1

"The purpose of training is to tighten up the slack, toughen the body,

and Polish the Spirit"

Morihei Ueshiba

2
 Introduction

Internal power and internal martial arts. These terms mean vastly
different things to different people and there is no consensus as to
what these terms describe. This is my findings from meeting many
great Martial artists and body workers all teaching what they
describes as internal arts.

So what can we say for sure about these methods and the arts that
built up around them? This is the question that led me to search out
teachers and practitioners, to find the commonality and the
similarities among them and the methods they studied and taught.

The common thread of these arts is in the body usage, how intent is
used to enliven the training and how this frame is then applied
using a unique set of principles and tactics. The methods produce
unusual power, extremely acute sensitivity, postural stability, health
and are the gateway to longevity. However the fundamentals as
described in this book are not particularly complicated or magical,
not filled with some unseen energy or matter. Everything in this
book can be trained, over time, and will not require a ‘belief’ to
experience. Hard work is all that is needed.

This book is designed to give you an overview and common thread.

To point you towards the methods and ideas found in the internal
arts, but not often discussed.

It is my hope that the material gives you some new thoughts and
ideas and that it also perhaps helps to shed light on some of the
things that your masters, teachers, Shihan, Sensei and Shifu’s are
doing that may currently seem mysterious.

3
 Chapter 1 – Overview of Internal Power

Defining internal power for the purpose of literature

Internal power is a term that often fires up the imagination with

visions of skinny masters throwing students around will often be
met with a cry of BS or fakery.

The aim of this book is to de-mystify Internal Power and present a

more quantifiable approach to the subject. Explaining the
bodywork, the theory of training and the structures and mechanics
involved in training the body to develop this.

There are many terms that are often used in the internal arts that
will not be used in this course to describe the method or sensations
arising from the method. These include Chi, Qi etc.The aim of this
course is to create a clear, unobscured and direct route to real and
different use of the human body to normal physical training.

Internal power as we mean it can be defined using the following

sentence:

“A specialised training methodology focused on the development of

unusual power and sensitivity, through the training of muscle,
connective tissue, skeletal alignment, intent and breath.”

There are some initial considerations that seem to be universal in

internal power training.

1) It takes time to produce changes - Due to the nature and

construction of the tissues in development from this training,
the methods take time to effect real change in the body.
2) It requires re-wiring - To utilize these methods and bodywork,
we will need to rewire the body and mind to be used in a
different way to how it would normally react to stimulus.

4
3) Ignore special feelings or sensations arising from the training.
We should move through any strange feelings to continue the
training past those sensations not thinking about them.

The body is constructed of natural ‘alignments’ and tissues that

optimize the stability and directional capacity in all planes with or
without loads. Although naturally apparent, the goal of our training
here is to identify and work on these lines directly and link them via
the central nexus of the body (dan tien).

How to Learn.
Speeding up the process through Struggle.

Before we get into the fundamental ideas of internal power training

we must outline how to train intelligently. Internal power training is,
by its very nature, a slow process. There are no quick fixes and no
shortcuts to the bodywork and skills. However, the training can be
even slower if we don't approach how to train with maximum
efficiency!

When considering the problem of training in this method we need

to consider how best a person learns. I highly recommend a book
called ‘The Talent Code’ at this point as it is very much in the sporty
of how i teach people to learn these methods.

" Deep practice, "struggling in certain targeted ways -- operating at

the edges of your ability, where you make mistakes -- makes you
smarter. Or to put it a slightly different way, experiences where
you're forced to slow down, make errors, and correct them...end up
making you swift and graceful without you realizing it."

The fundamental idea is to Struggle. But to target your struggle to

very specific things. If you are just going through the motions you
will never achieve the right level of depth in the practice. If,
however, you put yourself in a position of failure, of struggling with

5
the method, feeling, idea or practice, your mind will react by
forming strong neural connections and create a mind body
relationship that is extremely strong.

So now, when approaching this training, make sure that you are
never comfortable with your situation or position. You are in fact
working on the edges of your mental capacity, grasping out to
understand and embed the ideas.

NOTE: this is the edge of your Mental Capacity … not physical

capacity!

Alignment
The term, its implications and how alignments are considered.

Alignment refers to the position of bones and joints in relation to

each other in space. The consideration of alignment is the first point
to focus on in internal power training.

Development of tissue while out of

alignment can result in cumulative
problems with the structure overall. If
you imagine building a house where
every second brick was out by a quarter
of an inch the cumulative effect of this
would mean a very unstable structure in
the end. Alignment uses line guides and
joint guides to make sure that the body
remains in the correct position during
practice and movement.

Joint guides
1) shoulder / hips
2) Elbows / Knees
3) wrists / ankles.

6
Line guides
1) axis
2) shoulder line
3) Hip line

We use these 6 physical relationships to understand how we are

aligned or indeed misaligned.

Alignment can still be maintained in positions of postural change

like leaning or crouching. We are not confined to stacking to
maintain good alignments.

The roll of the joint is also important when considering alignment

and the reasons for alignment. So we can look at the relationship of
joints to each other as a reason for their association traditionally.

Shoulder hip - These are ball joints and are used for mobility

Elbow Knee - theses are ‘transfer’ joints responsible for transferring

load smoothly

Wrist Ankle - The wrist and ankle are control joints that are used to
controlling outputs and motion.

A key alignment guide is the ‘Body

Box’.

This is the box that is created by

drawing lines up the sides from the hips
to the shoulders and between the
shoulders and hips.

When considering the alignments of this

box focus on keeping the shoulder and

7
hip lines parallel. You can however twist this box keeping those
alignments as is seen in some styles of Ba Gua. This pulls and
conditions the side lines from the iliac crest to the armpit creating
rope like connection.

The body box is very useful when we are working with a partner. It
is an easy frame to feel, maintain and understand. It is fun to play
with how maintenance of focus on the body box can change how
your body is felt and perceived by the opponent.

CONNECTION

Connection refers to the de-segmentation of the body to create a

dynamic single unit made up of a web of tissue linked to an aligned
skeleton.

8
When training connection we are working on Chains of Muscle and
connective tissue along aligned paths. Primarily the crotch arch, the
side lines, the axis, the cross body lines and the front and back arm
bridges. We are also working on linking these lines to the deep
muscles of the abdomen (dan tien) and the Lumbar Fascia (ming
Men). There are of course bridges and connections around these
major lines that are pulled or manipulated when we have a focus on
the major body lines.

“If you pull on the shirt every atom is effected.’

- Ido Portal

It is easy to believe, when training internal arts like Taiji, that muscle
tissue is something to be avoided. Especially with images of balloon
body builders popping up whenever we talk about building muscle.
However Muscle is not ‘bad’ per say in relation to internal training.
We need muscle to function. That being said there is a tipping point
between not enough and too much. Our job is to find that sweet
spot in the middle where muscle building is optimizing the
recruitment and function of the associated and integral connective
tissues. Go too big however and you create a tension pull across the
individual muscles stopping you from engaging long chains of tissue.

Connection
Fascia - an over view of connective tissues

Fascia is a tissue that is used for support, contraction, connection of

tissues to the skeleton, keeping organs in place, etc. (full list below.)
Connecting this web and actually developing the tissues is one of
the primary focuses of internal training. When we are able to work
with this web directly it can have dramatic effects on our ability to
feel pressures on the body, touch, our ability to feel tension or
bindings in our body, our ability to absorb or project forces and our
ability to monitor the internal condition of our bodies function.

