HARNESSING NATURAL MOVEMENT IN MARTIAL ARTS

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Monya Gorelik is an Israeli martial arts coach, researcher, and practitioner with over 40 years of experience in martial arts, natural movement, and yoga. His innovative work led him to develop a unique fractal biomechanics model of natural movement—Kinegenesis—and to decode the principles and symbols of Daoism as an ancient biomechanics of natural movement. He further created Formless Flow, a comprehensive training system that integrates the science and art of natural movement. Kinegenesis and Formless Flow are the foundational elements of ISAI (Israeli Science & Art of Integrity). This system embodies his holistic approach to movement in general and ISAI martial arts in particular.​

Monya holds an M.Sc. in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science and has also received formal education in music and painting. Between 1994 and 2005, he served as the Secretary General of the Wushu (Kung Fu) Federation of Israel and was an accredited European Wushu judge. He has taught ISAI at the Charles Orde Wingate National Institute for Excellence in Sports as well as at the theatrical college Data.

For over 30 years, Monya has coached full-contact Kung Fu and ISAI martial arts in private groups and individual sessions, training personal bodyguards, bouncers, and elite athletes—including members of the National Judo team and a European Junior Champion.

HARNESSING NATURAL MOVEMENT IN MARTIAL ARTS

1. What do martial arts practitioners aim to achieve in their movements?

It is widely agreed that martial artists strive for movements that are:

• Cost-effective
• Fast
• Precise
• Easily adaptable at any moment
• Elusive
• Powerful and martially effective
• Safe and healthy for the performer

How can we attain all these qualities in our movements? This is undoubtedly one of the most critical questions in any martial art. I propose that these attributes are inherent in natural movement, which has been refined to perfection by Mother Nature, the Creator, or Evolution over hundreds of millions of years. I also believe that no scientist or coach can compare to this natural development.

2. Natural Movement and its characteristics

Definition: Natural Movement refers to movements that closely resemble innate patterns applied under existing conditions to solve motor problems. There is a theoretical construct of Pure Natural Movement, free from cultural or social influences. I argue that the closer our movements are to Pure Natural Movement, the more desirable and valuable they become. Typically, our movements are shaped by societal and cultural norms from birth, thanks to our highly developed innate mimicry abilities. To shed unnecessary cultural and social automatic movement patterns and return to Natural Movement, biomechanical analysis and correction are essential. Existing biomechanical theories may not sufficiently address this challenge, leading to the development of fractal biomechanics, known as Kinegenesis, which complements current biomechanical theories.

3. Kinegenesis: The Recapitulation Theory of Natural Movement and ancient secret knowledge

The Central Nervous System (CNS) governs all our movements, including innate reflexes, learned movement patterns, and both voluntary and involuntary actions. This regulation is known as Motor Control. According to Kinegenesis, human Motor Control comprises eight hierarchical levels, each encompassing the previous ones. These levels control different groups of joints:

Level	Group of Joints
1. Amoeba	Rib joints
2. Fish	Vertebral joints
3. Amphibia	Shoulders and hips
4. Reptiles	Elbows and knees
5. Mammals	Wrists and ankles
6. Apes	Fingers of the arms and legs
7. Human	Tongue
8. Future Human	Motor control based on future vision

This Recapitulation Theory of Motor Control in Kinegenesis outlines the sequence in which bodily movements develop, defining the order in which different body parts participate in each movement.

Kinegenesis identifies a Universal Natural Movement Pattern (UNMP), termed "Fish Play," which can be ebbing or unebbing. The following illustrations depict the Natural Movement principle trajectories for each main body part, such as palms, elbows, shoulders, feet, knees, pelvis, chest, and head.

                   

These trajectories are fundamental, with parameters that can change during movement. They can elongate or shorten in various directions depending on circumstances and the performer's intentions.

Different trajectory segments correspond to acceleration and deceleration phases of movement. L0-L1 and R0-R1 represent significant acceleration, followed by slight deceleration (L1-L2 and R1-R2), then minor acceleration (L2-L3 and R2-R3), and finally substantial deceleration (L3-L4 and R3-R4). While these diagrams are two-dimensional, the actual trajectories are three-dimensional.

