Alignment & the Centreline

Gravity pulls you directly towards the centre of the earth. When you stand upright the line towards the centre of the earth runs through head, neck, torso , abdomen , through legs down into the ground. You find your balance around this line. Weight pulls you down along this line, but it is also the line of rebound or "push off" from the ground. The body is more or less symmetrical around the centreline.

In martial arts the line or "plane" from your centreline to your target is where you are able to concentrate the greatest power. Whether you push or pull, strike or kick you are strongest just in front of the line around which the mass of your body balances and where the force from the ground is centered. To take a more peaceful example: If you want to push a heavy piano, you have to push directly from your centre. When you use the centrifugal force as you often do in tai chi chuan, you also have to be aware that your hands must be in front of your centreline when you impact the target.