Lessons: The Center – Stark Taekwondo

Lessons: The Center

Marilynn Stark

All of the movements and techniques in Chung Do Kwan are of maximum speed and power. In order to realize this maximum physical leverage and its concomitant timing, the practitioner must be centered. To be centered means that all of the energy output works from the center of the body, giving an ineffable balance and harmony in motion; thus, a centered body works from the law of economy of motion. When motion is economized, the energy is maximized in its efficiency. Greater efficiency will result in greater power and a more concentrated use of force, so that any given expenditure of effort will accomplish at the maximum limit of work capability.

The Punch

The center of the body is located three finger widths beneath the navel. The hands can teach how to find the center for use in all movements whether that movement be a hand technique, a step or a kick, through the fundamental concept of the centered punch. Once the punch is learned in its centered mode, the punch becomes didactic to the entire body in motion in self-defense. This author has viewed many styles of the martial arts and observed the punch. If the practitioner has not learned the fundamental principle of counter-rotation of the hips in order to lend counterweight to the punch, then the center of the body simply has not been tapped for its use in maximized leverage. Thus, a practitioner who is observed to throw a punch in an inefficient way — meaning it is not connected through counter-rotation of the hips — this author perceives such an inefficient punch as a blind punch. The hips must act as a fulcrum of the punch. This is only accomplished, however, if the hips invest their counter-rotational impart of force and energy into the punch. The reason the hips enter into play as a punch issues forth is simple: since the hips are level with the center of the body, if they add force to the punch through counter-rotation, then the punch actually finds itself from the center of the body through unification of action — the action is unified with the center of the body.

Once while teaching a lower belt how to punch, this author derived an analogy in order to illustrate this concept of counter-rotation, so that she could make basic conceptual sense of it. Imagine screwing a lid onto a peanut butter jar. It is straightforward: the jar is itself stable and does not turn. After so many turns of the lid, the simple task is completed. However, facetiously speaking, in order to save a little time in this busy world, consider a different technique for the same simple task: As the lid is screwed onto the jar in one direction, rotate the jar in the opposite direction as the lid is turned. Eureka! The counter-rotation of the jar in relation to the direction of the turn of the lid as it is being screwed onto the jar is much more efficient, much quicker. Notice that the same physics apply when a new jar of peanut butter is being opened for the first time, and it is too tight for easily being opened. Test yourself here: do you not practice counter-rotation in order to maximize your effort in opening the lid? Do you not pick up the jar from the countertop surface, take it into two hands, grip it firmly and use counterforce with one hand exerted in one direction while the other hand strives in the opposite direction? The answer is that probably without thinking you are indeed tapping the use of counterforce when you use two hands as opposed to one in order to break the seal of a brand new jar of peanut butter so that it will finally open. Similarly, when a person wrings out a towel, one hand twists in one direction whilst the other hand twists in the opposite direction. This efficient use of counterforce can afford maximum results.

The same play of countermotion between the direction of force of the punch as per sidedness of the body — meaning which hip had chambered the punch at its point of origin — pertains to the structure and function of the punch’s dynamic action as derived from hip chamber being coupled with hip motion. The structure just referred to derives from the nature of the body, the structure of the human body, while the function of the punch, is to find the absolutely maximum power in its thrust according to the reality of the structure of the body. Which hip bone chambers the punch in its static origin, meaning upon which hip bone the fist sits before execution, will determine which hip twists forward before the punch is thrown. This relationship is ipsilateral: the right fist sitting on the right hip means that the right hip moves slightly forward as the right fist moves off the right hip, so that the right hip can be snapped back in a line of motion whose direction is opposite to the forward direction of the right punch. As easily observed, if the right hip moves forward, then the left hip will necessarily move backward. Thus, while the punch is unilaterally disposed as the impact of a single weapon, it is yet driven by the two-sidedness of the structure of the hips that also house the center of body.

