six directions in the IMA

[bronzebow]

I've been discussing and experimenting with several friends from various martial arts and we're working with the internal six direction tension which seems to be congruent within most martial arts at the higher levels but particularly trained within the IMA. I was always taught all the esoteric terminology which didn't always sit right with me, but have been interested to know that a few buddies who use Sanchin, and others from Daito Ryu, Xingyi, Muay Thai and Yiquan use exactly the same "six directions." I've been talking to a mate who trains with akuzawa and he's basically concentrates on nothing but getting these connections fused in. What I'm curious to know is if other MAer's here have begun dissecting and using their own stuff to get these same connections and if so what are you doing?

 

Here are akuzawa's clips:

 

 

[Spectrum]

Yes. Clarification questions on terminology.

 

Are these 6 directions made up of two horizontal and one vertical axis starting from dan tien? I.E. basic definition of axis in 3-d? I.E. cut an apple into quarters? up/down(1)-forward/back(2)-left/right(3)?

 

Or is what your describing the corner points of a 3-dimensional double tetrahedon? A double tet is a good representation for tension lines spanning upper to lower vertices.

 

I saw in the second video he was explaining how his step was a kick and the energy was to go horizontal so I'll assume at this point the basic definition of 3 aixs/planes. This basic transposition of principles between techniques seems a theme in most biomechanically competent martial artists. I.E. they can practice movements without hurting themselves, and can generate power through understanding the principles of movement which relate the human body to these primary directions. Personal styles and paths seem to very. But I'm very interested in talking about these concepts as well. Please share more.

 

Spectrum

[thaddeus]

I've been discussing and experimenting with several friends from various martial arts and we're working with the internal six direction tension which seems to be congruent within most martial arts at the higher levels but particularly trained within the IMA. I was always taught all the esoteric terminology which didn't always sit right with me, but have been interested to know that a few buddies who use Sanchin, and others from Daito Ryu, Xingyi, Muay Thai and Yiquan use exactly the same "six directions." I've been talking to a mate who trains with akuzawa and he's basically concentrates on nothing but getting these connections fused in. What I'm curious to know is if other MAer's here have begun dissecting and using their own stuff to get these same connections and if so what are you doing?

I think if you simply release tension, your body naturally expands in 6 directions. If you try to force it, you end up doing something largely non-internal. That's my take on it.

T

[bronzebow]

Yes. Clarification questions on terminology.

 

Are these 6 directions made up of two horizontal and one vertical axis starting from dan tien? I.E. basic definition of axis in 3-d? I.E. cut an apple into quarters? up/down(1)-forward/back(2)-left/right(3)?

 

Or is what your describing the corner points of a 3-dimensional double tetrahedon? A double tet is a good representation for tension lines spanning upper to lower vertices.

 

I saw in the second video he was explaining how his step was a kick and the energy was to go horizontal so I'll assume at this point the basic definition of 3 aixs/planes. This basic transposition of principles between techniques seems a theme in most biomechanically competent martial artists. I.E. they can practice movements without hurting themselves, and can generate power through understanding the principles of movement which relate the human body to these primary directions. Personal styles and paths seem to very. But I'm very interested in talking about these concepts as well. Please share more.

 

Spectrum

 

Regarding Akuzawa's group their basics concentrate on the six opposing directions of left/right, up/down and forward/back. One exercise is similar to that shaolin exercise where you push both hands out to either sides, fingers straight up and slowly lift the leg from the kua/crease. At the same time the shoulder blades are down and pulled toward each other. The opposing tensions create a feeling of a cross in the back which they concentrate on keeping throughout all their movements. Of course after fusing this structure to some extent they can lose the form as you observe with the teacher himself. They use similar exercises for the up/down and front/back, then work on using them in movements and applications. What interested me about Akuzawa's stuff is that a lot of the exercises use high degrees of tension and not a lot of visualization and the like. Been meeting people on other boards who are talking about developing the skills without the form also which is interesting.

 

What MA do you study Spectrum?

 

 

I think if you simply release tension, your body naturally expands in 6 directions. If you try to force it, you end up doing something largely non-internal. That's my take on it.

T

 

Yiquan guys seem to say something similar to this. The Akuzawa guys interest me because they work with high levels of tension in their foundational training. It could be argued that they are non-internal, but they seem to apply internal effects very well. This is why I'm interested in discussing this on the board I'm wondering if people from other arts like shaolin(or others) use tension to create some sort of internal structures.

[thaddeus]

Yiquan guys seem to say something similar to this. The Akuzawa guys interest me because they work with high levels of tension in their foundational training. It could be argued that they are non-internal, but they seem to apply internal effects very well. This is why I'm interested in discussing this on the board I'm wondering if people from other arts like shaolin(or others) use tension to create some sort of internal structures.

I think what you're saying is another way of saying 'training from hard to soft and from soft to hard'. The tension exercises, I consider to be outside to inside method of training--basically stretching the body to force the relaxation. The other way, which I feel is largely missed by some styles, is to train from inside out to release tension to get the stretch. The end result is the same, a relaxed extension. In the clips, akuzawa is not straining to force a cross in his body. That's how I understand it. As long as you understand the goal and the purpose of your training, I think either approach is fine. Some say Westerners are better suited for the inside out, because we are already too tense..

T