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Muscles Involved in Maintaining Balance

To better understand how we hold our bodies upright under the forces of gravity it is important to be familiar with the different types of muscles in our body. 

The musculoskeletal system is made up of bones, cartilage, ligaments, tendons, and muscles, which form a framework for the body.  Tendons, ligaments, and fibrous tissue bind the structures together to create stability, with ligaments connecting bone to bone, and tendons connecting muscle to bone.

There are three types of muscle in the body (1) smooth, (2) cardiac, and (3) skeletal.

Smooth and cardiac muscles are not under voluntary control as these are controlled by the autonomic nervous system and are used, for example, in the beating of the heart.  Skeletal muscle, however, is controlled by the somatic (motor) nerves to simulate voluntary movement.

Skeletal muscles have a number of key functions including:

• Maintaining posture and body position.
• Producing movement.
• Helping return venous blood from lower limbs to the right side of the heart (known as the skeletal muscle pump system).
• Converting chemical energy to mechanical energy – which generates heat and contributes to the body’s temperature.

The skeletal muscle system can be anatomically and functionally differentiated into two groups.  The first of these is ‘joint’ muscles, such as the vastus lateralis in the knee, which are capable of controlling the underlying joint position.  Secondly, ‘multi-joint’ muscles, such as the hamstrings in the legs) work together to efficiently provide complex movement patterns involving several joints. 

In addition to these two groupings based around joints, the skeletal muscles in our body can be further classified into two groups around key functions they perform – (1) the ‘movement’ muscles, and (2) the ‘anti-gravity’ muscles.  These two muscles groups need to work together correctly to maintain healthy bones and joints.     

Each is considered to have a specialised functional and anatomical form.  However, and very importantly, there are instances where muscles used to maintain stability are also muscles that are used in the action of movement.  We will look at a specific example of this after having briefly introduced the two functional muscle types.

Movement muscles

Movement muscles make up about half the body’s skeletal muscles.  These are long and streamlined, crossing over multiple joints, and are responsible for efficiently moving the spine and the limbs of the body.   They are not designed to stabilise joints, instead they perform best in groups to do fast and repetitive muscle work.   As a result of this activity, movement muscles often tighten, and these are the muscles we typically need to stretch after physical activity (such as running) or prolonged static postures (such as sitting or standing for long periods of time).

Antigravity Muscles

The remaining half of the muscles in the body are anti-gravity muscles.  These muscles form the anti-gravity muscle system, which is specifically designed to keep us upright, allow us to lift and move our bodyweight safely, protect our joints from injury, and keep our bones strong.

To cope with the forces of gravity these anti-gravity muscles have developed a specialised anatomical form.  These muscles are usually ‘deep’ (meaning close to the joints) and cross only one joint or a single part of the spine.  

Stability and Movement Muscle Cross-over

It is important to understand there are instances where the muscles that are involved for maintaining stability of the body under the forces of gravity are also used in movement. 

A good example to demonstrate this is the shoulder.  It is one of the most mobile joints in the human body, which also means this comes at the cost of joint stability – where a compromise between these two functions is required.

Shoulder Movements

As a ball and socket synovial joint, there is a wide range of movement permitted:

• Extension (the action of the upper limb moving backwards) – This involves the posterior deltoid, latissimus dorsi and teres major muscles.
• Flexion (the action of the upper limb moving forwards) – This involves the pectoralis major, anterior deltoid, and coracobrachialis muscles. The biceps brachii muscles also assist to a lesser extent.
• Abduction (the action of the upper limb moving outwards from the body) – This involves a number of muscles at different stages of the movement.  The first 0 to 15 degrees of abduction is produced by the supraspinatus muscle.  The middle fibres of the deltoid muscle are responsible for the next 15 to 90 degrees.  Past 90 degrees, the scapula is rotated to achieve abduction – which involves the trapezius and serratus anterior muscle.
• Adduction (the upper limb moving back inwards towards the body) – This involves the pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi and teres major muscles.
• Internal rotation (the action of rotation towards the midline so that the thumb is pointing inwards) – This involves the subscapularis, pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi, teres major and anterior deltoid.
• External rotation (the action of rotation away from the body so that the thumb is pointing outwards) – This involves the infraspinatus and teres minor muscles.

Shoulder Stability

A number of elements are involved in the stability of the shoulder, including muscles, ligaments, and tendons.  These are:

• Rotator cuff muscles – These muscles surround the shoulder joint, attaching to the humerous (upper arm bone) whilst also fusing with the shoulder joint itself.  The resting tone of these muscles provide stability by compressing the head of the humerous bone into the Shoulder cavity.
• Glenoid labrum – This is a fibrocartilaginous ridge surrounding the glenoid cavity. It deepens the cavity and creates a seal with the head of the humerus, reducing the risk of dislocation.
• Shoulder ligaments – These act to reinforce the shoulder joint capsule and form the coraco-acromial arch.
• Bicep’s tendon – This acts as a minor humeral head (the top of the upper arm bone) depressor, contributing to stability.

Shoulder Rotator Cuff Muscles

The key area of interest here is the rotator cuff muscle group.  This group within the shoulder comprise the subscapularis, supraspinatus, infraspinatus and teres major, as shown in the diagram below.

