Secrets of Breathing, the Martial Arts, the Universe, and Everything!
Posted: Sunday, July 10, 2011
by Al Case
http://www.alcasebooks.com/
Secrets of the Martial Arts; there really are great secrets, but they are usually out in the open, just waiting for people to put in a little sweat and awareness before they are discovered.
I first realized the importance of breath control when I was running as a youngster. I was in sixth grade, and I loved running, realized it was the basis of most sports, and a superior method of conditioning. So I began to examine the simple act of breathing.
In the beginning, I investigated the relationship of rhythm to breathing to footsteps. Breath in right step, breath out left step, do for a while, then switch. Worked amazingly well. I could run greater distances and at faster paces than others. Things really got interesting when I changed things up by doubling the breathing cycle, or doing a cycle and a half, that sort of thing.
When I started running marathons later on I found that this breathing thing worked wonders. Mile after mile after mile, I would rejuvenate my body simply by breathing the correct way, finding that runner's high, and I discovered an almost unnatural endurance. Actually, it was the endurance that is normal when the body is operated the way it is supposed to be operated.
I brought my concepts of breathing into my study of the fighting disciplines, and the world opened up. Through my martial arts training I discovered many things, and I codified the basic rules as: breath in when the body contracts, breath out when it expands.
Or, to be succinct: breath out when getting struck, or striking (blocking). Don't worry about breathing in...if you have been training this in your kata practice everything will become apparent.
There are, of course, subtle nuances and deviations to this thing of breathing, but just working on what I have told you here should enable you to discover those things on your own.
And, for your information, those things called martial arts forms are gold. I know a lot of people just want to go on and fight, but those people are, uh, less than informed. Forms allow you to train cycles of breathing into your body movements, and this gives you enormous strength and endurance. It helps the body move as one unit, and you start to have a whole body strength that is virtually unknown to the rest of mankind.
Of course, it takes discipline and attention to detail. It takes awareness, and concentrated awareness, and so it remains apart from the masses, who simply exercise mindlessly and know not why.
Uh, I'll lift this hunk of dead metal and get big muskles, then I'll drink beer and grow a belly. Doh!
Anyway, take what I've told you here and work with it. A little thought and discipline and you will shortly understand why breath control is the Secret of the Martial Arts...and the whole darn universe and everything!
Drop by MonsterMartialArts(dot)com and pick up a free ebook. You're on the edge of a great discovery.
I first realized the importance of breath control when I was running as a youngster. I was in sixth grade, and I loved running, realized it was the basis of most sports, and a superior method of conditioning. So I began to examine the simple act of breathing.
When I started running marathons later on I found that this breathing thing worked wonders. Mile after mile after mile, I would rejuvenate my body simply by breathing the correct way, finding that runner's high, and I discovered an almost unnatural endurance. Actually, it was the endurance that is normal when the body is operated the way it is supposed to be operated.
I brought my concepts of breathing into my study of the fighting disciplines, and the world opened up. Through my martial arts training I discovered many things, and I codified the basic rules as: breath in when the body contracts, breath out when it expands.
Or, to be succinct: breath out when getting struck, or striking (blocking). Don't worry about breathing in...if you have been training this in your kata practice everything will become apparent.
There are, of course, subtle nuances and deviations to this thing of breathing, but just working on what I have told you here should enable you to discover those things on your own.
And, for your information, those things called martial arts forms are gold. I know a lot of people just want to go on and fight, but those people are, uh, less than informed. Forms allow you to train cycles of breathing into your body movements, and this gives you enormous strength and endurance. It helps the body move as one unit, and you start to have a whole body strength that is virtually unknown to the rest of mankind.
Of course, it takes discipline and attention to detail. It takes awareness, and concentrated awareness, and so it remains apart from the masses, who simply exercise mindlessly and know not why.
Uh, I'll lift this hunk of dead metal and get big muskles, then I'll drink beer and grow a belly. Doh!
Anyway, take what I've told you here and work with it. A little thought and discipline and you will shortly understand why breath control is the Secret of the Martial Arts...and the whole darn universe and everything!
Drop by MonsterMartialArts(dot)com and pick up a free ebook. You're on the edge of a great discovery.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)I am looking to join a Tai Chi class, so this article is well timed for me to find. Thank you for sharing what you've learned. :)Thanks Amanda. Tai Chi is one of the best for figuring out breathing patterns, and the results are incredible. You're going to have a ball!
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