Um-Yang Um-Yang is the Korean name for Yin-Yang, a concept deeply rooted at the core of Chinese culture and philosophy. According to "Huainanzi" (The Book Of Huai-nan), the Primordial Breath (Yuan-gi) created the universe and then split into a light, etherial Yang breath (Yang-qi) which created the heavens and a heavy, cruder Yin breath (Yin-qi) that created the earth. Qi means breath which in turn means active energy. According to the Dao De Jing, section forty-two: The Dao begot one. One begot two. Two begot three. And three begot the ten thousand things. The ten thousand things carry yin and embrace Yang. They achieve harmony by combining these forces. So what is this "Dao". Some say it is to Taoism what "God" is to Christianity - or the same type of concept. Dao begot the One (breathed the Primordial Breath to create the Universe). And the Primordial Breath (creative active energy) created Yin and Yang (the Two). The Two (Yin and Yang) are represented by a straight line (Yang) and a segmented line (Yin). I don't say "broken line" as is often seen in literature because it conveys the wrong concept. There is nothing broken about Yin. Yin is just the opposite, or more correctly the compliment in thought, to Yang. The Yang line is continuous, the yin line therefore must by non-continuous or segmented. Yang Yin Therein you see the concept of Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang are not opposites but are conceptual compliments to each other. Yang is hard, Yin soft. Yang is hot, Yin cold. Yang is high, Yin low. Yang is the Sun, Yin the moon. They do not exist individually or separately but together they make up the whole. They are the basic polarities of the universe and are exhibited in all things therein. Together they form a harmony, a dynamic balance in the universe. Yin and Yang are the essence of all things created, in fact, it is the diversification and interaction of Yin and Yang that created all things (the ten thousand things). Some say the concepts of Yin and Yang came from early farmers where they got up and were active in the light of day and inactive at night when darkness abounded and this cycle made a whole day and was continuous. Some also say that Yang really means the bright side of the mountain and Yin the dark side of the mountain - which are both expressed simultaneously when the sun shines on the mountain.
For a more understanding, let's look at another more excerpt from the Dao De Jing. Dao De Jing, section two: Under heaven all can see beauty as beauty only because there is ugliness. All can know good as good only because there is evil. Therefore having and not having arise together. Difficult and easy complement each other. Long and short contrast each other. High and low rest upon each other. Voice and sound harmonize each other. Front and back follow each other. Dao De Jing, section thirty-six That which shrinks Must first expand. That which fails Must first be strong. That which is cast down Must first be raised. Before receiving There must be giving. So what does this have to do with martial arts and Soo Bahk Do. In the spirit of Soo Bahk Do, we will look at the Weh Gung, Neh Gung and Shim Gung applications of Yin-Yang. Weh Gung - External application of Yin-Yang The most basic physical technique in martial arts is movement and we think of these as two opposites - movement to attack, movement to defend. Applying the Yin-Yang concepts to movement, if the opponent attacks moving forward we naturally move backward in defense. If they attack from the right, we move to the left. We can also move laterally to avoid the attack which can be seen as they are giving energy into our personal space and we are accepting it - not opposing it. Blocking is seen in the same way - a good block is not force applied against force but rather accepts and redirects their force. And what of counter attacking? If they attack high, we counter low. If they attack low, we counter high. The Dao De Jing section thirty tells us that "Force is followed by lack of strength". When the kick or punch's force is complete, strength is replaced with weakness (vulnerability). The time to strike (attack) is when the opportunity presents itself (opponent has completed attack).
