The spine of the human back has a close relationship with boxing and has a key impact on the effect of boxing. The predecessors emphasized: "The whole body movement of Taijiquan is from the spine"; The practice of boxing should be "dominated by the waist, and the waist and spine move without moving"; There is even a saying of "punching with the spine". It can be seen that the spine is the key and important in boxing.
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Mr. Wang Yongquan attaches great importance to the function of the spine, and sets "the body should be loose and straight, upright and comfortable" as the first meaning of Wang Mai's boxing, in which "straight and vertical" is the requirement for the spine.
Mr. Li Hesheng, the teacher, particularly emphasized that the practice of boxing and touching the hands should maintain the "virtual collar", "life door back (support)", "loose hips and buttocks" and other body shape requirements, the principle of these requirements and the "vertical vertical" principle is actually in the same line.
For various reasons, some of the same sect do not know much about the principle of vertical spine, or the understanding is a little scattered, resulting in the practice of boxing to the teacher emphasized the body requirements of one or the other, or the understanding of it is not clear, so, although very hard to practice boxing, the grinding position is not at the edge of the knife, the effect is not high, and the result is half the effort. As Mr. Wang Yongquan said: "After practicing for many years, there is no 'thing' on my body, because the method of practice is wrong, and the key is that I have not practiced according to the requirements of looseness, uprightness, and comfort." ”
Here is a brief summary of some of the information I have consulted and collected, hoping to help these fellows.
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The spine supports the skull at the top, the hip bone at the bottom, the ribs are attached to the middle, the chest and abdomen are protected by it, and the shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees are controlled by it, which is the structural center of the body and the center of movement. See the image below:
The human spine is composed of 33 vertebrae (7 cervical vertebrae, 12 thoracic vertebrae, 5 lumbar vertebrae, and 9 sacrococcygeal bones, which are connected by ligaments, joints and intervertebral discs).
Viewed from the side, an adult's spine is in an "S" shape from top to bottom. Newborn babies do not have this condition, this curved shape is gradually formed by the human body due to the long-term weight bearing in the process of growth, and the human body is passively made. The shape of the curvature of the spine can be described as "four curves", namely: cervical lordosis, thoracic kyphosis, lumbar lordosis, and sacral kyphosis. See the image below:
Although the curvature of the spine is the normal state of everyone's physiology, it is not a good thing for the health of the body, such a bending is easy to cause uneven vertebral joint space, uneven force, and degeneration with the body mechanism is easy to cause diseases, and even become the root cause of many shoulder, neck, waist and leg diseases.
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Taijiquan has the law of "the law of the day after tomorrow, and the innate form of qi". Consciously through some exercises such as Tai Chi's "Void Spirit Strength, Chest and Back Pulling, Loose Crotch and Buttocks" and other exercises, pull out the spine, reduce or disappear its curvature, and return to the innate natural state, which is very conducive to health and fitness. As shown below:
When I recall my teacher's lecture at that time, it can be said that it was the process of straightening the spine. (At that time, it was taught in the position of a poleless pile), and the content of the teacher's lecture on adjusting the spine was roughly as follows:
1. The large vertebral point is backward, which means hanging on the back, just like hanging clothes on a slightly high hanger hook. After stabilizing the large vertebrae, loosen the spine along the large vertebra to the next section, and there should be a sense of sagging between the bone nodes, as if you want to pull out the 12 thoracic vertebrae and straighten the bone sutures. It can be said that this is the process of adjusting the "chest curvature".
2. Continue to loosen the bone joints at the same time, the door of life has the meaning of sticking (supporting) back, the reason why I use the word "paste" is because the teacher at that time stroked the position of my life door with his hand, and told me to let the door of life stick his old man's hand until there is really a sense of closeness. This process can be said to be the process of adjusting the "waist curvature".
3. In the process of loosening the lumbar spine by sticking to the door, the sacrum is naturally inserted and turned up and over before, and this process is also the process of straightening the thoracolumbar spine again. This process can be said to be the process of adjusting the "sacral curvature".
4. After that, the chin is slightly looking for the larynx, and at the same time, the larynx has the meaning of sticking back slightly, if you can feel the jaw along the inside of the ear up until the intersection of the Parkway, there is a numb and crispy hot upwell. This process can be said to be the process of adjusting the "neck curvature".
In this process, it is necessary not only to straighten and adjust the spine, but also to have the feeling of pulling the joints up and down.
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In the Wang Pulse Method, the role and significance of straightening the spine in health preservation and Tai Chi techniques are very important.
Mr. Wang Yongquan divides Tai Chi movements into body shapes and gestures. Those who move their waist, hips, and knees are body shapes, and those who move their shoulders, elbows, wrists, and hands are gestures. The body shape is down, the gesture is up, and the lumbar spine connects the top and bottom.
The upright lumbar spine can penetrate up and down, and the force on the upper part is quickly transmitted down and resolved; The power of the lower (Jinyuan) can penetrate the upper part to the greatest extent without being intercepted. As it is said in the boxing theory: "Accumulation of strength is like pulling a bow, and strength is like releasing an arrow."
The curvature of the spine is the most critical to the waist curvature, which is the place where the door of life is located, which should be the reason why the teacher often reminds him to "stick to the waist" and "stick (support) the door of life" in his personal lectures.
Understanding the gist of the vertical ridge should also be helpful for understanding the "fishing rod theory" of the teacher and the "three-level theory" of Mr. Wang Yongquan.