Importantly, the infraspinatus and teres minor muscles are used in both the action of stabilising the shoulder joint and also the movement action of the upper arm.  In this specific case, the teres major is used within the movement action of internal rotation of the arm, whilst the infraspinatus is used within the movement action of the external rotation of the arm.

Where a beginning student actively holds tension in a stabilising muscle to artificially give extra structure to a technique (typically in these multi-joint muscle groupings such in the shoulder, elbow or knee) this blocks the muscle from also being used for the fluid, free action of the limb (arm or leg).  The result is a ‘freezing’, where the student has immobilised this area.  In doing so this locks the joint and allows an incoming force to act as a lever at the point resulting in the student toppling backwards, or at least having to try to counter this force artificially through other muscles or muscle segments.

This is a common problem in the developing student seeking to transition from a normal standing position to a Wing Chun stance.   This is because the new structural configuration of the Wing Chun stance requires the stabilisation of the standing position in a new way, using different muscles in different ways.   For example, the way the upper arm is held structurally in the Maan Sau position does not involve just the pectoral and deltoid muscles drawing out and holding the arm outwards in front of the body.  As we transition to the Wing Chun musculoskeletal biomechanics, the chest (pectoral) and shoulder (deltoid) muscles relax and the teres major and latissimus dorsi muscle ‘stabilise’ the extended arm in a relaxed, structural position.

It is important here to briefly introduce the relationship between muscle usage in static standing (from a relaxed arm) and dynamic movement (to moving the arm) along with a third combination of static and dynamic action – the seemingly static action of holding the arm in a defensive extended structural position (which is actually not static but remains dynamic).  This is something specifically achieved as a result of the spring/forwarding action of the muscles against the force of gravity within the Wing Chun structure. 

This action is demonstrated when pressure is placed onto an advanced Wing Chun practitioners’ structure, for example on a Mann Sau.   When the pressure is removed the limb ‘springs’ forward back into its original position.  This is an automatic process that the beginner student tries to replicate by moving from a compress static position, pushing the limb to another static position.  A big giveaway of the structural integrity of the student and their level of mastery is if they remain rooted and sunk in their stance or if, when the pressure is released, the student rocks forward in their stance.

It very important to understand this relationship of using muscles which are used for both stability and movement.  However, this will be a core topic we will explore further in the following paper, looking at the various areas where this frustration for the developing student occurs across the body as they transition into the Wing Chun stance.  A key focus of the following paper will be on understanding how the forwarding intent of muscles under the force of gravity allow the Wing Chun structure to hold structural positions in a dynamic way, without locking or freezing the body in a static manner.  

Antigravity Muscles

For the purposes of understanding the normal standing position, we must now look in further detail in this paper at the anti-gravity muscles involved in maintaining an upright posture against the forces of gravity.

In Kinesiology, 1970 Logan and McKinney termed the muscles that are most active in resisting the force of gravity the ‘anti-gravity muscles’.  The main anti-gravity muscles are shown in the diagram below.  

The primary anti-gravity muscles are grouped into three main areas of the body:

• Gastro-soleus group – This includes the feet, ankles, and lower legs.
• Quadriceps group – This includes the muscles of upper leg.
• Erector spinae group – This includes the truck, pelvis, and neck.

The function of the anti-gravity muscles is to counterbalance the pull of gravity and to maintain an upright posture, which includes a static normal standing position along with muscles that have to work against gravity during dynamic movement such as running and jumping.  These muscles often work through the stretch reflex.  Many anti-gravity muscles have a high proportion of slow-twitch muscle fibres and are often called tonic muscles.

The evolutionary development of the human musculoskeletal system has required an adaption to, and also protection from, the high gravitational forces acting on the body during upright functional tasks.  For example, in normal standing the lower leg muscles play a key role in maintaining upright positioning.  The calf and ankle muscles (soleus, gastrocnemius, tibilialis anterior, plantar flexors and dorsiflexors) all contract when you are in a standing position to counteract the effects of gravity and external forces on your body.

Although the term was coined over a decade earlier, some of the first evidence for the existence of an anti-gravity muscle system which operates independently from movement came from research by Richardson and Bullock, in 1986.  More recent experiments in microgravity conditions within the context of space travel have offered the most compelling evidence for this independent anti-gravity system.

A loss of tonic function is seen in antigravity with joint muscles under reduced activity.  This results in a change in fibre type with the joint extensors, with a loss of slow-twitch (type 1) changing to the more fatigable fast-twitch (type 2) muscles fibres.  Without regular use and exercise our muscles weaken and deteriorate, a process called atrophy.  Studies have shown that astronauts experience up to a 20% loss of muscle mass on spaceflights lasting five to eleven days.

Importantly, besides the effects of microgravity many lifestyle factors on Earth can lead to similar problems.  The control of the human skeletal muscle system has evolved, not only to balance the body in an upright posture, but to protect the joints from injury.  Poor standing and sitting postures where gravitational load is not taken vertically through the spine and pelvis leads to fatiguability and dysfunctional motor control within the anti-gravity muscle control system.  Joint injury can develop indirectly through a gradual breakdown of the joint structures due to such muscle dysfunction developing.  The resulting changes in joint mechanics can add joint stabilisation problems with the likelihood of the development of injury and pain.

Just as we have seen limbs working with wider segment groups, the anti-gravity muscles work in co-ordinated groups to maintain an upright skeletal structure opposing the force of gravity.   This co-ordinated pattern of muscle action is called an anti-gravity kinetic chain.

