhoursteachingmethesingleanddoublehandtraditionalchisaodrills,alwayswithanemphasisonholdingthecenterline.AtfirstIprimarilyusedmymusclestogivestrengthtomytechniques,andIquicklybeganexperiencingpainandfatigue.IcouldnotdothedrillsforverylongbeforeIneededabreak.Gradually,Ilearnedtobackupmytechniqueswithproperbodystructureandalignmentratherthanmusculartension,atwhichpointourpracticesessionswentonforhours.AtfirstitseemedSenseiMikewouldstopmeoneverymovetomakesubtleadjustmentstomystance(usuallytuckingmyhipsunder)aswellasmyhandtechniques(“Getthatelbowonyourcenterline!”).Slowly,painstakingly,IbegantofeelandunderstandwhatIwasbeingshown.Ilearnedtochannelpressureappliedtomyblockdownmytorso,throughmylegs,andintotheground.SenseiMikeisamedicaldoctor,andtookascientificapproachtohisteaching.Therewasnomysteriouskineededtodothesetechniques,justanunderstandinganddevelopmentofproperalignmentandstructure.Yourbody’sstructureisnotunlikethatofabridgeoranarch.Inwinterclimates,flatroofsarenotasstructurallysoundasslantedroofsthatdirecttheweightofsnowtothewallsanddowntotheground.Thesecretliesingraduallyanglingthestructuresothattheweightoftheloadisproperlydistributedanddirectedsmoothlytotheground.

Thiscanbeillustratedwithalungepunchinforwardstance.Haveapartnerstandinfrontofyouandpushsidewaysonyourfist.Youwillfinditverydifficulttoresistsidewaysorverticalpressuresagainstyourfistbecausethereislittlestructuretosupportyourarminthesedirections.Theloadcanonlyberesistedbythemusclesofyourshoulderandarmpit,whichgeteffectivelyweakerasyoumovedowntowardsthehandbecauseyourarmactsalever.Aleverisasimplemachine,andthelongerthelever,thelessweightisrequiredtoovercomeanopposingforce.Butifyouhaveyourpartnerpressdirectlyinwardagainstthefirsttwoknucklesofyourfist,alongthesametrajectoryasyourintendedstrike,youshouldbeabletoalignyourbodyinsuchawaythathecanpushashardashelikesandyoucanresisttheforcewithverylittlemusculartension.Whenyouareproperlyalignedyoushouldfeeltheforceofhispushflowdownyourbodytoyourrearheel,whereitmeetsthesolidbaseoftheground.

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GeneralizedDefense

Theconceptof“lowerblock”islessthan100yearsold.Thetechniquewascertainlypracticedbeforethattime,butitwasnotseenasablock.Itwas,andremains,awidesweepingmotionthatallowsyoutointerceptandneutralizeawidevarietyofincomingattacks.Hereinlaytheconceptofgeneralizeddefense.Ifyoudon’thavetorespondtoaspecificattackwithaspecificblock,youcancutdownyourreactiontimesignificantlybyusingasingletechniquetocounteravarietyofcommonattacks.Forexample,alowerblockstartsoffmuchlikeanouterblock,whichcaninterceptheadlevelattacksandthensweeptheattackinglimbdownwards,possiblytrappingitagainsttheopponent’sbodywhileclearingtheupperlineforaspeedycounterattack.Thesameblockingmotioncanbeusedtointerceptakick,preferablyabovethekneeofthekickingleg.Whenblockingtotheinside(theliveside),thelowerblockmovementcanbeusedtoblocktheopponent’skneewithyourelbowwhilesimultaneouslycounterattackingwiththefistoftheblockingarmtotheopponent’sgroin.Thelowerblockalsomakesanexcellentdefenseagainstavarietyofgrabbingattacks.Againstasingleorevenadoublewristgrab,powerfullyslamyourlowerblockintotheopponent’swristorforearmasyousharplywithdrawthegrabbedarminahikite(reactionhand)motion.Againstachoke,youcanattacktheopponent’selbowsfromeithertheinsideoroutwitheithertheouterblockorlowerblock,eachactuallypartofasinglemotion.Inthisregard,oneneedonlybecomeamasterofthelowerblocktobeabletoadequatelydefendoneself.Thismaybeanexaggeration,buttheefficiencyofbeingabletoapplyasinglemotionagainstavarietyofcommonattacksinitiatedwitheitherleftorright,handorfoot,aswellasgrabs,givesthedefenderanadvantage.Thedefenseplanhasbeenformulatedbeforetheattackhasevenbegun,witheachpossibleoutcomepracticedandfollowedupbyaspeedyandeffectivecounterattack.

