| Home | About the founder | Gallery | Contact us | Links |
THE FISH PLAY PRINCIPLEWhile studying Tai Chi I found that the more modern the style of Tai Chi, the greater the difference between the form and the ancient theories. Sometimes the movements simply contradict the main and most important statements of the theoretical basis. My opinion is that the old theories were all right and the modern forms are not, but something was even missing (but not wrong) in the theories itself. Finally I understood that the God created us in the most logical and reasonable way. If the position of the body mostly kept vertical (and there is a great reason for this during a fight), there is only one way to move naturally. Any other ways of movement will cause unnecessary and wrong use of energy. The natural form of the movement can be described as Yin-Yang (more exactly two fish in one circle or ‘aquarium’ - the fish can be small and the circle or ‘aquarium’ can be big). The similar points of every pair of opposite limbs or parts of the body (even if these parts are stiff like pelvic or the head) always will move this way (symmetrically and in the opposite directions) otherwise the brutal force will be applied in order to produce ‘internal circles’ contrary to the Human Nature and to the Universe Laws. I call this phenomena ‘the fish play’. The movements, all the movements with no exception, will be like whip thanks to this form and to the kind of delay created by the spine and joints of the body. The hands in their natural condition are free and do not hold any tool. The legs (or one leg while stepping or kicking) are connected to the tool (the Earth by means of friction) and are free only while jumping (two legs) or kicking (one leg). So the empty hands move unrestricted while the legs are not. The very important point is that no active twisting of any limbs applied at any time. The closing and opening movements of hips will produce the initial turning for every fish play round and are followed with delay by the shoulders and the hands. The shoulders will operate the hands in the way which is similar to hips action, but shoulders are based and depend on the hips movements. With this in the mind we have to remember that upper body (torso, shoulders, hands and head) will also influence the lower body (hips and legs) by means of vertebra. The limbs, legs and hands, will also open and close in every joint. Different shapes and energy level of hips and shoulders ‘fish play’ will cause different shapes of the ‘fish play’ of limbs and in general smaller ‘aquarium’ of hips smaller will be ‘aquarium’ of the limbs. So called small hand technique (mainly performed by wrist and palm) is a result of very minute ‘aquarium’ of hips and shoulders. The opening of one side of the body will start the turning and initiate the closing of the opposite side of the body. The closing will initiate the opening and redirect the turning of the body . There are ‘the backs and bellies’ of the fish. The bellies can be converted to the backs (and thus the direction of the turning will be changed) by simple addition of the energy. These openings (now not only theoretically but also practically and bodily) also will be responsible for the energy issuing. This is why the attack is defense and vice versa. Every internal movement and also the breathing are performed in the same way exactly. The movements of the fish are followed by the ‘pulsation’ of the sizes of their bodies. The ‘aquarium’ itself turns, rotates and also pulsates. The turning of the ‘aquarium’ actually the main reason for the ‘fish moving’. The hands always embrace ‘aquarium’ and two inner surfaces of the palms always point to the center of the rotating ball or ‘aquarium’between them. The coordination between all different internal and external elements and movements is very simple but must be shown rather than described verbally. The important thing here is a total coordination between all parts of the body. For example - the kick is a ‘fish play’ performed by always two legs. It will be initiated by the ‘fish play’ of the pelvic and hips and will be followed in the same time exactly by the ‘fish play’ of two hands having the same direction as a play of the kicking and a standing leg (never only one hand moves, but only both hands together in coordinated manner) and of the head. The walking, stepping, turning, kicking, punching, pushing and any other movement are done in the same manner exactly and are the same movements. They ‘flow’ from kick to punch, from kick to kick and so on in any possible combination of techniques. The movements are continues and never stop and start like in any other styles, even in different Taiji styles contrary to their own theory. The ‘fish play’ never stops even if it seems that externally you almost don’t move. So I started to disintegrate every single movement of Yang, Chen, Wu, Wu, Sun styles of Tai Chi, Wang Shu Chin style of Tai Chi and Pangei Noon style of Kung-Fu. I also analyzed most of the other styles I could see, Chinese, Japaneze, Russian and from other countries as well. After the basic elements and meanings of the different techniques and styles were isolated and understood, I compiled different applications of the ‘fish play’ so that every important angle and direction as well as transformations and turning direction changes were covered and fully presented in the form (kata in Japanese, tao in Chinese, tavnit in Hebrew) of ISAI . All these movements are actually the same only one principal form of the ‘fish play’ even from the first look they are like something