This fundamental fact may baffle the beginner. Since the fist is one thing, it should stand alone also as it becomes a flying fist? No. The fist can harbor a phenomenal potential in power if that simplistic concept of sheer, underived motion of a fist in its punch can be turned around in the mind of the student who is learning how to punch. In reality, the punch is derived from somewhere within the body — it does not just come out of nowhere. If the mind does not see the light of that concept of counter-rotation as the basis fundamentally of the true punch, then all punches thrown in the ignorance of the principle of counter-rotation of the body behind it will be lacking in unification with the full potential of the body. If mind does not see the available mechanical advantage that is to be known through the principle of counter-rotation as it applies to the true punch, then the punch in the observation of this author seems blind or delusional.

Secondly, before delineating herein even more fully the correct method of punching, it should be once again emphasized that learning to move from the center of the body as a martial artist in the punch is critical. For a beginner to connect with and steadily fuse with the center of the body in this powerful and well-understood technique, the punch, extends to a more comprehensive level of engagement of the center in all movements, in all techniques. The middle target punch further especially lends itself to the centering concept since it can be accomplished by targeting at a level which matches the very level of elevation of the body’s center on a vertical axis; furthermore, the hand as a useful tool is most familiar to most people, and it is freer for movement than the foot which lends to the body the stability of the stance and the reach of the step. The idea of a centered kick may not even be obvious to an eye not familiar with the concept of being centered, yet, a centered kick will match the same intuitive feeling the martial artist experiences when throwing a centered punch. First the center must be found through the punch since the punch causes the hips to tap the power of the center most directly through the rotation of the hips. The center of the body, lying in the axis of the hips, is thereby accessed physically and therefore conceptually in a direct, obvious way.

Now the outline of the exact counter-rotation used in the middle target punch will be further discussed. Remember: a punch is not made up of a single fist moving through the air on its own with no backing except that it is attached to an arm that is attached to a shoulder. Rather, the counter-force must be summoned up in order to implement the power of the center of the body in the punch; for as the punch tends forward for its focus, its ipsilateral hip tends back as previously stated herein. These two directions of motion in their opposition one to the other define that counter-rotation of which we seek knowledge, and perhaps the student can learn this concept indirectly from experimenting with a jar of peanut butter for its relative ease in doing compared to the karate floor. The hips will actually snap into place, square once again, as the punch imparts its final focus, so that as the punch strikes, so do the hips concert themselves forecefully, suddenly, into the square position.

Assume horse stance, which is a stance with weight equally placed on the feet. which feet are facing the same direction with toes on a line beneath the body, knees bent, and less far apart than the feet; the feet are one and a half shoulder widths apart, so that the toes are not visible but for the knees being in the way. Place the left fist out in the front center, also at the same vertical height as the center of the body (three finger widths beneath the navel); the right fist is held inverted on the right hip bone in chamber for the punch. The punch will be a right middle target punch to the front and center; the right hip will rotate slightly forward when once the right fist is mobilized from the chamber position on the hip. The left hip will thereby necessarily be moving slightly backward, and the hip movement begins when the left fist starts to withdraw from the front quadrant for its destiny on the left hip. The left fist will be inverting as it moves, so that by the time it reaches its place on the left hip bone it will be inverted just as the right fist had previously been so inverted in its chamber position. The inversion of the retreating left fist should be completed, however, at a point only two to three inches from the imaginary target point where it had been held in extension front and center. As the right fist proceeds simultaneously with the returning left fist, but opposite in direction to it and yet forward to center, it remains inverted until the last two to three inches. As the right punch closes in on its imaginary target, the wrist will turn counterclockwise. In so doing will the wrist implement the punch with the fist upright as it focuses in the last, closing distance. As this last thrust accelerates and increases its speed, the hips are in place to be the counterforce to that thrust, the punch. The right hip will thus help by its counterforce to that focus in the punch as the right hip snaps into place in a backward direction until it is square again with the right shoulder in the horse stance. Of course, the left hip will work in the opposite rotational direction as compared to the right hip, which would be a forward direction for that left hip. This completes visualization of this important counter-rotation of the hips.