DoubleBlockingPrinciple

Differentthanadoubleblock,thedoubleblockingprincipleisamethodofapplyingthebasicblocksthatdramaticallyincreasestheefficiencyofyourtechniquebyincorporatingyourreactionarmactivelyintothetechnique.

SenseiJoeMontagueintroducedmetothedoubleblockingprincipleintheearly1990’s.Theconceptwassimple,butitwasanabsoluteepiphanyforme.Theideaisthatthechambermotionactsastheinitialinterceptingblockorparry,withtheactual“block”actingasaclearingmotionorevenacounterattack.Let’staketheinnermiddleblockasanexample.Theinnermiddleblockastraditionallytaught(2D)isdifficulttoapplyagainstastrong,fastattack.Theouterblockisbothfasterandstronger.Nowimaginethechamberedpositionfortheinnermiddleblock.Yourreactionarmcrossesyourbodymuchlikeanouterblock,whichiswhatitcanbe!Blockingwiththeouterblockisfastandstrong,butithasthedisadvantageofcrossingthecenterlineofyourbody,leavingyoususceptibletobeingtrapped.Therefore,theinnermiddleblockmotionquicklyclearstheattackingarmaftertheinitialblockwiththereactionhand,andcanevengoontostriketheopponentallinthesamemotion.Ifyourinitialouterblockledintoagrab,thefollowinginnermiddleblockcouldhyperextend,orevenbreak,theelbowjoint.Blockingwiththereactionarmalsoallowsyouagoodopportunitytograbtheattackinglimbinordertoapplyhikiteandadddevastatingpowertothenext,andperhapsfinaltechnique.Doubleblockingistwiceasfastastryingtoblockanattackwithatwodimensionalinnermiddleblockalone(whichalsoprovidesnocounterattackingmotion).Thedoubleblockingprinciplemakesyourblocks

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moreefficientandpracticalandcanbeeasilyappliedtohardandsoftversionsofthelower,middle,rising,andknifehandblocks.Itcanalsoleadintoopportunitiestoapplyhikite(reactionhand)techniques(seenextsection).

ThisprinciplecanalsobeseeninWingChun,wheretheinitialblock,usuallyapaksao,crossesthecenterbutisthenquicklyclearedfrombelowwithatechniquesuchastansao.DoubleblockingprincipleisagoodwaytoleadintoWingChunrelateddrillssuchasthethreeandfour-steppunchingdrills.

Hikite(ReactionHand)

Thereactionhandplaysanimportantroleinhittinghard.Theconceptofhikiteisrelatedtodoubleblockingprincipleandtotheconceptofbasing(seenextsection).Ifyousimplypunchanunsupportedopponent,muchofthepowercanbelostinhorizontalmotionawayfromthetechniqueashisbodymoveswiththepunch,dissipatingtheforceofyourstrike.However,ifyougrabtheopponentfirstandholdhim,youareeffectivelybasinghim,keepinghimfrommovingandthereforeallowingmoreforcetobeappliedtothetarget.Ifyoupulltheopponentintoyousharplyasyouretractthegrabbingarmtothechamberedpositiononyourribs,youbeginaddingtotheforceofyourpunch.

Tolookatitanotherway,ifyoupunchanunbasedopponentwith100theoreticalunitsofenergyandhemovesasyouhithim,hemayabsorbonly50unitsofyourtotalenergyintheimpactofyourstrike(evenlessifhepurposelyrollswiththepunch).However,ifyouholdhimstillasyouhithim,all100unitscanbetransferred,andifyoucangethimmovingtowardyoubypullinghiminwithyourreactionhand,youmightbeabletoincreasetheforceto150units.

