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Hey guys,whats up?
Can you give me some hints about how to properly breath depending on what i am doing in kung fu? For example:
1) Correct way of breathing while training soft styles (tai chi,bagua,etc)
2) Correct way of breathing while training hard styles (BSL,shaolin quan,hung gar)
3) Correct way of breathing to the make the most of a technique's power.
4) Correct way of breathing so you can conserve energy (in training or combat)
And such...
LOL
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Diaphragmatic breathing, which is natural relaxed breathing. No matter what you do.
Rule number 1- Don't hold your breath during movement.
Rule number 2- Continually breathe throughout all movements.
Rule number 3- Breathe in a relaxed manor in through the nose and exhale through the mouth, without puffing your cheeks. Tongue on the roof of the mouth optional.
Rule number 4- Learn how to stretch the inhale and exhale in long slow breaths with more than one movement.
ADVANCED:
*Learn the difference between momentary breath compression [good] and holding your breath [bad- unless of course you're under water]
*Learn the difference between hyperventilation during fearful states with a rapid heart beat- involuntary [bad] and burst breathing- purposeful [good] Example- you have to walk up 6 flights of stairs. When you've reached the 6th floor you find you are out of breath. Why? out of shape? Tired? Perhaps. More than likely you didn't build up a reserve with "burst breathing" Try this at home: begin walking up the staircase- after the first or second flight start quick short inhales and short exhales- in the nose and out through the mouth. This will preload your lungs with oxygen. By the time you ascend to the 6th floor you are breathing normal and will not be tired or out of breath.
*Most people will throw a punch during an exhale. However you also need to be unrestricted with your breathing and be able to punch during an inhale as well.
*Certain movements are breath specific: reaching for something high- you will naturally ALWAYS inhale. Falling to the ground should always be during an exhale in a relaxed state. Movements of extreme dexterity, i.e. serving tea or pulling the trigger of a gun- should be performed during a long slow inhale. Taking punches to the body- impact during the exhale INTO THAT SPECIFIC area of IMPACT.
I hope this gives you a good start. I personally believe proper/natural breathing is not internal/external specific
What about reverse breathing like in Pak Mei Kung Fu ?
Yes, reverse breathing is a methodology used in various martial arts and even in some forms of yoga. I've learned it, practiced it back in the day, not crazy about it. Don't use it any more, but that's just me. I prefer William CC Chen's method of "expanding the torso" and making a larger space for the organs and circulation.
While we're at it, there's the good old Japanese "KiAi"!!! The GoJu- "Ccccccccccc" that sounds like you are trying to pronounce a Hebrew or Arabic word. Combining the exhale with sound such as the ubiquitous battle cry has been around since humans walk the earth. It is both intuitive and instinctive. Aligning the breath with the voice and the emotions quenches the fear and boosts strength momentarily for a violent action akin to supercharging a car's motor with a nitrous boost. As well as startling the hell out of your opponent. Animals growl and hiss all the time. Hung Gar has movement specific sounds uttered during form execution also.
My favorite is the Six Harmony Hsing I's "Sound of Thunder". This serves all of the above and more. I learned the sound of thunder from my Chinese Dr of Tui Na and acupuncture Dr William Cai in NYC. I've been seeing Dr Cai for over 20 years since he started on Canal St in Chinatown to his present upscale office on east 55th street and Lexington ave. I've written a few articles about him in the past for a kung fu magazine that no longer exists. He has many famous patients and has done wonders for me over the years. Dr Cai is the real deal graduating Shanghai medical college and also learning martial arts from a renowned Hsing I master. To see Dr Cai running the 10 animals looks like a speeding tank firing cannon shells! If you're in town I highly recommend a "tune up", it will be money well spent. A little advertisement here for my friend. Anyway as Dr Cai explains, the sound of thunder helps you release hard "fa Jing" while hardening the body to strikes and eliminating fatigue. You can use the sound of thunder with every strike. It's pretty cool, it really works and its easy to learn.
Greetings,
"'KIAI'!!!" ??????
"KIAI", in Japanese, literally means "YELL" in English. And there are still people who still practice and publicly perform their katas while screaming "YELL", in Japanese, at climactic points.
Billy and Jimbo: How could you miss this Yosemite Sam moment? :D
mickey