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How to to increase power and speed.

Can standing exercise increase your power and speed?


Recently I did experiments with ritsu zen (standing zen). I became interested in this kind of
training for several reasons, but especially because the more normal fysical exercises are not really
suitable for middle aged people, or for people with injuries. Standing like a tree is at first sight an
exercise without movement, but there are a lot of movements going on in the body.
Relaxation and contraction is constantly going on in this exercise. Muscles have to do their job to
keep the posture straight and solid, by relaxation (not slack or limb) and contraction (not
overtensed) we are practising the development of the finer muscles in the body.
This is only possible by using intent or mental focus (the mind is creating relaxation/contraction)

on the muscle(s) involved.


Sometimes this kind of exercises are called isometric exercises. We all know the classical
isometric exercise :
Standing exercises are a little different because there is the relaxation/contraction element and the
intent in the exercises. Without the intent it becomes a dull exercise without using the brain.
The human brain needs also exercise to develop and by using intent we are developing some part
of the brain involved with movement.
In

a book about standing like a tree , originally written in


Chinese, we can read the following :
From : Zhan zhuang and the Search of Wu Yu Yong Nian
(2006)
The thigh has three sets of strong muscles: the hamstring
muscles in the back, the quadriceps muscles in the front,
and the adductor muscles on the inside. The quadriceps
and hamstring muscle sets work together to straighten
(extend) and bend (flex) the leg. The adductor muscles pull
the legs together.
By maintaining the muscle at a specific length by using an
isometric exercise, the muscles will develop a fast twitch
response.

This means, first, that the nerves and muscles develop the memory to accelerate instantly to the
contraction point of the isometric exercise, and secondly, the fast twitch muscle fibers are
conditioned to maximize the speed of the muscle contraction.
By strengthening the fast twitch muscle fibers, you have increased the speed at which the muscles
contract or move.
When this application is applied to your thigh flexor and extensor muscles, for example, the result is
an explosive increase in your running/kicking speed and power!

But there is more. Kenji Tomiki gave an interview to Stanley Pranin, editor of Aiki News, and Tomiki
spoke about isometrics and in some way he is also talking about intent.
Interview with Kenji Tomiki
by Stanley Pranin
Aiki News #44 (January 1982)
SP : .....Weve actually come to an important point. I have in my possession films of Ueshiba
Sensei. He takes a jo about 3 and feet long and holds it out to his side. People come and push
on it and he can hold them here from the side; from a perpendicular angle! Thats one thing.
Another is this. He sits with his feet crossed underneath, hands relaxed three men come close
before him and try to push him over. They cant. ......
KT : This problem is one of modern physical educations muscle training. Its called isometrics.
That is to say, by pushing or pulling you train either the outer muscles or the inner muscles. When
you get perfect at this form of training you can hardly see any muscle movement at all during the
exercise. When you cant see any movement you are using the muscle very skillfully. But, in the
educational field if you demand a similar level of perfection then you are making a big mistake. If
anyone trains sufficiently it is possible to do it to some degree, but, of course, there are limits what
a human being can do. Perfection is a problem of belief.

Is ritsu zen a magical solution to become stronger and win championships.


I dont believe this, but these exercises are an alternative for mind and body training.
Mind and body training is not new. It existed already in ancient times in all the cultures. Many
martial arts of the East are still using mind and body in their training. But our top athletes know this
very well. We have our trainers and mental coaches.
Ritsu zen can be a solution for those people who cannot afford a physical trainer and mental
coach.

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