This is really one of the things bugging me right now in my training: How to use the mechanics of my body; when and how to move swiftly and when and how to use tension; how to channel the force of my whole body and not just my arm or my leg; etc. This video was very helpful, as always, I hope you keep releasing more content about this subject. I wish you the best!
@@AminWT take a stick and beat a tire as hard as you can, I think that could help you. Then take the same motions and apply it into a punch or some other kind of strike. I think psychologically our body holds us back when using a portion of ourselves to strike, which muddies the mechanics. But the stick isn’t your hand, so it won’t engage self preservation and muddy the mechanics.
YES!!! MY sensei, when I was learning Nipaipo, usually said to me... "You need to relax more..." And that gave me infact more tension and stress 😅. Thank you Jesse and Lucio for the tip... But i have one question... This exercises to learn how to release and contract, could be one way to do it with a Kata? Like Sanchin?
Relaxation comes from the mind being at peace, Just Being, believing and trusting in self, knowing self, accepting self. Being natural and allowing the body to freely express itself with happyness and creativity no matter what is felt (freedom). Being yourself, just like breathing blinking and walking, Natural. Relaxation is not an action that can be perfomed and used in martial arts it is a state of being. A state of peace, acceptance of self and belief in self. Martial arts biggest downfall is a overly cerebral, mechanical view of looking at the body and using the body. always trying to alter fix or mold the body into a weapon or a certain image. we have lived with our bodys our whole lives we already know how to use it. if someone throws a ball at you do you sit there as the ball flys at you asking yourself what technique you will use to catch the ball, or do u catch the ball however possible, knowing yourself? why can animals defend themselves? who taught the animal? a black belt, a grandmaster? no. they know themselves. that is the key to martial arts. Be yourself be happy.
Hi Jesse. I dont understand how to inclouding this realising moment (breathing-tension-exercise) in my movements. Could u show a example for a simple kihon exercise?
Dear Sensei Jesse, I am Shorin Ryu 7 dan and Yoga Master. The breath is the exact point of union between karate and yoga. A big greeting and gratitude from Argentina.
As a judo coach, "relax" is something I tell to new students, but here's my follow-up explanation behind it... when we tense our muscles, it does make us 'feel' strong in and control, but it's actually the total opposite. Tensing your muscles means you restrict your movement, and it becomes harder to move. Also, tensing muscles consistently will not only make you more tired than normal, but also, it can make you feel sore later. The solution I try to offer, is to try and stop focusing on flexing and tensing muscles so much, which is what a lot of beginners in judo tend to do. Instead, think of your limbs almost like noodles, they just... hang there, holding onto the gi of your uke (partner / opponent). It's your skeleton that moves, not your muscles. According to stories, it was said that doing randori (sparring/fighting) with the founder of judo, Professor Kano Jigoro, was like "fighting an empty jacket", because he was not only as small and light weight guy, but relaxed, and only used muscle and strength when he really needed it, e.g. to finish off a throwing technique, for example.
I think being less tense is super important in judo specifically. If you’re tense u can’t create the elastic energy needed to throw. On the ground in newaza some ppl just need to straight up calm down so ill tell them “dude relax”
would you say there's a possible middle ground? like tense but not rigid? I felt better lightly tense for defence yet not flexing muscles or locking joints...
@@emmanuelbeaucage4461 I would try to avoid being tense. Just relax, ease up. When you tense your muscles, you actually move slower, and exert more energy. Having relaxed muscles allows you to move faster, and use less energy. There is of course a time and place to be tense and/or rigid, but in my opinion, it should only be in certain circumstances. For example, in judo there is Sankaku-Jime, otherwise known as "The Triangle Choke", as popularised by Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and mixed martial arts (MMA). Which ever leg you use over the back of your opponent's neck, I would recommend pulling your toe up to point up at your knee. This will flex the muscle of your calf, which will make your Sankaku-Jime (or Triangle Choke) firmer and stronger.
Ooh this is really eye opening. Learning that relaxation (as the term is used commonly) is a myth really makes everything fit into place. When you do any action, you're directing and moving energy and matter. If you relax, you just let that energy leave out of you. But if you release it, you can direct it from some places for example in a punch, you can release your energy through the fist. At least that is what i think is the practical application. What do you think jesse?
Follows the laws of physics and motion more accurately as well, it never truly leaves it only changes form. This may be why some is released on a strike. Go in the corner hut the bag let go of tension. You change it's form. Thats starting to sound dangerously close to Qui . Ki ... that combined with breath. And I dont want to go into inappropriate territory but a few other things that build in repetition and momentum to a final release also greatly reduce tension. If you think about it, its a much more rewarding experience if your entire body is involved.
My instructor taught relaxation/tension by using a simple bath towel. When you coil the towel it is still soft and pliant but when you whip the coiled towel, the striking end becomes rigid and imparts its power at it's fullest extension. He used other analogies but the towel method was very relatable and was easily understood by white belt students.
Generally the way I explain it is, learn to feel your weight. You can shift side to side, until you can identify it. When you move the weight of part of the body rather than the body to move the weight, you’re more relaxed. I also explain motions as pulling a wagon. Every motion as a pull. This helps coordinate motion while releasing the tension of the opposing direction. If you push, you lock part of the body to use as a base while flexing other parts of the body. When you pull, you engage everything into one direction. Then putting it together into coordinated power, compare it to swinging a bat. Essentially it’s all to get the right coordination to reduce unnecessary flexion.
What helps me tremendously is Sanchin, and Tensho breathing exercises before and after training, and on a daily bases. I normally can tell when my body is at a tense state, that’s when I do the breathing exercises.
Train "Qigong". After having trained a few months, my body started feeling air-filled and like a bunch floating separate bones, muscles, and tendons, that can be independently activated and deactivated as needed. You can actually relaxe standing almost to the degree of sleeping - There is a balance point where you can't fall, where your bones hang in your relaxed muscles, fascia and tendons and together form a spring, that can be used in martial arts.
