REELING
SILK ENERGY:Isn't that a cool term? Sounds a little mysterious.
If you are a Kung Fu student you really should know about RSE (Reeling
Silk Energy) because without it, there's no Kung Fu.
You can't start too
soon developing this vital (that's vital, you read right) part of
the Kung Fu picture. We know. You don't always see it in practitioners
nowadays because the level of the art has dropped somewhat (in certain
ways though popularity is increasing). But it's got to be there
nonetheless. So what is it and how do I practice it?
TECHNICALLY:The
explanation is pretty simple. Circle you arm around. Good, that's
rotation. Now stick out your arm and rotate it on the axis. That's
rotation. Now circle AND rotate your arm simultaneously. Great,
you've graduated from RSE 101.
RSE should be in every
move in Kung Fu. Even the basic punch is a good example because
it introduces RSE so early. Contrary to what many teachers say the
rotational component of the basic punch (you know, the palm up to
palm down rotation when you throw the punch) does NOT add much power
to the strike (about 3%). But it DOES train the arm to rotate as
it extends and reverse rotation for the return trip. Very important
stuff.
There are literally
hundreds of ways to play with RSE. Here's a "simple" (see
those lying quotation marks?) one you can do in your spare time.
Stick out your index finger like you are inserting it in the knothole
of a fence. Now rotate you wrist around this fixed point, now engage
the elbow to do the same, now add the shoulder (by now you'll have
to be moving your waist like a belly dancer to create a true circle).
All this without moving the finger from the imaginary spot.
Whoa, ten minutes of
this and you'll want to be back at the heavy bag making those satisfying
THUMPS. But, really, this is probably a lot more important. Let
me put it into more delicate terms. If you don't have RSE you don't
have Kung Fu. And if you look at, really look at, your basic forms
and exercises you might be surprised how much RSE there is. In LongFist
moves it's often spread out through the entire motion. In Yang Style
T'ai Chi it's very quiet. In BaGua and Xing Yi it is usually extreme.
But it's there, like last night's perfume.
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