Other important points to practice and to perfect in the punch:
the elbow is not hyperextended, meaning the elbow joint is never driven into itself in the totally straightened disposition – leave a little crook in the arm at the elbow, so that the force is directed outward most totally with the fist, and not absorbed internally by the joint of the elbow. For this hyperextension will also injure the cartilage in the elbow joint if it is done repeatedly over time;
keep the wrist straight, or level, with the line of the forearm, so that it is bent neither up nor down, and so that the force will not become internalized at the wrist joint. A bent wrist will waste the force which can be maximized into the punch when this proper posture is kept with the forearm and wrist;
the blow of the punch is effected primarily by the first two knuckles, with the distribution as follows: 80% on the knuckle of the middle finger, and 20% on the knuckle of the index finger;
in making a proper fist, the force of any blow effected by the punch will be properly absorbed by the hand without injuring the hand. To make the fist, curl the four fingers up as far into themselves as physically possible, and then close them in with the final bend into the palm, gripping the entire array with the the thumb bent in on them. The powerfully bent fingers, curled and bent into the center of the palm, will thus offer a doubly-formed shock absorption in a fist thus unified. This fist must be kept strong, never relaxed, in order to prevent injury upon strike, and in order to focus the punch with maximum power.
It is said that one focused punch is worth a million unfocussed punches, so that whenever practicing, always maximize the effort put into the punch, remembering each and every point outlined above. One excellent method for assuring that each punch is maximized is to work for speed, and once speed is developed in the punch, try to add more strength and focus while maintaining the fast speed. This is the way to study the hard style of Chung Do Kwan and to become accomplished in it. Full body weight must be recruited to each punch, so that the center is behind each punch fully, never sacrificing this method to the unilateral goal of speed. Each punch must be crisp and dapper. If in a succession of punches speed is sought at the expense of full focus, then a slurring will occur. Such minimization of the punches is not proper training in Chung Do Kwan.
The Feet
Imagine life as a wanderer in the world, which becomes a vast landscape of learning of the nature of reality. In this framework of totality it is that: to find the way in the world but for the world, and as the self would find it, the individual. As the individual relates to that world, that relating becomes the total occupation. There is only time and place, two moving feet, and knowledge of how to fend in case of attack where there is no shelter to protect on a regular basis from hostilities. Picture the hostilities as part of the nature of the world, with its inherent dualities, its physical opposites, and how some minds will take those dualities as proof that to destroy is the necessary way. The job of the martial artist who sees more deeply than any such conviction of evil, and who believes that destroyers are fundamentally to be refuted, is to stay alive and to remain in harmony with the world simply by understanding the nature of the reality seen in and through the world. This harmony will allow a peaceful mind in the face of trials to defend properly in self-defense, according to the strict code of the martial artist : in self-defense only will techniques be utilized.
The idea of self-defense as the teacher of self-knowledge, as that which might confer knowledge of the ultimate reality to the practitioner, has been tested by those martial artist masters of antiquity, and from whence the traditions have been handed down. The body is equipped to confront the world and to live in it without fear, and without any recourse to shelter in sight. The feet are durable and can walk tens of miles per day without tiring, once trained to do so. The feet can be lived upon, they are so powerful. An entire regimen of self-defense has been derived in such conditions of total reality, wherein the use of the hand and foot will guide, guard and preserve unfailingly. Imagine the view of truth available to the Blackbelt who has learned this and accomplished this feat, and then think of the message of Tae Kwon Do. If “do” means way, then it is the feet which take that way, they mobilize the practitioner. Every situation which will present resistance to the wandering Blackbelt in the world-at-large will test and also teach of how to proceed, whether proceeding means waiting awarefully, or taking action directly. The way will be given as such way is seen through the awareness and knowledge of the ultimate reality – such reality is derived from the absolute truth, an understanding of that absolute truth and reality, satyam, in Sanskrit. In this mode of life as life is lived and preserved through a regard for satyam, every workout is a valued window into the situation at hand, the place of current view, and perhaps signs of the next to come. The transcendence of fear for the wandering Blackbelt is born of a constant vigilance after truth and reality as the world teaches truth and reality, what IS. Tae Kwon Do speaks to this quest for reality as the mode of existence through action and the timing of action in a continuum of actionlessness in all that just IS, as it trains the fundamental tools of the hand and foot to prepare for battle, for fight, even for all-out war, but based on principles of metaphysics.
The feet do carry the body across distance, and from whence much of the martial art tradition might have been derived by those ancient masters who equaled the world on foot accordingly, for that venue would be the experimental ideal for a practitioner in search of truth. Thus we have a discipline wherein the study of the hand and foot can occur in the framework of the structured class, the physical discipline per se. In Tae Kwon Do the feet act to stabilize the body. The feet confer balance when stances are correct, and the feet confer balance when in motion from stance to stance, as well. The feet also effect the most powerful technique of which the human body is capable, and that is the sidekick. How to move on the feet, and how to throw kicks, are all built upon the proper stance. Unless the fundamentals of proper stance are understood and practiced, then the center of the body will never be understood for its dynamic capabilities. Part of the process of achieving a centered body in the practice of Tae Kwon Do will therefore necessarily concern how to use the feet.
The first point to be made in understanding the use of the feet in stance is critical, and also rather indirect. The feet cannot carry the body correctly, nor even stabilize the body in simple fighting stance, unless the upper body also sits correctly upon the feet. The feet are a direct-connection interface with the fighting ground, the training area, but the directness of that connection will be lost if the upper body is not properly appointed according to perfect posture. The shoulders are critical in finding the correct posture, as they have the subtle power to countereffect the power to be derived from the center unless the proper alignment of hips and shoulders is kept.
For this reason of learning the proper alignment of the hips and shoulders, let us review for example the middle target punch, and add to the perfection of that punch the proper positioning of the shoulders. The goal in a punch is to deliver a blow of maximum speed and focus, and accordingly, the counter-rotation of the hips has been outlined above. The shoulders will further empower the punch if they are held in abeyance to the power of the center as effected through the counter-rotating hips. Thus, the shoulders must be held perfectly square in relation to the hips in their straight configuration, as those hips are when at rest. Even though the hips rotate, the shoulders do not. The shoulder is held back neatly during the punch, and that is exactly what empowers the punch to derive its fullest force from the center. The arm is extended, therefore, from the shoulder in the punch, but a shoulder which will act as more of a passive chamber for the moving arm and fist. For if the shoulder moves forward with the punch past the frontal vertical plane of the body, losing thereby its squareness, then weight has been placed forward outside that frontal plane. What would be the results of such weight being displaced with the punch by a movement of the shoulder as the punch proceeds? Such weight would de-center the body and diminish the power and focus of the punch accordingly. Balance must be afforded through the centeredness of the body. A correct stance will allow good balance from the foot-level; but if the shoulders are not kept in a square disposition to the body during the punch, as in this example, then the balance will be thrown off by the imposition of the upper body. Such an incorrect placement of the shoulders past the frontal plane of the body during the punch is a good example of how the feet can be disempowered for their contribution to the overall stability of the body. The center cannot be fully utilized when the body is even slightly destabilized, so that the appointment of the upper body must also match the foundation of the feet in the stance.

