Proprioception plays a major role in Shen Chuan. In fact, participants in Shen Chuan use it far more than many other forms of martial arts. The concepts and principals of Shen Chuan incorporate it without being obvious.

First let's review what proprioception is. Everyone uses receptors that are sensory nerve endings that respond to stimuli. For example, the eye responds specifically to light waves. So when someone throws a punch the eyes pick up the light waves, which stimulate nerve endings that transmit this information to the brain. The brain then processes this information and we react by moving our muscles etc. This reaction happens very fast, which is obviously important when you are being attacked. In fact, other forms of martial arts as well as Shen Chuan use sight receptors along with hearing and other senses quite a bit. However, there are receptors that are even faster. This category of receptors is proprioception.

Let's define it.

Prorioception is "the process by which the body can vary muscle contraction in immediate response to incoming information regarding external forces." Basically these receptors tell you where a body part is, without looking at it. This allows you to walk or run without watching where you are placing your feet. Or for instance if you close your eyes and hold your hand or arm out you still know where it is. These receptors are found throughout the body's muscular system. They monitor length, tension, and pressure by telling the brain where a body part is and what position it is in. The proprioceptors fire far faster than the eye can relay a message to the brain and then the brain to the body. Proprieoceptors adjust the body's position almost instantaneously. This is how we can keep our balance and walk without falling.

How does this relate to Shen Chuan? One of the basic principles of Shen Chuan is to move in on your opponent and stay in contact.

"Get in touch, stay in touch".

In most cases even when you are going to strike you are still touching your opponent by intercepting with your other hand, or your knee may be in contact with his leg. In essence, this is extending the proprioceptors to his body. For example say you only have one finger on your opponent's arm or shoulder and for some reason you are looking elsewhere or your vision is blocked. When he starts to move or throw a punch proprieoreceptors tell you he is moving in that direction and therefore you can react without even looking at the attacking arm. In a sense you are extending your receptors from your body into and through his body. This gives your brain a lot more information. It tells you where your opponent is, the direction he is moving and the speed at which he is moving. This extra information gives you an edge so you can react appropriately.

Many other forms of martial arts have you step back and keep a distance between you and your opponent. In this situation you are only using visual receptors and eliminating the quicker proprioceptors.

So in conclusion, hit hard... hit fast... use your proprioceptors and go to the house.

His latest run culminated a few weeks ago with an event held at the Oil Palace in Tyler, Texas. Professor Lansdale was in attendance, and said Sensei Jared did quite well.

The fight was for a championship, and as the Professor explained, Jared matched his opponent point for point. In the end the spoils went to his challenger, but only after being barely out pointed.

Congratulations Sensei Jared!

In other news... I have learned that Professor Coy's son, Conner, has been watching his shadow on the soccer field again. Having already been through similar situations with my own son on the baseball field, catching butterflies, eating dirt, doing the baby dance and generally showing a complete lack of interest in the game, I wanted to take this time to inform anyone who may attend one of these games to sit beyond arms length of Coy. You don't want to be within reach the next time Conner starts chasing his shadow. He is not handling it well and it could get ugly...

I was there at the beginning of what would become Shen Chuan, Martial Science. I met Joe through a mutual friend, David Webb. I then ran into Joe at least once a week when I took my children to a local Tae Kwon Do class. Joe was taking the adult class, working toward a black belt, which he received. (An interesting point is that at the time Joe was taking this class, he already had over 25 years of martial arts experience. People who understood martial arts knew "something" was going on with this guy. However Joe simply took the class in a very humble way, never deviating from what he was taught. This was his way of respecting his teachers. Joe remains this way to this day). We often attend martial arts seminars and Joe shows respect to those teaching. He does this by honestly approaching the material as it is taught. Often Joe has more martial arts expertise than the teacher, but you would never know it. He's not one to show out or show up. We often see new students come through the door and can quite easily predict the one's that either won't come back or won't last long. A real predictor is the student who makes the statement that he's going to "empty his cup". This is a martial arts cliché at it's worst. Joe could actually say this, but has the class not to.