Chief Instructor Rocky Mountain Hwa-Rang Do
Explained and taught by Ed Antkowiak
(Transliterated by Michael)
The External Principles
Seattle, Washington 1995
Introduction
I originally started looking at ways to kick harder for purely selfish reasons. I want to be able to MOVE a heavy bag when I kick it; also if I ever have to use my training for self-defense I want to drop that person in their tracks. I have had the luck to befriend a very knowledgeable training partner after I moved to Seattle. When we watched each others video tapes of our instructors it became apparent to both of us the these two styles are extremely similar. Upon closer examination of TKMS my friend Ed has seen all of the principles he learned being applied by Grandmaster Yi.
I want to explain a little of how these principles were distilled and have been handed down. Bob Duggan was one of Joo Bong Lee's first students in the US. Joo Bong Lee is the Grandmaster of Hwa-Rang Do. After a time (and a story or ten), Mr. Duggan left his instructor. One of the gifts that Mr. Duggan has would have to be the ability to analyze movement. After years of training and observing Hwa-Rang Do he has distilled the principles of power into the following eight areas. The coil extension and retraction, the counter-motion, relaxation as the basis of speed and power, power flows through the joints with a shudder, the center as a catapult, the stress-reflex to set the motion, gravity and the loss of control, and the ground as an ally. I will group them in a different order as makes sense in my mind.
Ed Antkowiak met Mr. Duggan at his school in Aspen Colorado where he trained for over 5 years. One day Mr. Duggan had a lecture class that was entirely devoted to these principles. That one class left such an impression with Ed that 7 - 8 years later when he related this to me, he still reflects back on it. This has become a filter that he looks at all moves through.
After training with Ed I too have been mesmerized by these principles. With that aside I want to say that it has taken me a long time to in-grain these principles in my body in a way that makes sense to me. The principles in this paper are explained in the context of a kick, but they are the same for a punch or a throw. It is just a difference of application.
One thing I would like to be very clear about is that my respect for my martial arts instructor, Grandmaster Wonik Yi, is not be be doubted because I refer to another instructor from another style. Grandmaster Yi is by far the BEST martial artist I have ever seen or worked with.
There is no real way to know what, if any, relationship Tukong Moosul has to Hwa-Rang; and I do not even think it matters. The two styles are very similar; one major difference is Hwa-Rang Do has been in the US for 20 years longer than Tukong Moosul. I try to think that Grandmaster Yi would have taught us these principles if he only had the English to communicate as concisely as this requires. One thing is clear though, he used these principles as any of us that held a kick bag for him can verify; he hit harder than you would expect from a man his size.
When describing any of these principles I find myself using examples of kicks, but described as though in a static position. It is very important to realize that any description I offer of any kick is a "freeze-frame" of a dynamic fluid motion. If I forget that it is easy to get mislead.
The Coil, Extension and Retraction.
The coil is not the same as "chambering" for a strike. To coil refers to coiling all of your energy into your center. By "center" I refer both to the center of your mass, as well as the center through which your Qi flows. These are the same points; the Tan-Tien. In a kick this means bringing all of my striking bones as compact of a unit as I can. I also call that a coil; it can get confusing having the same word for two different ideas.
I now want to talk about the different muscle groups. It is sometimes useful to think of muscles as ropes and pulleys. If I want to use one set of muscles to kick with I have to use another set to get that original set stretched to their limit so the contraction creates the strike. Remember: you can't push with a rope. The muscles that work in opposition to the striking muscles are the antagonistic muscles.
By bringing all of my bones into as tight a coil as I can, I contract the antagonistic muscles of the kicking muscles to their fullest ability. As I move into and through that coiled position I have to stabilize my body using my hips in a way that does not interfere with the generation and transfer of power. (See Principle #3) To understand how a person naturally uses muscles without compromising power I will to look back at how a person learns to walk.
As an infant, when trying to crawl we naturally learn to "cross-crawl," meaning that one leg moves forward as the opposite arm moves forward; or moving in opposition. This is a natural example of stabilizing the body through a movement without tension. This same "cross-crawl" is how we now walk. It is a main principle of natural healthy human movement.
When looking at what muscles I use to generate the maximum impact with any given strike that also entails looking at what the antagonistic muscles are to that group. I also have to look at the structural alignment needed to contract those antagonistic muscles to their natural limit, thereby stretching the kicking muscles to their limit.