, qigong is used by several Chinese martial arts. In wingchun, it has brought me a bit closer to the ideal to either be like bamboo or/and be like water (soft body). The bamboo body will take the incoming force down to the ground and return it to the opponent. A soft body can not easily be manipulated. A non-soft body (muscles tensed) can pushed, pulled, turned, tipped over like a wooden chair.. A soft body can also more easily make use of reaction force (Newtons third law) for punches etc
Relaxation is the key part of Wadoryū. As he explained in this video relaxation is exactly called as "Release". "Nukeru" 抜ける is the term we call it in Wadoryū. Means, to come out; to fall out; to be omitted; to be missing; to escape; to come loose, to fade. Thanks for this video Mr.Jesse.. Peace and harmony, Sensei Maharaj 😊
I played the cello for a while, and I feel like a similar situation happens in classical music too (and probably most other arts and crafts in the world, so martial arts fits here too). Whenever classical musicians tell you to be more “emotional” and put more “feeling” into your music, that advice often makes you sound forced and unnatural; you can’t just feel sad or angry or excited on command. And even if you’re feeling whatever emotional state applies for that situation, feeling too emotional can shake your concentration and make your bow control unstable (and on a sensitive string instrument, unstable sound registers really quickly). It’s far better advice to address the technicalities behind what sound you want at a specific point (like how you’re addressing the science of breathing) - to explain how to vary the strength and bow speed across a note, how to raise and lower pitch if you’re playing in an ensemble, how to change up your vibrato, things like that. You want a subtle qualitative look, but it has to be built upon tiny quantifications. In general, that’s the struggle of good artistry, I think. The artist has to build their work upon little, over-analyzed “techniques”, but the artist wants the viewer to see a work that appears soulful and natural.
I think part of that problem is a lot of people can practice an artform without understanding the science behind it. they've inutuitively picked up on a nuance that other people don't 'just get'. sometimes breaking down an artistic process is difficult because the teacher feels that what they are explaning makes perfect sense as that's how they feel while doing it.
In taekwondo ITF forms (tul), one of the reason the ‘sine wave method’ was invented was to train this release/selective tension, and it works greatly for this
It really depends on how your language understands "relax". Relax can also mean release the tension. If I tell a student to relax the shoulder muscles because they are inhibiting the motion, it means the exact same thing as "release residual stiffness." Understanding your audience and how they hear what you are saying is much more important than the difference between release and relax.
Muay thai is a relaxed style of fighting but among the muay thai style of fighting,the femur is the best example of being in a relaxed state of mind in a fight,the fighters of this style is almost like not taking the fight seriously but on the contrary they're the most technical ones of all styles,tho it doesn't mean it can win all fight but it surely is the most playful and light atmosphere of a fight to watch.
The exercise you two demonstrated resembles the Sanshin kata, with “selective tension” and breathing control. As sempai assisting my sensei in teaching lower kyu new kumite combos, I advise karateka to relax and slow down to make things flow. While sparring, I find I’m lighter-footed and less winded if I maintain mushin (“empty” mind) and stay loose, knowing my “springs” in arms and legs are ready.
For me relaxing in martial arts is relaxing the opposite muscles of the movement you're performing like in a punch I will relax my lats and middle traps and contract the chest and triceps. A mistake I personally used to make is that when I tried to be rigid in a movement I would also contract the opposite muscles which also caused injuries a few times, while relaxing there should also be control in the movement and we should just not flop into the motion, it's better to visualise an arc or a line connecting the point of impact to the target and trying to bridge the distance as fast as possible instead of just flopping into it or tensing the opposite muscles along with the muscles being used.
Relaxation or in my words calmness which I teach to my students. I tell my students to be calm as well as relax. According to me relaxation doesn't mean that you release your body like free weight so that it falls on the ground and also it doesn't mean that you make your body soft so that you look like you are sleepy. This is what I told my students. Just relax be calm and focus on your breathing don't make your body stiff like a stone instead make yourself like a clothe. A clothe can be soft and calm and flow with the wind but it can also be hard and damaging with some water and speed. So just relax and focus on every movement of your body not with your sight but with your mind. I hope I teach my students right thing by saying this. What do think jesse san. And love your videos ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Again, great video and introduction to the topic! Following up from a keyboard: When I was younger, I spent years being told to relax. It wasn't until 2002 or so that I met someone who actually showed me how to let go. It wasn't until 2011 that I met someone who REALLY showed me how to start letting go of excess tension. It's a lifelong process that always has another level or degree or whatever that can be discovered. Breathing is one of the more simple ways to let go of tension. There are tons of patterns that work. We just need to understand that a free diver breath preparation pattern is different than stress reduction is different than sports performance. For the purposes of this video, as I understand it, the breathing pattern is great. A good general one is have the exhale be twice as long as the inhale. 7-7-7 is another good one. Inhale 7 seconds, Hold 7 seconds (I find a tiny exhale helps me). Exhale 7 seconds. There are a bunch of others. The homework is to find ones that work best for us. A fun one is to count breaths per minute. And through rhythm work, see how we can alter it. The links shown are good. One doesn't have to go full Wim, but things like cold showers and cold water dousing are useful when combined with breathing. The cold water creates a natural reflex to tense up. One uses breathing to help release that tension. By making it a regular practice, one learns to immediately start breathing and preventing automatic tension. Several years ago, my wife and I started making jumping into water on New Year's Day a regular event-Don't be stupid about it, by the way. Know your limitations and know when to quit. Over time, the body and mind adapts. Tension to release, timed with an exhale is one of the simpler ways to let muscles expand to their natural length. I have used visualizations such as imagining my muscles turning to water and flowing away or turning to smoke and drifting off to add to the breathing. I spend a lot of my day walking or standing on concrete at my money job. My hips, back and thighs usually start tensing up as the day goes on. I make a practice to open up these areas every few hours at work which reduces my daily pain considerably. Trying to force relaxation is counter productive. I know from experience and injuries because of it. It is much easier and more fun to make it a gradual daily practice to go through the body from head to toe (or toe to head) and move each joint, tense and relax each muscle and let it do what it can do that day. Over time, flexibility results and general tension lowers. Focused tension-release to the point of fatigue is a simple way to work on getting muscles to let go. I have to do it with my jaw because that's one of the areas that I carry excess tension. Military marching looks cool. It's also horrible for hips, lower backs and knees. It forces people into unnatural movements until that excess tension feels natural. I know from experience. Most of us get like that, to some degree. We carry excess tension somewhere so long that it no longer seems excess. All of these sorts of exercises, such that Jesse Enkamp has linked, are designed to overcome those habits and develop new ones. Dr Maurino said it is a skill. I agree completely. I still train grappling with people 20 years younger than I am. Learning to get tense until necessary lets me conserve energy. It also lets me slip out of positions because my own body tension is not keeping me trapped into it. An easy check about tension that works for most people: Find a spot about 20 feet in front of you. Point at it with both index fingers, allowing your arms extend to their natural limit. Exhale and let your elbows drop to where they go naturally. If they aren't close to vertical, it is an indicator of excess tension in the shoulders and back. By the way, that's why one sees the flared elbows in a typical boxing guard. When pretty much everyone who boxes has been told to keep elbows in from day 1. Thanks to Jesse for sharing!