9
 If connective tissue becomes
‘bound’ where it connects to
the skeleton we can develop
postural issues that can have a
knock on effect on the long
term health and strength.
Removing these bindings can
often be a primary focus of
methods such as chi gung.

Similarly if the tissue web gets

pulled or bound by a postural
defect, injury or illness it can
result in a ‘pull’ on the fascia
encapsulating the organs. The
release of these bindings can
be successfully achieved
through the use of Cupping,
massage and acupuncture.

Fascia is primarily composed of 3 substances. 1) Collagenous 2)

Elastic 3) Reticular. We are interested in the percentage of
collagenous and elastic material and how to bring the balance of
these two composites into balance and increase their volumes.

As we age we increase the stiff collagenous content of our fascia

and the elastic substance starts to reduce. This is why older people
can stiffen up. Exercises like tai chi can begin to make the body
create more elastic Fascia thus healing joint mobility or pain
problems and increasing elderly people’s postural health.

10
The rolls of Fascia.

Fascia plays a large number of roles in the body. It is used for:

- Load distribution - for instance in the lumbar fascia.
- Connection of muscles together - Deep abdominal and ‘core’
- Connection of Muscle to Bones. - tendons
- Supporting Joints - Ligaments.
- Sensory feedback - classically termed ting jin or listening skill.
- Contractile/ load response - The golgi reflex is the most obvious
example of connective tissue responding to stimuli with
contraction.
- Wrapping nerves
- Allowing tissues to slide over one another
- Keeping the organs in place.

Here is some information from a peer reviewed study on the role of

Fascia.

Finding #3:The fascial system is far more innervated than muscle,

so proprioception and kinesthesia are primarily fascial, not
muscular.

This is a hard concept for many fitness professionals to get their heads
around, but it is a fact: there are 10 times as many sensory receptors in
your fascial tissues as there are in your muscles (Stillwell 1957). The
muscles have spindles that measure length change (and over time, rate of
length change) in the muscles. Even these spindles can be seen as fascial
receptors, but let’s be kind and give them to the muscles (Van der Wal
2009). For each spindle, there are about 10 receptors in the surrounding
fascia—in the surface epimysium, the tendon and attachment fascia, the
nearby ligaments and the superficial layers. These receptors include the
Golgi tendon organs that measure load (by measuring the stretch in the
fibers), paciniform endings to measure pressure, Ruffini endings to inform
the central nervous system of shear forces in the soft tissues, and

11
ubiquitous small interstitial nerve endings that can report on all these plus,
apparently, pain (Stecco et al. 2009; Taguchi et al. 2009).

So when you say you are feeling your muscles move, this is a bit of a
misnomer. You are “listening” to your fascial tissues much more than to
your muscles. Here are three interesting findings that go along with this
basic eye-opener: Ligaments are mostly arranged in series with the
muscles, not in parallel (Van der Wal 2009). This means that when you
tense a muscle, the ligaments are automatically tensed to stabilize the
joint, no matter what its position.

Our idea that the ligaments do not function until the joint is at its full
extension or torsion is now outmoded; for example, ligaments function all
through a preacher curl, not just at the ends of the movement. Nerve
endings arrange themselves according to the forces that commonly apply
in that location in that individual, not according to a genetic plan, and
definitely not according to the anatomical division we call a muscle. There
is no representation of a “deltoid” inside your movement brain. That’s just
a concept over in your cortex, not in your biological organization.
Apparently, sensors in and near the skin are more active in detecting and
regulating movement than the joint ligament receptors (Yahia, Pigeon &
DesRosiers 1993).

How do we work on Fascia?

It is important to understand that unlike muscle fascia takes a long

time to change its composition. There are several reasons for this,
but primarily the reason is a lack of nutrient supply. Muscles have a
high level of blood supply in comparison to the fascia we will be
working with. The upshot of this is that it will take fascia longer for
physical changes to take place.

The bonus to this however is that once developed it also take a

longer amount of time for material to leach out of the developed
fascia network.

12
With this in mind and to work on this material to activate its growth
we use specific methods focused on developing fascia across entire
body lines and across many muscle groups.

1) Loading and stretching tissue aspects over time forces change

to occur
2) Pulling - Stretch holds using intent to spur growth of the elastic
fibers.
3) Load additions - this activates collagenous growth.
4) ‘Reeling/winding’ - re-aligns the material and applies both a
load and stretch response making it the optimum training

Internal Training vs ‘isometrics’.

Isometrics are somewhat different to Internal training even if they

may initially appear similar, ideas, especially in “standing training”.
Isometrics are the application of muscle tension with no change in
joint angle. The big bonus of isometrics is that they recruit a larger
amount of motor units for the given action.

However, this methodology still constitutes a ‘segmented’ power

approach unless this loading is focused across a full chain of tissue
and includes, not just contraction, but extension and winding in the
method.

Winding or twisting the fascia

Twisting and winding the tissues is used to create multi-directional

potential within the body at all times. At this stage we change the
way the tissue is trained and simultaneous illicit the stretch and the
load response in the body.

13
Twisting is dependent on an ‘anchor point’ and a point of rotation.
In order to make the twist directional we need to simultaneously
lead the stretch with the intent while we physically rotate away
from the anchor point.

When tissue develops through winding or twisting it will have a

larger amount of possibly recruited surface. This can be
demonstrated when looking at a line covering a set distance or a
spiral covering the same set distance. If you were to measure the
total length of the spiral it would be far greater than the total length
of the line. This increased material means that we can increase the
total utilized tissue when the body begins to adapt and change,
producing spiral structures.

Breath
Feeding oxygen to all cells and creating internal pressures.

The breath is used in a variety of ways in the internal power training

process. The primary ways that we utilize the breath in this training
are:

To lead relaxation
We can use breathing to find and release areas of tension in the
body. The main way we achieve this is through finding tension on
the in breath then working with the out breath to release this
tension. The practice is a large topic, Vladimir Vasiliev of Russian
Systema has written an excellent work on the use of breath in this
manner and I would recommend it to anyone wanting deeper
understanding in this area.

14
To energize the structure
I do not mean with Chi when I say this. I mean to feel oxygen to the
body tissues that helps in the stimulation of growth in the system.
Holding your breath (unintentionally) can be detrimental to the
correct functioning of the body’s response mechanisms, so good
consistent and, most importantly, natural breathing is a must.

To quieten the mind

As I will discuss next, the use of intent in internal power training is
of great importance and benefit. If your mind is awash with
thoughts however this can seriously impact your ability to utilize
intent correctly as you train. Putting your focus onto your breathing
can aid in releasing yourself partially from this cycle of thoughts
allowing clear intent training to take hold.

To ‘pressurize’ the postures

Breathing in and out will create a resulting internal pressure change
in the system and the body. This pressure change can be utilized to
‘massage’ the lines as we pull on them thus helping spur growth and
effect change.

Intent
The fuel for the training.

Intent is a term we use to define a very specific part of the mind

body connection and its relationship to the development of the
body and movement.

Intent is important in internal training for a variety of reasons but

we can say that one of the fist reasons is that it allows us to
completely bypass ‘segmentation’ in the body and go straight to the
full chain activation. This is achieved by using the intent to prepare
the body for very specific work. Work which requires the activation
and ‘setting’ of full chains of muscle groups, alignments and tissues.