turning, rolling and whirling constantly. Important to say that I created the different shapes of of the 'fish play', composing form of ISAI, on basis of the existing fighting arts movements. I didn't to create the art for fighting. It was just analyses and study of human body and energy movements. But the most wonderful thing that happened was that ISAI was very full of the combative meaning and the most effective even in every small part of itself. Every movement in ISAI is complete and integral ‘fish play’ and must be performed with a minimum of the muscular effort (which does not mean weak) and in the most natural way. The speed varies from very slow to very fast and is not constant like in Yang style but rather like in Chen style of Taiji Chuan. The trunk of human body also can be considered as a ‘fish play’. To say it shortly external contour is the back from pelvic to the shoulders and chest-belly. Internal ‘S’ or the fish bellies is a diaphragm. In order to elaborate the movements additional exercises and drills were created also. They are performed while standing, turning, walking, punching, kicking, etc. Normally they are performed rather in a slow and relaxed manner, but some exercises are done differently, not slow or not relaxed. The martial applications were also elaborated in the later stage. ISAI – THE ONLY FRACTAL MARTIAL ARTThe order within the Chaos. The world of reality without clear-cut Western style final definitions; the world where only unpredictability, uncertainty and the unexpected rule. The fractal is a mathematical definition for structures which consist of similar, but smaller structures, which consist of similar, but smaller structures, which … and so on. Most of the natural constructions and stuctures are fractals. The most striking examples of fractals are trees, coralls, blood vessels, dunes of sand, see waves, ecectrical flashes during the storms. The smaller part of tree is a branch which has the same shape as a tree itself. A part of corall has the same shape as the wholr cord. The humans always felt and used the fractal structures, sometimes intuitevely and sometimes constructed the most sofisticated fractal constructions. For example, many Indian shrines have fractal constructions and even the constructions of the World and Time in Indian cosmogony are fractal. The more detailed observation and discussion of these facts is quite beyond the frames of this work. Every practitioner of any kind of martial arts agrees about how the waist has to move. The movement of the waist is obviously ‘fish play’. So, if we will follow to the natural law of the fractal tractures, every part of body will follow the movements, described by the same fractal, ‘fish play’. This kind of mathematical induction, applied to the structure of human movements, clearly shows us that ISAI and only ISAI is completely fractal system of human movements and, as a result, of martial art. What is really important for us when we speak about ISAI is the fact that it’s internal principle or ‘fish play’ which is completely natural, provides to ISAI with one of its very significant and important features – its fractal structure. This fact alone has quite far reaching results. On one hand the understanding of the total fractal nature of ISAI leads us to the understanding that even the language and expressions we use for traditional martial arts such as ‘side kick’ or ‘straight forward punch’ give us to very not-precise extrapolation of our movements. This language, which I call ‘pictogrammic language’, actually leads to the wrong understanding of nature of our movements, to the conclusion, that there are numerious different movements. I will express this idea in more general way – tradional way leads us to the understanding of the World as the World of multitude. Contrary to this approach ISAI gives us the picture of One in its endless appearences. Here is the strange phenomena of life - the restriction in the number of the basic underlying principles turns to the limitless richness of the phenomena itself. Similar to mathematical language used to describe fractals in ISAI we have to stop usage of clear-cut final Western-style definitions. Instead of using ‘pictogrammic language’ we have to use absolutly new kind of language – the ‘alphabethical language’, which is built on absolutely new principles of thinking, expressing and implementation. On the other hand the practical implementation of fractal approach leads to the extreme variability of the performer’s movements. But not only this. When applied toward a partner or an opponent the fractal nature of ISAI turns into unpredictability, uncertainty and unexpected manner of movements. This is a built-in quality of ISAI and not successful strategy applied by either performer of either martial art. If on this basis, on its turn, the strategy of uncertainty and unprectability will be applied, the result will be incredible. The hands and legs will appear like leaves in the air during autumn fall, attacking like hawks and running away like small mice. The body will move constantly, rotating like tornado, trembling and moving to the left and to the rigt, closing and going away like flies swirling in hot air. To observer it will resemble complete chaos of movements. Contrary, to ISAI practicioner these movements appear as complete order, easy to undestand, order within the chaos. All these movements performed without any visible strain or effort, resembling beautiful and relaxing Eastern dance. These qualities are the very nature of ISAI, the most natural style of movements for us, humans. |
|