Very necessary video for the martial arts community, Jesse! 👍 The Chinese term “sōng” (“松”) is typically incorrectly interpreted as “relax” in the martial arts, whereas “release” is a better synonym. My spouse is Chinese, and said semantically in a generic sense (not martial arts-specific) the release is like an exhale, as demonstrated in your video. The specifics of what sōng is and how to achieve it differ between the external and internal martial arts, with additional flavors between specific arts, but clearing up the main misconception is very important, so thank you for doing so! It is the internal variant of sōng that I’m currently obsessed with in my training, as I know my progress going forward completely hinges on mastering it.
I agree with the video 100% I think 'release' is a better advice than 'relax' which always sounds condescending especially when being taught Martial Arts. It used to drive me crazy when I went to my first Wing Chun instructor where from day one you were told non-stop that you needed to relax. At first I thought they were just trying to make myself and the new students 'feel at ease'. But it went on and on. When you struggled to learn a new technique the instructor would get annoyed raise his voice and demand you relax! Not only did it not make me relax it made me even more tense and most nights I left the kwoon feeling like rubbish and that their must be something wrong with me. Suffice to say I left after 8 months. Eventually I found a much better instructor who explained properly from a different school. Its not possible to completely rid the body of tension in Martial Arts as even to hold you hands up there will be a little tension. Even just standing up you have to have some tension in your body otherwise you would just fall down in a heap on the floor like Jesse did!
Very true, relaxation for quick muscle group switching, create tension on attacks and release, after attack relaxation again from quick muscle group switch for recovery, defense, or attack. In Xingyi they talk about compressing the core and expanding the body through the attack which comes from created tension and release. Good explanation.
I think their can be different definitions of 'Relax'. My version is like, 'Don't think too much about win or failure. Forget all the issues you are facing today. So you can get more control on your body, actions and mind'. Does that make any sense?
My first judo Sensei, back 60 years ago would have us meditate at the end of each class. We would release all tension and calm our mind. We would also push and pull the pain out of our hands and feet. These technics aren’t always taught today. Today it is fight to win. We were taught not to fight but control the situation or leave. Martial arts is more than just self defense. It is total control of your mind over body. Actions were automatic, but your mind was in control not your opponent.
In Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido (SSTA) we learned the difference between “living relaxation” and “dead relaxation” so when we are tense we would apply Kiatsu to that specific part, as part of our daily regimen we would ki breathe, as you advance you develop sensitivity throughout the body
I caught myself thinking about this in this week. The term "relax" doesn't makes sense. So, I started to thinking relax is removing any unnecessary tension.
This is one of the best practical videos you've done, Jesse! Thank you, and thanks to the doctor for some enlightening information; as someone who had to deal with this problem, unsuccessfully, for nearly 30 years now, it is always good to see something new to help tackling the issue of overt tension.
I usually explain it this way , relaxed doesn't mean soft and firm doesn't mean tense. It's good to try and "relax" while practicing, we are going to tense when we fight and it helps to keep your cool and move naturally. Breathing is the MOST important aspect of martial arts, it's our "fuel", our "enregry", our "chi". I think we are all curious about biomechanics, how our bodies work, and when we understand how things work whitout our teachers telling us directly is when the true learning happens, and it's beautiful. Great work Jesse, thanks for all the great material! PD: Okinawa the birthplace of Karate!
My Kendo practice helped me a great deal with this. it is easier to learn with a tool like a sword etc. i presume. you realize better how effective you get by performance of the tool.
Very very needed in things like taekwondo with kicking a lot. less relax, but more keeping yourself loose so you can move quickly and keep balance. Also got to snap in the kicks at the end, chill in the set up and chamber then boom
Great video! Much has been done with breathing, recently. I also just switched from calling it relaxation to Tension Control. And no longer call stretching Stretching. I call it release or loosening. There are a lot of fun ways to sort of trick the body into letting go. Much of my experience with internal martial arts is that they are finding different ways to: firstly teach awareness of excess tension. Second, build up dormant stabilizer muscles so the big muscles do not feel the need to work so hard all the time.
Jesse Enkamp I believe relax has to do with breathing because when I started exercising at first. I didn't breathe properly, my whole body hurt me after all the muscles pain for days. Then when I learn that breathing has to be put in too. So when I try breathing in every exercises I felt normal which means relax. And no muscle ever hurt again, well the biceps did hurt a bit but it increase my strength. So this is my understanding that relax just has to do with breathing and calmness of your mind not get too angry or hurried to learn something new.
Great video,as a 3rd kyu(brown belt) wado ryu karate student, i find this video very insightful and interesting. It also lead me to study the biomechanics more of how to strike effectively,which is to release the maximum amount of energy at a certain moment of impact causing a devastating attack, Bruce lee mastered this concept extensively.
Relaxation won't work for throwing a hard, straight punch. But for circular movements, relaxation is key. I throw hooks harder than anyone I've ever met, and it's all because I use the systemma style of standing and walking. My feet don't move when I throw a punch, unless I'm simply walking towards my opponent, or walking backwards. My relaxed state when fighting allows me to take incredible strikes without feeling any pain. Literally. I've been punched in the jaw by a full strength haymaker, and their fist just slid across my face. Systemma uses the laws of inertia and centripetal force to maximize momentum and rhythm, and minimize pain from taking strikes. Truly amazing stuff. I've been taken to the ground by people who weigh 100+ lbs more than me, and I wrestled them with ease, completely relaxed. Very little strength is required for most things in life. Knowledge and technique can sometimes make strength utterly useless.
In tai chi the term song 松 is also translated as relaxation. It is often likened to the quality of a whip or a chain that is being swung and stretching out through the centrifugal force affecting its weight. Song is called an energy method, meaning that its purpose includes an efficient energy delivery. It enhances the whole body coordination enabling us to unify energy from legs and waist to our hands. We know our relaxation is good when our center is more stable and our movements are more coordinated.
Always top notch videos Jesse. Here is my understanding of stress and tension, it has two parts one mental, two physical. Both can manifest into each other, i.e mental stress can create physical tension and vice versa. In fact they can form a long and terrible never ending cycles. In Martial Arts though most stress can be mental, and mostly to do with fear. It could be fear of losing, bad performance or fear of physical harm. That form of stress can only be managed with mental control, where you have to cognitively reassure yourself and turn the alarm bell off. All the best.
I understand where your comin from. But I still use the word relax. I was told that all the time in training. Reading some of Bruce Lee’s philosophies got me there and it clicked. Be calm in the mind. Accept what is. Control the tension. Control the breath control the energy. Systemma show cases how relaxing can save your life. Absorbing blows. Utilizing every movement. Knowing yourself and knowing when to be water and when to crash like a wave.
