I am looking for any suggestions or drills on initiating techniques from the dan tien; centre of mass 2" below the navel, 3 or 4" in.
I've been trying to develop this for a year, and no success so far, as near as I can tell.
Any help welcome!
NM
Delivery from the centre.
Moderator: Available
-
Rick Wilson
Hi:
First of all to anyone and everyone I truly wish to be and should only be addressed as Rick.
Secondly, there is nothing extraordinary about my email on the Dan Tein.
Lastly, I don’t generally take forum discussions off the boards, but for me to address the Dan Tein I must also make comment on energy or Qi (chi). Yes, as much as I am a down and dirty bang the heck out each other realist in my training I also practice Qigong under my Uechi instructor David Mott Sensei. So by the labelling (all in good fun) that goes on I am one of those Chi’sters.
Now, I have my opinions and everyone is welcome to theirs. I have been around these topics before. Bill is an excellent host and very open with these forums. As much as he would not mind my posting on the subject, I preferred not to clutter Bill’s house with them.
And to be very frank I had no intention of discussing the issue. I have been there and done that without any satisfaction on either side. So, I decided to make my comments by email.
However, by commenting I sent an email I kind of opened up the door and now feel it would be inappropriate not to post. (See I told you I don’t take things off the forums often, I’m not very good at it.)
Again I do not think there is anything very extraordinary about these drills but I do think they help develop the use of the Dan Tein.
But for those who are interested, here is the email I sent:
Before the Dan Tein there is an understanding in body harmony that is required and of yin and yang.
I have six progressive drills I recommend.
The best way is to understand body harmony is the six harmonies. I will state them all but to lead to the Dan Tein you begin with just the six external harmonies.
The Six Harmonies:
External:
1) Feet harmonies with the hands,
2) Knees harmonies with the elbows,
3) Qua (line between the pelvis and the thigh) harmonies with the shoulders,
Internal:
4) Spirit harmonies with the intent,
5) Intent harmonies with the Qi (chi),
6) Qi harmonies with the internal force.
Movement:
Harmony of movement is for the most effective self protection. Move the body (while still maintaining the body harmonies) in the order laid out. This leads to proper body alignment as well as deceptive movement.
1) Hand then
2) Elbows then
3) Shoulders then
4) Qua then
5) Knees then
6) Feet.
Generation of line of force:
While maintaining the six body harmonies, and moving with the six movement harmonies, you must generate force from the following order.
All this may seem impossible but proper slow practice of the forms will allow you to feel these expressions. Coiling, sinking, opening, closing, swallowing, spitting all of these further principles allow the expression of the overall six harmonies.
1) Feet then
2) Knees then
3) Qua then
4) Shoulders then
5) Elbows then
6) Hands.
THE DRILLS
You must do the following drills slow and totally relaxed before adding any speed.
Drill One:
Learn to move in harmony.
Stand with your left foot forward. Circle your arms from the front down to your right side reaching back behind you and then continue the circle up and over ending with a double heel palm to the front (elbows in Sanchin). AS YOU DO THIS take a step with your right leg. You must do this slowly to feel that your elbows and knees are moving together. You feet and hands “end” together.
Repeat on the other side:
You now have your right foot forward. Circle your arms from the front down to your left side reaching back behind you and then continue the circle up and over ending with a double heel palm to the front (elbows in Sanchin). AS YOU DO THIS take a step with your left leg. You must do this slowly to feel that your elbows and knees are moving together. You feet and hands “end” together.
Feel the movements harmonize.
If you can video tape yourself and see if you are actually coordinating these movements.
Drill Two:
Learning yin and Yang
You are going to do the same step as in Drill One only this time you will be doing the elbow strike from Kanshiwa (WITHOUT HITTING THE HAND).
The hard part here is breaking away from the yang that overwhelms most Karate practice. Concentrate what becomes the rear leg’s knee and what becomes the rear hand’s elbow. Concentrate on feeling the pull of the yin.
Once you begin to feel the pull of the yin begin to understand and feel that there is NO difference between the yin and the yang. The pull of the yin simply travels around behind you to be the yang of the elbow strike.
This is also an excellent drill to feel the Qwa coordinate with the shoulders as it has an opening aspect.
Drill Three:
Enter the Dan Tein
Now that you can feel the six harmonies and the yin and the yang you are ready to feel the Dan Tein.
The Dan Tein is a round ball about four to six inches in diameter located as you said: the Dan Tein; centre of mass 2" below the navel, 3 or 4" in.
Buy a small soft ball about four to six inches in diameter.
For this drill you must understand that the Dan Tein not only gathers and generates power but it rotates in coordination with you movement (just as the six harmonies and the yin and yang do.)