Anti-Gravity Kinetic Chains

The anti-gravity muscle system is made up of three separate anti-gravity kinetic chains – (1) the spinal kinetic chain, (2) the upper limb kinetic chain, and (3) the lower limb kinetic chain.

These three separate anti-gravity kinetic chains interconnect through the core – formed by the deep anti-gravity core muscles.  This group of deep muscles is responsible for holding the centre of the body stabilised within the lower back (lumbar) and pelvic region. 

By working in mechanical lever systems, the anti-gravity muscles control the weight of the body under the forces of gravity.  They are not only responsible for holding the body upright against the force of gravity, but they are also responsible for holding the body steady, and for the controlled lowering of the body weight – such as in the action of lowering the body into a seated position.

Importantly, within traditional Cantonese terminology the Wing Chun structure is also broken down into these 3 distinct elements.  The lower limb kinetic chain is covered by the term ‘Lok Ma’ which translates from Cantonese as ‘Lowering Horse’ and refers to the structure of the lower part of the body, including the legs and feet.  This relates to the ‘sinking’ of the weight of the body under the force of gravity into the structure of the legs within the Wing Chun stance.  The upper limb kinetic chain is covered by the term ‘Tie Seung San’.  This relates to the ‘lifting’ of the upper body through the straightening action of the spine, which covers the spinal kinetic chain.  The action of the spine is covered by the rotation of the pelvis (Tie Gong), the straightening of the lumbar area of the lower back (Ting Yui), the opening of the chest drawing the shoulders back (Ting Bok) and relaxed downwards (Lok Bok), along with the straightening of the neck and head (Dung Tao).  These are shown represented in the diagram below.

Understanding how these kinetic chains work individually, and together is key to the developing student being able to express a whole-body application where power is utilised from the feet up through the legs, pelvis, back, shoulders, elbows, wrists and out through the hands as a single unit.

Lower Limb Kinetic Chain.

The lower limb chain system allows the co-ordinated anti-gravity muscles to work in a spring-like action to cushion the effects of gravity on the lower limbs.  This is shown in the diagrams below.

This position with the knees and hip bent uses anti-gravity muscles behind the hip, in front of the knee, and behind the ankle to work as a level system to counteract the force of gravity.  

Within ‘Lok Ma’, this lower limb chain is critical in allowing the weight of the upper body to sink down into the leg structure of the Wing Chun stance.  This compresses the spring effect allowing the Wing Chun practitioner to use the weight of gravity to press the structure down into the ground – called ‘rooting’ – which provides a much stronger structural position.  With the compression ‘loaded’ into this spring system the Wing Chun practitioner is able to then release this energy into delivering an attack into the opponent.  

Spinal Kinetic Chain.

The bones of the upright spine have little stability without the muscles, tendons and ligaments that maintain its structural positions.  It is the coordination of the anti-gravity muscles on both sides of the spine, neck and pelvis which hold the spine stable, essential to the normal standing position. 

The spine kinetic chain is responsible for aligning the head on top of the spine in a balanced postural position along with maintaining the three spinal curves of the neutral spine position, allowing the spine to function like a long spring.

The spine not only has to cope with the constant downwards force of gravity, but it also has to deal with the forces involved in bending, lifting, pulling, and pushing along with high impact forces during activities such as running.  The specific anti-gravity muscles around the spine help minimise the impact of these forces on the spine.

Within Wing Chun the alignment of the spine is changed significantly, with the ‘neutral’ position of the spine having a natural ‘S’ shaped curve deliberately flatted out in the lower back (lumbar) area.  The ‘spring’ work of the spine is taken up by the creation of the spring action within the lower body (Lok Ma).  Importantly, by rotating the legs 45% inwards, the natural shape of the normal standing position is lost.  With the legs rotated inwards and bent with the knee over the toes, the pelvis has to rotate forward and under to unite the lower body with the core – this is the concept of Tie Gong, or ‘to make solid’.

The Core

The core muscles of the human body are located within the abdominal area of our body and postural muscles along the back of the spine.   These include the rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, external and internal obliques, multifidus, latissimus dorsi, erector spinae and the deep muscles, the diaphragm, psoas major and minor.

Other vital core and postural muscles are located in the neck.  These include the semispinalis capitis, splenius capitis, sternocleidomastoid, trapezius, longissimus, splenius cervicis and levator scapulae.  These particular muscles are located around the neck and maintain an upright head position in conjunction with the trunk and support stability.

When activated these deep muscles contract and tighten stabilising the lower back, pelvis and anchoring the base of the spine.  The core plays a crucial role in the coordinated function of the three anti-gravity kinetic chains.  These muscles are able to function as a single unit to support and stabilise the joints of the lower back and pelvis and help protect them from injury.  Importantly these activated anti-gravity core muscles provide a vital centre for the support and proper function of all of the three anti-gravity kinetic chains. 

The ‘tone’ or ‘stiffness’ of this deep muscle core grouping is a crucial part of the central nervous system being able to control posture and the structural stability of the neutral spine position.  However, the tone of these core muscles can de degraded during normal daily activities when not actively holding a correct posture, such as when standing or seated in a slumped position, prolonged sitting or driving.  Having weak core muscles is like having a house with unstable foundations.  You need strong foundations to stabilise your body.  Without this, you may experience more pain or fatigue, and also have trouble with balance and coordination.