15
So how do we define intent for the purpose of internal training?

Intent is the connection between the mind’s thought to act and the
physical movement involved in the act.

Much like a tendon linking a muscle to a bone, the intent acts inside
of the thought as well as inside of the action. We can use specific
techniques to utilize the intent to create a much more fruitful
practice with a better resulting output. Indeed without intent it is
extremely difficult to gain good results through focused internal
training.

Several methods are used in

internal power training that
utilize the power of intent.
Firstly we use intent to move
beyond our movement or
reach beyond our reach. This is
the say then when we perform
a movement, at the
movement’s zenith or peak
where movement comes to a
stop, we use intent to fool the
body into thinking that we are
still trying to move. Even
though we hold the body still.
This adds extension but also
and perhaps more importantly
increases the link between the
sensory organs located in the
fascia and our central nervous
system. This practice is vital for
increasing our movement
capacity and proprioception.

16
Secondly we use intent to ‘move before we move’. This is to say
that if we are moving our hand from one position to another, before
any physical action occurs we intend to already be at the finish
position. This method is quite different to separate from
‘imagination’, which certainly is not what I am talking about. This is
more like a sprinter in the blocks. Ready to launch into a sprinting
action. Everything that the sprinter is, his whole being, is prepared
and set to be sprinting, but they are holding that intent in a still
body.

Internal Power training … the overview.

Internal power training is a combination of the correct practice,

correct alignment, the correct training of the body tissues, and the
correct use of breath and the correct utilization of intent. If you
done have the right alignments you may develop the tissue
incorrectly, this can be said of any one of these elements. So we
need to work on them all too correctly achieve practical long term
results in the internal power training method.

To make this internal power of use to us for combat, there are many
ways in which we utilize these aspects to create the conditions for
victory, unusual strength, knock out power from no distance and
real world practicality. Those ideas will be the subject of another
course or section.

17
 Chapter 2
Body lines and how to feel them.

Defining the major body lines that we will develop in internal

power training.

The initial focus of the training for internal power is in creating a

body that is connected and structured. If you look at virtually all the
internal arts you will see the initial sections of their training devoted
to the alignment and connection of the body. So when we begin
internal training we want to focus on producing a body capable of
receiving and expressing the forces that characterize these
methods. As mentioned previously this means that we want to
develop the network of fascia in the body and align the joints and
posture correctly.

The initial stage of this method is to begin working on the major

body lines. The body lines are the major chains of tissue that create
all around stability, sensitivity and mobility. They have been
identified for centuries through various terms and phrases but the
easiest way to witness them is look at how the human body moves
in its actions during normal demands.

The structures, although described here in separation, should not

be thought of as distinct from one another but part of an all
encompassing network of connection permeating the body.

A network that also contains a huge series of smaller connecting

lines like a spider web. How we work with these smaller links starts
to become very interesting later in the training when the major lines
are fully developed and utilized. The smaller connections and their
association to linking the larger lines is essential to working with the
center but the initial focus on the major lines will already begin to
work this network. Remember you only have one body and it’s
always connected to the rest of itself.

18
 AXIS
Central Channel - rotation, bowing, etc

The axis is the central channel of the body. The axis can be thought
of in 2 ways dependant on focus. Firstly it can be looked at like a rod
straight through the body from the Crown Point to the perineum.
This is very useful when wanting to apply horizontal rotation,
insertion point yin/yang pairing and other martial ideas.

Secondly it is a chain of muscle and tissue that runs from inside the
hip joints up the front and back of the body. The Axis is often
thought to be the ‘spine’ but really this doesn't actually cater for all
of the tissues we are talking about. The axis tissue is the material
responsible for actioning bowing in the vertical plain. It is one of the
first lines to begin to work with in order to correctly align the torso
for further postural development.

19
Static stacking of the spine vs elasticated stacking.

In internal power training ‘potential’ is a large subject and one not

often discussed in favor of ‘relaxation’. The spine alignment and
how we approach the usage of the spine is a primary example of
this. Often is said that we should stack the spine like a pile of bricks
on top of each other with everything either side or around the spine
relaxed with gravity.

But what happens if you push the centre of those bricks hard? They
will topple over! A better idea is to align the vertebrae in a similar
way but instead of stacking without support, we aim to take the
slack out of the front and back lines via pulling from two anchor
points. The middle of the crown (Bai Hua) and the Perineum (Hua
Yin).

In doing so, if a hard pressure is applied, this elastic material

stretches as if drawing a bow creating a real potential energy in the
system that can be utilized in direct response or directed elsewhere
via the Dan Tien.

20
 CROTCH ARCH
(Dang Jin) - The bodies inner support structure

In many arts we see methods of squatting with a focus on the inside

of the legs. Often called a horse or horse riding stance, when done
a certain way the practitioner will effectively ‘sit’ on the inside lines
of the legs like an arch.

The crotch arch constitutes the inner support lines of the legs. This
area is developed to a high degree as a method of creating a mobile
but stable base and is closely linked to ‘lightness’ skills and rooting.

21
The crotch arch runs from the centre of the plantar fascia (the arch
of the foot) to the Perineum and feeds into the hips and pelvis.

As previously mentioned this is the main support for the trunk of

the body and, much like an arched bridge, distributes load most
effectively to the ground.

How to activate the Crotch Arch

Activation of the crotch arch is achieved through pulling in of the

feet slightly and applying an (extremely) minor twist. This ‘locks’ in
the knee and the connective tissue that runs around and through
the knee providing a stable support structure not allowing the
knee’s alignment to fail. I must stress here that any twisting that
occurs in the knee or elbow, which are transfer joint, Is extremely
minor. The Joint location itself does not change and it is in fact the
tissues connecting too and around the joint that changes.

That link through the knee is partially what connects the crotch
arch and the Side lines. The crotch arch is often used to create an
upward direction leading into the axis and Dan Tien. This ‘upward’
direction is one of the gateways to ‘lightness’ skill in Internal Arts.

Gripping of the feet on the floor is used to activate this arch and will
begin the set up of the ‘foot stirrup’. How this bridge is moved via
rotation of the femoral heads is very important to maintaining the
stability within real and quantifiable mobility.

22
 SIDE LINES
The pillars of the body.

The side lines are like the support pillars of a suspension bridge.
These lines create the stable opposite side to the Dang and they run
from the outside of the foot, up the sides of the torso, anchoring on
the sides of the skull.

The side lines are used to maintain horizontality in the shoulder and
hip lines we talked about in alignment. But also serve as the
opposite side to the crotch arch in the legs. When combined with
the spiral lines which also feed into the legs and wrap them, we
have full all sided support structures that we can utilize.

23
They constitute a very strong support structure that is useful for
same side alignment methods.

There is a method in Daito Ryu Aiki Budo known as the Hitoemi (one
line) principle. This idea works primarily on the utilization of the side
lines, keeping the joint alignments as you walk. It was used in old
times to enable the sword to be drawn at any point while you walk,
but also keeps a powerful alignment idea in place.

Moreover, this idea means that the side lines can be utilized in a
very interesting way. A way that allows you to harness the power of
gravity, especially in throwing or striking. The method involves
simultaneously releasing on side line as you step and extending the
other making one side of the body ‘fall’ forward creating a powerful
forward and downward motion. I have seen similar ideas in Xing Yi’s
Pi Quan.