You will do the same step as in Drill One and Two only focus on landing with the feet, knees and shoulder.
Hold the ball against your lower abdomen right where your Dan Tein is located with both hands. As you step rotate the ball over and in the direction you are stepping. Coordinate the roll with your movement. Try to feel the same thing inside. Try to feel your own Dan Tein coordinate with your movement.
Drill Four:
Using the Dan Tein to move.
Do the same movement as number three but this time focus on the movement being “lead” or “driven” by your Dan Tein. Feel the Dan Tein driving your body’s motion.
Drill Five:
Putting it in your Sanchin Thrust
This drill is really just doing a Sanchin thrust very slowly so that you can feel the six harmonies, the yin and yang and your Dan Tein harmonies with the movements.
Drill Six:
Gathering and generating power with the Dan Tein.
At this point you have the harmonies. You have the yin and yang. You can feel the Dan Tein in your movements. Now you have to feel the gathering and dispersal energy from the Dan Tein.
Open Sanchin to the point where you have stepped shoulder width and your arms and hands (open) are extending down ward. “Fill” your body by feeling that rooting into the ground.
Do NOT close your hands by try to draw energy up from the ground through your legs to your Dan Tein. Gather the energy.
As you step out and thrust try to imagine the energy exploding out through your strike. (More advanced is to feel the Dan Tein explode to ground at the feet as well.)
Continue this gathering energy (as you draw your Sanchin strike) and dispersing of that energy into the strike.
Do not forget the harmonies, the yin and yang and the feel of the Dan Tein rolling and driving your movement.
Try these out and feel free to ask any questions, I’ll do my best to try and answer them.
Feedback is always welcome.
Watch David Mott sensei’s clip to see the Dan Tein in use. (Would be a very good video to own.)
http://www.uechi-ryu.com/videos/vidmag.html
All the best,
First of all to anyone and everyone I truly wish to be and should only be addressed as Rick.
Secondly, there is nothing extraordinary about my email on the Dan Tein.
Lastly, I don’t generally take forum discussions off the boards, but for me to address the Dan Tein I must also make comment on energy or Qi (chi). Yes, as much as I am a down and dirty bang the heck out each other realist in my training I also practice Qigong under my Uechi instructor David Mott Sensei. So by the labelling (all in good fun) that goes on I am one of those Chi’sters.
Now, I have my opinions and everyone is welcome to theirs. I have been around these topics before. Bill is an excellent host and very open with these forums. As much as he would not mind my posting on the subject, I preferred not to clutter Bill’s house with them.
And to be very frank I had no intention of discussing the issue. I have been there and done that without any satisfaction on either side. So, I decided to make my comments by email.
However, by commenting I sent an email I kind of opened up the door and now feel it would be inappropriate not to post. (See I told you I don’t take things off the forums often, I’m not very good at it.)
Again I do not think there is anything very extraordinary about these drills but I do think they help develop the use of the Dan Tein.
But for those who are interested, here is the email I sent:
Before the Dan Tein there is an understanding in body harmony that is required and of yin and yang.
I have six progressive drills I recommend.
The best way is to understand body harmony is the six harmonies. I will state them all but to lead to the Dan Tein you begin with just the six external harmonies.
The Six Harmonies:
External:
1) Feet harmonies with the hands,
2) Knees harmonies with the elbows,
3) Qua (line between the pelvis and the thigh) harmonies with the shoulders,
Internal:
4) Spirit harmonies with the intent,
5) Intent harmonies with the Qi (chi),
6) Qi harmonies with the internal force.
Movement:
Harmony of movement is for the most effective self protection. Move the body (while still maintaining the body harmonies) in the order laid out. This leads to proper body alignment as well as deceptive movement.
1) Hand then
2) Elbows then
3) Shoulders then
4) Qua then
5) Knees then
6) Feet.
Generation of line of force:
While maintaining the six body harmonies, and moving with the six movement harmonies, you must generate force from the following order.
All this may seem impossible but proper slow practice of the forms will allow you to feel these expressions. Coiling, sinking, opening, closing, swallowing, spitting all of these further principles allow the expression of the overall six harmonies.
1) Feet then
2) Knees then
3) Qua then
4) Shoulders then
5) Elbows then
6) Hands.
THE DRILLS
You must do the following drills slow and totally relaxed before adding any speed.
Drill One:
Learn to move in harmony.
Stand with your left foot forward. Circle your arms from the front down to your right side reaching back behind you and then continue the circle up and over ending with a double heel palm to the front (elbows in Sanchin). AS YOU DO THIS take a step with your right leg. You must do this slowly to feel that your elbows and knees are moving together. You feet and hands “end” together.
