More on Shin Chook

In yesterday's class we spent some time delving into the topic of Shin Chook (Tension/Relaxation), one of the Eight Key Concepts in Tang Soo Do. I think this was mainly for the benefit of one of our new students, who trained to a high level for many years in another style a long time ago. With great humility (another of the Eight Key Concepts) he is starting over as a White Belt in Tang Soo Do, and as expected he has many questions about how the techniques he is learning now relate to what he remembers.

It seems that Shin Chook is proving to be quite challenging for him. Last week I took the role of his attacker when he was learning Ho Sin Sul (Self Defense), and I noticed that every move he made was at full, quivering intensity. Yesterday while we were doing horse stance punches, Sa Bom Nim kept telling him to relax his shoulders. "You can't generate power from a tight muscle," he said. "When you punch, everything is relaxed until the moment of impact."

This reminds me of what I learned many years ago in preparation for "natural childbirth." We were taught to respond to the contractions of the uterus during labor by relaxing everything else (controlled breathing is part of this). It's not easy to selectively tense and relax different muscle groups; the tendency is to make everything tight at once. We learned how to do this gradually, with the help of a partner to provide feedback. For example, I would make a tight fist with my left hand while trying to keep my right arm totally limp; my partner would lift my arm and let it fall back to see how well I was accomplishing that goal. The idea was that discomfort can be reduced by anticipating sensations, concentrating on accomplishing the work at hand (delivering the baby), and keeping muscles relaxed.

The skill I learned in this way has served me well over the years. I delivered three children without the need for drugs, and I have sat through lots of dental procedures (given my choice, I think I'd rather have the babies). Now, I think, knowing how to relax is helping me be a better martial artist.