Effortless Power

[rauokinn]

"Always use your legs and feet for power, and your center for movement and direction. When your arms are full of ch'i, relaxed and subject to center, they hit with power but do not feel hard (to you). If you think about hitting hard or with great force, you will inevitably cock and strike out with shoulder and arm muscles. Although this feels as if it should add strength , it breaks the unity and decreases the power. Relize that for our purposes we use movement itself, translating earth power (down) into space power (outward), and only the tissues involved minimally in creating that movement should be used along with sinking and intrinsic strength. All other muscles should be relaxed and all bones (joints) disengaged. Upon hitting or pushing the object, the act is done. No tensing of extra muscles, locking of joints, or pushing out, should occur. So, of course the prevading idea is one of relaxing. The movement will coordinate and take of itself by the direction of the feeling-awareness. So a calm mind, relaxing, and whole body view are places to put the attention, not on power or muscle tension."

--Peter Ralston, "The Principles of Effortless Power" page 42.

And I think when I read this --- EXACTLY!!! That is the state I'm striving to reach . . .