Repeat on the other side:
You now have your right foot forward. Circle your arms from the front down to your left side reaching back behind you and then continue the circle up and over ending with a double heel palm to the front (elbows in Sanchin). AS YOU DO THIS take a step with your left leg. You must do this slowly to feel that your elbows and knees are moving together. You feet and hands “end” together.
Feel the movements harmonize.
If you can video tape yourself and see if you are actually coordinating these movements.
Drill Two:
Learning yin and Yang
You are going to do the same step as in Drill One only this time you will be doing the elbow strike from Kanshiwa (WITHOUT HITTING THE HAND).
The hard part here is breaking away from the yang that overwhelms most Karate practice. Concentrate what becomes the rear leg’s knee and what becomes the rear hand’s elbow. Concentrate on feeling the pull of the yin.
Once you begin to feel the pull of the yin begin to understand and feel that there is NO difference between the yin and the yang. The pull of the yin simply travels around behind you to be the yang of the elbow strike.
This is also an excellent drill to feel the Qwa coordinate with the shoulders as it has an opening aspect.
Drill Three:
Enter the Dan Tein
Now that you can feel the six harmonies and the yin and the yang you are ready to feel the Dan Tein.
The Dan Tein is a round ball about four to six inches in diameter located as you said: the Dan Tein; centre of mass 2" below the navel, 3 or 4" in.
Buy a small soft ball about four to six inches in diameter.
For this drill you must understand that the Dan Tein not only gathers and generates power but it rotates in coordination with you movement (just as the six harmonies and the yin and yang do.)
You will do the same step as in Drill One and Two only focus on landing with the feet, knees and shoulder.
Hold the ball against your lower abdomen right where your Dan Tein is located with both hands. As you step rotate the ball over and in the direction you are stepping. Coordinate the roll with your movement. Try to feel the same thing inside. Try to feel your own Dan Tein coordinate with your movement.
Drill Four:
Using the Dan Tein to move.
Do the same movement as number three but this time focus on the movement being “lead” or “driven” by your Dan Tein. Feel the Dan Tein driving your body’s motion.
Drill Five:
Putting it in your Sanchin Thrust
This drill is really just doing a Sanchin thrust very slowly so that you can feel the six harmonies, the yin and yang and your Dan Tein harmonies with the movements.
Drill Six:
Gathering and generating power with the Dan Tein.
At this point you have the harmonies. You have the yin and yang. You can feel the Dan Tein in your movements. Now you have to feel the gathering and dispersal energy from the Dan Tein.
Open Sanchin to the point where you have stepped shoulder width and your arms and hands (open) are extending down ward. “Fill” your body by feeling that rooting into the ground.
Do NOT close your hands by try to draw energy up from the ground through your legs to your Dan Tein. Gather the energy.
As you step out and thrust try to imagine the energy exploding out through your strike. (More advanced is to feel the Dan Tein explode to ground at the feet as well.)
Continue this gathering energy (as you draw your Sanchin strike) and dispersing of that energy into the strike.
Do not forget the harmonies, the yin and yang and the feel of the Dan Tein rolling and driving your movement.
Try these out and feel free to ask any questions, I’ll do my best to try and answer them.
Feedback is always welcome.
Watch David Mott sensei’s clip to see the Dan Tein in use. (Would be a very good video to own.)
http://www.uechi-ryu.com/videos/vidmag.html
All the best,
-
Rick Wilson
The pull of the yin:
If you took one of those old hula hoops and put it over your upper torso so that it was pulled against your back and held out from you with both hands (horizontal with the floor). Much like you used to start to spin them around your waist but higher just under your shoulder blades.
Now to do this with proper body mechanics you do this with your knees but for simplicity I will just work at with arms. For illustration you can get into the horse stance for the elbow delivery (right foot forward).
To turn the hula hoop (the wheel) you could “push” on the hoop with you right arm and it would turn. This is the push or thrust of the yang.
OR to turn the hoop you could “pull” on the hoop with your left arm and it would turn. This is the pull or drawing of the yin.
What you realize is that regardless of which you do the hoop still turns in the same manner around your body.
You also realize that the push of the yang is a complimentary part of the pull of the yin and that the pull of the yin is a complimentary part of the push of the yang.
If fact, they are two complimentary parts of a whole.
Now the six harmonies come in because when you pull on the hoop it should actually be done with a pull of the rear knee coordinating with the rear elbow. The same happens in the front: the knee pushes and the elbow coordinates to push. When this is done with the knees, and the entire body, the hoop stays against your body and moves in coordination with the body rather than sliding.