The development of these lines will create consistent alignments of

the shoulder, hip, hand, foot etc but later, during spiraling practices,
will help to create torque and power from the paired twisting of the
lines. The side lines are useful load and release structures and play
pivotal roles in some of the coil and release methods found in
Chinese Ba gua. In this art as you turn the side lines pull and twist
creating a strong potential energy for their return, like twisting and
pulling on large elastic bands.

The side lines are good indicators in load play like push hand. Their
misalignment through the action of the partner can highlight
potential postural flaws that can then be worked on.

24
 UPPER BODY (arm) BRIDGES
Connection of the arms to the body

Perhaps the most useful connections for us to utilize internal power

in martial arts are the ones that connect the arms to the body, what
I call the upper body bridges.

Obviously our arms are always connected to our body, but here we
want to specifically work to de-segment the links of the arms and
develop tissue from deep within the front and back of the body to
the tips of the fingers.

25
Through specific exercises we create extremely strong connections
and links from the hands all the way back to the center.

The front and back of the body are obviously quite different in
terms of muscle, fascia and bone format. The front arm line is like a
trident in its configuration and links through the pec muscle to the
sternum. The back line links the shoulder blades (scapula) together
and also links down into the lats and lumbar fascia where it
eventually joins with the ming men.

Bridge 1 - through the back.

The through the back connection links the arms to the torso and
runs from the little finger and back of the hand, through the elbow,
tricep, scapular and lats eventually connecting into the top of the
lumbar fascia and the ming men point.

There are two primary focus points initially for the through the back
power. Firstly is the bridge between the scapular and second is the
link downward to into the top of the lats. Both of these lines are
part of the same system and create the links that are used in the Yin
/ Yang pairing practice to come later.

Bridge 2 - the front arm bridge

The upper front arm bridge constitutes the tissue linking the arm to
the body on the front. It is the tissue running from the thumb and
centre of the palm, along the inside of the forearm, through the
elbow and bicep, into the pec muscles and the sternum fascia which
links directly into the Dan tien via the front line of the axis.

26
General Arm Bridge points to note.

There are several Key points to bare in mind:

1) keep the traps soft
2) Thumb links to Dan Tien - front
3) Little finger links to Ming Men - back
4) Scapular back and in to the spine
5) Chest relaxed and soft - not puffed up

We are trying to achieve a through the back power between the

hands and a closing power at the front.

Through the back power

Through the back power is a primary driver for many method of

power generation. The ability to switch sides, transfer force
between the hands and send force back to the opponent is an
extremely useful skill that some teachers have perfected to a very
high level.

It is indeed a very useful connection for transferring power between

the side lines of the body or from one hand to the other. But is even
more useful when we work with pairing that method with the front
arm bridge action.

The Primary muscle groups that constitute through the back

connection are the deeper back muscles relating to the scapular
area of the back.

Infraspinatus
Rhomboideus Major
Teres Minor / Major
Deltoids
Lower trapezius.

27
 CROSS BODY
The bodies spiral nature.

The strongest link through the body via the Dan Tien and Ming Men
is the cross body or spiral line. The cross body line is like a double
helix that runs around the body and has a ‘knot’ in it that ties all the
other lines together at the centre. Also called the spiral line, the
cross body connection wraps around the body like a spiral corset. It
is important to note that the cross body line is multidirectional in its
nature, as are all spirals. More accurately we can call this line a
helix.

28
The body cross provides multi-directional support for the torso but
also feeds into the Kwa and lower Dan Tien wrapping around the
legs all the way to the feet. It also consists of a cross over at the
upper back and the lumbar fascia.

The cross body line is the link to winding or twisting practice to

come later. The nature of these lines are such that they naturally
engage when spiraling and crossing methods are used to develop
the multi directional power.

We can see the utilization of the cross body lines in many different
martial methods. From Irimi nage to Gyakuzuki. But here we are
looking to ultilize those lines specifically as part of a larger network
of connection and all round support.

How to feel the major body lines

There are some excellent methods for immediately feeling the
major body lines with the help of a partner. It’s worth pointing out
that the partner doesn't need to have any training or interest in this
subject. Provided they can hold their arm out and lean their weight
on you that is all that is required.

Setting up the body for the pushes.

Before we work on these methods we need to set up the body with
a position that is completely Neutral in all directions. That is to say
that we cannot create a preference of direction to oppose the force
of the push, instead we take the pressure into the body and feel the
resulting pull or loading on the body lines.

• Stand roughly shoulder width apart.

• head pulled up to the sky from the crown
• chin tucked slightly
• eliminate the lumbar curve by relaxing the lower back
• relax the chest and abdomen

29
• let the shoulders sit naturally in the position but ensure they are
on the sides of the body and not slumped forward
• pull the feet together gently on the floor to engage the tissue on
the inner thighs.
• relax the buttocks.

Feeling the side lines

Standing in the manner outlined above have your partner place

their hand lightly on your shoulder. The partner gradually increases
the pressure on your body by pushing you. Do not let your body
move even an inch to the pressure applied.

You will feel the side being pushed contract to hold the pressure;
however this should not be the only force involved otherwise it is a
basic resistance.

We should also extend the opposite side line simultaneously as the

load is increase and the opposite side contracts. Similarly and
perhaps counter intuitively, we can reverse this direction and this is
very interesting to play with.

Another point of focus here should be the Crotch Arch connection

and the up down in the axis.

30
Feeling the Axis

Again standing as described earlier, this time have your partner

place their hand in the centre of your chest. Have them slowly
increase the pressure on your chest paying close attention to the
weight on the soles of your feet.

As they push you should remain in the same position but lead the
crown of the head up to the sky and the coccyx down to the earth.
Maintain the crotch arch.

If your weight goes into your heels tell the partner to stop pushing
and lead up and down further until the weight can return to the full
foot.

It is important not to sit back with the pressure or let the body
change too much in relation to the push.

Feeling the Body cross

Standing as per the other exercises have your partner put their hand
on one of your shoulders from the front. Again they slowly increase
the pressure on your structure and you try to remain completely
static.

You will feel the pressure cause a twisting force on your body that
you will need to keep in check with the spiral line.

Pay close attention to the alignment of the shoulder with the hip or
the body box as discussed in the first section. This should not twist
during their push and the shoulder should remain above the hip.

31
Feeling the arm bridges

To feel the various connections of the arm to the body we can use
the following methods as a set of arm bridge training. All of these
exercises should look static to the observer but have a dynamic
tension within them

1) Up to down
Both hold their arms out, one people with arms on top, one
with arms underneath. Apply a pressing down force from
the top and a lifting up force from the bottom
It is important to be careful for tension to not creep at the
level of the shoulder as you apply your up and down forces.
The shoulder should remain sunk and located within the
correct position.

2) Up/down – down/up
This is very similar to the method above however this time
one arm is on top one underneath. So one side is raising
one side is sinking.

3) Closing the chest

In this exercise we straighten our arms out to the side. Then
we join palms and try to bring our hands together. The aim
here is to close the whole front like from the finger tips to
the centre of the chest. It is very important we don’t lean
into the partner when we close. We need to

4) Push Pull
In this exercise the focus is on the ‘through the back’
connection. We stand with one foot forward and one back,
interlink fingers and push with one side while pulling with
the other. The partner does the opposite to create a static

32
position. The important aspect of this method is that we
apply the equal opposite force without bending the back,
leaning into the partner or similar.