Notably, the arms, legs, torso with head, and even fingers consist of three parts. Therefore, for the right arm (and similarly for the left arm, legs, and torso with head) performing Natural Movement, we observe:

• Solid lines indicate acceleration
• Dashed lines indicate deceleration

Observing Fish Play reveals a striking similarity to the Daoist symbol of Taiji Tu (commonly known in the Western world as Tai Chi). This leads to the eight trigrams, known in Daoism as Fuxi Bagua. Consequently, we uncover groundbreaking insights in physical training theory: these Daoist symbols, Taiji Tu and Fuxi Bagua, are ancient codes of knowledge, revealed and forgotten thousands of years ago.

Due to space constraints, I cannot delve into further details here. Nonetheless, the conclusion is clear—we have decoded ancient biomechanics and practical instructions for Natural Movement. Essentially, all Daoist symbols and principles outline ancient biomechanical theory while serving as practical training guides of immense importance.

Coordination between limbs and torso with head is encoded by Fuxi hexagrams. Thus, we have uncovered the kinematics of human Natural Movement, encoded millennia ago, aligning perfectly with the Recapitulation Theory of Motor Control in Kinegenesis.

This also corresponds entirely to innate locomotor reflexes and movement patterns.

From my research, it is evident that ancient civilizations encoded and re-encoded this knowledge to keep it secret, leading to its eventual loss. Now, this knowledge is accessible once more.

It is crucial to note that only this kinematic approach enables movement with Maximal Dynamic Relaxation (MDR) and the most efficient use of inertial forces, as well as reaction and gravitational forces.

Therefore, this ancient knowledge and its practical application are vital for enhancing our movements to achieve maximum effectiveness.

4. Hidden movement mechanisms: internal pistons, internal energy, and Golden Ratio proportions in our bodies

There are two types of internal pistons in the human body: intervertebral discs and the spaces between the diaphragms.

How do these pistons assist our movement?

When a vertebra bends for any reason, it deforms the discs, causing passive rotation of the vertebrae. Excessive pressure in part of the disc leads to bending in the opposite direction, accompanied by passive rotation. These bendings and rotations become significant and play an essential role in our movement if we have mastered MDR.

The diaphragms can create additional pressure in the abdominal cavity, acting as internal pistons alongside intervertebral discs.

If we have also mastered control and know how to partially open and close the kinetic chain of the supporting leg, we can rotate in any direction with the same torso movement, even walking with minimal muscular effort.

This system of internal pistons and the energy they generate can rightfully be called internal energy.

In the context of Natural Movement and executing the Universal Natural Movement Pattern (UNMP), our bodies ideally engage in Self-Annihilated Inertial Motion (SAIM), facilitated by the golden ratio proportions inherent in human anatomy. SAIM refers to a movement that ceases without additional muscular effort, akin to how the tip of a whip momentarily pauses after a crack.

The dynamics of a whip crack involve a loop traveling along the whip, accelerating as it moves toward the tapering, lighter tip. This acceleration can cause the tip to exceed the speed of sound, resulting in a sonic boom. Notably, the tip of the whip comes to a brief halt after reaching peak velocity, illustrating a natural cessation of motion without further applied force.

Similarly, in SAIM, the body's segments move in a coordinated manner that allows for the natural dissipation of motion energy, leading to a smooth and effortless halt without active muscular contraction. This principle leverages the body's structural proportions and inherent biomechanics to achieve efficient movement patterns.

The internal piston system activates the torso with the head, while Golden Ratio proportions primarily facilitate the effortless movements of arms and legs.

Readers familiar with Daoism may recognize this biomechanical explanation of the Wei Wu Wei principle, or action through inaction.

 

Final thoughts

In this essay, I have briefly outlined the main results of my theoretical work—the biomechanical research of Human Natural Movement.

For over 30 years, my students and I have applied these research findings and practical training methods. While my primary focus is Martial Arts, I have also implemented these methods for wellness (considering Martial Arts as a component of wellness, useful in extreme situations), coaching the athletes of the national judo team, and even swimming coaching. My students have applied ISAI in other fields as well.

After years of application, I can confirm that everyone who has experienced ISAI has been deeply impressed.

ISAI is currently among the pioneering theories and practical systems based solely on Natural Movement. I hope that additional theoretical works and practical methods will emerge in the near future.


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