On Dropping your Center and thereby increasing your Power

 

Bruno Ballardini‎ to Karate di Okinawa

Another basic principle that Okinawan karate shares in common with the Chinese martial arts is “to “sink”, in order to receive the push from the ground and to put this energy into the technique.

Victor Donald Smith – more plainly this means releasing the knee, to drop your weight, allowing the power generated to move into the technique execution.

 It was in the book by Aragaki Sensei, years ago, where I first learned of the knee release. I have found it is a major player in generation of force from movement.

Russ Smith "Releasing the knee" is an important and powerful movement concept, particularly when attempting to move under contact with an opponent.

Timothy Rodgers This is very much true in that, if the legs were straight or locked the ability to push, and project movement would almost be non existent.. Also the term Shimuzu is another reference to the (internal sinking),starting with relaxation of the body by the rounding of the shoulders and allowing energy to descend, or (sink) to the hara. This would be a prelude to all movement. I believe these two, are intertwined,,,and a basic foundation of the Chinese contribution.

Jim Keenan - one place isshinryu suffers - across the board - is legs. isshinryu practitioners (most Okinawan style practitioners, really) have weak legs. I forget how long ago it was (but it was at least from my time in Israel), I started working on ways to increase leg power in Isshinryu without completely breaking the style. Using the leg in the way you pictured is one of the ways I came up with.

 

Victor Smith

Very astute analysis, Decades ago Ron Martin (Goju) pointed out to me how weak my stances were, I then noticed how strong all his students stances were, Then looked at my original instructor, Tom Lewis, and how strong his stances were. Then i began my own crusade to strengthen my own stances. Stance development became a real mission with my own students. That continued for decades.

Personally, they did not know how to focus on stance development, and perhaps just did not teach it, even when they had it themselves. I noted while Sensei had great strength, it was not taught that way. A year after Ron's comment, I saw Charles and he commented how strong my stances had become