Skeleton Speed

Overall speed, as measured by the time it takes to settle into stances and deliver power within a form or application, ultimately depends on skeletal speed and how quickly the structure aligns. Many people try to perform their forms as quickly as possible and are told they are not releasing energy properly. This commonly happens because the hands and feet move faster than the skeleton can align. If a practitioner focuses only on arriving as fast as possible, their limbs will reach the target ahead of proper skeletal alignment, and as a result no effective energy is delivered. The adage that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link applies directly to forms and applications: speed is limited by skeletal alignment. To be clear, this refers specifically to achieving the six harmonies.

Practitioners must concentrate on the entire purpose and intent of throwing a technique, keeping that purpose clearly in mind from start to finish. The primary objective is to deliver power, not merely to arrive at the destination; the motion must culminate in effective force, not just reach a point in space. Without delivering power, or complete and maximum power, it is akin to a truck driver crossing Canada with a load but not stopping long enough to unload it properly before moving on; he has forgotten the entire reason for his trip. It was not simply to arrive at the destination; it was to deliver his payload fully and fulfill his responsibility.

Compression and expansion are crucial concepts to embrace and feel throughout the body. The skeleton is not fully engaged unless it is permitted to expand and compress at the appropriate moments. Performing a form too quickly reduces the skeleton to nothing more than an extension of the limbs, preventing proper timing and a maximized expansion that generates real structural strength.