Yeah i agree totally to relax but you have to go through hardness to get to softness ,,,not softness to hardness that way you are like spring steel ,the body does it completeley on its own with no effort ,once you are at the level we eleivate sencitivity hence becoming soft and like water whilw at the same time every part of the body is like a steel plate and arms and legs are like spring steel with a hair trigger and the flow of linked movement depends on what comes in
I can relate to this more than "relaxation". Relaxation is like having a noodle arm when what u really want is an efficient use of power. Thanks for the video 👍🏼
Very interesting to go beyond the usual "relax" thing which is not always understood by the student. This gradual exercise seems very good too. And yes the mindset will help with fully (?) "realeasing" too. Thank you to both masters Maurino and Enkamp
Body awareness is important and fun. Body mechanics is part of it, or an extension of it - if you want to make an excursion. 'Systema' emphasizes the shifts between tension and relaxation. Have you tried shifting the breathing cycle while doing push-ups? Exhaling while going down and inhaling while going up? This is counterintuitive, but good to get acquainted with. This connects mind and body, and strenghthens your confidence. You make a deliberate choice, you take control, while still maintaining a relaxed basis - ready to explode if needed.
Woooow I always had that issue at punching, my sensei always said to me RELAX!!! so, the intro of this video was like a deja vú 😅 thank Senpai, love from Mexico Osu!
Relaxation allows looseness free flowing movements better concentration makes it much easier to adapt and read your enemies of remove and makes overall movement and senses better and sharp this is a good analogy on relaxation in the art it is best to remain calm relaxed and focused as if nothing is even happening the more loose the more relaxed the better results when it comes to the right blows to take the enemy down and the better choices you can ultimately make by staying relax and loose no join aches this is martial arts after all it's supposed to be calm this relaxation and shortness of the highest caliber with the intent to always eliminate a Target in the streets and be the very best in competitions glad to see you all well and posting content all the best and be well fight on
Similar breathing techniques were taught/shared with me by my Sensei Shigeru Takashina in the 1970's. He taught proper breathing as a key to relaxation and focus as well as control of one's emotions.
So this is a correction of a misuse of a term. At my dojo they use the term "relax", but only até some parts of the body, like the shoulders. But they teach me to keep the abs always tense, controlling breathing.
I tell my students it's just about not tensing muscles,&unless they need to move fast for a take down or for some other reason, move at pace of breathing, which keeps muscles working. So I agree just to say relax, that's not best way. Just like when people were told to not forget to breath. Detailed explanation why is needed.
I totally feel this😂 Jesse, video idea: 'How does a fighter choose their weight class? (to compete) Maybe you can have another joint video with Oliver🙌🏽
Loved this video Jesse! It’s been a while for me commenting but just had to say I’m totally using this in teaching my students now. Really Iove the drill idea!
Relax in fight means not tight muscle on when strike, reach, for example throwing a jab, the hands and finger must be relaxed and when strike a punch moving forward close your hand tight and pull back as quick as you can... a lot of isolate workout for forearm and brachialis will help you to throw faster jabs. The key of relaxing is in your finger and core... your contract core or muscle when expecting to be hit by someone even your neck, if you train your neck
This is something you wouldn't normally get from teachers, and certainly not for free. This will be useful in later on. You never cease to amaze us, keep up with good contents, Jesse. And can you make a video about "Soft strike"? Apperently, soft strike is a type of "mail-piercer", where the force penetrates the body.
I once read a book about this form of relaxation which I encourage people to read. Gold Medal Mental Workout for Combat Sports. It goes alot deeper into the science of this, but very interesting
Interestingly, the idea of relaxation is a common problem with a lot of Taijiquan (Tai Chi) as a martial art - in the sense that they take it way too far and misapply it. Traditional Taijiquan has a lot of usage of tension as well as release. The Chinese word "Song" gets tossed around a lot and gets somewhat mistranslated to mean relax, but a more accurate translation would be "to loosen" - much more similar to the video talking about "release".
It's funny that he mentioned the knots and stretching because the second I watched the intro clip I was like about I relax by doing myofasica releases. ( Works really great for both emotional and physical tension). Great video. As someone has been studying biomechanics it always confuses me when they say to relax and have no tensions. His explanation makes a lot sense and the breathing also kind looks similar to what you see some sprinters (specifically that fast one at the end).
This is a hard one but I think he explains it right. It took me 20 years to learn to "relax" , I used to use up so much more energy performing Kata and such trying to look strong. It was only by watching more experienced practitioners other than myself that I learnt to "release". During warm up I now teach students to stand in Fudo Dachi and make their body go all limp and floppy then punch quickly and then only hard tension at the end of the technique. The result is a much snappier and strong quicker punch.
Do you struggle with relaxation? 🤔
(Try the exercise in the video) 👍
This is really one of the things bugging me right now in my training: How to use the mechanics of my body; when and how to move swiftly and when and how to use tension; how to channel the force of my whole body and not just my arm or my leg; etc. This video was very helpful, as always, I hope you keep releasing more content about this subject. I wish you the best!
@@AminWT take a stick and beat a tire as hard as you can, I think that could help you. Then take the same motions and apply it into a punch or some other kind of strike.
I think psychologically our body holds us back when using a portion of ourselves to strike, which muddies the mechanics. But the stick isn’t your hand, so it won’t engage self preservation and muddy the mechanics.
YES!!! MY sensei, when I was learning Nipaipo, usually said to me... "You need to relax more..." And that gave me infact more tension and stress 😅. Thank you Jesse and Lucio for the tip... But i have one question... This exercises to learn how to release and contract, could be one way to do it with a Kata? Like Sanchin?
Relaxation comes from the mind being at peace, Just Being, believing and trusting in self, knowing self, accepting self. Being natural and allowing the body to freely express itself with happyness and creativity no matter what is felt (freedom). Being yourself, just like breathing blinking and walking, Natural. Relaxation is not an action that can be perfomed and used in martial arts it is a state of being. A state of peace, acceptance of self and belief in self. Martial arts biggest downfall is a overly cerebral, mechanical view of looking at the body and using the body. always trying to alter fix or mold the body into a weapon or a certain image. we have lived with our bodys our whole lives we already know how to use it. if someone throws a ball at you do you sit there as the ball flys at you asking yourself what technique you will use to catch the ball, or do u catch the ball however possible, knowing yourself? why can animals defend themselves? who taught the animal? a black belt, a grandmaster? no. they know themselves. that is the key to martial arts. Be yourself be happy.
Hi Jesse. I dont understand how to inclouding this realising moment (breathing-tension-exercise) in my movements. Could u show a example for a simple kihon exercise?
Dear Sensei Jesse, I am Shorin Ryu 7 dan and Yoga Master. The breath is the exact point of union between karate and yoga. A big greeting and gratitude from Argentina.
Muy bien amigo! 😁
creo que esta respuesta que has recibido, es me importa un carajo hahahaha
@@KARATEbyJesse Muay Thai, Mexican martial art Muay Bien, seems great.