For kicking I will use a front-thrusting kick as an example. The leg I use for support starts in front and the arm that is on the kicking side is forward. For a moment stand with your left leg forward in a natural stance. Then your right hand and shoulder reaches forward. With your hips rotated forward into the kick, feel the connection from your leading hand, through the shoulder, down the spine, through the hips, and down to the heel of your left leg, spreading through out you foot. (This is a spiral. All fluids move in spirals and our muscles and bones are in the form of spirals. In Oriental medicine the Qi is understood to flow in spirals close to the bones.)
The way that your are using your muscles to hold your hips into place in this static place is what is stabilizing your stance. Now, as you bring your knee up into kicking position your toes have to try to come to your shin as your shoulders move forward towards the target. This is not a totally accurate description of a kick; remember these are "freeze-frames." That is the physical aspect of Coiling. The internal part is directing all of your power through your center to be launched through the strike.
(This is also the instant of Stress-Reflex; all of my muscles used to drive the kick are stretched to their limit, the instant they start to contract is the point of reflex.)
The Extension of the strike is what is normally looked at as the strike. In particular I want to focus on skeletal alignment just before, and through the impact. In a thrusting kick the kicking leg is used as a battering-ram. I liken it to taking a baseball-bat and punching someone with the end; all the force is driven through a very strong structure. Can you imagine the force needed to crush a baseball-bat lengthwise? By using the kicking leg as a battering-ram all of the force of the kick is transmitted through our bones.
In order to transmit all of the force traveling along the bones the joints have to be LOCKED OUT in full extension (See principle #4). I start to train for this by doing straight leg ankle lifts. Stand with feet at shoulder width keeping your knees locked straight then lift from your ankles as high as you can, and hold. It is important to condition the knees for the force that will go through them. Next, move into kicks that emphasize locking the leg; front-thrusting kicks, or sidekicks are examples. Train so that the kicking leg is fully locked out for an instant in all straight-legged kicks. In a thrusting kick it is very important to have your legs locked out before you impact and then you must drive through the target. If you are too close it will become a push; being to far away will cause you to miss the target entirely.
Retraction of a strike is also very important. This is the re-coil of the strike. If I have done all of the previously mentioned parts and driven through the target I will be going forward. (See principle #6) I must have the ability to retract my extended leg and set it down even as I am falling forward. I will recover my balance and be ready to launch another kick more quickly if I always train my body to fully extend, driving through the target to the point of falling forward; then retract quickly; and step down. I need to re-coil my energy as well as my muscles. The energy needs to flow through my tan-tien, never stopping at any one place.
In order to fully utilize all of the strength I have, I have to learn how to fully stretch my muscles so they will be "bouncing back" just as I accelerate into the strike. As I mentioned with the counter motion I am using all of my body in all of my strikes. It is not just my legs I use to kick with.
Again I will use a front thrusting kick as an example. The stress-reflex is created by reaching forward with the same side elbow/arm as the kick will come from. The stress-reflex has the greatest potential when both attachment points of the hamstring are stretched to their elastic limit; meaning that both sets of bones are as far apart as possible. This stress is induced by bending forward at the hips and reaching as far as the natural movement of my muscles will allow; then the reflex is the muscles natural tendency to bounce back to anon-stretched position. I liken this to a rubber band that is fully stretched out; as soon as it is released it will "bounce back" to its natural state. In this case the reflex will bring my hips forward to "catch up" to my shoulders. That alone will speed up and intensify my kicks.
The stress-reflex is found at the extreme end of the parallel plane in the counter motion. (These two principles are so inter-twined it is very hard to talk of one without referring to the other; yet they are distinctly different.) As the stress relaxes into the bounce back I have to accelerate that motion as much as I can. I want to do this with "big muscle groups." I strive to use my latismus muscles, this keeps the force in the same plane as the kick is traveling on, does not tweak my spine in the process and pulls my hips forward into the kick. If I start the reflex motion too soon I will have interrupted the flow of the strike and robbed my strike of some of its natural power. If I start too late I will not be able to "catch up" to the wave of force that is traveling to and through my center. I have to time the acceleration to the instant the bounce back starts. In the same way as when we push a child on a swing, timing is crucial.
The laws of physics state that "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." This is the theory behind counter motion. The counter-motion is a vital part of power generation that is often over-looked. The area to focus on is the plane of motion that the strike is traveling on. The counter motion must travel on a parallel plane in the opposite direction of the strike. This is true for almost all strikes, with few exceptions.
