by johnwang on Thu Jun 25, 2009 12:37 pm
I believe the centerline is defined as the line that draw from the center of your chest and extend that line into infinite. Since this line only exist in front of you and not behind you, 50% of the time your centerline will have intersection with your opponent's centerline. 50% of the time, there will be no intersection.
In a gun fight, you want to stand sideway, so your can use your arm to cover your heart area and expose the least amount of target space.
In a sword fight, if your sword is pointing at your opponent's chest (in the centerline path), your oponent will be very careful not to make any stupid move because the point of your sword is very close to his body.
In the striking art, If both you and your opponent has right side forward (uniform stance), since your right round house kick does not have enough distance, it won't make much damage. Your left leg round house kick has enough distance but you can only kick your opponent's back which is the strong part of his body. The moment that your opponent switch to his left side forward (you and his centerline has intersection), the moment that your left leg round house kick can kick his chest. If you step in your left leg 45 degree forward, your right side kick can also kick his chest. In boxing, if you keep moving toward your opponent's side door (your centerline and his centerline has no intersection), your opponent will never have chance to throw that powerful back hand hook punch. This is why it's always safer to move into your opponent's side door because you will not "expose your centerline" to your opponent.
In the throwing art, the mirror stance (you have right side forward and your opponent has left side forward) can give you much shorter distance to attack. You don't even need to step, you can attack your opponent's side door by using your back leg to hook his leading leg (since your right leg is already close to his left leg). You only need to step in your left leg and that will put you in your opponent's centerline (just like the side kick example). Also since your right arm and your opponent's left arm are so close, you can use under hook or over hook almost anytime you want to. The moment that you are in his center, any of your body contact throws (hip throw, leg block, leg lift, bowing throw, ...) will be able to apply there. also in the throwing art, you want to get into your opponent's center but you don't want your opponent to get into your center. That's how important the centerline theory is, and that's why the "comb the hair" was the 1st move of the old 24 SC forms (the purpose of comb hair is to get into your opponent's center).
In MMA there is a term that's called "dominate position". In CMA, if you are inside of your opponent's center (such as head lock, over hook, under hook, ...), you are in "dominate position".
Last edited by
johnwang on Thu Jun 25, 2009 1:10 pm, edited 13 times in total.
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