Create the shape
Fill the space
Then pick a place
For the tension to escape
The hand falls
As the body funnels
The eye focuses
Then gently turns away
Letting force free
A conduit, not a battery
Facilitating power
Video of practice
The Up and the Down is an awareness of the lengthening and rooting forces of the body. The lifting and lengthening of the spinal cord and the sinking, pooling of the weight into the ground. It is a tension point between actions, It is a drawn bow, It is a balance point of no intention except maintaining the connection between heaven and earth. It is where potential abides. It is when the body is the most sensitive to the space it holds and where energy is flowing. Its vertical nature creates the horizontal potential. Every where you stand is a point of pivot, a resolved space, a waiting space.
As the body sinks, the frame is compressed, the strike is an expression of this compression. The body turns as it sinks, but when releasing the compression, striking, the frame does not turn, does not square up to the target. The eye focuses and then gently turns away, the shoulder, the elbow, the hand and fingers open. The hand lands, it is not thrown. The strike does not push, it releases the rebounding-body out of the hand. It should feel like a vacuum pulling something out of you bc you open, not because you push, or twist. Do not try to add to the strike, get low and let go. Do not seek to feel power. Feeling power means you are trying to create force. You need to allow force. Like opening the doors in a house so the wind can blow through, or opening a damn so the river can flow into the valley.