Breathing Balance Flexibility

Breathing:
The body is just a big internal combustion engine. It runs on fuel (food) and oxygen (air). Each and every cell needs to receive oxygen or it will quickly die. The blood moves the oxygen from your lungs to the cells. When you breathe you're providing air (oxygen) to your lungs. The exhaust (carbon dioxide) comes out the same way the oxygen went in. Breathing correctly is like putting a turbocharger on a car. Your overall efficiency will increase, sometimes dramatically.

You want to use your lungs correctly. Many people breathe in the upper part of their chests. You end up using the intercostal muscles which weren't designed for that. You also won't change out the air in the lower part of your lungs. It's like trying to work with only one lung. The diaphragm at the base of the ribcage is the muscle meant to pump the lungs. By learning to use it properly you will find your breathing easier and more efficient. You also want to use your nose correctly. The nose and sinuses are designed to filter out most of the dust and garbage before it can get to your lungs. Moisture is also added to keep the lungs from drying out. The nose and sinuses contain many small blood vessels that run directly to the brain. They act as a radiator and help keep the brain cool. Passing cool air through your sinuses is actually good for the brain.

A sharp exhale while executing a technique will improve your focus. Called a kiai by the Japanese, you don't have to make noise while doing it. If you fill your lungs with air prior to a fall and exhale on impact it will act like a pneumatic shock absorber. This protects your internal organs and prevents you from getting the wind knocked out of you. Exhaling while straining the muscles will also keep you from forcing blood up into your head. Excess blood pressure to the brain can cause problems and when you release the pressure you may black out. That's why it's important to breathe out on the strength move of any exercise.

Eastern meditative breathing is based on these principles. For some exercises you may be standing, sitting or laying down. For some you may be still or moving but the breathing technique remains pretty much the same. Breathing speed and patterns may also vary.

Your concentration will be on the point about two inches below your navel. This is called the hara in Japanese, the danjun in Korean, and the tan tien in Chinese. This is where your life energy (chi) is centered. The idea is to use your diaphragm and abdominal muscles to breathe as deeply into the abdomen as possible. The Chinese speak of "breathing to your heels". Using the abdominal muscles also moves your other organs aiding in digestion and general circulation. You breathe in through the nose while holding the tongue against the roof of the mouth. This will help open your sinuses and flush them with air. The tongue also acts to complete the circuit of chi between the governor and conception meridians.

The conception meridian runs from the groin to the lower lip along the center of the front of the body and provides yin energy to all the other meridians. The governor meridian runs from the tailbone along the center of the back of the body, up over the top of the head and ends on the top lip. It provides the yang energy to all the other meridians. You should feel the chi circulating along those two meridians. Other exercises help distribute the chi out through the other meridians to all parts of the body. Smooth, even breathing is important whether done quickly or slowly. Some methods will hold the air between the inhale and exhale. Some breathe out through the mouth while others exhale through the nose. Whichever method you use you want to inhale completely and exhale completely. I often begin my breathing exercises by breathing in as deeply, and expanding my chest as far as possible, then breathing out and trying to empty my lungs completely. I'll do this twice just to clean out the lungs and get a fresh start.

Balance:
Static balance is achieved when your center of mass is directly over your base. Your base is usually formed by the area of ground bordered by your feet. If a line dropped straight down from your center of mass hits somewhere in your base, you won't fall over. If your center of mass falls outside your base, you will fall over. Dynamic balance is when you manage to move your base back under your center before you hit the ground. By placing your feet close together you minimize your base and your balance becomes precarious. By spreading them out you maximize your base and your balance becomes stable. Your center of mass is usually right at your hara (danjun, tan tien)– the point about two inches below your navel. By extending or withdrawing your arms or legs you can move your center.

Your balance is most vulnerable along a line perpendicular to the narrowest portion of your base. Your center has to move the shortest distance along that line before leaving your base. If you don't move your base to catch your center, you fall down. Likewise in order to walk you must move your center of balance off your base and then move your base back under it. Stances are determined by these principles. The horse stance is very stable but mobility is lacking. A crane stance is very unstable, your base is the area of your one foot, but extremely mobile. Most stances try to strike a balance between stability and mobility. Most stances also try to move that short-path-to-unbalance line out of line with your opponent.

