When doing back flips and other similiar moves (ex. like in Capoeira and other styles) Does the strength for those moves mainly orginate from the core muscules of the abdomen? And when one becomes adept at martial arts, is this an area of the body that is essential for executing the most difficult and effective moves? I understand that it is the whole body that needs to be strengthened. But I've noticed that when doing Kicks and punches, my core seems to be where the power comes from. Another related topic is where the power of the punches comes from. The kung fu teacher I saw last week told me that it comes from the waist. While another kung fu teacher a couple years back told me it comes from the hips (or perhaps the hara like in Qi Gong). Do you think one is better than the other, or does it even matter? I know that it's different between different styles. But I wanted to hear opinions on it. update: one more thing I've noticed, is that when working out from the core. It dramatically increase the flow of chi, giving strength and power to where ever you direct your focus. I guess this is because the core is the source of the chi and there for where true strength originates from.
Just let me add a few things. Shoulders Triceps Wrists obliques (core) Hips But this is for boxing, and not neceserraly from Kung Fu. Feel free to argue, im not an expert
Well yeah, kinda. The Tandien or hara, located behind your navel, is the center of your gravity and the is considered the seat of one's spiritual energy. So that counts as true strength to me, when it comes from the source. Strength not originating from your center, I would think does not have the same foundation of power. I wouldnt call it fake strength, just not as affective. But these are just my thoughts Good Night (its nearly 2am here, and I should be asleep)
I know what you mean, when i do a normal pull up i dont feel my core used at all when i do an one arm i feel all of my core tense especially the obliques.
atoms have a nucleus, galaxies a center, solar systems have a sun, planets have a core... drawing in your chi to your core you could imagine being a blackhole; when striking out, release like an exploding star... :Angel:
Ok I'll take a stab at this... There isn't a general rule that will fit all moves. If by back flip you mean back tuck that you sit into and then extend over... much of the work is comprised of your legs, your but and your core. It is integrated in one big kinetic chain though with many muscle groups acting in unison. Muscular imbalances lead to injuries and gymanstic moves are no exceptions. Seemingly people tend to ingore the muscles they can't see. That often means the hamstrings (back of the thighs) and the glutes (your ass). The back is quite often ignored as well. All of those are integral for good gynastic moves. If you watch any gymnasts at something like an olympic level - they usually have very balanced physiques... sure they will be heavier in the shoulders - but overall they are much more balanced overall than your average weightlifter or gym goer. Many martial arts generate power from the hips. Boxers do it for punching. Muay Thai fighters do it for kicking, knee's and elbows. Aikido and Daito-ryu practioners pay special attention to the center and to driving with ones hips and dropping the center of gravity to sink a lock in. Brazillian Jiu-Justu practioners are all about the hippage. They drive the hips into the floor to pin and to maintain a dominant position... as do Freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestlers. Many styles of Kung Fu place massive importance on moving from a grounded position that has strong influence on the hips and center. True. Again - once you start to understand the concept of a total kinetic chain you can begin to understand why boxers drive their punches from their toes up throught their calves and quads to the hips and rotationally through the core and up into a dynamic rotational movement of the core and torso and finally out into a snapping motion of their shouder and arm. A quality boxers punch is a thing of beauty... unfortunately most people with only a cursory understanding of the mechanics of boxing are dismissive due to their ignorance. Generally that whole region is pretty much a power generation center and one are does not work without the complicity of another. Generating power from your hips or your center will eventually entail transmiting that power to your limbs... so there it's easy to visualize that kinetic chain. Be forewarned - Chi is a touchy subject around here... it has a habit of bursting into flames that burn for a mighty long time. And many have been burned. Overall the more you work your core the better you will feel. But just remember your core is not an island - it must work in conjunction with other muscles groups... thus the beauty of compound exercises and limited benefit of isolation exercises. Generally speaking a compound exercise routine will give you benefits over a wider range of muscle tissues and ranges of motion than will an isolation routine. Not only are you improving muscle strength but you are inevitably improving muscle coordination and agility - and most likely somewhere in there the ever important component of balance. Hope that was helpful.
foot movement also helps to generate more power too. I.E when doing a lead hook its important to lift the lead leg heel and turn the front of your body with the punch. or when doing a cross, lift your rear heel to help twist the hips into the punch.
That's either the biggest load of navel gazing rubbish I've ever heard or the smoothest pick up line... or both.
galactic style... you know, meteor fist grabbing comets by the tail throwing stars two galaxies collide blackhole sucking light and matter parting the asteroid belt catch my solar drift... :Angel:
