From a very general standpoint, all martial arts deal with the concept of forces and how to use them. Thinking about this subject in a very simplistic manner, one will easily come to the conclusion that a principle theme of nearly every martial art is to optimize and maximize the force that one can generate. This is usually done by describing physical enhancements to increase the amount of power generated for any particular maneuver. Another way to look at this methodology is that its general purpose is to coordinate and unify Complimentary Forces.
Simply put, Complimentary Forces are forces that work in tandem with one another to help increase overall output. This general concept is often referred to by a variety of different names, such as: Harmony (e.g. Complete Harmony, Harmonized Movement, Harmonized Power), Correlation (e.g. Correlation of Forces), Confluence (e.g. Confluence of Forces), Alignment (e.g. Angle Alignment), etc. As implied, there are a large number of ways to refer to this ubiquitous concept.
The one thing that this method of force generation has in common between each of the concepts is that all the forces are moving in the same relative direction at the same time for the same goal. Since this is such a well understood concept, the main focus of this discussion will not revolve around rehashing this method; instead, it will revolve around enunciating the less talked about aspects to the idea of maximizing forces.
To start with, one important aspect that should be mentioned about Complimentary Forces is that one's weight (and alignment) is not mandated to being behind the force, although it usually is. Instead, it is equally effective to place the force in front of the weapon. Three (3) examples of this alternative usage of Complimentary Forces are: Striking Serpent's Head (in Short Form Three) (single - horizontal), Blinding Sacrifice (in Long Form Three) (double - horizontal), and Intercepting the Ram (in the self-defense curriculum) (with foot - vertical). The one primary difference between mass in front of the target is the alignment. In the cases listed, one can easily visualize that the striking extremities are aligned to place the striking surface between the target and the back-up mass.
Now, looked at from an objective and general standpoint, the main reason why one wishes to maximize output is to generate more power. In this specific context, more power equals better results. More damage, better effect, etc. But only concentrating on the output of power is like looking at a fight from a single perspective - yours. As any proficient American Kenpoist knows, there are three (3) perspectives: First Person (self), Second Person (opponent), Third Person (observer). This is similarly true for this concept. By only concentrating on personal power maximization, the rest of one's environmental influences are easily overlooked.
For instance, consider what is happening with the opponent. Are they stationary (neutral), are they moving away (opening the gap), or are they moving toward you (closing the gap)? This consideration is important because each case alters the total output of power a colliding maneuver will deliver upon contact, if everything else remains the same. If the target is moving away, this equals less power; if the target is stationary, this equals only the power generated by yourself; if the target is moving toward the weapon, this equals the force of both the target and the weapon's movement. In other words, the most power of the three (3) scenarios (again, if all other elements remain the same).
To quickly summarize the inter-personal options of this situation: |
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1) |
You are the only moving element. Everything else is stationary. (this is commonly referred to as weapon to target) |
2) |
The opponent is moving toward you (your weapon) and you are stationary. (this is commonly referred to as target to weapon) |
3) |
Both you and the opponent are moving. Making the assumption you are moving toward the opponent, this leaves the opponent either moving toward you or away from you. |
Another way to think about the third scenario presented above is that there are Opposing Forces. The force of the weapon and the force of the target are combined for total power. And from an output perspective, this is a good thing. As Kenpoists, we commonly refer to this situation as Borrowed Force. From this scenario we are able to borrow the moving force of the target and enhance it with the moving force of the weapon. So, simply from a total power point of view, considering other environmental elements is essential.
One should keep in mind that we can always switch back to the first person perspective and derive the Opposing Forces using just our own body. Just like Complimentary Forces being generated by us, we can also generate Opposing Forces by us. In order to accomplish this same outcome; all we need to do is have different parts of our body move in non-complimentary ways. Doing this will allow us to use power generation from differing parts of our body (e.g. hand-foot, arm-leg, hand-hand, knee-elbow, etc.) working in tandem in opposing directionality; instead of complimentary. Then, place the opponent somewhere in relation to the oppositional components in order to take advantage of this strategy.
If the reader is paying attention, they will notice that the previous statement did not say between the Opposing Forces. Why? Although this is the most common scenario, this specific description makes the assumption that the point of the Opposing Forces is to always be used for the enhancement of a collision. And this is not always true. Opposing Forces can also be used for other purposes.
For instance, Opposing Forces can easily be used for counter-balancing. In this scenario, the Opposing Forces are the mass of the weapons being moved to keep or enhance the movement of the body that is not being moved to help generate the forces. One way to envision this situation is to imagine the upper part of the body (arms) being moved backward as the lower part of the body (leg) is being moved forward, and is the primary contact surface. Partially, the motion of the upper body is done in order to allow the practitioner to keep balance upon completion of the lower body maneuver.
A good example of the above described move is the self-defense technique Hopping Crane (in Form Five). Upon examination, one can determine that the upper parts of the body are being used to control and counteract the forward momentum of not only the body but the forward momentum of the sweeping foot in such a way that the foot can effectively be controlled and reversed to deliver the follow-up strike (the stomp kick) - without having to plant the foot forward. Instead, the practitioner can remain balanced on one foot until the strike in the (relative) reverse direction can be delivered. Put another way, the upper body momentum helps counteract the lower body momentum - but not diminish from it.
