Brent Mayne

ChiCatching?

I’m reading an interesting book on running right now titled ChiRunning by Danny Dreyer.  I’m only about 50 pages into it so I can’t give a full review yet; however, the theme seems to be the author’s effort to apply principles from the ancient Chinese art of T’ai Chi to running. Thus Chi Running. Get it?

This is my first exposure to T’ai Chi, and I’m finding it fascinating. What I find most fascinating is how similar it is to the way I caught and teach catching.

For example, according to T’ai Chi, one of the main principles and the foundation for all movement in the body is something called “needle in cotton.”  This describes the feeling a practitioner should have while doing a movement. It is alignment of the body, concentration of energy in your center area (core), while your arms and legs are as soft as cotton, holding no tension.

So here’s the image as it relates to catching. Think of a needle held vertically inside of a ball of cotton. The needle represents your centerline (spine), your axis of rotation. The needle is very “gathered,” as the Chinese would say. It represents the gathering of energy toward a center. It is thin and straight and strong, which is how you want your posture line to be whenever you’re moving through space. As you gather energy toward you centerline, you draw it away from you peripherals, leaving them as soft as cotton.

Here I am in an Art of Catching/ChiCatching/Needle in Cotton stance.

As I read this, it reminds me of the way Barry Bonds used to describe and teach the baseball swing. He used to say that it felt like there was a vertical pole driven through his head, down his spine, and into the ground. Basically to swing the bat, he just rotated on that pole. Like the opening of a door. He talked about letting his arms being soft. Exactly “needle in cotton”…ChiHitting.

If any of you has heard me talk about catching or have my book The Art of Catching, you know that the first thing I talk about is posture. I harp on the concept of “staying stacked,”  athletic, and powerful throughout your movements and stances. Basically I’ve been teaching “needle in cotton” without knowing it.

It’s interesting and feels validating that The Art of Catching principles align with a 2000 year old Chinese art form. (At least what little I know of them so far). More as I learn more. Cheers.