the rum soaked fist: internal martial arts forum

Nice stuff Steve
A video of exercises that emphasise the 8 might be good

Thank you very much for the video!
As always, pretty awesome.
I have one request, could you make a video in which you practically show how to generate the powers from the front line?
That would be amazing!

TBH it's not what you do but how you do it, it's inherent in every movement. I'm happy to post examples when I can get round to it but this is a different way of looking at all the advice in the classics, you will be manipulating this every time you sink the chest, raise the back, raise the headtop, open and close the kua and maniupulate the dantien, I could never 'connect' all these bits of advice well enough until I realised that this gave me the whole connected picture in my head and I was able to 'feel' it all as one thing.

Whatever theory people use to explain what they do I guess is ok... it's what they actually do that matters. The map is not the territory, etc...

Personally I find it hard to understand how Tai Chi can be done without a model that revolves around the dantien, rather than the spine, as the nexus of movement, but that's just me.

GrahamB wrote:Personally I find it hard to understand how Tai Chi can be done without a model that revolves around the dantien, rather than the spine, as the nexus of movement, but that's just me.

Why should use of spine and dantian be mutually exclusive? I see all of what Steve speak about rather integrated with dantian, moving from the center and Tai Chi principle of movement in general.

BTW, good vid. Though I agree that you must already know about IMA coordination or watch a video to understand it practically. Most people watching the vid will not have a clue about how to put the theory in action.

GrahamB wrote:Whatever theory people use to explain what they do I guess is ok... it's what they actually do that matters. The map is not the territory, etc...

Personally I find it hard to understand how Tai Chi can be done without a model that revolves around the dantien, rather than the spine, as the nexus of movement, but that's just me.

The map is not the terrain, but the model is not the actual thing either: it's a model. Spine as basis for movement vs. dan tian as basis for movement are different models.

charles wrote:

GrahamB wrote:Whatever theory people use to explain what they do I guess is ok... it's what they actually do that matters. The map is not the territory, etc... a model that revolves around the dantien, rather than the spine, as the nexus of movement, but that's just me.

The map is not the terrain, but the model is not the actual thing either: it's a model.

I'm not sure what you're trying to do there by quoting only that part of my text. The part you didn't quote said "it's what they actually do that matters. ", which I think(?) is the point you're trying to make? ~So, yeah. That's what I said too.

Bao wrote:

GrahamB wrote:Personally I find it hard to understand how Tai Chi can be done without a model that revolves around the dantien, rather than the spine, as the nexus of movement, but that's just me.

Why should use of spine and dantian be mutually exclusive? I see all of what Steve speak about rather integrated with dantian, moving from the center and Tai Chi principle of movement in general.

Well, a spine is a spine and a dantien is a dantien - I think you get different results moving from each. YMMV.

It was the fact that it connected it all up from head to feet that made the difference to me. I was already doing it but the DFL and it's connection to the spine that gave me a much better mental picture and enabled me improve what I was doing and explain it better to my students. It includes the dantien and connects everything up and down from it - a great visual.

Published on Jan 17, 2016
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Published on Jan 26, 2017
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What a load of crap this is
Stand on one leg and lift your hands

Wake up and smell the myofacial tension Wayne! Lol. But yes - I'm with you - it's nonsense.

GrahamB wrote:

Bao wrote:

GrahamB wrote:Personally I find it hard to understand how Tai Chi can be done without a model that revolves around the dantien, rather than the spine, as the nexus of movement, but that's just me.

Why should use of spine and dantian be mutually exclusive? I see all of what Steve speak about rather integrated with dantian, moving from the center and Tai Chi principle of movement in general.

Well, a spine is a spine and a dantien is a dantien - I think you get different results moving from each. YMMV.

Rotation of the dantien upward loads the spinal bow; rotation of the dantien downward releases the arrow. When the body is fully connected then the feet root as the hands project the force created by the daniten/spine linkage. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Steve, Graham and Bao are all on the same page.

I think the fascia get way to much credit in IMA.