Feet

Within Wing Chun the importance of the feet as the base of the structural tower giving support to the rest of the body is recognised with the ankle being one of the ‘several major joints’ – key areas where structural stability is achieved through the body.  The importance is also captured in the Wing Chun Cantonese saying ‘Ging Chong Gwut Gun Faat, Lik Chong Geek Jang Sheng’ which translates as ‘Power comes from the bones and tendons, strength originates from the heels’.   Here power is the energy that is stored up in the body through the kinetic chains of the upper body, lower body and spine working together under the forces of gravity.  Strength is understood here to be the integrity of the structure, that comes from the use of the musculoskeletal system working to hold the Wing Chun stance through the muscles and joints.

However, although the ankle is often the focus historically within Wing Chun, the importance of the physiology of the rest of the foot is not generally captured.  Importantly, the structure of bones, muscles and tendons in the foot create a triangular structure.  The importance of this triangulation within the arms, back and legs is covered in detail in my other articles and by other writers covering Wing Chun structure.  Yet, it is strange that the triangulation within the foot as the base of this structural support system is not covered.  This warrants a whole separate article, but I will cover it briefly below.

The essential structure of the foot can be represented by a triangle. The three points of the triangle are the three places where the foot’s structure will rest on a supporting surface: the heel, the distal end of the first metatarsal, and the distal end of the fifth metatarsal.

From underneath, the two triangles of the feet can be joined to show the size and shape of the base of support.  These triangles are marked in the diagram above.  The ‘plumb line’ that passes through the body’s centre of gravity in this position should also fall through the exact centre of this base.  This is marked by the circle and dot in the centre of the feet in the diagram above.

The lines connecting these points represent three of the arches, lines of lift through which postural support is derived: the medial longitudinal arch, the lateral longitudinal arch, and the transverse (metatarsal) arch.   The arches, formed by the tarsal and metatarsal bones allow the foot to support the weight of the body in a normal standing, erect posture.  Various muscles, tendons and ligaments play an important role in the stabilisation of these arches.

The medial arch is the higher of the two longitudinal arches.  The chief characteristic of this arch is its elasticity, due to its height and to the number of small joints between its component parts.  The lateral arch is the flatter of the two longitudinal arches and lies on the ground in the standing position.  The chief characteristic of this arch is its solidity and slight elevation.  Two strong ligaments, the long plantar and the plantar calcaneocuboid, together with the extensor tendons and the short muscles of the little toe, maintain its integrity.

The third arch of the foot is called the transverse arch.  Actually, this is a series of transverse arches. The transverse arch is located in the coronal plane of the foot.  At the posterior part of the metatarsus the arch is complete (as shown in the diagram below), but elsewhere these form half-domes with their concavities directed downward and medially.

The collective function of these three arches in the foot is to provide a spring action, bearing the weight of the body and absorbing the shock that is produced through dynamic movement.  This flexibility conferred by the arches facilitates everyday locomotive functions such as walking and running.  This spring-like effect of the arches results in saving metabolic energy through a passive-elastic action that would otherwise be done by active muscle. 

The many layers of musculature all combine to create lift, balance, and movement of the 28 bones (26 major bones and 2 sesamoid bones) of the foot, which has evolved to be an incredibly adaptable structure – one that is constantly at work in maintaining balance during the normal standing position during static ‘quiet standing’ whilst also allowing you to move smoothly over uneven terrain during ‘dynamic’ movement. 

Balance Sway

In most joints, the line of gravity is not identical to the centre line of the joint.  Most joint centres are some distance from the weight line.  This requires continuous muscle force to combat rotational forces in order to maintain equilibrium by equalizing all translational and torque forces.  Even when there is no movement in the static normal standing position, the anti-gravity muscles cannot be at rest. 

To maintain balance, the body is slightly but constantly swaying – a series of fine-tuned adjustments.    The control of equilibrium and internal displacements (of muscle fibres, ligaments and soft tissues) are not restricted to distal joints. For instance, postural disturbances also result from the action of breathing – the respiratory movements of the thorax and abdomen make slight changes to the centre of gravity and requires compensatory movement of the lower limbs and pelvis.

Body sway is generally to that degree sufficient to produce stimuli to evoke a righting reflex.  In the average mature adult, it has almost a 1-5/8-inch range.  Lateral sway has about a 1-1/8-inch range.  During prolonged standing, normal body sway is altered.  Periodic shifting allows intermittent rest periods for the anti-gravity tissues. 

The neurological control mechanisms within the brain are not completely understood, but it is thought that body sway is under intermittent autonomic control.  This involves a geotropic reflex initiated by positional shifts which stretch anti-gravity muscles and stimulate tonic contractions to bring the joint towards balance. 

According to current theory, the nervous system continually and unconsciously monitors our direction and velocity.  The vertical body axis alternates between tilting forward and backward. Before each tilt reaches the tipping point, the nervous system counters with a signal to reverse the direction. 

Electromyograph studies have shown that very little muscle activity is required in the normal relaxed standing position.  Most action involves those muscles that act around the ankle.  Within normal standing this is expressed in the ‘ankle strategy’ in quiet stance where the ankle muscles act to control the normal standing position which is weighted like an inverted pendulum. 

