I have been asked many times to define what a martial arts principle is. The simplest way for me to define a principle is tell you how my Teacher taught me.
My Teacher got a 4-foot length of bamboo that was 1-1/2 inches in diameter. He set it down in front of me and asked me to study it. After a while he said, “What do you think this 4-foot portion of bamboo is?”
“It is a jo stick,” I said, but I suspected it was another one of my Teacher’s famous trick questions.
“No,” he said with a little smile, “it is only a lowly 4-foot portion of bamboo.” I was right, it was a trick question, and I knew the lesson wasn’t over.
My Teacher asked me to write out everything I could make with this 4-foot portion bamboo or use it for. I took some time and wrote down all the uses I could put to this bamboo and all the things I could make with it. Here are a few of the items on my list:
• Cane
• Staff or bo
• Jo stick
• Wooden sword
• Fishing pole for kids
• Closet rod
• Make a flute
My Teacher then asked me to write down why the bamboo could be used in that way for each item. Here’s what I wrote for the first few items:
• Cane – It is strong enough to support a person’s weight and about the right length to be used as a walking cane.
• Staff or bo – Although the bamboo is a little short, it’s long enough to use both ends in typical bo techniques.
• Jo stick – I can use it like a staff or a wooden sword because of its length, size and strength.
Finally, he asked me to write down what movements would give each use value. I won’t bore you with all the movements I described, but trust me, it was quite a long list.
So how does all this relate to the definition of principles? Principles govern the use of the 4-foot bamboo. Those principles are determined not only by the size, strength and length of the bamboo, but by your size, strength, individual body dynamics, and perspective on the world.
The 4-foot portion of bamboo can be many things depending what functions you see in it. What you see depends on your training and perspective. A martial artist will see a jo stick or bo; a musician will see a flute.
But in every case, in the hands of a human being, the bamboo can only be moved in a few definitive ways. It is limited by the movement principles and physics of the human body. (My book Maximum Combat covers principles in far more detail than I’m able to do here. Click on the “JD’s Book” tab.)
If you understand the principles of movement and power within the human body, you can judge the interaction of the bamboo and the body. Then you can use it—if you’re a martial artist—to apply greater force and power.
My teacher pushed me to understand the mechanics of body dynamics and the principles of power, because they are fundamental to every action you take. I have to know the underlying power principles to deduce what techniques will work with the bamboo in my hands. For example, using the bamboo as a jo stick or wooden sword, the basic principle is deriving power from centripetal and centrifugal forces from a center pivot point at the hips. Then you apply the principles of motion—speed, power, movement—to a specific target.
That’s just one set of principles. There are hundreds more.
During training, my Teacher was fond of saying, “Just because you can swing a 4-foot portion of bamboo does not mean you understand how to make it an effective weapon.” He usually added, “Now do it again.”
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