THE SPACES IN BETWEEN

 by Phillip Starr

The seemingly “empty spaces” that occur frequently between techniques and postures of your forms...aren't necessarily at all what they seem! It LOOKS like they're empty – nothing appears to be going on – but that usually isn't the case at all. In the Chinese, Japanese, and Okinawan forms, the posture must be “just so” in between the postures and movements. Many of you have probably had the experience of your teacher making minute adjustments at these points. There are reasons for it; it's not simply for aesthetic appeal.

I have seen schools wherein the students were taught to pretty much casually drop their hands between techniques. This is really unfortunate; they'll never be able to fully “read”, understand, and get the full benefit of their forms.

Within those “empty spaces” are often concealed forms of striking and even joint manipulations. In days long past, many teachers would not openly show this material to most students. This is, I feel, very regrettable because it led to losing so much of this treasure.

Take your most basic form and perform it SLOWLY. Pay special attention to the “spaces between” the postures or techniques; exactly how and where are the hand(s) to be placed? How about the feet? Weight shifting, turning, and movement of the hips or knees...? Is the placement of the hand(s) to be applied against a form of grabbing from the front or rear?

With close examination and lots of work, you'll discover that the “empty spaces”... aren't.