MARTIAL
ARTS
The
Seven Stars, the weapons of the human body
In the traditional Chinese martial terminology, the 'seven stars'
refer to the natural weapons of a human body. A person's higher
stars include the shoulders, the elbows, and the hands. The
lower stars are the person's waist, their knees, and their feet.
A person's head (tou) is the central star. The use of each of
the seven stars is described below...
1. The Hand (Shou): For our purpose the hand is the part of
the body between the elbow and the fingertips. As a person's
'general-purpose' weapons, the hands can take many forms to
apply power (Jing). The most common martial hand forms are the
horizontal closed fist, the vertical closed fist, the knife
hand (positive or negative), the varieties of clawed hands,
varieties of finger spade, and the palm. The hands and head
are undoubtedly the most delicate stars and, therefore, the
hardest to strengthen. Traditionally, to strengthen hand strikes
one strikes bags filled with hard corn or small round stones
under the supervision of a qualified teacher.
2. The Elbow (Zhou): Elbows are also a potent weapon. Short,
but more powerful than the hands, the elbow is capable of a
large variety of strikes. As weapons elbows have the advantage
of striking with force in front of as well as behind so they
can be used on the upswing and downswing of a strike. The two
principal zones of contact are the front of the elbow and the
back of the elbow. The front of the elbow is used for striking
objects in front of you and the back of the elbow is used for
striking backward or techniques using a downswing. The elbows
can be also used to apply powerful dislocations (Qinna) and
chokeholds.
3. The Shoulder (Jian): Although seldom used in combat, shoulders
are an extremely powerful weapon when reinforced by the entire
weight of the body or the torso. The primary shoulder technique
consists of striking with the point of the deltoid and keeping
the shoulders aligned. This technique is present in all the
traditional styles, and requires a good comprehension of the
principles of torsion and Jing to reach its full potential.
4. Waist (Yao): Although under-utilized in many modern styles,
the waist is very significant because of the exceptional amount
of power it can generate. Although the waist is rarely used
for direct striking it is essential for transmitting the power
of the legs into strikes made with the upper body. This ability
to transmit power makes the waist of paramount importance when
projecting energy. By practicing the specific exercises to strengthen
the waist, a martial artist will increase their stability and
power.
5. Knees (Xi): Like the elbows, the knees are a weapon of average
and short range. Unlike elbows, however, knees can only be used
to strike a target in front of a person. A bent knee can deliver
powerful strikes. Its striking surfaces are usually the surface
directly above the bended knee or the kneecap. Knees are very
useful to control an opponent on the ground, for instance, the
knee on the shoulder, the chin or the solar plexus.
6. Feet (Tui): Almost as flexible as the hands, the feet have
multiple uses. Striking surfaces of the foot include: the heel,
the 'ball of the foot' (below the raised toes), the external
and interior sides, and the point of the toes. This variety
of surfaces makes many techniques possible. However to be most
effective, this weapon needs to be well delivered. Although
its power is relatively limited, it is the weapon with the longest
range, and it can deliver lot of power within that range. In
some circles, the feet are defined more broadly as the area
between the knee and the end of the toes, so techniques involving
the tibia are also included in this category.
7. Head (Tou): The head is regarded as the most significant
weapon, of equal importance to the arms, but only because it
is essential. The head must be used with caution. The striking
surfaces on a person's head include the forehead (well-known
to soccer players), the back of the cranium, and the prominent
sides of the cranium. Certain very short techniques can also
be used with the point of the chin and the teeth. To learn to
control this weapon, it is necessary to spend a great deal of
time developing the musculature of the neck and the trapezoids.
However, remember that each blow with the head or to the head
destroys brain cells (the famous grey cells). These techniques
must be applied with prudence.
