Rooting and Centring

In kung fu we train in energy and power with our ultimate goal being the harmonization of the two. Power comes from centring and energy comes from rooting.

At the beginner levels, we constantly reinforce the concept of maintaining our centre. At this level it begins with maintaining and lowering our stances. We progress by keeping our centre of gravity in our hips as we transition through our stepping and stances. Application of centring is about maintaining our own centre while disrupting our opponent’s centre.

At the advanced levels we expand the concept of centre to include rooting. Rooting involves using energy by pushing our feet into the ground. When centred we tend to stand ‘on’ our legs but when we are rooted, we are standing ‘in’ our legs. The force vectors of our energy while rooted spiral in and down so that application of rooting can explosively lift our opponent completely out of their stance.

“If the I wants to move upward, it must simultaneously have intent downward.” - Chang San-feng (1279 -1386)