Taking Strikes
Jim King
Some
questions were posed in a recent thread asking how to absorb strikes.
References were made to a video, I assume Strikes, where different
individuals were taking a variety of hits, some of which were landing in
the high solar plexus area. This inquirer stated he tried to practice
on himself and with others striking him with little progress or
enlightenment and wondered if being relaxed was really the best answer
as being tense seemed to offer a little more protection (Even though he
admitted he had a difficult time with the strikes regardless if he were
tense or relaxed.). In response, a second poster added he too was having
limited result with experimentally striking himself and later wondered
if twisting the body at the moment of impact would be of greater
benefit. While I am not the final authority on the subject, I can speak
as one who has been touched a bit by the best.
Absorbing a
strike is far more than a physical response to a physical question.
Every strike has roots in a man’s body (physical), soul
(mental/intellect/desire), and spirit (the eternal essence God breathed
into man). So then, when a strike is taken or absorbed, we respond to
the strike in each of the three parts. This interaction occurs
regardless if the participants are aware or ignorant or even skeptical.
The tripartite being of man has dynamic relevance to training and living
in the Russian System, but this discussion may be better suited for a
different thread.
Relaxed movement is better defined as not
being restricted by any tenseness—physical, mental, social, or
spiritual—rather than the complete absence of physical tension or other
distraction. Biomechanically speaking, some degree of physical tension
must be employed to maintain positive structure and execution of
movement. In the Russian System, this necessary physical tension is
compartmentalized to the muscles, tendons, or ligaments that require it,
all the while insulating the rest of the body, soul, and Spirit from
tension with calmness and confidence. This harmony of tension and
complementary relaxedness are controlled in our breathing. Whether you
inhale or exhale on a given movement is not always as important as
connecting the complete movement with a complete breath cycle(s). This
is fundamental to what we do. Further, it is not enough that we simply
breathe while we move. We must also pay attention to the quality of our
breathing if we wish to keep our movement free. The Russian System is so
phenomenally dynamic because the cornerstone of everything we do and
believe is “free” movement. In this context, “free” refers to the
ability to comfortably live and move within the vastness of infinite
possibility without being overwhelmed by it. Proper, quality breathing
is essential to free movement.
When many new students first
start in the System, they are very tense and rigid (in all areas of
their being). Focusing on the physical realm, with time and
understanding, they swing to the other end of the spectrum and become
too relaxed. This over-relaxed phase is normal as the progressing
student is learning to move through imitation, visual cues, and internal
empirical feelings. At some point, the pendulum will find a point of
equilibrium. This tension/relaxedness balance point is where the student
compartmentalizes necessary tension without allowing spillover to areas
where tension results in bad restricted movement. This equilibrium is
best described as being “solid.”
When it comes to absorbing
strikes, this tension/relaxedness balance point is achieved through
experience. And lots of it! Always! (As a side note for veterans, this
balance point is not like a polio immunization where once you’ve had it,
you are set for life. Instead, this balance point is more like finding
the fountain of youth. Once you have discovered its location, you must
keep going back for a drink to maintain genuine vitality and
understanding. While I am not qualified to speak for Vladimir, I believe
this is one of the many concepts he was referring to in his powerful
post Psychological Rebound. In many ways, it is more important to give
than to receive.).
All this being said, the questions and
experiences these students detailed are highly representative of most of
us who take strikes. Initially, courtesy of pride and fear, we use
muscular tension to shunt the strike. This works fine as long as the
person doing the hitting is also relying on muscular strength and his
efforts happen to be weaker than the protective tension exerted by our
muscles. However, consider the mechanics of using muscular tension. With
each blow to the body, amplified strike shock waves resonate throughout
the rigid muscular tissues to less strong parts of the anatomy. In
effect, the whole body is hit and suffers accordingly. In this context,
the cumulative effect of even little strikes can add up quickly. In some
cases, a little strike placed well can have the same devastating result
as a deeper strike placed generally. Many of us can attest to this
truth without having to consider strikes that are stronger than us.
In the next experiment, we try being absolutely relaxed to absorb a
strike. In theory, we hope to deaden the blow with the “heavy”
counterweight of our physical mass. For proof, we reference this
dampening effect when striking a punching bag filled with sand or mung
beans. This triumph of physics is a hollow success, though, considering
the mung beans dampening the blows to our bodies are our pummeled
internal organs. After a few of these “successes,” we quickly revert to
muscular tension, as bruised muscles preserve the ego more than the
unwarrior-like urge to wretch when a hand is in your stomach. Besides,
being absolutely relaxed seems to only work once!
So how do
some individuals seem to absorb some nasty strikes consistently without
being rigid or too relaxed? If you focus primarily on physical position,
mechanics, or conditioning for answers, you are looking in the wrong
place. Remember, giving and taking a strike occurs in the three parts of
our being.
