As noted in my previous blog Just the Hands and Feet?, the art form actually uses all parts of the body not just the hands and feet. However, in the beginning, we do focus more on the hands and feet when learning a technique. From a learning perspective it makes sense to focus on one weapon and master the movement using that weapon. If start to throw too many variables it makes it harder to learn. I remember when I played softball and coaches tried to” fix” my swing by wanting me to change three or four things at a time. That never worked well. If I just focused on one item at a time, then it seemed to work much better. I believe a similar principle applies in learning a martial art technique.
So, in the beginning, when we learn techniques,
we have the students focus on the movement and the strike at the final position. This also gives the student the time needed
for the brain to think about it and only focus on the strike aspect at the end
of the technique. But once you have the
motion correct, the reality is you should be ready to use every aspect of your body. For example, for low block, you should be
ready to use/strike starting with the fist and then the forearm for the “prep”,
then as the arm travels for the low block the elbow, forearm, then the bottom of
the hand. You can apply this concept to every technique. A few examples are below.
·
Medium Block: Upper arm, elbow and forearm for “prep”, followed
by elbow, forward, pointy end of thumb on fist
·
High Block: Fist and forearm for the “prep”, followed by elbow,
then forearm, then the bottom of the hand to strike
·
Knife Hand: Elbow, forearm, and side of
hand for “prep”, followed by forearm and side of hand for strike
·
Extended Spear Hand: Elbow, forearm, side
of hand, palm for the “guard” followed by the tips of fingers, side of hand,
forearm, elbow for the strike
·
Hook Punch: Elbow, forearm, bottom of the hand
and knuckles
·
Front
Kick: Knee followed by ball of foot
·
Side Kick: Knee
followed by side of foot
·
Stamping
Side Kick: Knee followed by side of leg then side of foot
The best way to start incorporating
this concept is to add one at a time then add on. For example, for Low Block first incorporate the
fist as a strike during the “prep” and get comfortable with that, then add on
the forearm, until comfortable with that and so on. Adding one element at a time will allow you
to focus on one thing at a time until you have integrated in every element.
And as you are adding one
element at a time you must apply it to not just to the basics but to practicing
hyung self-defense, sparring etc. You basically
are relearning every technique multiple times.
It would be nice to relearn the techniques just once and it automatically
becomes part of your hyung or self-defense, but because of body memory you have
to break that technique down everywhere you use it until it becomes the new body
memory.
So, if you have not
already, start breaking down your techniques and ensure you start adding in each
element so eventually every aspect of body is being used as part of the
strike. This will maximize the effectiveness
of each of your techniques.
Regards,
“You should not have a favorite weapon. To become
over-familiar with one weapon is as much a fault as not knowing it sufficiently
well.” ~ Miyamoto Musashi (c. 1584 –1645) - famous Japanese swordsman, the
author of The Book of Five Rings
