Centering

This entry on Centering was created because I realized that when Grand Master Willie Adams used the term he meant something completely different from what I think of when I hear the term Center.

When I talk about center I mean the center of the physical body, the wuji point (click on figure for more information) and connection to the ground. When Hanshi speaks of centering he is speaking of remaining on the center line of attack, not tipping or swaying from side to as you move. The following is what I learned from Hanshi Willie Adams at his seminar down at the dojo last month. (Yes, I wrote things down after the seminar and have been working with the concepts on the mat.) This is my understanding of centering. (The seminar was public and very basic. I can only imagine the significance of centering in Hanshi Adams teachings.)

Centering = Step + Set

1. Weight distributed equally between the two feet. Weight on the balls of the feet.
2. Head stays on the center line, the line of attack, during a step.
3. 10% weight shift during a step.
4. Ball of foot skims the ground, toes up.
5. During circle step the leg movement covers the groin (45° angle.)
6. Weight shifts back to 50/50 before the set (stepping foot plants.)

This circle step with centering is not unlike the Archer Step we do in Yiquan.

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After digesting the principal of centering and incorporating it with another of Hanshi's ideas, "throwing" a punch/kick, I realized that Isshinryu Karate is primarily a linear system. It gets its speed and effectiveness from direct shortest–distance movements.

Direct force—swiftly applied.