In addition to control through the ankles, electromyography has detected slight activity in the muscles of the calves, hips and lower back.  The minimal activity necessary is attributed to the elastic properties of muscle, joint locking, and the tension from the passive stretch of muscles, ligaments, and fascia which act prior to muscle contraction of joint stabilizers.

This activity within the ankles, hips and a combination of them working together are referred to as postural strategies.  It is important to understand how these work in normal standing, as they behave slightly differently once we are in the Wing Chun stance.

It is also important to note that balance sway also continues to occur within the Wing Chun stance.  However, there are some differences, omissions, and additions.  As with normal standing, this sway in the Wing Chun stance is controlled by postural strategies.  

Postural Strategies

As humans, we have evolved methods in order to preserve our bodies balance to the best of our abilities.  One of these remarkable mechanisms is how we maintain our balance as a bi-pedal (two-legged) species through strategies for balance.

Postural strategies are specific patterns of muscle activation, joint torque, joint rotation and/or limb movement that are evoked by balance perturbation.  These reactions serve to prevent the body from falling and act to re-establish a state of postural equilibrium.

There are 3 core strategies – these are (1) ankle, (2) hips and, (3) stepping.  There is also a fourth strategy which involves a combination of the three core actions.   These are shown in the diagram below.

Ankle Strategy

The first of strategy is the ankle strategy.  It works in normal (quiet) standing.  The ankle joint is designed to move in all directions and is therefore it is a great first-line of defence against falls and in maintaining stability.

The ankle strategy is designed to use its surrounding musculature to keep you standing upright.  Mechanically, the ankle strategy consists of rotation of the body about the ankle joint with minimal movement about superior joints, allowing the body to act as a single-segment inverted pendulum controlled by ankle joint torque. 

If you look at an individual without shoes on that is standing still, you will see their foot making tiny movements to counter changes in their body’s centre of gravity.  Ankle strategy is employed also when you step on uneven ground – here you will notice sometimes your foot will autocorrect before you can even consciously realize your centre of gravity has shifted and you are losing your balance.  Once it goes beyond a small perturbation that cannot be corrected by the ankles, the body calls upon the hip strategy. 

Additionally, it is worth understanding the ankle strategy within the context of its environment – namely, it is limited by the foot’s ability to exert torque in contact with the support surface.  If the support surface is uneven or slippery then the action from this strategy may not be possible.

Hip Strategy

If our ankle strategy fails to keep our centre of gravity over our base of support, then we move our hips to compensate. 

It is through a swaying of the hips that larger perturbations are counteracted.  A perturbation that would elicit a hip strategy might be something like stepping on the uneven ground unexpectedly or tripping over a rock.   Alternatively, when the support surface is narrow and little ankle torque can be applied.  In these cases, you might extend at the hips to correct against the forward moment from tripping.

Mechanically, the hip strategy involves the upper body rotating forward and downward, imposing a backward rotation on the lower body while also decreasing the moment of inertia about the ankle and allowing a given ankle torque to realise a higher angular acceleration of the body.   This involves moving our centre of gravity around to keep it over our base of support.

As with the ankle strategy, the hip strategy is also subject to environmental considerations – it is limited by surface friction and the ability to produce horizontal force against the support surface. 

Combined Strategy

A number of academic studies suggest that balance is maintained using multiple strategies.  Spectral analysis of joint kinematics during trials involving longer durations of standing have shown that balance mechanisms work as a multi-link pendulum with ankle and hip strategies viewed as ‘simultaneous coexisting excitable modes’ – where both are always present, but where one may predominate depending upon the characteristics of the available sensory information, task or perturbation.

These studies suggest that motion and torque about both the ankle and hip is inevitable, as accelerations (movement) of one segment will result in accelerations (movement) imposed on other segments that must be either resisted or assisted by the appropriate musculature.  Any attempt at an ankle strategy will require compensatory hip torque acting in the same direction as ankle torque to resist the load imposed on it by the acceleration of the legs.  Conversely, any attempt at a hip strategy will require complementary ankle torque acting in the opposite direction to hip torque to achieve the required anti-phase rotation of the upper and lower body.

Stepping Strategy

Finally, where the ankle, hip or combined strategies have not been sufficient to maintain balance a final strategy of stepping is called upon.  This involves taking a step which results in the broadening of the base of support in order to accommodate this kind of more extreme perturbation.  This is the first and only of the strategies that modify the base of support, and it is engaged once we fall outside this.

Wing Chun Postural Strategies

I have shown that the Wing Chun, Yee Gee Kim Yeung Ma stance deviates quite significantly from the normal standing position with changes in the alignment of the spine and a dynamic use of musculature in the sunken ‘Lok Ma’ under the forces of gravity to create a spring/forwarding effect.  It should not be a surprise then that firstly, the developing Wing Chun student should have a solid understanding of the normal standing strategies but also be acutely aware of the different strategies necessary to maintain an upright posture in the basic Wing Chun stance, but also allow for incoming perturbations in the form of attacks from an opponent.

Wing Chun Ankle Strategy

An ankle strategy is still used in the Wing Chun basic stance, although there are some important differences which we will point out here but cover in detail in the following paper.  Rather than an inverted pendulum the triangular nature of Lok Ma means that left-to-right/right-to-left ankle corrections are no longer required.  However, minor front-to-back/back-to-front ankle corrections are required still.  A key part of the corrective action of postural position, even in the application of the ankle strategy, comes from the sinking/springing compression and forwarding of the dynamic structure created through the engagement of the muscles lightly against the force of gravity.

