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10 points of structural alignment

by Sifu Mark Rasmus

0. Keep the head suspended from above.The top of the head should be insubstantial to stimulate deeper awareness. The muscles of the neck should be relaxed like a flexible spring to allow optimal energy and blood flow.Defect: Tucking in the chin and pulling the head back creates tension in the back of the neck.1. The ankle must be aligned with the 9 substantial points (5 toes, 2 balls, blade and heel) and 1 insubstantial point (bubbling spring) of the foot. The toes should expand and contract to draw the ground in before coiling and recoiling theenergy as it reaches the ground. The weight should be centred on the bubbling spring point with equal pressure spread across the heel, blade, balls and toes.This point should remain vacuous. All incoming force/pressure is ultimately drawn into it.Defect: The defect of the ankle and foot is the collapsing of the arch. It should remain hollowed to keep the forces aligned to the ground.

2. The knee joint should not be straightened or over bent. The knee should bendin alignment with the toes.

The two triangles of the leg should remain on the same plane. Elbow and knee areconnected, the knee should sink with the elbow.Defect: The knee draws inwards breaking the structure and reducing power from the legs.3. The hips and waist should remain soft and elastic. The hips and waist controlthe power generated in the legs, if they are stiff the power will not transfercorrectly.Shoulders and hips are the two ends of a coil spring. The hips should remain level as they open and close during pivoting to keep the structure stable.Defect: stiffness in the waist and hip joint.4. The tail bone should be anchored to the ground through the hips. The anus should be closed and the testicles drawn into the body. The buttocks should hang loosely as the spine is stretched downwards. The tail bone connects the upper and

lower parts of the body.Defect: If the tail bone is not anchored the spine will lack structural strengthand the lower back will have excess inward dip.5. The lower back should straighten to reduce excess curvature of the spine. A relatively straight lower back allows the waist to receive the force from the bridge effectively. Allow up to 2 finger width in the curve of thelower back allow optimal strength.Defect: excessive curvature of the lower back disconnects power.6. The upper back should be rounded. This is achieved by hollowing the chest which expands the energy into the back. The energy then adheres to the spine connecting the bridge to the waist. The chest and back shouldbe soft and elastic.Defect: pushing out the chest and squaring the back, disconnects power and creat

es floating.7. The shoulders should hang loosely. If there is tension in the lats, then theshoulder will be stiff disconnecting the power from the body. The shoulder should sink under and expand forward before contracting, coiling and recoiling on anoval circle inside and around the shoulder joint.Defect: Raising the shoulder and lat disconnects the line of power.8. The elbow and connecting muscles, tendons and sinews should be like a supercharged elastic band that expands, contracts, coils and recoils at high speed. Theelbow should sink to the lowest point in the triangle between the shoulder andwrist when punching.

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Defect: floating in the elbow.

9. The wrist and fingers should relax and settle to let go of the force passingthrough them.Tension in the wrist prevents energy from being received and released as well asreducing sensitivity. The fingers connect to the toes, they both, expand, contract, coil and recoil in unison.Defect: Tension in the wrist, stiffness in the fingers reduces power the discharge of power.