It is important to call out that the contact point (i.e. the opponent's arm) of this maneuver sequence is technically not between the Opposing Forces; rather it is on only one of the forces (the forward moving force). Something also noteworthy is that the Opposing Forces are used, in this case, to allow the sweeping power of the leg to be increased (rather than being highly regulated) without fear of losing one's balance. This is done by coordinating the upper body movements with the lower body movements in such a way as to nullify the forces - but only on the practitioner, not the opponent. This is critical to understand because the Opposing Force is being used to increase output of the alternate force indirectly - as opposed to directly. By nullifying the effect on the body, the practitioner is free to increase the power and still maintain control. This is in contrast to placing the target between the Opposing Forces to use those forces directly to enhance the output and/or result.
Although the previous Opposing Forces maneuver is used effectively in the situation of Hopping Crane, this same maneuver can also be used in other situations; but used improperly, instead of enhancing the maneuver, it may actually diminish from the overall power of the maneuver. Commonly, this same physical upper / lower body opposing maneuver can be seen when executing a kick from the rear foot. This is done in this manner so that the practitioner can execute the kick and return back to the same stance without the need to step-thru forward.
At first glance, this practice may seem to be effective. But upon closer inspection it becomes apparent that the retraction of the arms at the same time as the extension of the foot draws the mass of the body away from the focal point of the kick. And although it does allow for balance similar to Hopping Crane, it also diminishes the total power of the kick by highly reducing the back-up mass behind the kick; and as such, greatly reduces the power of the kick. One may argue that the retraction of the arms allows for a faster kick and thus makes up for the loss of mass, but this is a falsehood. Nothing prevents the practitioner from executing the kick at the same speed with or without the retraction of the arms.
This situation is brought up because it is a prime case for demonstrating that without understanding and applying the underlying components of a maneuver properly one can be deceived into believing something that isn't necessarily true upon closer examination. Put another way, always understand what you are doing and what makes it work. Don't just assume that because someone else does it it must be correct and/or the best way to do something. In this example, not only is the underlying rationalized physics incorrect, the positioning of the arms also reduces the ability of defense from something unexpected by the dropping (and retraction) of the arms.
To now return this examination back to a broader perspective, what do all of the described variations of force manipulation, both complimentary and opposing, have in common?
The most prominent element is timing. Without proper timing none of these methods will work effectively. The reader can easily see that in any of the examples cited or perceived, improper timing will render each ineffective. Another, and more micro way of thinking about timing is coordination. In this context, coordination is the synchronization of the segments of the body in such a manner as to help and not hinder the execution of the maneuver. For instance, overall tenseness, being out of synch, or use or non-use of Body English can dramatically alter the total power output. The reader is highly encouraged to research these elements further.
The next most important element is alignment. In order to enhance effectiveness, proper alignment must be achieved. Simply put, if the forces are not aligned properly as a specific maneuver mandates; the forces cannot be used properly to effect the result desired. And, not only can misalignment mean loss of total power, it can also sometimes lead to self-injury. Misaligned elements of the body can create muscle, ligament, and/or skeletal stresses that would otherwise be avoided. One should always keep in mind that their body is not impervious to injury. And, when one learns to enhance power output, that increase in power simultaneously leads to potential greater stresses on the body.
This last point, of stresses on the body and alignment, allows for an easy segue into another element that must be considered when talking about Complimentary and Opposing Forces. And, although we did mention it previously, we left out some components of the environment. In the previous examples we only mentioned the characters of the environment, not the other natural and man-made environmental elements. Things such as walls, floors, doors, furniture, etc.
But, how does this tie back to stresses on the body and alignment? To understand this let's look at a specific and easy to visualize example; stomping (a.k.a. a vise-like maneuver). We wish to compress something (typically) between our foot and the ground (In all reality, this could be any environmental object, but we will stick to the ground for simplicity). And, to borrow from previous examples we want to be as effective as possible by generating the maximum amount of power. So, we properly align our body directly over the target, drop our weight and extend our leg quickly - everything timed perfectly to maximize the effect. But, is this really what we want to do? Did we forget something?
Yes, we forgot Newton's Third Law of Motion which states: whenever one object exerts a force on another object, the second object exerts an equal and opposite on the first. Another way to think about this law is that the ground pushes back. Consider a scenario where you are on concrete, bare-footed, and you miss the target. And, maybe you are making contact with the ground which is at an off angle. What do you think will happen to your foot and leg?
As a side note: one can think about this law of motion in the context of Opposing Forces. You are pushing the ground and the ground is pushing you back. Therefore, one can consider all vise-like maneuvers as a form of Opposing Forces. In this specific case, passive but opposing. |
This brings in our last common element to consider, regulation (and/or alteration of weapon). Maximizing power is a good thing - but maximizing power is not every thing. When generating power, one needs to consider hardness of target against harness of weapon in relation to the impact force. And to bring in the example above about balance, one needs to consider the effect the power generation has on your body holistically - not only from the aspect of self-injury, but from other varying aspects, such as balance, transfer of energies, etc. And, this is where regulation (and to a degree altering the weapon) plays a large role. Knowing where to hit, how to hit, what to hit with, and how much to hit are all important considerations of power generation - whether complimentary or opposing.
In summary, although the most common way we generate forces in our body is through the lens of the complimentary elements; the opposite is also extremely important to analyze and understand. Opposing Forces opens up new and interesting characteristics of power generation that the practitioner can utilize. Also, understanding how to fold the environment (that is everything in, on, or around you) effectively into fray amplifies one's ability to further hone their martial arts skills through knowledge and comprehension.