The next most basic physical technique is the punch. When you throw a punch, one hand moves forward to the target (Yang energy) while the other hand moves backward to the chamber (Yin Energy). One hand prepares to strike while the other is ready to defend Neh Gung - Internal application of Yin Yang Internal energy is associated with several Soo Bahk Do concepts: expansion/contraction, tension/relaxation and breathing (inhaling/exhaling). I include expansion/contraction in the Neh Gung group because it is an internal mechanism which we see manifested in external movement. "That which shrinks must first expand" is often thought of in the reverse - "that which expands (extension) must first shrink (contraction). To generate more force in our technique we first contract to provide maximum movement and velocity in our expansion. But once we have expanded in the technique application, we have to contract (shrink) to regain balance and be prepared for the next expansion.. As the Song of the Sip Sam Seh says, "Bent and stretched, open and closed, let nature take it's course". Tense muscles cannot move, relaxed muscles cannot impart maximum force in an attack. Inhaling brings energy into the body and is best used during technique preparation while exhaling sends energy out through the body and is most useful for attacking. A Reverse Punch provides a great example of the Yin-Yang of expansion/contraction, tension/relaxation and inhalation/exhalation. Starting out in a front stance you want to step forward towards your opponent. You place more bend in your front knee as you start moving your Dan Jun forward with your Huri trailing in the movement. You extend your front arm and contract your punching arm in the chamber. This requires you to relax the extending arm and external oblique abdominal muscles on one side of your body and contract them on the other side. While this is occurring your body is expanding (opening up) so the front abdominal muscles are relaxed while you have tension in the back muscles. The relaxed front abdominal muscles allows this expansion which stretches the diaphragm and initiates inhalation. You step forward, first contracting then expanding the leg musculature. To move the front leg back the hamstrings contract and tense while the quadraceps relax until the leg passes the Huri and then the tension/relaxation pattern reverses. The opposite occurs as the rear leg moves forward. External oblique abdominal muscles swap roles as one side relaxes to allow full movement/expansion of the technique and the other side contract to begin the lead (nonpunching arm) contraction back into the chamber. The front abdominal muscles contract while the back relaxes to assist in bringing the body forward and exhalation begins. At the end of the movement exhalation is complete, the rear leg is tensed, front leg relaxed and main abdominals
are tensed and contracted, one set of external oblique abdominals are relaxed and extended while the other side are tensed and contracted. As we look at the application of these Yin-Yang concepts in punching we discover that not only does expansion/contraction and tension/relaxation cycle back and forth but they are some are also occurring simultaneously in different parts of the body to maintain dynamic tension balance. Shim Gung - Mental/Spiritual application of Yin-Yang Now that we know what the body is doing, internally and externally, what are the mind and spirit doing? Although we seldom think of it in these terms, the mind and spirit also go through states of tension/relaxation and expansion/contraction. Let's look at what happens when we go from a state of calm readiness (Choong Be) to attack or defense mode. Your body is calm, your spirit and mind are at a low Yang level, relaxed but not asleep. As you perceive a potential threat your body will naturally react - heart rate will increase along with blood pressure and you visual field of focus will tend to diminish. The challenge at this point is to keep the body in Yin - relaxed, ready able to react as needed. The mind, on the other hand, must start moving to Yang - become more active and increase awareness of what is going on around you. You must expand your awareness of the situation, surroundings and evaluate options for peaceful rendering of the situation as well as, if needed, non-peaceful resolution. Your Sprit must also move towards Yang but not too far, showing confidence but not arrogance or aggression. If the situation changes for the worse an it is time to act to defend yourself or attack to defend someone else (or your core values), roles reverse. The body must move into Yang - aggressive movement with purpose while going through the steps discussed in the previous two sections. The spirit must also move to Yang - you must have an indomitable spirit, be fully committed to the path ahead and finish what you start. The mind, however, must move to Yin - must remain calm yet still aware. You have to be able to think and react to the situation(s) unfolding around you and cannot have your mind numbed or overexcited with Yang energy. Remember the words of the Song of the Sip Sam Seh, "Stillness embodies motion, motion stillness. Seep stillness in motion".
Closing remarks: This is just a preliminary look at Yin-Yang concepts and how they apply to Soo Bahk Do. You can study Yin-Yang philosophy and application your entire life. Not just these basic concepts. There is a whole other realm of application in daily life. The "threat" could be stressful times at school, work or play. it could be with family, friends or strangers. But the goal is still the same - keep balance in your life. Yin-Yang is just the beginning. Look back to page on excerpt of the Dao De Jing. It says "Two begot three and three begot the ten thousand things". The two are Ying and Yang, the three are the tri-grams made from Yin and Yang, and the ten thousand things are everything created by the three. Yin-Yang is deeply integrated in the O Haeng (5 Elements) and the Pal Gwe (8 Directions) that comprise the Sip Sam Seh (the basis of the Song of the Sip Sam Seh). More on that in articles to follow. References: 1. Dao De Jing 2. Feng Shui Institute 3. Wasatch Martial Arts 4. Personal Tao 5. Chinese Fortune Calendar 6. New World Encyclopedia 7. About.com Chinese Culture 8. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy 9. Life - 60 years and counting, studying, meditating