• Archive through October 27, 2000 October 27 - 04:47 pm [24]

• Archive through November 02, 2000 November 02 - 12:27 pm [20]

Tim : I've read about keeping the back rounded and the chest hollow and am having difficulty understanding this as it relates to posture.
I admire your concise and perceptive answers to previous posts and look forward to your response.
Also , while watching some of the video on this site I noticed while you were throwing some one
(at least I think it was you) you lifted your back heel . my teacher (bagua) advises avoiding this saying you can possibly lose your "rootedness". No disrespect intended just wondering if I should'nt worry to much about lifting the back heel.

>Sorry if I came on a little strong about
>disrespect. It's just that statements like "Tim
>has surpassed Luo" could be viewed as
>disrepectful especially from a Chinese cultural
>standpoint. Ask Tim to explain! Speaking of...

Having in mind that Tim has not corrected the statement from Macaco he is maybe the wrong person to ask...

Anonymous

Do not suppose that Tim doesn't know about respecting teachers and people in general. He doesn't spend much time on the net because he is busy teaching, writing, and training. I'm sure if one of his students was in line for a lecture on respect or any other topic he would rise to the occasion (albeit not publicly). Tim is a true gentlemen, I'm sure if he takes acception to any of Macaco's statements he'll let him know, but not in this forum.

regards
Bob

Dave C.
Probably the oldest reference to the position of the pelvis in the 'Internal' classics is "wei lu zhong Zheng" (the coccyx is centered). Of course, the exact meaning of "centered" is open to interpretation, but I would infer that it means neither sticking the rear out nor pulling the rear under.

Griffin MA,
In regards to "rounding the back and hollowing the chest" (a more accurate translation of "han xiung ba bei" is "lift the back and hold the chest open" ), my advice, as always, is to maintain natural alignment (the back naturally straight and the chest lifted, look at any small child if you are confused). Slumping over and collapsing the chest will greatly reduce the power of the body, will decrease lung capacity, will put undue pressure on the heart and internal organs and will accelerate the development of senile posture.

Anonymous above,
I have made no comparison of my abilities with those of my teacher. In fact, on this discussion board, I have never made relative comparisons of anyone's level of skill.
It is not my place to "correct" the personal opinions of individuals that post here. Perhaps you should base your conclusions more on what people say rather than what they don't say.

Tim,

Taking your suggestion, I've been testing whole body power with various alignment changes using small children as test subjects. I've found that when I deliberately try to round my back and/or tuck my coccyx I do not hit them as hard as when I keep my alignment more natural.

With natural alignment I am able to deliver rapid, surprisingly powerful blows with ease.

Do you have any other suggestions for incorporating small children in training?

Thank you,
Roberto Numero Dos

Perhaps we take alignment too seriously. In my yoga book it says that strict alignment rules were only made fairly recently to be able to teach westerners (since this is how they are used to learning i suppose). It also says alignment isn't really that important, so long as you're feeling the energy and not doing anything harmful, of course.

And the way taiji was originally taught, (without much oral instructions) its hard to imagine the masters caring that much if every students tailbone was tucked in the same way.

Yoga also teaches that your bodies wisdom is the most important and that yoga should fit your body, your body shouldnt try to fit yoga.

The classics are great and all but we should think for ourselves and trust the wisdom of our own bodies

I agree with you to a certain extent but my physiotherapist keeps pointing out that some of my current problems are due to my having thought for myself and trusted the wisdom of my own body!

"There are none so blind as those who will not see"

i guess there are exceptions to trusting your instincts, such is the instict to panic if you're in quicksand, but really you should just remain still if you plan to keep your head above the surface! gotta love paradoxes

Panic is an instict that cowards and the weak have.

"A challenge is just an opportunity for quitters to do their thing"

Sorry Mont F. but I couldn't resist. I like these goofy quotes!

"To deny sincerity is to cast off the wisdom of being unable to accomplish that which has yet to be lauded." And yes, you guys can quote me.

"if you love something let it go-
if it doesn't come back-
hunt it down and kill it."

Bob#2

“All the eagles and other predatory creatures that adorn our coats of arms seen to me to be apt psychological representations of our true being.”
Carl Jung in Memories, Dreams, Reflections

"Eagles may soar- but weasles never get sucked into jet engines."

"Two men enter, one man lives!"
"Two men enter, one man lives!"
"Two men enter, one man lives!"
"Two men enter, one man lives!"
"Two men enter, one man lives!"
"Two men enter, one man lives!"
"Two men enter, one man lives!"

People should chant this at full contact martial arts fights and at any street fight they see. Make Mad Max proud.

Mont.
Wasn't it "... one man leaves"?

Do your parents know that you're watching restricted movies when you're supposed to be outside mowing the lawn or punching things seven times per second?

Michael, its been a while since I've seen the movie. Maybe it was "...one man leaves" but who can tell with all the crazy people with Australian accents screaming it? And "one man lives!" makes more sense too because only one person leaves the ring alive. Or in the unusual circumstances of Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome the little midget survived also but his demformed, retarded person thing he rode on was killed. "Break a deal...face the WHEEL!"

Also, I've gotten my speed up to where I can punch with one arm 5 times in one second. And I don't have to mow the lawn till Saturday :p

If I see you heading my way. pushing a lawnmower to practise your whole body movement while pumping the air with one fist, I'll be sure to get out of your way! ;-}