Ground force without tension

/ Tai Chi Notebook

Mike Sigman posted a video on how to use the power of the ground in your movements recently and it’s one of the best explanations I’ve seen. I’ve shared it below. It’s a simple concept to understand (but hard to do under pressure) so I think this can be applied to any martial art.

I like videos like this because they take a lot of the mystery out of Asian martial arts. Quite often you’d need to be training in a system for a number of years before you were taught these concepts, mainly due to a traditional culture of secrecy. In contrast, Mike’s approach is to start with these concepts right at the beginning of your training, so you don’t go off on the wrong track. Take a look:

4 thoughts on “Ground force without tension”

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  4. Mike Sigman always presents his ideas and exercises in clear, down-to-earth terms. He really seems to want viewers to “get it.” And he never seems to stop working on his own skills and understanding. I admire that.

    Mike’s Vimeo channel is full of nuggets of practical explication and demonstration. This video clip is one of the best on his channel. The demonstration may seem mundane to experienced CMA or taiji practitioners, but it’s actually a very clear look at an attribute that is fundamental but too frequently forgotten in the chase after solo forms or reflexive resorting to muscular strength in grappling. I agree with Mike’s philosophy of showing and drilling these basic principles and attributes incessantly right from the very beginning, well before worrying about solo sequences or partner work. This was a hard-won lesson for me over the years as I focused on physical rehabilitation and discovered the gold in CMA jibengong.

    Mike is generous with what he puts on his channel. I don’t think he relies on this work to earn a living. Other self-proclaimed teachers of “internals” would do well to consider what Mike does and how he does it.

    Thanks for posting this, Graham.

    Like

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