"Relaxation is a myth." You have obviously never seen me in a recliner chair.
Francis Ngannou: "RELAX"
Hahahahahahaha hahahahahahaha Haha
😂😂😂😂
Did he go to Hollywood when he said that? (Really dating myself here)
Ngannou is a beast!!!
Ngannou:"Relax, you're gonna sleep soon, no matter how much you struggle"
As a judo coach, "relax" is something I tell to new students, but here's my follow-up explanation behind it... when we tense our muscles, it does make us 'feel' strong in and control, but it's actually the total opposite. Tensing your muscles means you restrict your movement, and it becomes harder to move. Also, tensing muscles consistently will not only make you more tired than normal, but also, it can make you feel sore later.
The solution I try to offer, is to try and stop focusing on flexing and tensing muscles so much, which is what a lot of beginners in judo tend to do. Instead, think of your limbs almost like noodles, they just... hang there, holding onto the gi of your uke (partner / opponent). It's your skeleton that moves, not your muscles.
According to stories, it was said that doing randori (sparring/fighting) with the founder of judo, Professor Kano Jigoro, was like "fighting an empty jacket", because he was not only as small and light weight guy, but relaxed, and only used muscle and strength when he really needed it, e.g. to finish off a throwing technique, for example.
I think being less tense is super important in judo specifically. If you’re tense u can’t create the elastic energy needed to throw. On the ground in newaza some ppl just need to straight up calm down so ill tell them “dude relax”
would you say there's a possible middle ground? like tense but not rigid?
I felt better lightly tense for defence yet not flexing muscles or locking joints...
@@emmanuelbeaucage4461 I would try to avoid being tense. Just relax, ease up.
When you tense your muscles, you actually move slower, and exert more energy. Having relaxed muscles allows you to move faster, and use less energy.
There is of course a time and place to be tense and/or rigid, but in my opinion, it should only be in certain circumstances.
For example, in judo there is Sankaku-Jime, otherwise known as "The Triangle Choke", as popularised by Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and mixed martial arts (MMA). Which ever leg you use over the back of your opponent's neck, I would recommend pulling your toe up to point up at your knee. This will flex the muscle of your calf, which will make your Sankaku-Jime (or Triangle Choke) firmer and stronger.
Ooh this is really eye opening. Learning that relaxation (as the term is used commonly) is a myth really makes everything fit into place. When you do any action, you're directing and moving energy and matter. If you relax, you just let that energy leave out of you. But if you release it, you can direct it from some places for example in a punch, you can release your energy through the fist. At least that is what i think is the practical application. What do you think jesse?
I think you’re on the right track! 👍
Follows the laws of physics and motion more accurately as well, it never truly leaves it only changes form. This may be why some is released on a strike. Go in the corner hut the bag let go of tension. You change it's form. Thats starting to sound dangerously close to Qui . Ki ... that combined with breath. And I dont want to go into inappropriate territory but a few other things that build in repetition and momentum to a final release also greatly reduce tension. If you think about it, its a much more rewarding experience if your entire body is involved.
My instructor taught relaxation/tension by using a simple bath towel. When you coil the towel it is still soft and pliant but when you whip the coiled towel, the striking end becomes rigid and imparts its power at it's fullest extension. He used other analogies but the towel method was very relatable and was easily understood by white belt students.
Generally the way I explain it is, learn to feel your weight. You can shift side to side, until you can identify it. When you move the weight of part of the body rather than the body to move the weight, you’re more relaxed.
I also explain motions as pulling a wagon. Every motion as a pull. This helps coordinate motion while releasing the tension of the opposing direction. If you push, you lock part of the body to use as a base while flexing other parts of the body. When you pull, you engage everything into one direction.
Then putting it together into coordinated power, compare it to swinging a bat. Essentially it’s all to get the right coordination to reduce unnecessary flexion.
Thank you!!
What helps me tremendously is Sanchin, and Tensho breathing exercises before and after training, and on a daily bases. I normally can tell when my body is at a tense state, that’s when I do the breathing exercises.
Breathing is so key.
Train "Qigong". After having trained a few months, my body started feeling air-filled and like a bunch floating separate bones, muscles, and tendons, that can be independently activated and deactivated as needed. You can actually relaxe standing almost to the degree of sleeping - There is a balance point where you can't fall, where your bones hang in your relaxed muscles, fascia and tendons and together form a spring, that can be used in martial arts.
Qigong is AWESOME!
, qigong is used by several Chinese martial arts. In wingchun, it has brought me a bit closer to the ideal to either be like bamboo or/and be like water (soft body). The bamboo body will take the incoming force down to the ground and return it to the opponent. A soft body can not easily be manipulated. A non-soft body (muscles tensed) can pushed, pulled, turned, tipped over like a wooden chair.. A soft body can also more easily make use of reaction force (Newtons third law) for punches etc
I learned much more from this 5 min video than I did in more than a year of training.
Thanks, Jesse!
hmm maybe it's time to find a new dojo?
You are such a great student. Every couch dream!
Thank you
Relaxation is the key part of Wadoryū. As he explained in this video relaxation is exactly called as "Release".
"Nukeru" 抜ける is the term we call it in Wadoryū.
Means, to come out; to fall out; to be omitted; to be missing; to escape; to come loose, to fade.
Thanks for this video Mr.Jesse..
Peace and harmony,
Sensei Maharaj 😊
I find 放つ or even 解放する to be a more fitting translation of release. 抜ける is much more of a spontaneous change of state
@@islaymmm yup sir! Hanatsu is the literal translation..
But here I mentioned the principle which we follow in Wadoryu... 😊
I played the cello for a while, and I feel like a similar situation happens in classical music too (and probably most other arts and crafts in the world, so martial arts fits here too). Whenever classical musicians tell you to be more “emotional” and put more “feeling” into your music, that advice often makes you sound forced and unnatural; you can’t just feel sad or angry or excited on command. And even if you’re feeling whatever emotional state applies for that situation, feeling too emotional can shake your concentration and make your bow control unstable (and on a sensitive string instrument, unstable sound registers really quickly). It’s far better advice to address the technicalities behind what sound you want at a specific point (like how you’re addressing the science of breathing) - to explain how to vary the strength and bow speed across a note, how to raise and lower pitch if you’re playing in an ensemble, how to change up your vibrato, things like that. You want a subtle qualitative look, but it has to be built upon tiny quantifications.
In general, that’s the struggle of good artistry, I think. The artist has to build their work upon little, over-analyzed “techniques”, but the artist wants the viewer to see a work that appears soulful and natural.
I think part of that problem is a lot of people can practice an artform without understanding the science behind it. they've inutuitively picked up on a nuance that other people don't 'just get'. sometimes breaking down an artistic process is difficult because the teacher feels that what they are explaning makes perfect sense as that's how they feel while doing it.
