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The Roles of the Joints - Part 2
Written by
Gavin King
In part 1 we discussed how the roles of major joints could be broken down into two categories of mobility and stability that form an alternating chain up through the body. We also saw that in order for the joints to function properly in their designated roles they need to be correctly aligned otherwise they will have to compensate and change roles to cope with dysfunction. To continue our discussion we will start to break down the individual roles of each section of the chain.
One of the cardinal sins of tai chi is carrying the bodyweight in the bones…
Written on Tuesday, 13 April 2010 09:06
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The Roles of the Joints - Part 1
Written by
Gavin King
Recently both Steve and myself have been talking about the joints and how they relate to the martial arts and health. I thought it would be a good opportunity to discuss briefly the basic roles of the major joints in martial arts.
A lot of the injuries I see in the martial arts and sports come from putting unnecessary stress on a joint by forcing it to do a job it wasn’t designed for. The trouble when we start venturing into the physiology of joints and human biomechanics is that sometimes people start quoting complicated technical references from anatomy and…
Written on Wednesday, 07 April 2010 08:40
Tags: Gavin King health tai chi principles training posture
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Timing and Music in Tai Chi
Written by
Gavin King
"In the midst of stillness one comes in contact with movement, moving as though remaining still." - The Song of the Thirteen Postures.
Timing is an essential component of combat. Quite often timing within combat is compared to the timing in music and many martial artists use music as an aid to training and tai chi is no different. The trouble is that tai chi has a very specific rhythm that makes finding the right soundtrack particularly difficult.
The timing in tai chi is constant; there are no gaps or breaks. Most popular forms of music are made up of…
Written on Wednesday, 31 March 2010 07:59
Tags: Gavin King tai chi principles training form zen fighting
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How to Open the Joints
Written by
Gavin King
In my recent blog post on ‘Fight and Flight in Training’ I discussed a branch of the nervous system called the parasympathetic nervous system. We explored how it can be used as a ‘brake’ to encourage the body to slow down and engage in the body’s natural healing and restorative abilities. Steve in his last post discussed the ‘Opening Joints and Tissue’ and how this brings a state of ease into the joints and soft tissues. Knowing how to open the joints provides a wonderful gateway to accessing the parasympathetic nervous system.
Opening the joints is really nothing more than…
Written on Saturday, 27 March 2010 09:05
Tags: Gavin King health tai chi anatomy principles training myofascial stress posture
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Fight and Flight in Training
Written by
Gavin King
On my very first Shiatsu lesson my teacher uttered the words that makes every reality based martial artists ears prick up, ‘Fight or Flight’.
At the time I was working as a Doorman and my training was heavily focussed on combat and self-defence. I was devouring every crumb of information I could get on the subject and exploring it both in very heavy contact training and using the experience I was picking up on the Door. It surprised me when we began discussing the subject on the first day of a three year long course devoted to physical therapy –…
Written on Wednesday, 24 March 2010 08:24
Tags: Gavin King health tai chi anatomy principles training anxiety stress mind doorwork