For a change lets look at the Roundhouse kick. The plane that a Roundhouse kick travels on starts on an angle then levels off just before impact and during the follow through. The return of the kick follows the same path. The path of the counter motion is described as my elbow on the "kicking side" follows the same angular-then-level plane. When my elbow is at the far end of its range I accelerate it back on its return path. The acceleration of my elbow back along its plane of motion is not the counter motion. The counter motion is from my lats pulling my shoulder/arm back, which because of the mass of my shoulders actually causes my hips to go forward. I want to have my arm cross the path of my leg at the same line as the target is on. In a round house kick my point of maximum power is at the point where arms and legs cross. This reminds me of a scissors, the cutting action is where the two blades cross. In a different example, in a Side Kick the countermotion is in the form of a very short heel palm strike on a parallel plane in the opposite direction to the strike, as the opposite elbow shoots forward on the same line as the kick; be careful to not over extend the heel-palm strike.
In order to work with counter motion I recommend slowing down the kick in order to see the plane of motion. Then look at how to move your arm on the same side in a parallel plane. Now slowly re-train your body to utilize the countermotion. As you develop the ability to move in parallel planes you can start to increase the acceleration of the counter motion. Do not be in a hurry, this will take time. As you are going through a line with kicking bags practice in slow motion; then with speed and power into the bag. Counter motions tend to use the latismus and hip muscles a lot, which is a good way to work on your belt line.
As I have written about earlier, our bodies use spirals in the generation and transformation of power. A wave is created when a spiral meets a plane. When fluid moves through a container (a pipe) it does so in pulsations. When our muscles are contracting to pull the bones into a straight line, as in a thrusting kick, our power "pulsates" around our bones. The power flows through the joints like a wave coming into a beach. The wave is going to come into the beach in the same way the power flows through our joints. If you have ever stood chest deep in the surf you know what it feels like to resist the waves, ineffective to say the least. However if you let the waves wash over and through you, you can move with the force without being slammed around by it. In letting the waves wash over and through you, you are conserving your energy and allowing the force of natural motion to flow through you.
The reason this is referred to as a shudder is that the Qi is a fast pulsation flowing through the joints. Also the hips literally "shudder" forward and back and forward through-out each strike. The "hip-shudder" is a very integral part to all of our strikes.
One of the hidden principles here is to learn how to "push with the bones and pull with the muscles." This is equally important in a kick or in a throw. If I am in correct alignment I will not feel as much of an impact from my strikes, yet the impact to the kicking bag will be greater. When I am not in alignment I will have a much stronger chance of injuring myself from the impact of the strike. This also means being connected to my center in all of my moves. (See principle #8)
In a kick this means having your joints lock into position in a stable way that will allow the power to flow through without resistance. If I am using energy to keep my joints locked into position at the wrong time in relationship to the strike, the energy I am using will also block the flow of power. If I can train my body to stabilize the joints without using excess energy I will have more energy at my disposal to strike with. It may seem paradoxical that in order to hit harder I have to be more relaxed; but that is the way the power will flow easier.
When looking at Traditional Martial Arts training it is easy to fall into the rap of "hard and soft." I want to look at this dichotomy. In western culture we tend to look at things as either black or white, good or bad. In eastern culture (Chinese, in particular) there is more of a tendency to see things as Yin or Yang, with the infinite shades in-between and no absolutes of either
It will also be useful to look at the difference between thrusting power and "whipping' power. I have already likened a thrusting kick to a battering ram. Now I would say that a whipping strike is like the power of a bull-whip. When a whip cracks it is from having all the parts of the whip acting in synchronicity, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. It is the same in our movement, when we move in a coordinated motion. How does this apply to relaxation?
In a traditional "hard" style of martial art without careful observation it is easy to think that the muscles are always tense. In the beginning they may be. Aside from training stamina there are two problems to address in this. First, if most of my muscles are tense I will be using some of my muscles to oppose the motion that I am trying to perform. When we flex our biceps it is usually from tensing the triceps. In a punch, or in lifting weights I have to lean how to use the muscles that are needed and allowing the others to rest. That will allow my strike to be faster, and more powerful.
The second part is looking at how muscles operate. If I am holding tension in my upper arms and I want to punch I have to release the tension so that I can utilize the muscle groups needed to move as needed. I know we have all tried this; hold your arms and shoulders tight, now throw a punch. Slow , 'huh? Shake it out, loosen up the arms, let your elbows rest on your ribs with yourarms up by your face, nice and loose. Now punch. Much faster, right? This is the experience to remember.