Itisextremelydifficulttograbanopponent’sattackinglimbdirectly.However,thedoubleblockingprincipleprovidesuswiththeperfectvehicleforachievingasolidgrabontheopponent’sarm(orleg)inordertoapplyastronghikite.Whenyoulookateventhebasickatainthislight,theybecomeeffectivefightingforms;blockingwiththechamberarm,leadingintoacounterattackandgrabwiththe“blocking”hand,thenpullingtheopponentintoadevastatingcounterattack,finishinghimin“oneblow”beforerecyclinghimintothenextopponentorgroupofopponents.

Hikitecanserveotherpurposesaswell.OSenseiDongNgotaughtthatastraightpullbackofyourgrabbingarmisonlyatwo-dimensionalapplicationofhikite.Ifyougrabandtwisttheopponentasyouwithdrawyourhandintothetypicalpalmuppositionattheribs,youcanapplykuzushiaswell,breakingtheopponent’sbalanceasyoucounterattack.

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Basing

Anopponentneedstobesupportedinordertohithimwithmaximumefficiency.Itistheprincipleonwhichhikitegetsitspower,anditisanimportantconcepttounderstandwhenyourobjectiveistohityouropponentwithmaximumforce.Asexplainedinthesectiononhikite,ifyoupunchanunsupportedopponent,muchofthepowerofyourstrikewillbelostinhorizontalmotionawayfromthetechniqueashisbodystartsmovingwiththepunch,dissipatingthetotalforcetransferredintothetarget.Iftheopponentisleaningagainstawall,however,hisbodycannotmoveawayandthereforereceivesthefullbruntoftheblow.Sinceitisnotalwaysconvenienttoaskouropponenttostandagainstthewallsothatwemayhithim,wemustfindother,moresubtlewaysofbasing.Theseincludetheconceptofhikiteoutlinedinthelastsection,aswellasthepracticeofgrabbingbehindanopponent’sheadbeforedeliveringapunchorroundhouseelbowstriketotheface(“mortar&pestle”technique).Butbasingworksinotherwaysaswell.Youcanusethegroundalongwithyouropponent'sownlegstrengthandbodystructuretobasehimagainstdownwardtechniques,suchasanaxekickordownwardelbowstrike.Inthesameway,youcanusegravitytobasehimagainstupwardtechniquessuchasanuppercutpunchorfrontsnapkick.Youropponent’sownforwardmomentumcanserveasabaseaswell,increasingthepowerofyourpunchliketwocarsrunningintoeachotherheadon.

Herearesomepracticalapplicationsofbasingthatyoucanlookfor.Afterknockinganopponenttothegroundwithathroworfootsweep,usethegroundasabaseasyoupunchdownwardordropyourkneeintohisfloatingribs.Ifyouarenearawallpushtheopponentintothewallandfollowupwithapunchdrivenintotheopponentperpendicularlytothewall,ensuringthatalloftheenergyofthestrikeisconveyedintothetarget.

Anunorthodoxapproachtobasingisthedoublehit.Thedoublehitallowsyoutogetevenmorebangforyourbuckusingstationaryobjectssuchaswallsandfloors.Forexample,ifthewallbehindtheopponentisclose,buttheopponentisnotyettouchingit,youcandriveyourstrikeintotheunsupportedopponent,whosebodywillmoveinthedirectionofthestrike.Anypowerthatislostintheinitialhitcanbereclaimedastheopponentimpactsthewall(orotherobstacle).

Tofurtherincreasetheeffectiveness,imaginethatyourassailantisstandinginfrontoftheoutsidecornerofawall.Ifyouhithim,hisheadwillsnapbackintothecornerofthewall,whichconcentratesalltheforceintothesmallsurfaceareaofthecorner’sridge.

ARussianSambopractitionerthatIwasfortunatetohavetrainedwithtaughtmeasimilartechnique(bydoingittome)wherehewouldthrowmetothemat,andjustasmybodyreboundedupofftheground,hewouldlandonmewithallofhisbodyweight,smashingmebacktoearth.Theresultwasanincrediblyeffectivedoubleimpactthatoftenleftmebreathless.

