Flowing Hands

An article by Ernest Rothrock

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Flowing Hands
 

Flowing hands, a unique concept in martial arts, encompasses more than just circular motions of the hands. It involves a dynamic form of Hand Expression that sets it apart.

These circular motion exercises, such as those used in Eagle Claw Kung Fu and Tai Chi, are not just about keeping the arms moving in circles. They are designed to enhance coordination, a crucial skill in martial arts, making them a valuable part of your training.

Hand expression, a key aspect of Flowing Hands, is not just about the hands. It's about the synergy between the body, shoulder, elbows, and wrists. As the saying goes, “Tai Chi is rooted in the feet, directed by the waist, and expressed in the hands." This means that power in martial arts originates from the feet and is channeled through the body to the hands.

Ideally, the circling of the arms and the hand expression work in conjunction with each other. The term I use to describe the cooperation between the circling arms and hand expression is 'Flowing Hands'.

Suppose you have never seen the action of Flowing Hands. In that case, I have some videos on Facebook and our school blog, KungFuNewsOnline.com, of Grandmaster Shum doing this exercise. So check it out when you get a chance.

The arms circling serve several purposes:
1) Keeping the body protected at all times from various attacks.
2) It allows you to attack from multiple directions without advertising your attention to your adversary.
3) It enables you to trap, grab, or hold an adversary in a lock or use various pressure points.
4) And keeps the adversary distracted and off-balance.

Moving your arms is nothing new. You see boxers always moving their arms… even slightly. That allows them to block and strike quicker than if their arms were entirely still. The same applies to Kung Fu or Tai Chi fighting (YES! Tai Chi is a fighting art). However, moving your arms from a still position will take longer to execute a block or a strike. Why? Because you must begin the motion with your body. Then, transfer that motion to your shoulders, then to your arms, and finally to your hands. Think of a baseball player throwing a pitch. If the body, shoulders, and arms are all working and moving together, there is no delay in revving things up before your block or strike is executed.

The second part of Flowing Hands is hand expression. Again, a common principle is stated in Tai Chi (see above). However, what does that basic principle mean, ‘Rooted in the Feet’ and ‘Expressed with the Hands ’?

First and foremost, to have any power or strength requires a solid foundation. A solid foundation is nothing more than how your feet are placed, and the weight is distributed to give your upper body the strength to accomplish something. The best example of this is trying to push a stalled car. You place one foot forward and bend that knee. You have the rear leg straight to brace yourself. You then push forward on the car to get it moving. That is a simple explanation. Keep an eye out for a more detailed article on postures.

As you can see from the car example above, everything would only happen to move the car, providing a foundation to give you the strength in your hands to push it. So, power in the hands requires a solid foundation (rooted in the feet). Usually, the part of the hand placed on the car is the palm. You certainly would not be able to push the car with your fingertips, no matter how strong a foundation you had. So, the wrists and fingers are pulled back, and the palms of the hands are used (hand expression).