33
 Chapter 3
Defining the centre or dan tien

What is Dan Tien?

The centre is a common theme in Martial Arts. Most traditional arts

have some connection with the lower abdomen and the idea of this
area being the ‘centre’ for movement capacity, power and energy is
a common thread that runs throughout many martial traditions.

It is, however, the internal martial arts that take the idea of the
centre into much more detailed arena. The centre or Dan Tien
becoming the subject of constant, focused training methods and
techniques. That said there are still wildly varying definitions of
what the Dan Tien, Hara, Tanren, or centre actually constitutes.

34
These definitions include:
1) the lower ‘energy’ reservoir
2) The centre of gravity of the body
3) The physical centre point between the crown and the feet.
4) The root of breath
5) The result of mental training to control and change tissue in that
area
6) A ‘stone ball’

No matter how the Dan tien or centre is defined it is clear that it

emerges out of conscious and correct practice. Largely becoming
more and more conditioned or connected as the training time
progresses. Dan Tien is something that can be felt directly by placing
the hand on the abdomen of an adept who has developed this area
and should not be an ambiguous concept.

Dan Tien and Ming Men in this system of training.

The Dan tien has two meanings in the system we practice. 1) It is

the classical point a couple of inches below the naval on the front of
the abdomen and 2) more in line with the Japanese idea of the Hara
or centre, It is the deep muscle and connective tissues of the lower
abdomen and pelvis. This second definition is the one that we are
most concerned with in the majority of the training in this course.
However the first definition is very useful for pairing the dan tien
with the ming men for rolling or rotation.

In this course we are primarily interested in the centres physical

composition and how we can develop the structures via relaxation,
intent, pulling and winding. We use the dan tien as an origination or
a pulling point led by intent and as a center of ‘gravity’ in the later
training. But initially we want to work on defining the centre or dan
tien in physical terms to help refine and enforce our training goals.

35
Dan Tien (hara) - The core or centre of the body

Firstly, and most importantly, we must look at dan tien as a nexus or

junction point for the myo fascial lines of the body. It is composed
of material looping in from the hips and lower back, the spiral lines
around the body, the axis material both front and back and
numerous other internal connections that create all round ball of
tissue in this area.

The Dan Tien is first developed by relaxation on the inside of the

body. Relaxing everything inside the bodies outer suit if you will.
This relaxation gives the sensation of filling up the lower dan tien
and connecting all of the material in together.

When properly relaxed, the pulling and stretching methods to

come, can be felt directly pulling the centre in various directions.
This pulling is actually, over time, conditioning the connections to
and from the centre in a clear and physical way and the adept will
loose the 6 pack and begin to gain a taut but rounded belly.

However, intent plays its roll in this process perhaps more than it
does anywhere else in the practices. We must use intent to
‘energize’ the practice with preparatory responses originating in this
area. This is to say that, when we stretch or reach in our pulling
training, we will use intent to define the originating point, the
direction and sometimes the rotation of the pull.

36
Dan Tien - (front Point)

The front point of the Dan tien is not only useful as a point of focus
but is also vital for the microcosmic orbit and dan tien rotation.

The front point here as we mean it is located a couple of inches

below the navel and is just below the cross-over of the spiral line or
body cross.

This point is linked with the thumbs and the practice of pairing our
open and close with ming men is often led by or felt in the thumb
tip. This is an important relationship that we should really work to
feel and one which we will explore later in the yin yang pairing
practices. It allows us to use the simultaneous open and close of the
body’s front and back sides.

The Dan Tien point on the front is also used in resistance training
where the fascia and deep muscles of this area are trained via
compression and expansion, often using weights, sticks or a partner.

Ming Men (back point)

The ming men is a central point of the lumbar fascia. This is a cross
over point for the spiral and back lines of the body and like dan tien
is a nexus for the fascia of the body on the back side.

It is said that the Ming Men is the location of the first cell we are
created from at birth with the spine growing from this location and
the entire body forming around that original point.

The lumbar fascia has an important role in distribution of load into

the legs and in opening and closing the lower back. This is one of the
areas that is often focused on in the internal arts and good mobility
in this area is vital.

37
The Ming men area is used to push when opening or pull when
closing. When paired with opening and closing on the front point of
the Dan Tien we are able to create a very stable and functional
power contained within our frame or base. Here we see the Ming
Men located at the cross over point of the spiral lines.

Dan Tien Rotation

Once we have developed the relationship of the ming men and dan
tien points, and the dan tien centre or hara, we can begin to work
with dan tien rotation. This is the process by which we can
effectively change the centre inside of the frame of the pelvis to
create a rotation, spiral or wave in the body.

Dan Tien rotation can only be practiced after the centre is

developed sufficiently. It is important to note at this stage that if
you are to try this practice when the system is full of ‘slack’, the
rotation will remain redundant as it is not connected to the rest of
the body and extremities.

So, to train rotation we need a very well connected body, absent of

slack or looseness, but we also need to have been working very well
with linear expressions of intent. We need to have a very real
impression of what intent is and how it engages and enforces the
practice. Intent plays a key role in Dan Tien rotation as itt is one of
the ways in which the rotation can become more useful than just
physicality.

38
Dan tien rotation is composed of 2 aspects:

1) The physical rotation or turning of the tissues that meet at the

centre. This is caused by sided, spiral, axial or directional
pressures that cause the centre to turn independently of the
pelvis itself. This practice is very powerful in and of itself and
can create a directional power so strong that it is very difficult
to stop.

2) The Intent driven rotation. This is the process by which, at the

start point of the physical rotation, intent is used to load up the
movement by perceiving the end point as already reached, then
at culmination of the physical rotation, the intent is used to
rotate fully again. This is a much more difficult practice to
achieve than just physical rotation and takes a lot of training
and learning to begin to feel. More importantly it should be
entirely apparently when someone else puts their hand onto
your lower abdomen.

Dan Tien rotation is often used in microcosmic orbit training and

similar practices. This is working purely on the intent driven rotation
however with no physicality.

The pairing of the DanTien and Ming Men in this training is very
good for ‘firing’ up this area and creating a useful understanding of
the nature of intent training combined with deep concentration.

It also creates a greater sense of centre in the physical space and

allows us to begin stability and mobility training while still
connected.

It should be remembered however that if the focus of this training is

the development of internal power for martial arts then we must
also train the physical centre and prepare it for utilization.

39
 Chapter 4
Kwa (inguinal Crease) and shoulder.

The Kwa is the inguinal crease, which is

the line that runs between the torso and
the leg from the perineum to the top
front of the hip. The Kwa is one of the
most important areas for the internal
arts practitioner because it is the area by
which we control movement and
stepping as well as power to and from
the earth.

The Kwa can be thought of like a hinge

allowing the sides of the body to open
and close. However it is, more
appropriate to think of as a multi
directional hinge that can open and close
in a number of directions, as is the
nature of a ball joint (femoral heads).
Imagine a single door hinge that is a ball joint with numerous elastic
bands connecting to it. This is a good visualization for what the kwa
represents in the body. This idea means that we can utilize a
connected structure even when we require a lot of mobility in our
stepping and leg movement.