10/23/17

VitalPointStriking

Vitalpointstrikingisanartuntoitself.ItcanbeanincrediblycomplexsubjectwhentakentotheextentofincorporatingthemultitudeofacupressurepointsutilizedinOrientalmedicine.However,itcanalsobesimplifiedtotheprincipleofhittingtheopponentwheretheywillfeelitmost.Somepartsofthebody,typicallythebackandoutersurfacesofthearmsandlegs,arelessvulnerablethanthesofterinnersurfacesofthearms,legs,andtorso(belly).Vitalpointstrikingisessentialforsmallerpeople,especiallywomenandchildren.Achildcanattempttodefendhimselfwithapunchtoanopponent’sface,butwillmorelikelysucceedwithafingerstriketotheopponent’seyes.Thesecondattackhasagreaterchanceofdebilitatingtheopponent,especiallyiftheopponentismuchlargerthanthedefender,becausethedefenderstrucktoamorevulnerabletarget.Inthesameregard,youwillgetgreaterresultsfrompunchingsomeoneinthesolarplexusthanthesternum,orchoppinganopponent’sneckinsteadofhiscollarbone.Strikingtomorevulnerabletargetsusuallyresultsingreaterdamageorpaintotheopponent.

Somebelievethatvitalpointstrikinghasbeenlostinlargepartduetothepracticeofsparringwithpaddedgear.Paddedgeareffectivelynullifiesyourabilitytotransferyourpowerpreciselyintoasmall,specifictarget,andsoschoolsthatfocusprimarilyonpointsparringforcompetitionhadlittleneedtopracticethesetechniques.However,inpracticalself-defense,realitybasedvitalpointstrikingisusuallymoreeffectivethanpointsparringtechniques.

Pressureisthetotalamountofforcegenerated,dividedbytheunitareaoverwhichitisdispersed.Asmallerstrikingsurfacewillresultinmorepoundsofpressurepersquareinch,soyouraimshouldbetomaximizeyourforcewhileminimizingyourstrikingarea,resultinginmaximumpressurebeingtransferredintoyourtarget.Forexample,punchingwiththefirsttwoknucklesofyourclenchedfistallowsyoutohitharderthanifyoustrikewiththefullfrontofyourfist,andkickingwiththeballofthefootresultsinamorepowerfulstrikethanstrikingwithyourinstep(topofthefoot).

10/23/17

ChiGerk

Chigerkistheartofstickylegs,anditisrelatedtothemorefamiliarchisao,orstickyhandprincipleofWingChun.Theterm“sticky”ismeanttodescribetheactionofmaintainingcohesionwiththeopponentonceyou’vemadecontactwithhim.Useyourcloseproximityandyourabilitytochecktheattacker’smovementstopreventhimfromlaunchinganeffectivecounterattack,keepingyouincontrol.Chigerktechniquestieupyouropponent’slegswithyourlegs,unbalancinghimandleavinghimvulnerableandunabletoinitiateaneffectivecounterattack.

Themostcommonchigerktechniquesarevariationsofcommonfootsweepsperformedwiththearch,instep,andheel.Liftingandpullingwiththelegsisalsocommon,asseeninjudo’sosoto-gari,kosoto-gari,ouchi-gari,andkouchi-garireapingtechniques.

Chigerktechniquesoftenutilizestances,liketheforwardstanceandhook(dinh)stance,whichallowyoutosimultaneouslyimmobilizetheopponent’sfootwhileyouapplypressuretohisknee.Theforwardstanceisanexampleofanoutwardtensionstance,andcanbeusedtolockandhyperextendtheopponent’sleadkneebackwards.Thehookstanceisaclassicinwardtensionstance,andcanbeusedtobuckleyouropponent’skneefromthesideortherear.Inbothcasesyourleadfootneedstoentwinetheopponent’sleadfootinsuchawaythathecannotmoveiteasily,givingyoutheleveragetoapplyyourtechnique.