Wing Chun Hip Strategy

This is something that is fundamentally different in the Wing Chun stance compared with the normal standing strategy.  For the Wing Chun practitioner, the straightening of spine (Ting Yiu) and ‘making solid’ through Tei Gong means the lower body (Lok Ma) is structurally tied with the upper body through the spine, creating a central ‘core’ of stability.  Any bending of the hips breaks this fundamental structure (which is why it is key not to bend the head and body over to look at the feet when learning).  As such, as we move from a normal standing position, we must recognise this fundamental, ingrained balance strategy is no longer employed – something that takes a while to adjust to, especially when we are under attack from a training partner or a real-life attacker.

Wing Chun Stepping Strategy

Stepping is a key part of moving the Wing Chun structure around in terms of dynamic movement.   It is also used in maintaining balance, although again in a slightly different way within Wing Chun.  A first example would be if an attacker seeks to pull on our limbs (such as an extended Mann Sau).  Rather than trying to stand your ground and fight this force (as the opponent is expecting) or have your body structure disrupted, in Wing Chun you will step in towards to opponent in order to maintain the fighting distance and use this momentum to continue the attack on your (confused) opponent.

Generally stepping backwards is not something encouraged in Wing Chun, but stepping in any direction to broaden your base of support, regain your structure, and attack back into the opponent is a fundamental part of the system.  Importantly, the step is taken at 45% and generally with rotation of the body.

Wing Chun Shifting and Rotation Strategy

In the absence of a hip strategy, the Wing Chun stance requires a couple of additional strategies to maintain balance.  The first of these is the rotational strategy. 

A key principle of the Wing Chun, Yee Gee Kim Yeung Ma stance is that it is recognised as having structural limits.  It provides a solid base foundation with a triangulation effect in the arms which allow incoming force in the form of opponent’s fists, limbs, or body mass to be deflected from the centre of the body (vertical core line) outwards towards to the shoulders.   

Where this deflective action is not able to sufficient deflect the force and remain its structural integrity the relaxed whole-body natural rotates around the inner ‘core’ that is created as part of the structural set-up.  This is visualised in the diagrams below.

On the left we see Grandmaster Ip Man with the upper and lower body triangulation mapped against his structure in Yee Gee Kim Yeung Ma, with his Mann Sau / Wu Sau arms extended.  This image also visualises the vertical core running through the centre of his head, body, and legs.  The upper body / arm triangulation and tip of the vertical core are also shown in the diagram on the right. 

This diagram also shows how incoming force coming into thew arms down the triangulation causes the back of the structure to rotate around the core, resulting in the stance automatically rotating to 45% in advanced Wing Chun practitioners who have correct, relaxed structure.  This is captured in the Wing Chun Cantonese principle ‘Lai Lou, Hui Soong, Lut Sao Jik Chung’ – meaning ‘As he comes, receive him.  As he leaves escort him’. 

This means that the Wing Chun practitioner does not attempt to fight force with force but uses this rotational effect of the stance to disrupt the power of the attack hitting the centre of the body or head, whilst also unbalancing the opponent by drawing them in and, as a consequence, out of their stance.

Generally, the beginner student who is not yet able to find or use the relaxed musculoskeletal sinking/forwarding of the Wing Chun stance against the forces of gravity, will hold their structure in a static way.  The incoming force will collide with this and cause the student to topple backwards, or for the arms to tense and attempt to fight with force, or to collapse into the student.  This is where an understanding of, and ability to use the sinking and springing strategy is critical.

Wing Chun Sinking and Springing Mechanisms

The second strategy is the sinking and springing action of the dynamic Wing Chun stance.  This involves being able to raise and lower our body up and down the central pole or ‘core’. 

Again, rather than losing our structural integrity by learning forwards or backwards, a mechanism is needed to allow us to deliver powerful forces through our attacks into an opponent without toppling forward, whilst also allowing powerful incoming forces to be ‘grounded’ – taken down into the body, legs and down to the ground rather than extending into the body horizontally and topping us backwards.

In the relaxed, correct structure the practitioner is able to ‘sink’ in the Lok Ma under the forces of gravity, which in turn rotates the pelvis and secures the upper-body and lower-body through Tei Gong and the straightening of the back (Ting Yui, Ting Bok).  From this solid lower triangle joined with the upper triangle the practitioner is then able to extend their arms through the correct application outwards through Mann Sau / Wu Sau to form a triangle in the arms.  This structure is shown overlaid on Grandmaster Ip Man in the diagram below, along with markings for the horizontal and vertical centrelines.

This allows for incoming ‘horizontal’ forces to be translated into ‘vertical’ ones which can be passed down the line of the arms into the waist, spine then into the legs and down into the ground.  This avoids having the fight the incoming force with the arms holding it back or pushing against it.  This also then allows the advanced Wing Chun practitioner to use this incoming energy as further compression of the spring effect of the stance which can then be used as part of the attack back into the opponent.

As I mentioned earlier, although Yee Gee Kim Yeung Ma looks outwardly to be a static pose, actually it is dynamic.  Although this may not involve locomotion (the movement of the body through the act of walking), the body is continually forwarding, through the use of muscles maintaining a ‘ready’ position against the weight of gravity.   An analogy would be the biting point of maintaining clutch-control between the gears and the accelerator in a car.  You are not actively moving forwards, but the car is in gear ready to go applying a balanced energy that, for example, keeps you from rolling backwards down a hill whilst you wait at traffic lights. 

