I have wanted to go into a deeper discussion on developing a type of body that can generate relaxed power for a while now. However, I am very aware that I am still learning and have a lot more to learn in this field. Due to this, I will be relying heavily on two books to help me clarify my thoughts along with my own experiences. Ellis Amdur's "Hidden in Plain Sight" and T. Threadgill and S. Ohgami's "Shindo Yoshin Ryu: History and Technique" are written by men that know much more than I and are where any quotes I use come from.
Takamura Yukiyoshi sensei called the type of body that had these esoteric skills, a budo body. I intentionally used this term back in April 2011 with my first Budo Body post. I had only been training in TSYR for a number of months but even then it was made clear to me that my body was getting conditioned for a certain skill set.
So what is this type of power I am training for? The term most often used is internal power or internal strength. Amdur summarises internal strength as managing the intersection of the ground and gravity forces within you and then directing these forces in the most powerful way possible. I think this is a good place to start. There is a fundamental exercise that I was taught very early on in my training called Ten chi jin. This is where a person stands with feet side by side, shoulder-width apart, arms slightly bent and extended forwards in front of the shoulders. The legs are slightly bent, the feet facing forward and the head up-right. Now imagine another person applying a lateral force through the first person's arms in an attempt to topple them backwards. As the force enters the first person, he or she splits the incoming force, half directed towards the ground and the other half upwards into the heavens. This exercise is teaching you to redirect forces acting on your body.
Now, if we go back to Amdur's definition of internal strength you can see that is exactly what this exercise is training. I have been practising that exercise for nine years, week in and week out. It is now becoming easy to absorb and redirect that lateral force no matter who is pushing on me. What is more interesting is that it takes little effort to do. This is important. This exercise to accomplished through coordinating bone and muscle so it is aligned in such a way that the force naturally flows where you want it to go. It does not take excessive muscular tension to do. I am 186 cm (6 ft 1 inch) and only 75 kg (165 lbs) so imagine a tall stick. I am actually very easy to knock over in most situations. The fact I can have people heavier than me lean on me and not topple me is a testament to this type of training.
As I said above, this is a fundamental exercise we have been learning for a while. It is not the only exercise and there are other skills we need to learn that require a different approach. Any application of internal power/strength also requires a heightened sense of body sensitivity. Threadgill sensei writes about four dimensions that provide this sensitivity: Skeletal-Postural, External/Tactile Sense, Internal/Proprioceptive Sense and Dynamic-Kinesthetic. I will touch on these very briefly, if you want to know more, buy the book.
The Skeletal-Postural dimension has already been discussed above. The skeleton should be aligned in such a way that it takes minimal amount of muscle to stand upright. Without a decent instructor it is very difficult to know exactly what this looks or feels like. Tactile sensitivity identifies subtle pressure changes during body contact that allows practitioners to evaluate and respond to threats. Paired exercises are required to develop this. Proprioception is the awareness of knowing where your body is in space without using visual cues. Dancers and gymnasts have enhanced this ability as well as martial artists. With proper dynamic training, the final dimension can be honed. This is done by replacing inefficient movement patterns with more efficient and budo-appropriate ones. This results in the relaxed power I wrote about at the beginning of this post. Together these four overlapping dimensions allow a TSYR practitioner to consistently monitor the physiological state of their own bodies.
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| Samurai Jack training his proprioception. |
Once an awareness of one's own body has begun to develop, five key skills can be practised. Again, I will not go into detail here (read Threadgill and Ohgami's book). The first is to have a connected body, a body that is flexible but strong and works in a unified fashion. The practitioner is able to act in a fully coordinated manner recruiting muscle, bone and fascia to deliver power. The next skill is that of having a subtle touch/feel so that your hands can detect tactile feedback. The touch must be light, only as much is required. The third skill is the cultivation of a precise grip. Flexible, yet firm and devoid of tension. Extremely important in this weapon-based art. The fourth skill is called Dragon Capturing and involves projecting force into an adversary when you grab them. Not in a linear fashion but with a subtle spiral. Finally, breathing methods are utilised to enhance internal strength.