"Relax!" or try "beathe slowly" from my own experience. Controlling my own breath tends to help me control myself and my emotions
I agree.
In taekwondo ITF forms (tul), one of the reason the ‘sine wave method’ was invented was to train this release/selective tension, and it works greatly for this
It really depends on how your language understands "relax". Relax can also mean release the tension. If I tell a student to relax the shoulder muscles because they are inhibiting the motion, it means the exact same thing as "release residual stiffness." Understanding your audience and how they hear what you are saying is much more important than the difference between release and relax.
Muay thai is a relaxed style of fighting but among the muay thai style of fighting,the femur is the best example of being in a relaxed state of mind in a fight,the fighters of this style is almost like not taking the fight seriously but on the contrary they're the most technical ones of all styles,tho it doesn't mean it can win all fight but it surely is the most playful and light atmosphere of a fight to watch.
The breathing exercise reminds me a bit of Sanchin. Very cool.
Your friend from 🇺🇸,
Ryan
The exercise you two demonstrated resembles the Sanshin kata, with “selective tension” and breathing control. As sempai assisting my sensei in teaching lower kyu new kumite combos, I advise karateka to relax and slow down to make things flow. While sparring, I find I’m lighter-footed and less winded if I maintain mushin (“empty” mind) and stay loose, knowing my “springs” in arms and legs are ready.
For me relaxing in martial arts is relaxing the opposite muscles of the movement you're performing like in a punch I will relax my lats and middle traps and contract the chest and triceps. A mistake I personally used to make is that when I tried to be rigid in a movement I would also contract the opposite muscles which also caused injuries a few times, while relaxing there should also be control in the movement and we should just not flop into the motion, it's better to visualise an arc or a line connecting the point of impact to the target and trying to bridge the distance as fast as possible instead of just flopping into it or tensing the opposite muscles along with the muscles being used.
nice
I dont know how you do it but you always upload videos about the right subject on the right time.
Thank you for this Video 🙏❤️
Relaxation or in my words calmness which I teach to my students. I tell my students to be calm as well as relax. According to me relaxation doesn't mean that you release your body like free weight so that it falls on the ground and also it doesn't mean that you make your body soft so that you look like you are sleepy.
This is what I told my students. Just relax be calm and focus on your breathing don't make your body stiff like a stone instead make yourself like a clothe. A clothe can be soft and calm and flow with the wind but it can also be hard and damaging with some water and speed. So just relax and focus on every movement of your body not with your sight but with your mind.
I hope I teach my students right thing by saying this. What do think jesse san.
And love your videos ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Again, great video and introduction to the topic!
Following up from a keyboard: When I was younger, I spent years being told to relax. It wasn't until 2002 or so that I met someone who actually showed me how to let go. It wasn't until 2011 that I met someone who REALLY showed me how to start letting go of excess tension. It's a lifelong process that always has another level or degree or whatever that can be discovered.
Breathing is one of the more simple ways to let go of tension. There are tons of patterns that work. We just need to understand that a free diver breath preparation pattern is different than stress reduction is different than sports performance.
For the purposes of this video, as I understand it, the breathing pattern is great. A good general one is have the exhale be twice as long as the inhale. 7-7-7 is another good one. Inhale 7 seconds, Hold 7 seconds (I find a tiny exhale helps me). Exhale 7 seconds.
There are a bunch of others. The homework is to find ones that work best for us. A fun one is to count breaths per minute. And through rhythm work, see how we can alter it.
The links shown are good.
One doesn't have to go full Wim, but things like cold showers and cold water dousing are useful when combined with breathing. The cold water creates a natural reflex to tense up. One uses breathing to help release that tension. By making it a regular practice, one learns to immediately start breathing and preventing automatic tension. Several years ago, my wife and I started making jumping into water on New Year's Day a regular event-Don't be stupid about it, by the way. Know your limitations and know when to quit. Over time, the body and mind adapts.
Tension to release, timed with an exhale is one of the simpler ways to let muscles expand to their natural length.
I have used visualizations such as imagining my muscles turning to water and flowing away or turning to smoke and drifting off to add to the breathing.
I spend a lot of my day walking or standing on concrete at my money job. My hips, back and thighs usually start tensing up as the day goes on. I make a practice to open up these areas every few hours at work which reduces my daily pain considerably.
Trying to force relaxation is counter productive. I know from experience and injuries because of it. It is much easier and more fun to make it a gradual daily practice to go through the body from head to toe (or toe to head) and move each joint, tense and relax each muscle and let it do what it can do that day. Over time, flexibility results and general tension lowers.
Focused tension-release to the point of fatigue is a simple way to work on getting muscles to let go. I have to do it with my jaw because that's one of the areas that I carry excess tension.
Military marching looks cool. It's also horrible for hips, lower backs and knees. It forces people into unnatural movements until that excess tension feels natural. I know from experience.
Most of us get like that, to some degree. We carry excess tension somewhere so long that it no longer seems excess.
All of these sorts of exercises, such that Jesse Enkamp has linked, are designed to overcome those habits and develop new ones.
Dr Maurino said it is a skill. I agree completely.
I still train grappling with people 20 years younger than I am. Learning to get tense until necessary lets me conserve energy. It also lets me slip out of positions because my own body tension is not keeping me trapped into it.
An easy check about tension that works for most people:
Find a spot about 20 feet in front of you. Point at it with both index fingers, allowing your arms extend to their natural limit. Exhale and let your elbows drop to where they go naturally.
If they aren't close to vertical, it is an indicator of excess tension in the shoulders and back.
By the way, that's why one sees the flared elbows in a typical boxing guard. When pretty much everyone who boxes has been told to keep elbows in from day 1.
Thanks to Jesse for sharing!
Hey Jesse,
Your videos really helped me and i went from a white belt to red belt in 7 months! Youre a living legend and a great mentor. Love u mate.
Nice video
Sensei
Watching your videos for years and still LOVE IT! You always show a positiv mindset :D keep going!
Thanks ☺️
Very necessary video for the martial arts community, Jesse! 👍 The Chinese term “sōng” (“松”) is typically incorrectly interpreted as “relax” in the martial arts, whereas “release” is a better synonym. My spouse is Chinese, and said semantically in a generic sense (not martial arts-specific) the release is like an exhale, as demonstrated in your video. The specifics of what sōng is and how to achieve it differ between the external and internal martial arts, with additional flavors between specific arts, but clearing up the main misconception is very important, so thank you for doing so! It is the internal variant of sōng that I’m currently obsessed with in my training, as I know my progress going forward completely hinges on mastering it.
Very nice!!