The beginner student will, however, hold the stance in a static way, which means that this is easily uprooted or compromised by an incoming horizontal force that will topple them backwards.  For the advanced practitioner, this stance is always ‘forwarding’ against the forces of gravity.  Any additional incoming force is added to this, with the body structure absorbing this.  The natural weight of gravity passes down the straightened spine into the Lok Ma structure which then creates a compressed spring – with the force of gravity pressing down on this whilst the muscles, ligaments and tendons actively engage to counter this force.

This action works like a spring and a compressed piston and is visualised in the diagram below.  The Cantonese Wing Chun saying ‘Lut Sau Jic Chung’ captures the result of this action – meaning ‘Hand lost, springs forward’.   This is the concept of constant forwarding energy that is achieved through the action of gravity pressing down on the body in this way.  It is also a constant readiness position able to absorb incoming force and then release this again, like a spring.

Strategy Selection

It is important to understand that strategy selection is a dynamic action triggered by multiple sensory inputs understanding how best to maintain our balance within the context of the environment and forces acting upon us at any given time.  These sensory inputs involve polysynaptic spinal and supraspinal neural pathways which are highly adaptable to meet the functional demand placed on them.

Strategy selection is dependent on a number of factors:

• The features of the perturbation – This includes effects of timing, direction, magnitude, and predictability.   For example, if we are able to see someone about to gently bump into us, we can brace the body to manage the impact and maintain our balance.  Alternatively, if someone ploughs into us unexpectedly, we are not able to prepare or accommodate the force and are therefore knocked off our feet to the ground. 
• The “central set” of the individual – This includes affect, arousal, attention, expectations, and prior experience.  For example, a bouncer who is used to being bustled around in a group of people in a public house, is actively looking for hostile situations and quickly getting into a fighting posture, is much better able to deal with this situation than a normal party goer who gets caught up in the brawl. 
• Ongoing activity – This includes cognitive or motor.  For example, a ballet dancer already engaged in a performance on the stage will be able to better deal with a slight trip than another entering onto the stage from the wings because their body is already actively engaged in balance control activity.
• Environmental constraints – This includes reaction force generation and limb movement.  For example, if you are standing in cramped conditions on an underground train which starts to break suddenly, you know that you will not be able to step to widen your base of support as there simply is not space to move your legs.  In such a case an alternative balance strategy is employed where the arm and hand are used to hold onto a nearby rail.

Strategy selection is also important within the Wing Chun stance and especially later in dynamic movement when we start to move the stance around in the context our fighting an opponent in a given environment.

The Wing Chun stance not only provides a solid base of support designed to ensure the practitioner is able to maintain their balance but also so that this is a platform to be able to both launch an attack on, but also best receive an incoming attack from an opponent.   In Cantonese, this is captured by the term ‘Cai’, which is the concept of whole-body uniformity and synchronicity, where the joints are opened and working together to deliver outgoing power through an attack or to absorb incoming force.

This is achieved through a mental and physical readiness – which relate to the ‘central set’ factors affecting strategy selection.  In this way the mind of the Wing Chun practitioner is actively cleared and relaxed.  In Cantonese, this is captured by the term ‘Wu Wei’, meaning ‘Doing without Doing’ – a fundamental Taoist concept of action from an empty mind, following natural energy without ego or an agenda.  This relaxation of the mind then extends to relaxation of the body to allow it to work in whole-body uniformity and benefit from power delivered from the entire body.

Furthermore, it is this spring-like biomechanics created by the Wing Chun stance structure that is combined with the relaxed mind that is unified through the Cantonese term, ‘Nim Lik’ – meaning ‘Force of Idea/Intent’.   This is the concept of the relaxed, but ‘ready’ mind actively geared to unleash the power stored in the body through this spring-like compression of the stance into the opponent.

In this way, the basic Wing Chun stance actively gets the practitioner physiologically primed – they are mentally focused, and their muscles are actively engaged ready to ‘spring’ into the opponent or launch a powerful whole-body attack.  As such, although it may seem to the beginner student that the process of getting into the basic stance is simple and insignificant (with the real fun stuff coming from Chi Sau and fighting application through movement) actually it is the foundation not only in terms of a solid Base of Support, but absolutely fundamental to the body biomechanics of the dynamic stance and all subsequent movements extending from this starting position.

A Basis of Understanding for Developing a Strong Foundation

In looking at the biomechanics of the human body in order to understand the mechanisms and processes involved in maintaining a normal, balanced standing position under the forces of gravity I have shown there are considerable layers of complexity that we are not usually cognizant of in our daily lives.

Actually, this paper only scratches the surface of a neurological and physiological analysis of the mind and body.  However, it should be sufficient to help the developing Wing Chun student understand that there is a lot going on ‘inside’ that they need to be mindful of if they want to master Wing Chun and successfully be able to achieve a natural, relaxed ‘rooted’, ‘forwarding’ stance that can then be used to express the fighting application of different techniques in dynamic movement.