The Kwa has a direct relationship with the shoulder. More

specifically the front line of the shoulder, similar in location as the
Kwa is to the hip. The shoulder is basically an upper representation
of the Kwa and act in much the same way when trained correctly.

40
How the Kwa is utilized.

The Shoulder and Kwa work in harmony to enable smooth

movement without sacrificing the body connection.

We think of the Kwa as a control hinge but more than this it can
actually cause pulls, pushes and twists on the central tissues. When,
for instance, when the body cross is utilized or trained the Kwa
plays a role in creating the twist from foot to hand or hand to foot
via the dan tien.

Similarly when we open the kwa corresponding pull on the dan tien
tissue will cause a reaction in the web of fascia. This is very useful
for hiding the origin of your power or direction as well as for
simultaneous opening and closing of multiple lines at once.

Points of practice:
3) Buttocks should remain relaxed
4) Fold is close - unfold is open
5) The pelvis shouldn't move a large amount
6) A hinge needs a static and a moving part. Not two moving parts
as power will be lost.
7) Rotate the Femoral heads not the pelvis as a whole.

Same side open/close

This is the harmonization of the left kwa, left shoulder and right
kwa, right shoulder. This same side alignment is useful for freeing
the opposite side of the body should one side be jammed. The same
side open close is also utilized in the Hitoemi movement principle
talked of earlier. The idea being that the one Kwa ‘releases’ to close,
creating an imbalance in the side lines, and a resulting gravity power
out of the other half of the body.

41
We use the same side method for wrapping around the rooting leg
or for rotating around a perceived centerline running through the
shoulder hip. This method has its drawbacks but is a very useful
movement skill that can decrease the telegraphing of movement
changes.

Cross body open close

This is the harmonizing of the left kwa, right shoulder and vis versa.
In this method we are looking to link all the body lines via the nexus
of the dan tien and utilize the cross body method. In this instance
input forces can be directed into the opposite side of the body
which is extremely useful in martial application for fueling response
or reaction. However as spiraling
and winding starts to become
apparent the input force will spin
off as the forces of the cross body
lines are expressed/set up.

This way of utilizing Kwa and

shoulder can be put into many
martial arts methods. Some
examples off the top of my head
would be Brush knee push from
Taiji, Irimi Nage from Aikido, Cross
body Beng Chuan from Xing Yi,
Gyakuzuki from Karate, right cross
in boxing … the list goes on!

42
Kwa/shoulder exercise 1 - wrapping side on side.

In this exercise we are focusing on the open and close of the same
side of the body. The aim of the training is to harmonize the
shoulder and hip so that they naturally work together without
thought.

This is important later in the training and once second nature will
already start to go a long way to aligning and harmonizing the sides
of the body.

Kwa/shoulder exercise 2 - Wrapping to step

In this exercise we are learning to use the kwa for movement utility.
Key points are to keep the feet level distance from each other like
you are walking on train tracks.

In this exercise it is important to maintain the foot distance as this

helps to really work on using the kwa to enable movement.

43
Although initially robotic this exercise can become a very free form
movement training in every direction, provided you can maintain
the Kwa mobility at all times.

There are several levels of training in this exercise and a few points
to remember as you move through it.

1) Pelvis and shoulders remain level

2) You are rotating the femoral heads
3) Don’t rotate the pelvis too much
4) Lead straight ahead with the centre
5) The fold of the shoulder and hip should be simultaneous
with no separation in timing.

44
 Chapter 5
Setting up the frame.

The basic attributes of the frame and how to set it up.

The initial ability to stand with a functional frame is an important

first stage in IMA body methods.

Here are some of the points for setting up the body frame ready for
standing or movement practice.

1. Feet
The feet are your best receptor for recognizing how your body
weight is paced. Listen to what the feet tell you in terms of position
of pressure. The foot provides and all round receptor to feel motion
forward back and side to side. The primary contact points of the
feet are generally the toes, metatarsal heads (ball of the foot),
Outer longitudinal Arch and the heal.

To help us recognize and find the central point in relation to the

feet, rock back and forward, making the movement smaller and
smaller until you arrive at the central point with the balance evenly
distributed. Repeat this rocking side to side.

2. The Toes
The toes play a very important role in how the foot connects with
the earth. They help to control balance and stability but also allow
us to connect more securely with the ground itself. We should
lightly grasp the earth as if the feet were plungers or suckers. This
has the effect of activating the ‘bubbling well’ point just back from
the metatarsal heads in the centre of the foot, which increases the
connection with the earth and feeds into the crotch arch.

45
3. Knees
The knee alignment is of huge importance when working with static
postures or slow movement training when load is involved. We
need to make sure that the knees follow their correct path. The
Knee is in essence a weigh transfer joint, allowing articulation in a
very strict limited direction. If we try to make the knees go in
directions outside of this plane they will suffer tissue damage.

To maintain the proper alignment we should make sure than the

knee follows the line of the big toe metatarsal. The knee should be
softly bent and relaxed, not locked or overly flexed.

4. Pelvis and related level

The pelvis is the base of the body lines and the frame for much of
the connective tissue that links into the dan Tien. It is a very
important area to set up correctly when starting to work with
internal body mechanics. We need to look at the tissues
surrounding the pelvis as well as the connections too it and the
position of the bones themselves in order to set the rest of the body
us correctly.

1 Relax the Glutimus Maximus. Your buttocks should be soft and

relaxed, this will have the effect of helping to drop the coccyx down
levelling up the pelvis, opening the ming men point.
2. Relax and open the Inguinal Crease. The Kwa, we need to relax
this meeting point of the thigh with the hips and let this crease
naturally open up. This will further let the pelvis sink and sit
naturally.
3. Pull up through the inside line of the legs. This will have the effect
of stabilizing and ‘setting up’ the lower frame like the arch of a
bridge and will help to maintain exchange up through the Hui Yin
(perineum) point. This is the activation of the Crotch Arch.

46
5. lower back and lower abdominals.
To help the pelvis find the right position we need to release and
control the position and state of the lower trunk of the body. There
are two major areas to focus on. The Thoracolumbar (lumbar) Fascia
plays an important role in correctly relaxing the lower back and is
directly related to the Ming Men point. This may take some time to
come under conscious control so that you can release the area and
allow the pelvis to hand in the correct position. Also relaxing the
transverse abdominis will allow the pelvis to sit even further down
in a pendulum style position from the spine, opening the Dan Tien
point on the front and setting up the Centre with correct alignments
and connections.

6. Spine
The spine should be straightened smoothing out the lumbar curve
somewhat. But this should not be an enforced process of reversing
the curves. The method is to lengthen the spine from the crown of
the head. As we have already relaxed the structures around the
pelvis the lower back should be relatively flat anyway. So the focus
should be on extending to the top of the head, eliminating the
outward curve of the upper back and inward curve of the neck. The
feeling of pulling the chin in helps to open up the neck somewhat.

7. Rib cage
We want to aim for balance in the setting up of the frame, therefor
its important not to collapse the chest inwards or puff it out. But
rather keep it naturally in the centre. The rib cage will sit naturally
allowing the diaphragm to work well and keeping pressure of f the
lungs and heart. When done correctly the chest will seem to hollow
(not cave in but become hollow inside) and the internal body weight
will sink to the lower abdomen.

47
The other important point here is that the upper back remains
naturally centred as well. The back should not be curved out or
flexed back.