The horse stance is the easiest of the three basic stances, since the weight is equally distributed over the feet, making the horse stance highly intuitive — the horse stance is not difficult to learn quickly. Rotating the shoulder forward with the delivery of the punch will cause the practitioner to lose the presence of the horse stance, as weight will be re-distributed in favor of the foot equilateral with the punch. This is not a small mishap, since many students gain a firmer idea of the center of the body simply by throwing punches from horse stance; and partly this is because the horse stance allows one to almost sit the body on the feet and comfortably so, whereas the back stance and front stance require more training and effort — in these stances the body’s weight is distributed unequally from foot to foot, and that is yet another topic.
The importance of keeping the shoulders square during the punch should be re-emphasized here. Shoulders held square while lending the punch constitute a fundamental lesson in the importance of upper body posture, since that upper body posture will empower the feet and thus unify the entire body weight to the center, and which in turn unifies the hands and the feet. May I render my observation of why many lower belts do indeed throw their shoulders incorrectly into the punch: once the instructions for the counter-rotation of the hips during the delivery of the punch have been received, the misconception may arise that to join the shoulders to that counter-rotation of the hips will further empower the hips. Intuitively this may seem correct, as it may seem like a supportive movement of the shoulders to the hips. Also, many lower belts project the idea that to reach for the target by advancing the shoulder into the punch, constitutes a greater impact capability with the target; investing the shoulder by such an incorrect advancement with the punch, on the contrary, does not yield a greater power in the punch only because a greater proximity to the target has been achieved. This broaches the idea that precision born of being centered foments power. Therefore, to leverage the body maximally by placing the weight of the moving body with all of its parts at the center of gravity of the body is the goal of Chung Do Kwan, and all of the techniques are derived according to this principle. This is what it means to be centered, and each technique can be analyzed and understood accordingly. Since this goal of achieving the center is accomplished in every technique, the power is maximized and most efficient, and thus is this style, the style called Chung Do Kwan, the truly and most thoroughly hard style of all of the styles of karate. Chung Do Kwan is easily recognized as the hard style, and it simulates actual fighting in its basic characteristics.

