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As I understand when you are “striking” you “Shoot the Arrow” and when you are “pulling” you “Bend the Bow”. When you “Shoot the Arrow” your joints are extending and also your body mass center is rising. When you “Bend the Bow” your joints are contracting and also your body mass center is sinking.
What about the alternative variation of “dropping the weight” when striking and “raising the weight” when pulling? In this variation when striking the back is/could “bowing” and when pulling the back is/could “unbowing”. IMHO, both variations are possible
What is your opinion about this two “methods” of strinking and pulling?
As I understand the Bend the Bow is often paired with other Kai-He (opening/closing), but doesn’t need to be (can shoot as close-absorb, or reverse)…
and Mass center-dropping doesn’t have a relation.. most of the internal-systems emphasize steady height- taichi/Bagua espec (even HsingI.. although each has specific uses).. there are “modern-reconstructionist” writers about Int’l-arts that interpret all they can as alignment of skeleton, and weight dropping or rising, which is good engineering-structure, but external (and the martial arts, use all the principles they can..
thus the int’l arts have Chi and use of Jing-vibrations, in addition to the external-physical dynamics…
while the external-arts have the “ext’l-phy dyns” without the direct use of Chi/Jing-vibs (which have to be developed, as well as transformation of the body to convey them)And depending upon whether the “bows” are the 5 separated bow, or on the single unified bow- which connects up the whole form… the trick being the intention is loading (like pulling back the arrow in a bow), to release is just let-go, while aimed (like let-go the arrow/string to shoot)… most systems seem to emphasize the reverse, thus the “shoot” is actually an exertion-push of force… (vs the TaiChiClassics “relaxed completely”
-just earlier today i read something that had three quotes… might as well list them here..
[ I hope this isn’t off of the details you were seeking to investigate, I hope it adds to your investigation and thoughts… ]_____
In practicing T’ai Chi Ch’uan the whole body relaxes. Don’t let even one ounce of tension linger in the blood vessels, bones, and ligaments to cramp yourself up. – Yang ChengfuYou must be completely relaxed, only then can you respond spontaneously and unknowably to every condition. You must be as relaxed as a bag of bones, only this can properly be called relaxation. Never forget that you’ll never be able to issue energy as long as you cling to any residual tension whatsoever. – Li Yaxuan
Tai Chi Chuan as an art of self-defense must completely spurn muscular force. – Zheng Manqing
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I hope that adds, the key is: what has your practice discovered? (oft, in the past, I was taken by thoughts of what could be in practice, yet upon reflection these tactics I read about didn’t really relate to what I was able to actually do myself.. but that was me).. if what you write about works for you- just watch the glass ceiling affect of the “hidden tensions” that don’t access development of steel-power.. (however long that takes)
If your are “extending” the lower joints (ankle, knee and hip) there should be a rising in your body mass center! [Shoot the Arrow] OK, could be only an extension of the “joints” without any significant limbs movement. However also in this situation the body mass center tends to “rise” (but without significant physical rising).
Otherwise there is the “contraction” of the joints where the body mass center tends to “sink”. [Bend the Bow]
Surely should be in both variations used the principle of “sinking the bodyweight” (relaxation) and also an almost “steady height”.However is the joints “extension” or “contraction”, especialy of that in the spine, related to the “pushing” or “pulling”?
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