It should also help the student and the Sifu alike in understanding that saying things like ‘just relax’ or ‘sink in your stance’ are unrealistic expectations, making what is complex sound artificially simple.  As the parent we do not say to the child ‘right stand up then’ and expect the child to be able to do this instantly.  Nor, once they have mastered standing to then say ‘great, now you can walk about’.

As a child learning to stand, the fundamentals to master this seemingly simple action include developing muscles so they are capable of supporting the upright position.   Alongside this they must learn to balance and develop their central nervous system, using a mass of sensory feedback to develop the coordination necessary to achieve this.  Anyone seeking to use this basic understanding and take this to an extreme or modify this (such as in athletics, performance arts or martial arts) must not underestimate the effort involved.  In moving from a normal standing position to the Wing Chun stance we have to adapt this coordination system, learn to let go of muscles used in normal standing and learn to use, and develop fine control over new muscles.

Having this understanding becomes life or death for the high-wire circus performer, for example.  Not correctly understanding how to remain calm, sink their centre of gravity and maintain their base of support will have fatal consequences.  It may also become life or death for the Wing Chun martial artists facing a larger opponent or multiple attackers.  It is only through being able to use Wing Chun posture, structure, balance, and bodily alignment in a different way to normal that gives us a physiological advantage.  When faced with a larger, violent attacker being able to call upon this advantage will be vital in balancing the odds in your favour and avoiding serious injury, or worse.   

It is no surprise that mastery in athletics, performance arts or martial arts takes time.  Just as it takes time to learn to stand, and then to learn to walk it takes time to understand, develop and embed an advanced use of the mind and body in the mastery of Wing Chun.    While many systems of martial arts require a decade or more to learn, Wing Chun was designed to be learned in the shortest time possible.   With regular, consistent practice it would be reasonable to expect to be able to learn the entire core system in about two years.   Mastery of the system, however, takes a lifetime.

In seeking to explain the difference between these two types of learning, and the vast timescales difference, it is again useful to upon the child learning to stand or walk analogy.   After many months of learning to sit, crawl and then stand the child has earned the right to feel the sense of accomplishment in this.  However, they are far from being competent in their capabilities – you would not expect them to stand safely at the top of a set of stairs without the likely result of them falling down and tumbling.   For a long time, the child must get used to mastering this new skill in the context of their environment – such as other children bumping into them, or in then advancing from a static normal standing position to walking around using dynamic movement.

So, in answer to Hawkins Cheung’s earlier question about the necessity of going through the frustration of learning Sil Lim Tao and Yee Gee Kim Yeung Ma, I have shown that at the heart of being able to achieve mastery in Wing Chun it absolutely necessary to have developed a solid foundation.  In Cantonese there is a saying “Doe lo yut Cheung hun” which means that you are empty (lacking substance) when you get old because you were empty from the beginning.   Kenneth Chung is an outspoken exponent of the supreme importance of building the correct foundation:

“You can spend a lifetime practicing Wing Chun, but if you don’t have the basics, you will come to regret it. You can be in the style for 40 years, but without the basics, you are nothing.”

For Chung, the foundation must be strong and correct.  The foundation is everything in Wing Chun – and for the foundation to be correct it requires the student to have relaxed structure.  At the very heart of relaxed structure, the foundation ultimately comes down to having a strong Wing Chun stance.   

With focused effort, a developing Wing Chun student can hope to have developed this foundation through a strong stance in two years.   For those students looking to advance to the higher level of mastering Wing Chun this is a slower path than those students who are seeking to learn the entire system within two years.  Those students will have acquired a basic fighting system that will give them an advantage over a ‘normal’ person, but it will quickly break down under attack by an accomplished fighter, or other martial artists (especially Wing Chun practitioners) who have trained and developed this deeper level of refinement and ability.    

There are no short-cuts to this level of mastery in Wing Chun.  The quick-path student seeking to take the basic fighting system to this higher level will have to invest the further time and effort into building this foundation.  It is certainly worth the investment – with its focus on natural human anatomy it brings holistic benefits, allowing the practitioner to quieten the mind, focus attention, relax, remove tension, correct poor posture and move into a natural state of structural stability and intrinsic strength. 

In seeking to understand and master Wing Chun beyond a simple but effective fighting system the practitioner is able to move beyond good fighting skills to uncover the depth of knowledge from Wing Chun’s Shaolin heritage, and perhaps most importantly, an understanding of oneself.  It certainly gives one an appreciation of the depth of knowledge that our Wing Chun (and Shaolin) predecessors had of natural human form and movement, to which we can use modern, scientific, anatomical, physiological, psychological, and neurological insights to better understand and communicate the amazing transformation that mastering Wing Chun has in terms of developing the mind, body, and spirit.     

I hope in exploring the ‘inner’ elements of what is involved in normal standing and in the dynamic Wing Chun stance that this offers an insight and pathway for the developing student to master their Wing Chun by mastering themselves.  Having now taken time to understand the natural standing position as the ‘source’ of structure, we are now in a position to explore the dynamic Wing Chun Yee Gee Kim Yeung Ma basic stance, which we will cover in the next paper.

Copyright @ Craig Sands

If you have found this investigation into the anatomy and physiology of the Wing Chun stance interesting you might like my article The Importance of Isolation, Stabilisation and Alignment in the Wrist and Forearm Muscles. This does include an analysis of how hand and elbow positions are formed under the weight of gravity, but the focus is more about managing incoming force from an opponents attack. Click on the link here and start reading: Link