Also, if my muscles are tight and I have to move my arms instantly to block I am going to be slower than if I can teach myself to hold them in a neutral-ready status.
One of the few innate fears a child is born with is the fear of falling. Almost all of the rest are learned fears. If I can teach my body to let me "fall" into the kick I will gain the extra energy used to resist gravity.
When I kick with as much power as I can, my body is naturally going to be moving forward. To try to return that leg behind me can only mean that I am sacrificing part of my power in order to maintain control of my body mass and return that leg behind my body. If I totally commit to driving through the target I can forget about stepping back; it is not going to happen.
A major advantage to this is if I am falling forward into my kick I get to use gravity as a source of natural power. Said another way, I get to add an additional (in my case)150 pounds of striking mass into my kick. If I can train myself to kick in a way that my leg pulls my center past the point of balance I will be "falling" forward; that is how I can gain the advantage of gravity. The trick is to learn to fall from your center, not from your head or chest.
To use the ground as an ally is to be able to use the ground to lever against in any of the strikes I deliver. There are three major parts of this. Two parts happen simultaneously at the inception of a strike.
At the inception of a kick my Qi is in my tan-tien; I have to "bounce" it through my bones into the ground where it bounces back. Using a side kick as an example; I bounce the Qi through my big toe and use my big toe to push off the ground. This will enable me to use my calf muscle contraction to start to lift my leg. This will be much more powerful than using my quadriceps to lift my leg.
Also at the inception of the kick I utilize the "bounce back" to launch my hips forward in a lunge. This blends well into gravity and the loss of control.
Just the instant before the kick reaches full extension and I am at the point of balance I use my supporting leg to drive my body through the target. In aside kick I want to be able to drive through a foot or more. Pushing against the ground with the supporting leg, connecting a bridge of bones from the ground to the target. By driving through the kick I ensure that my mass is totally committed to the kick. For the sidekick I learned to practice by ensuring that my supporting leg was flexed, then intentionally hopping towards the kick at the point of fullest extension. Slowly it came to be at the instant just before full extension. Drive through to the point that your supporting leg is locked straight, creating the "bridge of bones" I mentioned
Driving through the kick is important in all of our kicks. The methods vary slightly from kick to kick, but the principle is the same.
Lets look at how a catapult works. Visualize an old fashioned catapult, loaded with stones and cranked all the way back to full stress. At the instant of release the bucket is thrown forward and delivers the stones. Not very accurate, but hard to stop once it is released. We want to have some of the similar properties. The hinge point of the catapult is the same as your center. All of the force of the catapult is static energy stored in the rope and frame of the catapult; until the instant of release when it becomes kinetic energy channeled through the hinge. I see our center as the starting point of all of our strikes, because this is where all of our "big" muscle groups connect. There are large muscle groups going up into the chest and back, and large muscle groups branching out into both legs.
Our energy must also be channeled through a focal point, our center. In practice I strive to feel my tan-tien shudder with a contraction/expansion ripple with every strike or throw. I want to feel the Qi flow through center as the energy is channeled through my tan-tien. To use the center as a catapult requires work in utilizing your center in all of your motions. A good way to enhance this training is by developing more awareness/connection to your center. This is done by learning to "walk the stick." Take a short staff and with a training partner facing you in a long stance place the staff to your Tan-tien. As you hold the staff in place with just enough pressure to keep it from falling settle into your tan-tien. Breathe through your center. Now as you become more aware of your center start to walk forward or backwards in long stances with your partner. Notice how when this happens smoothly it is from moving from your center first, not from moving by leading with any other part of your body. For a variation, stay in one place and your training partner circles you, stay in connection with your center and move as needed to maintain the connection. This drill also works very well for teaching sensitivity to when your partner enters into your safety zone.
After you start to become more and more aware of your center strive to feel how your center is involved in every move you make. Work with your posture, walk from you center. Strive to move from your center in every move you make, in and out of the Do-Jang.
If there is confusion around any of theses principles settle down in a quiet space and let your body teach you how it wants to move. That is, in my opinion, the true source of power described in here; that all of these moves strive to utilize natural body motion. If we can learn to utilize our body's natural movement a natural source of power comes with that. I encourage you to look at this as an on-going work. Continue to train harder.
Please send me your thoughts on this article and the
ideas that I have been writing about. I believe that this, and
every other aspect of my training and life, is in an ongoing
state of evolution. Feedback and constructive criticism is one of
the ways I can improve.
Thanks, ~ Michael
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