The spine and chest movements in White Crane Gongfu Training

Training
It is believed that long-distance flying birds, like migratory birds such as the White Crane or sea fowl, can fly long distances is because when they fly, they move their chest in coordination with their wings. Because of this, they use their body to execute the majority of their flying. This is different from local birds, such as the sparrow, who use their wings alone to carry their body and therefore cannot fly long distances. Naturally, when long range flying birds are fighting, they generate power from the center of their body and from their chest.

However, let us analyze Jin generation from the martial point of view. Theoretically, as long as there is a joint which allows you to bend and then straighten, then it is considered a bow. These bows are constructed from the muscles and tendons in the joints. Through contraction and extension, the bow is able to generate power. In our body, there are two large bows which are constructed from the two biggest muscle and tendon groups. These two bows are the torso and the chest. If you look at the body’s structure, you will realize that through the contraction of the torso and chest muscles, you are able to pull, push, lift or do heavy work. Once you have injured these two bows, your power will be significantly reduced. Again, if you look at Olympic athletes who throw the javelin or discus, in order to generate great throwing power, the torso and chest must be skillfully applied to the movements.

In order to generate strong Jin for fighting, these two bows are emphasized in all Chinese martial styles. This is the same in Southern White Crane. Southern White Crane specializes in the training of the torso and the chest. We can see this from the White Crane Qigong training, in which the spine and the chest movements are the main focus. Through White Crane Qigong training, a practitioner will learn how to rebuild his spine and chest from weakness to a stronger level. This includes the muscles, tendons, and also the ligaments. Only after a practitioner has mastered the Qigong movements and coordinated it with his breathing, Yi, and Qi, can the Jin be manifested with the coordination of other, smaller bows such as the shoulders, elbows, and wrists to manifest the Jin to its maximum potential. Click to learn how Chinese medicine treats Stomachache.

You should understand that in order to have strong Jin, you must have a strong physical body (Yang) and an abundant level of Qi (Yin). The physical body is like a machine and the Qi is like electricity. If either one is missing, the power will not be strong. Therefore, in White Crane you are training to generate power from the waist’s jerking or shaking, and from this shaking, through the spine and chest, the power trembles outward and becomes the Jin.

Often, a White Crane beginner or a practitioner from another style only knows how to tense the muscles and tendons of the spine and chest without knowing how to relax them. It is common in this situation that the spine ligaments, the joints, or the muscles are damaged. This is commonly seen in Karate styles in which the tension of the torso is heavily emphasized.