Models for Internal Development and their Application in Martial Arts

Ian Deavin's martial arts practice started with Wadoryu karate at Reading University in 1971 and continued until 1975. He then took a break until 1983 when he took up Shotokan karate under Kanazawa Sensei. He received his 1st Dan grade in 1986 and started Yang style taiji in the same year under Carl Kifun (student of Master Chu). Ian graded 4th Dan in Japan under Kanazawa Sensei in 1996.

Ian has trained over many years in Hong Kong with Sifu Mary Yang (Yang style taiji) and with Sensei William Wong (Shotokan karate and Chen style taiji). Also in HK he studied taiji with Master Lo Chi Ho (and the many friends/students of Master Lo in Victoria Park).

More recently he has trained in the UK with Vince Morris in Kyushu-Jitsu karate and with Karel Koskuba in Chen style taiji and yi chuan. He has also learnt Sun style taiji in Beijing with Madam Sun and has received instruction from Peter Warl Master Wang Yanji and from Master Chen Xiaowang as well as attending seminar in Escrima, knife fighting, "Ultimate" fighting and judo.

Ian's martial practice includes influences from many years of body-oriented psy chotherapy and a long-term interest in Zen Buddhism/Daoism. His writing include a number of books and many published articles. He also teaches. Ian first met Dick Watson in Beijing and later attended seminars with both Dick and Simon Watson.

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Over some years now it has been important to me to gain an understandin of the principles underlying body usage in martial arts. The following is a collection of models that have come from that study - some interpreted from descriptions given to me by te'achers and others coming from my own observations - nonetheless they are all simply attempts to describe what I have experienced of an age old practice, in ways that can aid training. They are not new principles - simply descriptions of old ones. Consequently it should be remembered that these models are not exclusive but each can be considered to represent a different facet of the same real body operation in order to illustrate the concepts involved.

These are particularly western models in the main and are predominantly mechanical in nature - a style that the western mind seems to be more comfortable with in comparison to the Chinese models that are available. Unfortunately these Chinese models can be relatively inaccessible to westerners without first taking on-board a good portion of the Chinese culture to enable us to understand them. These are only simplistic models intende( to convey principles - personally I have found that in order to learn to oper. ate in this way it has proven necessary to actually change my body in terms of suppleness, connectedness, flexibility, being relaxed and developing "springy" legs. Perhaps the best way to use these models is to bear them in mind when watching a practitioner/player and also when practicing alone to learn how to link the observation to your own internal feeling through the model. For example it took me a long time to understand that when my teachers say "use the Dantien" - they mean it literally!

The Five Springs

(from Chinese internal systems)

Energy (qi) is transmitted in the form of waves of muscular contraction. This uses the solid ground as a base to impact our opponent

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The crank

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The Hydraulic model

When each end hits simultaneously then the effect is of an expanding solid rod.

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The slinky

Explosive action at the centre propagates a wave in each direction. When each wave hits simultaneously then the effect is of a solid expanding object. Also the wave then rebounds from the solid ground and gives a second pulse to the initial strike. The opponent feels as if he has been hit "from the floor".

Connectivity of the muscles/tendons is needed, so that the energy can be transferred throughout the body. This requires a particular firm, resilient but relaxed structure and tissue tone since the muscles behave like a whip or a snake striking.

Stable platform

The idea is to maintain the pelvis as a stable platfor whatever happens to the rest of the body - much an an oil rig so that the motion of the lower body is isolated from the upper body. The upper body can thus stay relaxed. Hence the concepts of tucking the coccyx under and maintaining level hips.

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Traditional hip rotation

(from Nakayama Sensei - Shotakan karate model)

Hip rotation used to twist the shoulders by acting on the trunk. This also requires good mid-section connection for maximum torque transfer.

Too much hip rotation impairs the pelvic stability. Use of waist rotation is generally to be preferred with only slight hip rotation within the constraints of good structure.

Thus the original simplistic model requires additional elements in the mid-section.