This is a very interesting topic, Jesse!! 👏🏻
Thank you so much!! 🙌🏻
You never disappoint me with your videos Jesse. Much love from saudi arabia ❤️
This is simply amazing! Is a skill everyone should learn, this teaching are incredibly precious! Thanks Jesse!
I agree with the video 100% I think 'release' is a better advice than 'relax' which always sounds condescending especially when being taught Martial Arts. It used to drive me crazy when I went to my first Wing Chun instructor where from day one you were told non-stop that you needed to relax. At first I thought they were just trying to make myself and the new students 'feel at ease'. But it went on and on. When you struggled to learn a new technique the instructor would get annoyed raise his voice and demand you relax! Not only did it not make me relax it made me even more tense and most nights I left the kwoon feeling like rubbish and that their must be something wrong with me. Suffice to say I left after 8 months. Eventually I found a much better instructor who explained properly from a different school. Its not possible to completely rid the body of tension in Martial Arts as even to hold you hands up there will be a little tension. Even just standing up you have to have some tension in your body otherwise you would just fall down in a heap on the floor like Jesse did!
Very true, relaxation for quick muscle group switching, create tension on attacks and release, after attack relaxation again from quick muscle group switch for recovery, defense, or attack. In Xingyi they talk about compressing the core and expanding the body through the attack which comes from created tension and release. Good explanation.
hello sir
your videos are very informative for us in martial arts field
I think their can be different definitions of 'Relax'.
My version is like, 'Don't think too much about win or failure. Forget all the issues you are facing today. So you can get more control on your body, actions and mind'.
Does that make any sense?
The only martial art that could argue that relaxing is essential is tai chi
My first judo Sensei, back 60 years ago would have us meditate at the end of each class. We would release all tension and calm our mind. We would also push and pull the pain out of our hands and feet. These technics aren’t always taught today. Today it is fight to win. We were taught not to fight but control the situation or leave. Martial arts is more than just self defense. It is total control of your mind over body. Actions were automatic, but your mind was in control not your opponent.
Very nice explanation...thanks sensei jessy
Amazing video, one of my many favorites. Thanks!
excelent ! bellisimo!
This really help thank you
You will become a person of unimaginable power soon
baki reference?
@@vanguard9932
Jesse wants to know defeat.
love ur videos. thanks for sharing and helping
Awesome, thank you!
In Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido (SSTA) we learned the difference between “living relaxation” and “dead relaxation” so when we are tense we would apply Kiatsu to that specific part, as part of our daily regimen we would ki breathe, as you advance you develop sensitivity throughout the body
I caught myself thinking about this in this week. The term "relax" doesn't makes sense. So, I started to thinking relax is removing any unnecessary tension.
Jesse is becoming a living legend with how much he explores.
From the pedagogical point of view...
This was excellent and super useful.
Thank you! 🙏
This is one of the best practical videos you've done, Jesse! Thank you, and thanks to the doctor for some enlightening information; as someone who had to deal with this problem, unsuccessfully, for nearly 30 years now, it is always good to see something new to help tackling the issue of overt tension.
Awesome!! Glad to hear 😁
I usually explain it this way , relaxed doesn't mean soft and firm doesn't mean tense.
It's good to try and "relax" while practicing, we are going to tense when we fight and it helps to keep your cool and move naturally. Breathing is the MOST important aspect of martial arts, it's our "fuel", our "enregry", our "chi".
I think we are all curious about biomechanics, how our bodies work, and when we understand how things work whitout our teachers telling us directly is when the true learning happens, and it's beautiful.
Great work Jesse, thanks for all the great material!
PD: Okinawa the birthplace of Karate!
After doing this simple drill, I'm now feeling all the places in my body where my muscles are chronically tense.
For me, it was just breathe in and out slowly always. This is another level. Thank you so much.
Great. Thanks!
“Breathe”, I hear this a lot during training 😀
My Kendo practice helped me a great deal with this. it is easier to learn with a tool like a sword etc. i presume. you realize better how effective you get by performance of the tool.
also having fixed stopping patterns or points that are set before motion range helps a great deal. (i.e. kendo kata with others)
Very very needed in things like taekwondo with kicking a lot. less relax, but more keeping yourself loose so you can move quickly and keep balance. Also got to snap in the kicks at the end, chill in the set up and chamber then boom
Great video!
Much has been done with breathing, recently.
I also just switched from calling it relaxation to Tension Control. And no longer call stretching Stretching. I call it release or loosening.
There are a lot of fun ways to sort of trick the body into letting go.
Much of my experience with internal martial arts is that they are finding different ways to: firstly teach awareness of excess tension. Second, build up dormant stabilizer muscles so the big muscles do not feel the need to work so hard all the time.
I love the super mario like accent, great vid btw.
Fascinating. I'm going to apply this on my next kettlebell set (clean and jerk). I bet it applies!
Jesse Enkamp I believe relax has to do with breathing because when I started exercising at first. I didn't breathe properly, my whole body hurt me after all the muscles pain for days. Then when I learn that breathing has to be put in too. So when I try breathing in every exercises I felt normal which means relax. And no muscle ever hurt again, well the biceps did hurt a bit but it increase my strength. So this is my understanding that relax just has to do with breathing and calmness of your mind not get too angry or hurried to learn something new.
This is a gem, thanks a lot for this amazing advice! It will change a lot for me and help me with my focus immensely
Great video,as a 3rd kyu(brown belt) wado ryu karate student, i find this video very insightful and interesting.
It also lead me to study the biomechanics more of how to strike effectively,which is to release the maximum amount of energy at a certain moment of impact causing a devastating attack, Bruce lee mastered this concept extensively.
Had RLS since I was a kid going to school, but controlling breathing and doing squats has helped me. And need no drugs.
Really great explaination!!
Relaxation won't work for throwing a hard, straight punch. But for circular movements, relaxation is key. I throw hooks harder than anyone I've ever met, and it's all because I use the systemma style of standing and walking. My feet don't move when I throw a punch, unless I'm simply walking towards my opponent, or walking backwards. My relaxed state when fighting allows me to take incredible strikes without feeling any pain. Literally. I've been punched in the jaw by a full strength haymaker, and their fist just slid across my face. Systemma uses the laws of inertia and centripetal force to maximize momentum and rhythm, and minimize pain from taking strikes. Truly amazing stuff. I've been taken to the ground by people who weigh 100+ lbs more than me, and I wrestled them with ease, completely relaxed. Very little strength is required for most things in life. Knowledge and technique can sometimes make strength utterly useless.
In tai chi the term song 松 is also translated as relaxation. It is often likened to the quality of a whip or a chain that is being swung and stretching out through the centrifugal force affecting its weight. Song is called an energy method, meaning that its purpose includes an efficient energy delivery. It enhances the whole body coordination enabling us to unify energy from legs and waist to our hands. We know our relaxation is good when our center is more stable and our movements are more coordinated.
