kempoinfo.com

So my genius put itself on display recently…About 20 years ago I was told that good core muscles would help my back pain. Naturally, i went to work with sit ups and what not to work my abs. However, it was not until recently that I learned (not even figured out) that I need to engage those muscles as I move in order to protect my back! Pure genius.
Well what does this have to do with a kiai? I never had problems with my back while training. I think the reason is that through the kiai we engage our core muscles and therefore protect our back. Almost as good as the magic of qi!!

The use of the knees in kicking holds a particular importance to my thinking and practice. In order to generate power in most kicks the movement of the knee is key. Without the knee exploding from a chambered postition towards the plexus most kicks will lack the force they could deliver. By using the center of your body you use your whole body, neglect this and you exponentially dimininsh what you want to do for almost every kick in the system. The non kicking leg maintains your root (especially with impact) and cannot be locked. the knee must bend and even sink with the kick and not striaghten out or lock. The return to the crane afterwards re indexes the spine and brings you back to center alignment and equilibrium…bring the knee back to your center. the further you move from these prinicples of the knee the less effective your kempo becomes.

Since Mr. Dwire mentioned it, I thought it deserved its own plug. Every year he comes back raving about the Saratoga Martial Arts Festival, and I can see why. It’s a two day extravaganza of training, and done from a cool perspective. This year, they are trying to emphasize their concept of ‘100 styles flow into one’ by having teachers from disparate styles share seminar time on various topics.