Liquid Unit Force

Liquid Unit Force

Liquid Unit Force is when your entire body has a fluid, liquid quality, works in harmony as a complete unit, and uses this to generate force.  This is a very important skill to acquire for several different reasons.  Mostly as this is the foundation to achieving higher levels of power and the other aspects of martial arts skill such as gravity, space, expand and contract, and up and down.

Liquid Unit Force begins with Structure.  Structure means that you are using your skeleton to hold your body up and your muscles to move it.  Most people have a tendency to use their muscles to hold their body up.  This is not good as it leads to head and neck tension, back problems, knee problems, etc.  Anytime a muscle group is doing the job of the skeleton there is a chance for joints to wear and torque improperly, leading to injury.  Most of the runners, triathletes, and Adventure races that I train have issues with this.  Most of them are so mentally tough that they just fight their way through the pain. However, the kind of pain generated from improper use of the body needs to be corrected, not fought through.  Other people that have trouble with this are, well, everybody else.  I don’t recall having ever met an untrained person who didn’t have too much tension in their neck and shoulders and their hip structure held incorrectly.

Therefore, step one is to line the skeleton up correctly. First, stand sideways in the mirror.  Try to position your body so that there is a straight line from the middle of your foot to the middle of your hip, to the middle of your shoulder.  If you are like most people, your hips are pushed forward and your shoulders are hunched up.

Step two is to unclench and relax the trapezoid muscles on top of your shoulders, the erectus spinae muscles on the side of your spine in your lower back, the hip flexors on the front of your hips, and the quadriceps on the front of your legs.  To relax these muscles you will have to set your shoulders down and in, lift your head, straighten your back, and set your rear end like you are about to sit in a chair.

You should use the lat muscles that are next to the shoulder blade, the leg biceps on the back of your leg, and the calf muscles. Do not hold these muscles in a state of tension, but use them when you wish to move.  It is important to use the correct musculature.  The muscles in the back are all connected, therefore allowing you to use your entire body from head to foot as one unit and not a series of parts.  It is also important to relax the correct muscles as using the wrong muscles will just get in the way of correct movement.

The absolute key to liquid unit force is to be melted, or relaxed. The Chinese call this quality “song.”  The old masters are always saying “fa song! Fa song!”  Relax more! Relax more!  The more that you are able to relax and unclench the muscles in your body the better you will use your skeleton and then the correct muscles for movement.  Not only that, but you will find that when you release this unnecessary tension in your body everything will work more smoothly.  You will feel less stressed, more clear and focused, and you will find that many of your joint related pains will improve of not go away.  You can never be too melted.