8. Scapular
The connection through the top of the back between the sides of
the body is an important area to ‘set up’ in this initial building of the
frame. The scapular should sit flat to the back, sunk and in towards
the spine without undue tension in the creation of the posture. This
will have the effect of pulling the shoulders back slightly in their
socket and allowing the chest to be natural.

9. Shoulders and Arms

The shoulders extremely important as they are the movement joint
for the arms much like the role of the hips for the legs. The
shoulders should be sat down in position with the Trapezius muscle
very soft and open. The more the shoulders are pulled up by the
traps the less connected to the body frame they will be.

The result of correctly seated shoulders is that the arms should have
the sensation of ‘filling up’ . Here we need to release the elbow joint
by softening as much as possible and letting gravity do its work. The
same is true of the wrist and finger joints.

10. Neck, face and head

The head and especially the face is often full of unrecognised
tension and emotional residual tensions. If we are going to work
freely we need to begin to dissolve these points of tension from the
outset. Practice releasing the Neck, then the face, then the tissue
over the skull with every out breath. As you relax more and more
the entire frame should start to be felt as a single unit. Allowing you
to begin whatever work you’re going to start.

48
 Chapter 6
Pulling silk - Tissue development and conditioning

Defining ‘Pulling silk’

The term pulling silk originates in Tai Chi and is often interchanged
with reeling silk, however we separate the two terms to work on
them exclusively.

Pulling silk is related to stretching and conditioning the tissues

utilized in Internal Power. When performing exercises the idea of
gently pulling a line of silk from its case is a useful metaphor for
going easy and staying relaxed. However another way this term can
be perceived is like pulling a silk shirt from a couple of points
affecting the rest of the shirts structure and creating visible
direction in it.

Pulling silk is a very specific type of soft stretching using extension.

Essentially we are aiming to increase elastic percentage of the fascia
over time and strengthen the links between segments of tissue
through the motivation of growth. The method of pulling silk and
the exact exercises are many and varied, from various Chi Gung
traditions to the stretching methods of Japanese traditions and
health practices. It is relatively easy to find methods that would be
classed in the pulling silk category. It is however ‘how’ we train that
really matters. Where the focus and intent are placed and how this
effects the overall method can dramatically change the practice,
from just waving the arms, into something more practical.

This practice, although concerned with connection and

development, is also used to remove excess or unwanted tension
from the body. The method, when combined with breath and intent
produces a connected suite of fascia around the skeleton and
internal organs.

49
The rules of pulling silk

To make this practice authentically useful for internal training we

need to have a specific set of practice rules that are adhered too in
all of the stretching motions. These points describe how the body
should be utilized to create meaningful practice.

1) Move Before you move – This is the utilization of intent to

perceive yourself in the end position of a given movement or
method.
2) Intend to extend more than you can physically without
breaking postural requirements – It is important that the body
is held static but the intent reaches out to increase the
preparation of the fascia.
3) Breath naturally – Try not to hold the breath at any stage,
breath should flow in and our naturally and with minimal holds.
4) Pull along entire line being worked Not just a segment of it. –
some of the exercises feel like they are only effecting one part
of the total line, this is generally due to lack of extension,
tension or breath holding.
5) As you extend, simultaneously contract. – this is not easy to
feel, but as you extend in the postures you can simultaneously
apply a light contraction.
6) Work hard at the extremes of the position. – It is good to focus
on the extremity of a position. Working hard to maintain the
position in that final 5%
7) Do not loose ‘tautness’ in the body throughout the movement
or positional hold.

Using intent in Pulling Silk.

When training these methods intent is vital for engagement and

utilization of the structures. It is the one part of the practice that
can turn the movements and postures from simple stretching to a
fruitful motivator for changes in the body.

50
As discussed previously, intent as we mean it is the link between the
mind and the body that prepares the body for action. We can use
this when in a posture to make the body react like it needs to
prepare to extend further or to prepare for some load. This
preparatory reaction is a natural part of the bodies make up. It is
similar to a tiger crouching behind a rock ready to pounce. Every
part of that tiger is prepared to pounce in accordance with its intent
to do so.

When we train pulling silk we must really manifest that preparatory

response in the fascia either in contraction or extension. This should
be perceivable, even by those with no training, when someone
holds your arm and you intend to the distance or pull into your
centre they should feel it, even without the arm moving a mm!

51
The importance of intent in this practice is not only in the
preparatory response but also in the ‘move before you move’
principle. This is the idea that we already perceive ourselves in the
end position of any given movement thus again creating a strong
and trainable link between our mind and body action.

Using Breath in the practice.

Breath is often associated with Chi Gong and internal training

practices very closely. We see many ways to breathe, from ‘reverse’
breathing to breathe holds, pressure building to bust breathing.

Although all very valid, there are some methods of breathing that
can be used to produce better and quicker results in your training.

In this practice we use breath in 3 main ways, each very practical

and natural.

1) To act as a guide for relaxation. – Every out breath relaxing a

little more without taking the tautness out of the system.
2) To create pressurization and extension in the lines. – with every
‘in’ breath the stretch increases very slightly.
3) To make oxygenate the tissues. – smooth and consistent
breathing with ensure the there is always a good supply of
oxygen to the tissues.

52
 Postural Requirements.

There are some fundamental set up requirements that we need to

set in place prior to starting exercises with this focus. (see setting up
the frame section) The purpose here is to ensure that the
alignments (discussed in the fundamentals section) are present
before so that we are pulling the lines in the correct way and not
creating unbalanced development. To briefly recap.

1) Feet grip the ground slightly

2) Legs pull in gently engaging the crotch arch
3) The legs drill to the outside VERY gentle. This locks in the tissues
of the knee and aid in this development.
4) The buttocks are soft
5) The Kwa is open both sides and relaxed
6) The lower abdomen and lumbar are relaxed but not collapsed.
7) The chest is natural and not puffed out or the back bowed.
8) Shoulders sit in the centre of the body when looking from the
side
9) The arms hang naturally
10) The curve at the nape of the Neck is eliminated by tucking the
chin slightly
11) the crown of the head is as if it is suspended by a line from the
ceiling
12) The outer lines of the body are sinking
13) when pushing movement the front is closing the back opening,
when pulling the back is closing the front is opening.

A full list of major body line exercises are available one the online courses run by www.arts-
of-combat.com

53
 Chapter 7
5 bows, The body cross and active Dan tien.

5 Bows.

Although at this stage we have identified the major body lines, it is

now good to start to introduce the 5 bows in the body. These
constitute the spine, arms and legs.

Legs - Press out while pulling in and drill into the earth - Always
maintain the arch in the crotch, like a saddle.
Arms - The arms pull up and press down on the dan tien
connections through the elbow and shoulder, they are like hooks
and drills.
Spine - The legs bowing out pulls on the psoas at the bottom of dan
tien while the upper back drops opening ming men and taking the
slack out of the system. Literally like a bow with its string keeping
the system taut.

54
The 5 bows work is more relevant when we introduce the
combative ideas that will be presented upcoming works on two
person training. In that instance we can also begin to use the 5 bows
model as both a store/release method and a way of co-ordinating
the whole body.

For now I introduce this idea as a way of simplifying the body lines if
you find that level of detail too distracting. If not, stick with the
major lines model.

The Body Cross.

