Re: Exercice to develop sense of center
The image of rubber bands is a very useful on for me. For a while I was way too yin; thinking relaxation was like being jelly armed. Then I made a study of bone alignments and how tendons work.
When both flexors and extensors are balanced, bone alignment happens with neither muscle nor tendon working against the balance. This is often cryptically called "non-contention".
If the whole skeletal structure is balanced that way, small flexion and extension movements of the various joints, beginning with the bottom of the feet (metatarsals and plantars) work in sequence and momentum builds. As the saying goes "Good Kung Fu begins at the bottom of the feet, goes through the knees, is directed by the hips and culminates in the hands."
This cumative pattern has been described as a snake traveling through your frame.
It so can be applied in aiki throws simply because force and momentus are at play via long leverage.
A touch, a push, a punch. It is all the same from my experience. Just a question of velocity and intent.
If the leverage is short, uke feels it. If the leverage is long... (The Master's touch is lite as a feather and heavy as a mountain.)
Last edited by Chris Parkerson : 05-17-2012 at 10:16 PM.