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The "Hara" or "Dantien"

The diagonal muscle sheets can I programmed to contract in a circular motion thus moving the contraction around the abdomer this can then be used to move th upper body by pulling on the pel' girdle - equally by pulling the pelvis up at the front it is possibll to initiate leg raising very rapidly.

The Dantien becomes a literal centre of action felt at the front but augmented by extension at the sides an at the rear giving an effective centre of action slightly inside the trunk.

These same muscles can be programmel to act in a horizontal fashion thus gener; ing a powerful waist rotation, which sup sedes leg-driven hip action.

The combination of waist and hip rota tion offers more power, more control a greater stability and sensitivity than h action alone.

By using the flat laminated sheets of diagonal muscle in this way we creat strong but flexible connection between the upper and lower bodies. Actions initiated by these muscles in a very small way may then be propagated outward through the limbs and converted to much larger actions.

Operation of the internal models from the central Hara or Dantien require! the abdominal mid-section muscles to work in an active fashion. This is not a natural condition and requires that the muscles be developed and programrr to work this way.

The result is that within the stable pelvic girdle a structure of abdominal muscles is generated which can initiate movement radially. This gives 3600 spherical action and control and can feel much as if there is a ball of muscle floating in the pelvic bowl.

Opening/closing

Opening/closing in this way generates "natural" belly breathing in a bellows type fashion and goes a long way to freeing our actions from the need to coincide with an in or out breath. By simply doing actions based on opening/closing, then co-incidental breathing occurs naturally. It also permits a certain amount of power to be transmitted on inbreath as well as on the out-breath.

These models apply to all parts of the body at all times. Thus dropping the weight by bending the legs and also closing the front, gives a strong downward component of force.

Equally, maintaining a slightly closed front and opening the upper back adds forward power to a punch.

This model may be seen also from side to side, diagonally across the body, within individual limits, in generating a head butt, etc. Thus we can rotate waist and hips while closing the front to generate power down, opening the upper back generates power up.

The Pliometric model

The Pliometric effect - a short-term (fractions of a second) muscular rebound - can combine with these models to "load" muscle groups which then discharge in the centre activated whip-like fashion described elsewhere. Infact the muscles and the tendons should be considered together as it is often considered that it is the elasticity of the tendons more than the muscles, which can generate this power. A view given credence by the power of many lightly muscled taiji experts.

Thus, by allowing our weight to sink we can pre-load our upper back, lower back and leg muscles. Tucking the base of the spine under we stretch the lower back, bend ing the legs briefly pre-loads leg muscles. When done quickly there is an almost imperceptible dropping motion which serves to stretch all the lower body and back muscles - this is then instantly released and augmented by normal muscular contraction to give a powerful explosive action, rippling waves of muscular contraction outward from the centre and expanding (opening) the body while constrained from opening too far by the abdominal muscles required to connect the upper and lower parts of the body so that power can be transferred.

In operation with an opponent, when we are pushed the force of their push is added to our weight drop and returned pliometrically. Thus, we absorb some of their power, neutralise the rest by the movement of our technique and return the absorbed power with our own force added.

If pushed on the arms for example, they and the upper body also react pliometrically so that our opponent's force is stored in the whole body mass and returned.

Essentially, a short-range effect for one muscle, the range can actually become quite useful from fractions of an inch to many inches when used over the whole body. These small closings and openings, combined with the other models, generate power smoothly over a variety of fighting distances.

The back as a bow

(or as two bows - upper and lower)

The lower back muscles may be loaded to discharge into the legs. This involves allowing the pelvis to tip up at the front but not too much or the stability of the pelvic platform structure will be destroyed. The upper back muscles may be loaded so that when released they fire the shoulders forward.

When programmed to operate from the Hara/Dantien the lower part of the bow fires first, then the upper part. This generates a wave like whip, pushing the rear leg back then the shoulders forward.

Ian Deavin

Continued in Volume 6 Issue 2

Longfei Newsletter Volume 6 Issue 1 Table of Contents