Thetrickistoapplychigerktechniques,aswellascounterthemwhentheyarebeingdonetoyou,whilemaintainingyouralignment,structure,andabilitytofight.

Recycling

Badguys,likewolves,tendtoruninpacks.Ifwearetomakeourkataapplicationsrealistic,wemustcontinuallytrainforascenarioinvolvingmultipleattackers.Inasituationwhereyouhaveseveralopponents,youwillneedtoevenouttheoddsbykeepingthembusydoinganythingbutattackingyou.Onecommonstrategyusedtocontendwithmultipleopponentsistostackthem,liningthemupsothattheycanonlycomeatyouoneatatime.Againsttwoattackersthiscanbeachievedthroughcleverfootwork,butwhenyouaresurroundedorfightingintightquarters,cleverfootworkwillnotbeenough.Recyclingistheactofgrabbinganopponentwhomyouhavemomentarilystunned,usinghimtoshieldyouagainstotherattackers,takinghimdowntocreateanobstacle,and/orcreatingaprojectilebyhurlinghimintotheotheropponents.Recyclingisanexcellentapplicationforanyturninakata,asanychangeindirectionusuallyindicatesengaginganotheropponent.Throwingoneattackerintoanotherismuchlikeperformingajudothrowasitcanonlybeachievedbyfirstunbalancinghim.Thisisusuallyaccomplishedbystrikingtheattackerpriortoattemptingtomovehim,thenusingyourcentertoefficientlyswinghimaround.Onceyouhavehimmoving,hisownmassbecomesaweapon…yourweapon.Asthekatasuggests,youmayneedtoturnhim90,180,oreven270degreesbeforeyoureleasehim,sendinghimcrashingintohisbuddy(orperhapsintoawallordownaflightofstairsifnosecondopponentisavailable).

10/23/17

Intensity

Ithinkthattheonemostdistinguishingfactorinaneffectiveperformance,beitinkata,sparring,boardbreaking,self-defense,orwhatever,isintensity.Withoutintensityamartialartistseemsdisconnectedfromhiswork,andanymartialendeavorthatheattemptstoundertakewilllackanessentialingredient.So,whatexactlymakesaperformance“intense”?IthinkIamsafeinsayingthatitbeginswiththeeyes.Alookofdetermination,ofintention,ofabsoluteseriousnesswillbegintosparktherighttonethroughouttheentirebody.Themindthenfocusesyourwilllikeamagnifyingglass,visualizing,concentratingeveryfiberofyourbeingtoasingletask.Ihavecometodescribeitas“flippingaswitch”becausethatishowitfeelstome.It’snottense,astensionwillslowyourreactiontime;it’smoreaclearingofyourmindwhileatthesametimevisualizingyourselfcompletingyourgoal.OnemomentIcanbelightheartedandlaughing,butwhenitcomestimetocompeteorperform,mywholedemeanorchanges,myintentfocusesonwhatevertaskisathand.Thisintentcanbeseenthroughtheeyes;itiswhereyoubegintodominateyouropponent,asifyouaregoingtoovercomehimsolelywithyourwill.

Whenthemindiscompletelyfocused,theintensitywillthenbegintoshowphysicallythroughthebodyinyourperformance.Movesbecomequickerandstronger,withmorefocus,reflectingtheintentoftheperformer.Withoutspiritandintensity,themartialartsarereducedtomererotemovementswithlittleornopractical,effectiveapplication.InhisepicfilmEntertheDragon,BruceLeedescribedintensityas“Emotionalcontent…notanger.Itislikeafingerpointingtothemoon.Donotlookatthefinger,oryouwillmissalltheheavenlyglory.”Inthisanalogy,thephysicalperformanceisonlythefinger,pointingattheartfulexpressionofthepersoninside.

Strivetoperformwithintensity,andthroughthissmallwindowbegintolearntoLIVEasintenselyasyoupractice,increasingthequalityofyourlifeexperienceandenrichingthelivesandexperiencesofothers.It’sthisqualitythatmakesthemartialartsuniqueasavehicleforpersonalgrowthandcontinuedevolution.