The Shoulders
The shoulders have been cited for their part in the delivery of a proper punch, and thus has the idea of the centeredness of the body been greatly elaborated through that didactic example. Moreover, the shoulders can be explained in a more general sense as to how they contribute to proper form, thereby assuring that the power expended will emanate clearly from the center of the body — the center of the body cannot remain behind each technique maximally if the shoulders are not used correctly. For on a vertical axis the shoulders should remain as directly above the hips as a straight back will allow. The proper disposition of the shoulders is realized in relation to the hips, such that the shoulders remain in the same vertical plane through a straight-postured back. There should be no bend at the waist in a typical stance. (The waist will bend in, say, front kick, side kick and round house kick necessarily.) In order to fully empower the upper body to work at maximum mechanical advantage with the center of gravity of the body, not only must proper posture of the shoulders be realized vertically and frontally — also, the muscles of the shoulder should be kept relaxed.

The shoulders in this sense are used for their part as chamber, not for their sheer muscle strength per se. Let us discuss once again the punch as a way to illustrate the correct use of the shoulder in hand techniques in general. Teach yourself this idea by throwing first a middle target punch with the willful relaxation of both shoulders. Notice how the fist is free to move and can accomplish greater speed, since it is not held back by the muscles of the shoulder. To see this better, next tighten the shoulder as you punch, and see how tightening the shoulder muscles actually constitutes a misapplication of strength, for it holds the punch back somewhat. Many lower belts unconsciously will tighten the shoulder muscles as they punch and use blocks, since they are not mentally aware of the tendency to do so. As the punch is delivered, the muscles of the upper arm and chest will be forcefully applied to the technique, yet, the full potential of the chambering power of the shoulder is realized in its nature

