THE AVENUES OF FORCE AND DIRECTION

In Chinese martial arts there are two principles of direction and two principles of force that need to be developed in order to establish a foundation for future practice. Without these a practitioner has no real future in tradition Kung Fu. There are multiple kinds of force in martial practice but without these four there is nothing to build on. The first pair of the four are Kai / He (open/close), which are the principles of direction. The second pair Chen / Zhang (sink/expand) are descriptions of particular energies. As with all traditional practice these principles of force and energy are directly related to how we interact with our environment both internally and externally.

KAI (OPEN)- This means to open a particular thing. We can open a door for example. In martial arts we are opening a space in the body. The areas of the body, which this involves, are the back (upper and lower), midsection, chest, hips, spine and joints of the skeletal structure. There are many kinds of energy, which can require an opening principle.

HE (CLOSE)- This means to close a particular thing. We can close a door for example. In martial arts we are closing a particular space in the body. The areas of the body, which this involves, are the back (upper and lower), midsection, chest, hips, spine and joints of the skeletal structure. There are many kinds of energy, which can require a closing principle.

ZHANG (GROW, EXPAND)-

This is a soft and extended energy. It is considered completely Yang. There are many kinds of Jing involved when connecting with an opponent for which Zhang plays the role of big brother. When you do Growing Jing, your hands relentlessly and insidiously keep approaching the opponent. When you encounter resistance instead of forcing your way in you evade and coil around obstacles, neutralizing any forward motion form the opponent.

CHEN (SINK)-

This refers to rooted heaviness, which is consolidated in the seat of the Qua (hips). The whole body can develop a soft yet extremely dynamic weight. A practitioner with good sinking energy is very hard to uproot. This is not a stagnant heaviness. The idea is to be able to shift fluidly where needed while maintaining a lightness at the top of the head and uprightness in the upper torso. When a skilled practitioner touches an opponent the feeling of a heavy pressure should unmistakable. In addition to having ones’ own heaviness the practitioner can transmit it to another. This energy in combination with others can create a formidable tool not only in martial arts, but also as a first step towards a rooted mobility.
One does not need to do traditional Kung Fu to develop these skills and there are great advantages to having a dynamic form of mobility that is organic and in harmony with our physical environment. The issues of strength, alignment and balance can be enhanced and deepened as we become older. This, in turn, enriches our lives so we can experience the profound beauty of conscious movement in modern day society.