root makes power?

[thumper]

is this true? does an internal artist need root (good stance) to make power? does power come from the feet? can you produce internal striking energy while sitting? or while moving?

"...either you like reincarnation or the smell of carnations..."
- Cannibal Ox

[yenhoi]

You can punch something pretty hard with just your arm and shoulder.

You can punch something MUCH harder if you use not only the muscles and bone structure in your arm and shoulder, but also your chest, back, waist and hips, and legs. Also notice there are little bendy things called joints all along the way.

Eventually, effeciently using your entire body instead of just your arm, will be like hitting your opponent with the ground instead of your fist.

Power generation while sitting, kneeling, laying down follow the same principles, just applied differently.

Ask a BJJ guy about using your hips to choke someone.

strike!

[Kumkuat]

>is this true?

what?

> does an internal artist need root (good stance) to make power?

define good stance. a good internal artist can deliever a powerful no inch shoulder strik while standing on one leg.

> does power come from the feet?

no, ground

> can you produce internal striking energy while sitting?

yeah. I think it was Chen Xiao Wang who did a fajing while sitting down on a chair and his feet was in the air.

> or while moving?

of course

[[Censored]]

The force of gravity gives everyone a root according to their mass. Thus, relatively large and/or heavy people can hit hard without explicit root training. If you are only 130 lbs, you do not have this luxury.

[HuangKaiVun]

No, there are some guys heavier than 130 lbs that do not hit as hard as some 130 lb guys without training do.

There's also speed, timing, physique, balance, coordination - many other factors that go into a hard hit even for the untrained.

[Xebsball]

I personally found out that when I'm standing my punch is harder than when I'm moving forward, sort of.

-------------------------
I'm too sexy for my shirt, too sexy for my shirt
I'm too sexy for your mother, too sexy for your mother
So sexy, YEAH

[bamboo_ leaf]

Sounds confused.


As to the question it depends on what you mean by internal striking power.

Rooting is one aspect among many that can indicate good structure.
It has 2 main components one is physical the other is mental.

(li comes from the bones, chin comes from the ligaments)
muscle, power depends on the bones/ chin, internal power depends on the YI and Chi.

bamboo leaf

[Water Dragon]

Get a staff and have someone hold it against a wall. Now, run into ot. Hurts, don't it?

Most actions of men can be explained by observing a pack of dogs. Not wild dogs, just neighborhood dogs who all scurry under the fence on the same night and set off together to reclaim a glimmer of the glory their species possessed before domestication.

[[Censored]]

No, there are some guys heavier than 130 lbs that do not hit as hard as some 130 lb guys without training do.

I stand corrected. If you are 130 lbs, please take as many luxuries as you desire. Don't say I didn't warn you.

[EARTH DRAGON]

this may be a little hard for some to understand power goes "through" the feet like in a strong stance, however it comes from the "ground"! if you do not understand universal chi then this will sound weird and hard to believe but with any internal style the higher levels use the body only as a conductor of this energy. Not that I like to use him as a reference to internal explanations but when bruce lee was asked how he generated power in the 1" inch punch in an interview after the LA demonstration he said the power comes from the ankle not the waist, he said westerners know not of this so they think that when I strike it comes from the waist but the truth is its from the ankle.
He did not want to admitt where it actually came from which is the ground! if we have a hard enough time figuring how it comes from the ankle then we would never concieve how the earth plays a role in gererating power. again if you dont understand what I am speaking of ask a internal qigong master they may have a easier way of explianing it.

http://www.kungfuUSA.net

[thumper]

But power doesn't come from the ground if the example of Chen Xiao Wang is valid one. It would seem that power comes from knowing where your center is, regardless if you are rooted on the ground or not.

"...either you like reincarnation or the smell of carnations..."
- Cannibal Ox

[EARTH DRAGON]

power comes from the ground,and only conducted through the body, generated around the waist and extended through the hands and feet, if you limit your power only to the body then you are missing out on power or energy of the cosmos. Again if you have little knowledge of walking with the earth as opposed to walking on it you will not undersatand that the power generated by oneself is minimal compared to that of universal chi, this may be too deep to post on this board, but power is like chi we do not own it and cannot posses it, we can conduct it, gerenate it and control it,but that is all.

http://www.kungfuUSA.net

[Kumkuat]

Um, the power does come from the ground. It goes through the chair's legs, directed by the dantien and to the hands.

[thumper]

Earth, that is an interesting explanation. It's a bit esoteric for me though, but maybe 5 years practice from now it won't be.
Kumkaut, I didn't think of it like that. Thanks!
So suppose this folks. Suppose I get caught in a bear hug from the front, and my feet are lifted off the ground. If I was skilled enough, I could be able to generate internal striking power from my opponents root to the ground. What do yall think?

"...either you like reincarnation or the smell of carnations..."
- Cannibal Ox

[thumper]

still waiting for anyone's reply on this.

"...either you like reincarnation or the smell of carnations..."
- Cannibal Ox

[Nexus]

JustAman, I once asked this same question as you, regarding the bearhug and lifting of the person to one of my teachers. He told me that being lifted was just an illusion, which sounded esoteric to me at the time. Then when I was shown application for front/back bearhugs I saw what he meant, but you would need to experience this for yourself ot understand, as often in taijiquan it is what you feel that gives the understanding more than how what you feel is explained.

- NExus

[thumper]

i guess i'll go ask my sifu then. thanks man!

"...either you like reincarnation or the smell of carnations..."
- Cannibal Ox

[JerryLove]

"So suppose this folks. Suppose I get caught in a bear hug from the front, and my feet are lifted off the ground. If I was skilled enough, I could be able to generate internal striking power from my opponents root to the ground. What do yall think?"

To hit someone else? Yes. To hit the guy holding you? No. The internal art response there is usually to sink your weight. One can become very hard to hold if they know how.

http://www.clearsilat.com