I would like to talk about fascia for a moment. This connective tissue plays an important part in internal power. Recent research hints that fascia is more than just a passive tissue enveloping muscles and organs. It can be conditioned, toughened and used to direct and assign force. Many of the metaphors in internal martial arts appear to be linked to using the fascia network within one's body. I remember talking to the late Robbie Smith sensei before our usual Saturday morning practice. I said that my body felt more robust and springy than prior to training with him but I couldn't put my finger on why. Thinking about it now, I believe the exercises we were doing were developing my fascia along with the coordination of the muscles to created a more unified body. Even now, when I train I can turn on a 'tone' in my body. I'm not sure what this is but I can speculate and say it is a combination of key muscle groups and fascia. If that makes sense? I know that without that tone, I am more susceptible to having my centre taken.
In his book, Amdur has this to say, "With internal expressions of force, the mind directs muscles, ligaments, tendons, fascia AND one's body mass as a whole, organized primarily to exert actions upon oneself, which affect the other in the process." This is a fascinating statement and a great explanation, in my opinion, on how a budo body is created. What Amdur is saying, is that until you have control over your own body, you can't control your opponent using internal power. In my own experience, I find this to be true. Most of my training in internal power has been around me being aware of tension in my body, how I power movements efficiently and monitoring my body alignment. As Threadgill sensei says, once this budo body is developed, the very act of an adversary touching the practitioner results in the attacker being stripped of any structural support. The opponent loses their advantage on contact.
Now that we have established that the practitioner requires an element of sensitivity and an awareness of their own body mechanics the final, crucial element is intent. Threadgill sensei talks about intent often when giving instruction. For a person of his calibre to be talking about the same concept over and over again indicates to me that I should listen carefully. If he thinks it is important then so should I. Internal power ultimately requires a well-integrated mind/body connection. In a moment of conflict, I can't think sequentially through my checkpoints to make sure I am moving appropriately while someone tries to strangle me. My movements must become instinctual. Therefore I must get to the point where my intent drives my actions and I trust that the training I have in place allows for my body to produce the appropriate response.
A great analogy for this is driving a car. When we first learn to drive a car it can be overwhelming (especially if you learned in a car with manual transmission). However, over the years it becomes second nature to drive to and from work everyday, pass other vehicles and assess threats as you drive. This is what must occur for internal power to be practical. Think about how many hours you have spent behind the wheel of a car. Then think how often you train. Scary thought, huh?
It is well documented that athletes use visualisation to help them succeed in their physical endeavours. When you visualise yourself doing something, but not actually doing it, the same neural pathways fire that would normally activate those muscles that help you perform the activity. The mind is a powerful tool. I think of intent in the same way. If you have grabbed me I might put my intent behind you to make you topple in that direction. I think, "over there" and my conditioned, coordinated body does what is required to put you there. We can practice intent when attempting Ten Chi Jin exercises. Once we can redirect the incoming force we can start to try other things within this set up. I can move the other person around as they try and push me over. By thinking "move that way" my opponent gets moved. I can also place my intent into parts of my opponent's body. This is complex to explain in this post. Having face-to-face instruction is key to learning such concepts.
So a budo body is not complete without the intent of the practitioner. Amdur says, "intent is the ability to use the forces of gravity and ground to your advantage, and to organize your body in such a way that, moment-by-moment, you shift to make another's power your own." It is the final puzzle piece in internal power training.
Internal power training comes with a warning from Threadgill and Ohgami in their book, "Not all budo practitioners can internalize or master nairiki (internal power) skills. Nairiki training requires a significant investment in time and physical dedication." Further more, "Considerable mental patience and resolve are needed. Repeated failure and thousands of hours of repetitive training must be endured to acquire these skills, with no guarantee of success."
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| Even after training for years, you may not get it. |
Sobering words.
I have found a certain level of competence in this area but have a long way to go before mastery. I see it being many years until I can claim that, if at all.
Train safe out there everyone!
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