So Welcome to Okinawa! (the birthplace of karate)
That's what is going to be my mindset when I arrive and get received like that
Great video, beautiful as always! I wish you did more often video with other martial artists, just like this. Have a nice day! 💪🥋 (by an Italian guy)
He is the best!
Always top notch videos Jesse. Here is my understanding of stress and tension, it has two parts one mental, two physical. Both can manifest into each other, i.e mental stress can create physical tension and vice versa. In fact they can form a long and terrible never ending cycles. In Martial Arts though most stress can be mental, and mostly to do with fear. It could be fear of losing, bad performance or fear of physical harm. That form of stress can only be managed with mental control, where you have to cognitively reassure yourself and turn the alarm bell off. All the best.
I understand where your comin from. But I still use the word relax. I was told that all the time in training. Reading some of Bruce Lee’s philosophies got me there and it clicked. Be calm in the mind. Accept what is. Control the tension. Control the breath control the energy. Systemma show cases how relaxing can save your life. Absorbing blows. Utilizing every movement. Knowing yourself and knowing when to be water and when to crash like a wave.
Yeah i agree totally to relax but you have to go through hardness to get to softness ,,,not softness to hardness that way you are like spring steel ,the body does it completeley on its own with no effort ,once you are at the level we eleivate sencitivity hence becoming soft and like water whilw at the same time every part of the body is like a steel plate and arms and legs are like spring steel with a hair trigger and the flow of linked movement depends on what comes in
Plz brother tell me how many multiple opponents can a black belt fight......🙏🥋
I can relate to this more than "relaxation". Relaxation is like having a noodle arm when what u really want is an efficient use of power. Thanks for the video 👍🏼
Good points! Systema teaches many ways to relax in combat
Very interesting to go beyond the usual "relax" thing which is not always understood by the student. This gradual exercise seems very good too. And yes the mindset will help with fully (?) "realeasing" too. Thank you to both masters Maurino and Enkamp
Body awareness is important and fun. Body mechanics is part of it, or an extension of it - if you want to make an excursion.
'Systema' emphasizes the shifts between tension and relaxation. Have you tried shifting the breathing cycle while doing push-ups? Exhaling while going down and inhaling while going up? This is counterintuitive, but good to get acquainted with. This connects mind and body, and strenghthens your confidence. You make a deliberate choice, you take control, while still maintaining a relaxed basis - ready to explode if needed.
Woooow I always had that issue at punching, my sensei always said to me RELAX!!! so, the intro of this video was like a deja vú 😅 thank Senpai, love from Mexico Osu!
This is the video I needed to see most in my journey. My current sensei is constantly telling me to relax but never how.
Perfect!
Everytime...Damn.. every single time.. Jesse has something new to offer !!
Relaxation allows looseness free flowing movements better concentration makes it much easier to adapt and read your enemies of remove and makes overall movement and senses better and sharp this is a good analogy on relaxation in the art it is best to remain calm relaxed and focused as if nothing is even happening the more loose the more relaxed the better results when it comes to the right blows to take the enemy down and the better choices you can ultimately make by staying relax and loose no join aches this is martial arts after all it's supposed to be calm this relaxation and shortness of the highest caliber with the intent to always eliminate a Target in the streets and be the very best in competitions glad to see you all well and posting content all the best and be well fight on
Similar breathing techniques were taught/shared with me by my Sensei Shigeru Takashina in the 1970's. He taught proper breathing as a key to relaxation and focus as well as control of one's emotions.
So this is a correction of a misuse of a term. At my dojo they use the term "relax", but only até some parts of the body, like the shoulders. But they teach me to keep the abs always tense, controlling breathing.
I tell my students it's just about not tensing muscles,&unless they need to move fast for a take down or for some other reason, move at pace of breathing, which keeps muscles working.
So I agree just to say relax, that's not best way. Just like when people were told to not forget to breath. Detailed explanation why is needed.
I totally feel this😂 Jesse, video idea: 'How does a fighter choose their weight class? (to compete) Maybe you can have another joint video with Oliver🙌🏽
That would be interesting!
Loved this video Jesse! It’s been a while for me commenting but just had to say I’m totally using this in teaching my students now. Really Iove the drill idea!
Relax in fight means not tight muscle on when strike, reach, for example throwing a jab, the hands and finger must be relaxed and when strike a punch moving forward close your hand tight and pull back as quick as you can... a lot of isolate workout for forearm and brachialis will help you to throw faster jabs. The key of relaxing is in your finger and core... your contract core or muscle when expecting to be hit by someone even your neck, if you train your neck
This is something you wouldn't normally get from teachers, and certainly not for free. This will be useful in later on. You never cease to amaze us, keep up with good contents, Jesse. And can you make a video about "Soft strike"? Apperently, soft strike is a type of "mail-piercer", where the force penetrates the body.
Would be great to see you interview Nima King
Make more videos with him.Very useful
I once read a book about this form of relaxation which I encourage people to read. Gold Medal Mental Workout for Combat Sports. It goes alot deeper into the science of this, but very interesting
IT'S LIKE THE 'SURPRISE BREATH TECHNIQUE' THAT MY OPERA TEACHER USED WHEN I TOOK THE BASIC IN SINGING. IT REALLY HELPS RELAX THE HARA.
Sensei Rick Hotton is a master at this.
I just saw this video on your Facebook post. That's cool idea of breathing technique.
Interestingly, the idea of relaxation is a common problem with a lot of Taijiquan (Tai Chi) as a martial art - in the sense that they take it way too far and misapply it. Traditional Taijiquan has a lot of usage of tension as well as release. The Chinese word "Song" gets tossed around a lot and gets somewhat mistranslated to mean relax, but a more accurate translation would be "to loosen" - much more similar to the video talking about "release".
It's funny that he mentioned the knots and stretching because the second I watched the intro clip I was like about I relax by doing myofasica releases. ( Works really great for both emotional and physical tension). Great video. As someone has been studying biomechanics it always confuses me when they say to relax and have no tensions. His explanation makes a lot sense and the breathing also kind looks similar to what you see some sprinters (specifically that fast one at the end).
Have any martial artists practiced Wim Hof breathing and cold water techniques? If so, has it helped or hindered training?
This is a hard one but I think he explains it right. It took me 20 years to learn to "relax" , I used to use up so much more energy performing Kata and such trying to look strong. It was only by watching more experienced practitioners other than myself that I learnt to "release". During warm up I now teach students to stand in Fudo Dachi and make their body go all limp and floppy then punch quickly and then only hard tension at the end of the technique. The result is a much snappier and strong quicker punch.
Thank you Sensei Enkamp! Lucio´s place makes my 40m2 dojang looks like a Barbie doll house!