The body cross is one aspect of the internal body method that can
often be neglected in favor of the body box or same side alignment
method. In my particular line of Daito Ryu as well as many Aikido
Schools we see the ‘hitoemi’ principle of movement and co-
ordination which is primarily rooted in the body box, side lines and
axis maintenance and movement ideas.

However, the body cross is also a very important, perhaps more

important, body attribute that can be developed.

The body cross is important for several reasons but primary among
them is that it connects the body’s various lines from side to side
through the Dan Tien. I like to think of it as a clever way of
distributing force across your web of tissue. Much like a fly hitting
one side of a cobweb, the whole web will be affected but the
opposite side of the web will see a large volume of the pull.

The body cross is characterized by a few of important points.

1) The associations are from opposite hand to foot

2) The Kwa/shoulder associations are important for mobility but
movement should be controlled by rotation of the dan tien or
leading from the dan tien.

55
3) The cross should always have a direct physical effect on the
centre.
4) The little finger is associated to Ming Men - The Thumb
associated to Dan Tien. Middle finger is the axis of rotation for
the arms
5) The cross allows front and back side pairing of the body
6) Work hard at the extremes of the position
7) This is the formation of spiralling power. There is no front or
back at that point

The body cross can actually be seen in a number of standard

movements from Taiji, XingYi and Ba gua. Although not necessarily
explicitly discussed in arts like Aikido or Taiji, the abody cross usage
is often observed.

However we don't often see a focused and distilled practice to

zoom in on this body method.

Connecting the hands and feet to the dan tien / ming men

There are many exercises that work specifically on connecting the

hands and feet to each other through the Dan Tien (centre). This
basic training can enliven all movement methods from any art or
movement form in that they begin to work on the relationship
between the back half and front half of the body as well as the
connections across the body.

After some time embedding this work and developing the physical
and intent driven connection it is fun to go back to your primary
practice and start to work on feeling the body cross in every
movement you make.

Note how the centre comes into stark focus after some time
training this work.

56
 Chapter 8
The Yin and Yang body split.

Splitting the front and back of the body and pairing their
movement.

A useful method we use in Internal power training is the separation

of the body into two complimentary and opposite side. This is not to
say they are independent but much like the ‘yin yang’ (taiji)
oppositely paired in their function. Their functions can reverse or be
applied to lesser or greater extent. But again like the Taiji we do not
go to full extremes of these two ideas.

The concept of yin yang pairing is not only related to the front and
back halves but also to each of the bodies surfaces. However,
initially and fundamentally we can think about pairing the front and
back halves of the body.

57
A good reason on focusing on this aspect first is that it allows us to
work on opening and closing the dan tien and ming men points in
harmony. To begin with, this process is one of opening the front
while closing the back and maintaining all the alignment and body
line principles discussed before.

However then it starts to become a cycle or rotation between

opening and closing simultaneously. Like a Yin/yang symbol rotating
around its centre.

Below we see how the front and back link to the thumb and little
finger with the middle finger the axis for arm rotation. This can be
directly felt in the methods to come.

One of the big plus points of this idea from a combative point of
view is that it allows power expression and receipt within the body
frame without committing the body weight in a certain direction.

58
This is obviously a very useful attribute for those interested in
fighting with a lot of power inside a neutral position.

Below we can see how the front closes while the back opens up.

59
 Chapter 9
Winding and silk reeling

Introduction to winding, spiraling and ‘Silk Reeling’

The next stage of training after the pulling silk and alignments are
set up is to begin winding the structures into tight ropes via Dan
Tien.

This is initially worked within the winding body cross training

(covered in the IP course) which really creates a tight spiral in the
tissues and sets us up to maintain a body expressing the spiral in all
movements.

In the spiral is where we see the unusual utility of internal power

training come into play. On a single line or point to point direction
or similarly in a whip it is quite simple to interrupt the line of force
by either intercepting it early or applying a force on a tangent too it
during its trajectory.

60
However with a spiral or even a wave (series of Bows) if you try to
intercept the spiral early on its trajectory it is like putting your hand
on the middle of a giant corkscrew. You will be twisted and your
balance or position thrown off. It is extremely difficult to cut a spiral
line as you would a bar or point to point method because the spiral
is always turning. Then similarly if you try to stop the tip of a spiral it
is like putting your hand on the end of a power drill, by its very
nature the spiral isn't ‘just forward’ so it is extremely hard to stop.

The spiral is the ultimate

expression of the 6
directions. Especially later
when we work with the
‘double helix’ principle. In
any given length when
following the lines that
make up the double helix
you will see that there is
left – right – up – down –
forward- back.

It’s a unique quality to the body method used in Internal Arts.

How do we create a spiral force?

To create a body capable of producing a true spiral force we need to
employ winding or silk reeling methods to change the body tissues.
The aim is for our body to be expressing a spiral at all times.

61
Winding is the when we twist our tissues around each other and the
skeleton using one anchor point and one rotation point or by
rotating each termination point in opposite directions. This
squeezes the bones and motivates re-alignment and grown over
time in the fascia and tissue chains due to the internal pressures
and unusual loads on the tissues.

Silk reeling is a term mainly utilized in Taiji. It is a the method

describing the gentle winding up of the tissues through specific
bodywork methods. The interesting point here when describing
how this name came about is that the Myofascia actually takes the
appearance of silk strands in some locations. It could be that the
ancient Chinese realized that these were the structures being
worked and that this was an origination of the name. It is more
likely that the more standardized definitions of origin are more
accurate, but we are much more concerned with what this method
does for our bodies today!

Silk reeling as we mean it in this course is a method by which every

structure in the body is winded and wrapped across the entire
chain. The name of the exercise that we use for silk reeling is ‘cloud
hands’. This is the name of the motion from Yang Taiji what we have
adapted and re-focused into the primary training for producing this
spiral method. In single cloud hands we work on the spiral, and in
double we work on the double helix.

We also use a ‘drilling’ method to wind the spiral deep into the
tissue. The drilling is then put back into cloud hands and made an
integral part of the cloud hands training methodology.

62
Intent in the spiral methods.

The primary use of intent in the spiraling and winding methods is

the focused start and end point training. While winding we need to
work on how intent driven movement is utilized as we create spirals
and twists. The difficult thing in this situation is that to intent the
final position of a given movement is simple, to be ahead of a
constant motion with your intent is much more difficult. So you
need to have a very solid foundation in the basic intent training
methods to be able to use this method in the dynamic movements
of cloud hands and drilling.

Drilling
Drilling practice is the tight spiral held almost entirely in a linear
direction. Rather than spiraling in a circle as is seen in Cloud Hands.
In the practice of drilling it is important that we keep everything
compact and ‘held in’ to maximize the drill direction.

The drilling exercise is a very tight vertical drill with the upper hand
and a pressing opposing drill with the lower hand. Simultaneously
we drill the legs from side to side down into the earth and create a
spiraling in the centre. The centre should feel like it is deeply
rotating like wringing a towel.

63
 Conclusion

That is a brief and fundamental overview of some of the solo

training ideas that are contained within the internal arts. They
are the major points that every practitioner should know and
implement as they move through their practice and methods.

I hope that this little eBook has been useful to you and that
some of its ideas will be integrated into your practice and
methods.

In conclusion let me thank you for purchasing this little

booklet. I wish you happy training and a fruitful practice.

Chris Davis

Internal power courses including pulling, winding and body cross

training are available at:

www.arts-of-combat.com

All material in this book copyright Chris Davis 2014

64