When I am taking a strike, I know I must be
prepared in all three parts of my being. This preparation is more than
focusing and relaxing in the few seconds before I am hit. But, if we
just look at those few seconds before contact to gain some insight in
how I personally absorb a hit, I place my greatest emphasis on my
breathing, my shoulders, and my hips. Breathing calms the Spirit as the
Spirit must control the mind and emotions. If the mind and emotions are
calm, the body will happily follow in being relaxed, or “solid.” Fear is
not part of the process, but solemn respect of the contact is; hence
the requirement for looseness in my shoulders and hips. When the strike
makes contact with my body, I breathe calmly in proportion to the degree
of the strike. The key is to breathe through the exact place of the
strike. Admittedly, this is an advanced concept. The “smart” breath
generates a compartmentalized, focused tension to protect the body. All
other surrounding areas—physically, mentally, and spiritually--must
remain calm and able to move. The hips are the crucial points of
movement. If my breath is out of synchrony or location, the strike will
try to enter my body. I must quickly regain internal composure through
calm forced breathing and deliberate, relaxed movement. I breathe to
remove the strike to keep it outside of my body. Once it is in, I have
to deal with it on a different level…and very quickly! I have to regain
my breathing rhythm and free body movement. The longer I delay, the more
I collapse within myself. If my hips tighten up, restricted movement
prevents the energy of the strike from escaping downward. Restricted
movement usually is accompanied with improper breathing. Bad breathing
most often means tension is present in the upper body, i.e., the neck
and shoulders, so, now, the energy of the strike cannot go up or out. As
a result of all this tension, I eat the strike completely!
If
the strike enters into my body, I must dislodge it immediately. When a
tough strike is trapped inside, I immediately jump up once or twice to
loosen the cramped diaphragm muscle. I must keep my body as relaxed as
possible when doing this. My focus is the diaphragm (I focus internally
on the descent of the jump as the diaphragm “hiccups” when I hit the
ground.). If other parts of me are tense, this remedy jump will send
shock waves throughout the body causing more damage. Usually, the
shoulder and neck joints will get a nice jolt if they are rigid. In the
instant the diaphragm releases, I draw a breath through the injured
area.. This action gives my being the chance to expel the strike.
Remember, a strike has more than one component. Once it is inside the
body, everything is affected. So, when a strike gets inside, the whole
being must push it out. This is why being physically relaxed is not the
same as being “solid.” Once the breathing and being are restored, I get
back in the saddle for more strikes.
Obviously, this flash
recovery method is invaluable in a fight. The Russian System does not
say the more you progress in your training, the more untouchable you
will become. Instead, the Russian System states the more you progress in
your training, the better able you will be to handle being hit! In a
fight, expect to get hit! Interesting to note, recovering from a hit is a
necessary skill for any fighter. So…how do you practice recovering from
a hit? Hehehehehe.
A simple drill to learn to connect your
breathing to absorbing a strike: When first learning to take a strike,
breathing is emphasized upon impact to both learn to control fear and
prevent an “internal” punch from trapped air in the lungs or abdomen.
The exhale on contact is initially emphasized as it is a natural
inclination to breathe out to release tension (In time, the inhale and
exhale are used interchangeably. Do not rush this! Interchangeable
breathing is a matter of time and experience. Unrealistic or rushed
expectations generate hidden tension spiritually, mentally, and
physically. Be sure, a strike will find that tension!). The natural
exhale impulse is incorporated into a low-level drill where a sustained
push on the abdomen is used instead of a strike. The individual is
directed to think of himself as a working bellows or air bladder. When I
push on his abdomen, my action pushes the air from the individual’s
lungs. If the individual breathes of his own accord ahead of my action, I
stop him immediately and do the drill again. This is an important
distinction. If an individual later uses muscular tension from his
diaphragm to force the air from his body either out of synchrony with
the strike’s timing or the air expelled is disproportionate to the
strike’s force, the resulting tension will act as a conduit for the
energy of the strike to resonate to other connected parts of the body.
So, the first step to learning to breathe properly when absorbing
strikes is to learn how to breathe from a push. If you think about it,
strikes are just high energy pushes executed in a shortened time
interval (This concept will also improve your strikes.).
You
cannot effectively learn how to absorb strikes with self-punching.
First, the biomechanics for generically striking your own body are not
possible. Second and more importantly, your psyche is too involved in
the process of giving and receiving. Consequently, the exercise is not
honest. Self-striking with empty hands and select weapons does have
interesting legitimate benefits, but again, this subject is for a
different thread.
Lastly, twisting the body in general terms
is not advantageous for absorbing strikes as you are biomechanically
stressing your form to a position of increased restriction and greater
danger. If you are attempting to deflect or escape the movement, do so
with proper form. Later, when you are more comfortable within your
shape, you will see new possibilities and opportunities in putting your
form into bad positions as a means to transition to a position of
greater advantage. The Russian System emphasizes Breathing, Proper Form,
Relaxation, and Movement for a strong foundation. Twisting the body is a
tool, not a pillar.
I hope I have not bored everyone with this long post. Thanks for staying awake long enough to get to the bottom.
Jim