as a joint, not as a set of muscles, so that is why it is kept relaxed. If the shoulders are tensed during the release of the punch, then the power of the punch is muffled, as the chambering mechanism of the shoulder had been compromised by such misapplication of the shoulder muscles.
In order to keep the shoulders in proper disposition in the vertical plane of the body, so that they do not reach forward, meaning frontally, and so that they do not throw off the balance through a bend at the waist, remain aware of them after each technique on a with-count basis, and correct them if necessary. In a typical class as taught by Grandmaster Son, basic exercises and forms both are performed in synchrony with a count. The count can be continuous, or it can be discontinuous so that corrections can be applied. (In this sense there is also a no-count feature in training, where all-out techniques are accomplished as instantaneously as possible, but in memory to the exacted reaction to such verbal count, the command.) Thus, when practicing for perfection by yourself, so as to apply what is being taught here, remember that there is a time to concentrate upon fundamental points, and thus to stop after each move and assess your end result for its perfection. Then you must physically correct it accordingly after each stop. This a vital method of learning to perfection’s hold. Each time the body reconnoiters in a stop-start method, statically, that is while stopped from the steadily ongoing sequence, readjust the end result of a technique; there is created a feeling to the adjustment made, and a memory develops as to the perfect positioning of all of the body. Thus, if you throw an upper target punch on a with-count basis, assess your shoulders after the punch is realized. See if they are square and correctly relaxed. If they are not, then relax them, straighten them out, and this proper positioning will register. Each time you place a correction as you learn the technique more fully, your practice will improve. Soon you will see that you have developed the ability to achieve the proper technique through this endpoint analysis but from a dynamic basis — you will be able to throw a punch and throw it correctly on the first try, and consistently so as you go along. This is the way to learn in karate. Work from the awareness of moves as analyzed and then corrected in static position, also. It is best to have an instructor to teach you, as more objectivity can be applied to the correction method and its process. As I used to love to say when teaching, “Perfection is born of correction.” If, however, there is no instructor present to teach you and to see your mistakes, allow yourself the chance to apply this analytical strategy to all-out presence in the martial arts practice, and learn to question, analyze and correct. Many people practice the martial arts on a totally individual, non-instructed basis, out of sheer love and appreciation for the brilliance of its expression and the kind of integration of mind, body and spirit it offers them. I have met such practitioners in my years as a wanderer, and there is much to be respected in the initiative to take up the martial art on a solo basis with no teacher. A teacher is the greatest gift, and I certainly hope to share my knowledge herein with such practitioners. But remember one caveat: it takes a steep measure of self-analytical prowess to correct and to perfect as you learn and progress. Also, the perfection of Chung Do Kwan as a physical discipline is so remarkable, that those martial artists who are already studied and are gifted with instruction, may learn from reading here. I am humbly passing on what I have learned from excellent upper belt instruction, and the supreme and transcendent instruction of my revered teacher, Grandmaster Son.
One excellent method of disciplining the shoulders for a student who is still learning the stances, or for one who needs the correction due to typical and fundamental error, is to hold the stance, to hold the technique statically once thrown, making sure that the shoulders are corrected if necessary. Stay for one or two minutes in a solid, staid posture, with the back perfectly straight. Let us say that you have just thrown a knife edge block in back stance, and you have made sure that your shoulders are relaxed, especially the lead shoulder. To mindlessly stay in that position with no thoughts will constitute an excellent training for you. This kind of static practice will teach better the perfect form you strive to achieve dynamically. Always humble yourself to perfection, and watch the progression in your abilities as you do so. To reflect on the perfect stance with the technique having been thrown for a minute or two is a high-powered training method, as having visited that positioning statically and having remained in it for a time, will build your memory of it, so that you can go there more effortlessly.

X Stance:

About the author:

One of the requirements for the Blackbelt test given me by Grandmaster Son was to break a one-inch thick piece of wood. I had bought a piece of wood which was 8″ x 10″, the specified dimensions, yet, the grain was against the longer axis. Thus, the grain of the wood was actually perpendicular to the longer axis, the 10 ” length of the wood. This made the wood more difficult to break, since the wood naturally breaks along the grain. I had therefore a more difficult task than most in breaking this wood, since the length of the grain was shorter for the giving in to the force of the blow. I was not aware of this until an upper belt told me that fact after the test was over. Each student being tested for Blackbelt could choose the technique desired for breaking wood, whether it be a kick or a hand technique.

Unlike the women before me who achieved the Blackbelt I chose a hand technique for breaking wood. My choice was punch. I had broken a piece of wood once before after a demonstration when I was a green belt, and for that exercise I had used a flying punch, meaning that the wood had been loosely suspended by four fingers for me – I saw target and punched it reflexively, breaking it with what is known as perfect focus, with no support rendered the wood to allow me counterforce in the break. That experience had allowed me to gain a feeling for breaking wood, and since I had proceeded to the most difficult break there is, the suspended break, I approached the wood breaking at the Blackbelt test with that knowledge behind me. However, it took me three blows to actually splinter the wood at that test – two punches succeeded only in cracking the wood, as it was also moist wood, and probably as strong as three pieces of average wood of the correct dimensions. On the third blow I strategically switched to a powerful back fist, going straight through the wood, which I had first weakened. The back fist punches I had learned through practice on the kicking bag and hitting board. This test therefore was a lesson for me, at the same time that it measured my proficiency for the Blackbelt.