The importance of a straight back in MA

[dtstiachi]

Hey everyone

I have a quick question about "keeping the back straight." I am told this over and over by the assistant instructors. "have a straight line from the root of the spine all the way to the headtop." I hear over and over and over again. When doing warmups, they tell us the same thing. Do your arts also stress a straight spine? I look foward to reading your imput. Thanks.

[Jinxx0r]

yes, I get that all the time too (well, I used to, I corrected it) and it is stressed in my art. All I know is after I corrected that tendancy, a lot of my lower back soreness went away when doing my hyungs. I also know, from my own experience, that my balance is better throughout my forms when I keep my back straight.

It's the little things that kill, hehe.

[danege]

Your back must always be straight!!!

When you have a straight back, your whole body is aligned, and you will produce alot more power and have better balance.

[aefibird]

Yes, my sensei is always telling students to keep a straight back. He tells the kids to make sure that they move "belly first" - that way their back will be in line and not twisted.

[Red J]

Your back must always be straight!!!

When you have a straight back, your whole body is aligned, and you will produce alot more power and have better balance.

Absolutely. This is a fundamental of any MA that I have ever taken, and any sports that I have played.

It also ensures that when you do a technique where you bend your knees that you don't fall victim to letting your head move forward to become an easier target.

[Mr Pockets]

Is this some sort of April Fool's Day joke? No! When you are fighting, you want to be a little hunched over. Your power comes from your hips, and if you lean forward just a little it only helps. Not to mention that standing straight up ruins any defense you might want as far as moving around is concerned. Turn on any boxing match, UFC fight, Pride, thai boxing, anything with pro fighters- I garuntee you they are not standing straight up.

[dtstiachi]

Nope Mr. Pockets, No Aprils fools joke.

I'm not talking about sparing or free fighting. I am talking about doing the Yang family form and making sure the spine is not torqued. I am also talking about not injuring your back by putting to much pressure on the spine or doing something that could potentially mess it up. Even when we spar, (Tue Shou or push hands traing) we still keep our back in alignment and our back straight from the base of the spine to the headtop.

[Mr Pockets]

Oh, well that's good. There really is no danger to pressuring your spine or something from standing with bad posture when you are fighting, though.

[solar_kid]

Sensei tells us to do this, too, for balance.

But when I practice with a mirror, I notice that sometimes what I feel is a straight up and down posture is not. I actually feel that I am leaning slightly backwards when my reflection shows my torso as being perpendicular with the ground.

[swdw]

Straight back? This is the single worst thing you can do for your back. It's also a training misconception that is highly prevalent. The idea is to keep an ERECT POSTURE.

I can not emphesize this enough! The back is mechanically stronger with an arch in it and balance is much easier to maintain. Ever seen an Olympic weight lifter do a clean and jerk? I challenge you to find a world class lifter that lifts with a straight back.

Contact saveaback.com and ask them for rocemmnded books on this subject.