Grapplers like to go to the mat where they can use their whole body as a base and eliminate the possibility of falling. In one style of escrima the escrimadore will execute one technique and then fall to the floor. It looks a little odd out of context. On the island where this style developed the ground is covered with clay. During their rather extended rainy season it's like trying to walk on grease. As long as they're going to fall down anyway, they might as well get it over with.

Defensively you simply want to keep your center over your base or control your fall. Offensively all sorts of interesting possibilities open up.

When you begin to move someone's center away from their base they will have two reflexive reactions. One is to reposition the feet to move the base. The other is to extend the limbs to move the center. You can make use of these reflexes. There is also the tendency for the body to rotate about the center. If you push the right side back, the left side will advance. Also if you push the top back, the bottom will advance. If you move the center and prevent the base from moving, your opponent will fall. If you move the base out from under the center he'll fall. If you rotate your opponent over, let’s say a hip, the center will fall and the new base will be formed by parts of the body not designed for such duty.

Grab your opponent by the lapels and push until he resists. Suddenly change to a pull and he'll overbalance himself. When he extends a foot to form a new base, wait until just before he begins to put weight on it then sweep it out from under his moving center with your foot. A little twist and pull on the way down and he hits the ground in any position you choose. You've just done a sweep. Push him along the point of least resistance and place your foot so that he can't move his feet to form a new base. Down he goes and you've just done a trip or a drop. When he shifts his weight to one foot you can help that center keep moving past the foot. Twist him so his other foot stays on the opposite side of the center. Pull out and down and you've just done a floating throw. Put in a little rotation and his arms will extend setting him up for an armbar when he hits the mat. Now the trick is to keep the other fellow from doing the same to you.

Remember not to try throws on people untrained in breakfalls (ukemi). Don't let yourself be thrown unless you're skilled in breakfalls. If you are the attacker (uke) in a practice session don't attack any faster than you can take a fall. A full speed attack means a full speed throw from the defender (tori). In competition or practice there is no need to throw someone so they fall unnecessarily hard. Help them control the fall to avoid injury.

Flexibility:
Flexibility is important for several reasons. Increased range of motion allows an increase in the techniques that can be executed. It protects joints from injury. It protects you from muscle pulls. It increases speed by reducing unwanted opposing muscle tension.

There are two forms of stretching. The first is the stretching you should do before, during and after every workout to warm up and cool down. The second is to increase flexibility.

When you stretch to warm up you want to accomplish several things. You want to properly seat and align all your joints. You want the tendons and muscles to be properly aligned. You want the muscles to be relaxed. You want to increase the blood flow to all the muscle fibers. You want to stimulate all the muscle fibers to "wake them up." I start at my toes and work my way up. I try to hit every muscle and joint. Your heart rate and respiration will increase to provide the extra oxygen your muscles will demand. As the muscles work and produce heat you will start to sweat. With all the muscle fibers aligned and working you will find your performance increasing. Some forms of massage are also helpful in aligning the muscles. You will find your greatest results from exercise by beginning with warmed up muscles.

Stretching to cool down helps the muscles eliminate fatigue poisons like lactic acid. This will keep you from getting stiff and sore after a workout. You must also maintain an increased blood flow to the muscles until they have a chance to recover from the activity. If you don't, you are essentially depriving the cells of much needed oxygen. By making sure all the joints, tendons and muscles are back in alignment you will prevent injuring a joint or muscle that is fatigued and can't protect itself. Stretching periodically while exercising is also a good idea.

When you are stretching to increase flexibility you are basically bodybuilding lengthwise. Most of the same principles you would use to increase muscle size apply. While stretching, the stress must be on the muscles. If you feel it in the joints, stop. You don't want to hyperextend a joint. It's the muscle you want to be working. You should feel discomfort but not pain. The "burn" felt by body builders is what you're looking for. If you feel pain, stop. You want to stress the muscles but not damage them. Work slowly. don't bounce or stretch quickly. It's easy to tear a muscle and that'll set you back a week or more while it heals. You'll get your biggest gains in flexibility when your muscles are warmed up.

One technique that I found effective is a three step stretch. Stretch the muscle group till you just begin to feel uncomfortable and hold for thirty seconds. Without moving, tighten the muscle group you're working and hold for thirty seconds. Now release the stretch slightly and relax the muscles for thirty seconds. Repeat the exercise until the muscle is at it's limit (again, no pain). You'll find you're able to reach your maximum extension with this method and increase your flexibility very quickly.