NOTE: The knee should always push over the big toe and NEVER off the base of the foot. The knee should pull back until it is just over the centre of the foot and NEVER back so far that the leg is at a 90 degree with the foot.
When you try this to experience the pull of the yin imagine grabbing hold of that hoop with your left hand and PULLING the elbow strike of the right hand. (E.g. Finish of the Wauke and a strike.)
But it is when the yin and the yang work together that maximum power is achieved.
In a Sanchin thrust we see the coordinated pull and push of the yin and yang four times.
For this example you are in a left stance. When you bring your right arm across the body right hand and right knee push (yang) while the left elbow and left knee pull (yin).
It is important to point out here that Uechi becomes very subtle and often there is not an overt physical movement but if someone was to place there hands on your left elbow and push they would meet resistance created by the yin.
When we draw the Sanchin thrust back this is yin. However, at the same time there should be push on the left arm performing the yang. Again this is subtle and little physical movement is expressed, but if someone put their hand on your left forearm and pushed they should not be able to move it. (The other example of how this is all one circle is that if you are behind a person when they draw the arm back you experience it as yang or an elbow strike.)
On the thrust the yang is obvious. The yin is performed on the left side by the “pull” of the left arm (elbow) and the left knee.
The forth time is on the draw back of the strike. Here the yin is again clear in the withdrawing of the striking arm. The yang is performed by the left side of the body.
In the end it all becomes a circle (then sphere.)
Hope this helps.
If you took one of those old hula hoops and put it over your upper torso so that it was pulled against your back and held out from you with both hands (horizontal with the floor). Much like you used to start to spin them around your waist but higher just under your shoulder blades.
Now to do this with proper body mechanics you do this with your knees but for simplicity I will just work at with arms. For illustration you can get into the horse stance for the elbow delivery (right foot forward).
To turn the hula hoop (the wheel) you could “push” on the hoop with you right arm and it would turn. This is the push or thrust of the yang.
OR to turn the hoop you could “pull” on the hoop with your left arm and it would turn. This is the pull or drawing of the yin.
What you realize is that regardless of which you do the hoop still turns in the same manner around your body.
You also realize that the push of the yang is a complimentary part of the pull of the yin and that the pull of the yin is a complimentary part of the push of the yang.
If fact, they are two complimentary parts of a whole.
Now the six harmonies come in because when you pull on the hoop it should actually be done with a pull of the rear knee coordinating with the rear elbow. The same happens in the front: the knee pushes and the elbow coordinates to push. When this is done with the knees, and the entire body, the hoop stays against your body and moves in coordination with the body rather than sliding.
NOTE: The knee should always push over the big toe and NEVER off the base of the foot. The knee should pull back until it is just over the centre of the foot and NEVER back so far that the leg is at a 90 degree with the foot.
When you try this to experience the pull of the yin imagine grabbing hold of that hoop with your left hand and PULLING the elbow strike of the right hand. (E.g. Finish of the Wauke and a strike.)
But it is when the yin and the yang work together that maximum power is achieved.
In a Sanchin thrust we see the coordinated pull and push of the yin and yang four times.
For this example you are in a left stance. When you bring your right arm across the body right hand and right knee push (yang) while the left elbow and left knee pull (yin).
It is important to point out here that Uechi becomes very subtle and often there is not an overt physical movement but if someone was to place there hands on your left elbow and push they would meet resistance created by the yin.
When we draw the Sanchin thrust back this is yin. However, at the same time there should be push on the left arm performing the yang. Again this is subtle and little physical movement is expressed, but if someone put their hand on your left forearm and pushed they should not be able to move it. (The other example of how this is all one circle is that if you are behind a person when they draw the arm back you experience it as yang or an elbow strike.)
On the thrust the yang is obvious. The yin is performed on the left side by the “pull” of the left arm (elbow) and the left knee.
The forth time is on the draw back of the strike. Here the yin is again clear in the withdrawing of the striking arm. The yang is performed by the left side of the body.
In the end it all becomes a circle (then sphere.)
Hope this helps.
When you drew the analogy to a hula hoop I visualized spinning a lightweight much smaller ring, say 6" to 12" diameter until I could "feel" the result if the imagined physical activity with my mind. The force can move in either a circular OR linear fashion in which to keep the action going. A linear force can appear to be a circular force and vise versa, and then I began thinking in terms of a gyroscopic effect; not exactly a fast-moving gyroscope in terms of absolute speed of revolution, but I get the idea.
I'm going to think more about your description, because there is a lot to think about.
Thanks.
I'm going to think more about your description, because there is a lot to think about.
Thanks.
Always with an even keel.
-- Allen
-- Allen
