Moo Pal Dan Khum - Part 1

By Master Daniel Segarra and Master David Allerton

Over the ages in the orient they have developed methods to balance the body’s energy systems, healing themselves and others in the process. They called this art “Ki Gong” (Chi Gong in Chinese) also known as The Eight Brocade.

GrandMaster Hwang Kee referred to them as Moo Pal Dan Khum and introduced them to the UK in the mid 1980's during seminars in Watford which I attended. These ancient exercises are well known to Tai Chi practitioners and we are fortunate that they form part of the Tang Soo Do syllabus to enhance our health and well being. They are important too to provide a balance with the hard contractions and fast breathing required during intense Tang Soo Do training.

There are two sets of energy exercises (Ki Gong); one sitting and one standing. The techniques appear to have been organized to match the eight concepts of the Taoist pal gwe (paqua), which are the eight universal forces, Heaven, Earth, Wind, Thunder, Mountain, Valley, Fire and Water.

The Moo Pal Dan Khum are the standing or ‘Warrior’ set the Moon Pal Dan Khum are the ‘Scholar’ set. The sitting or scholar set is based on relaxed meditation, stretching, self massage and acupressure while the standing set is based on natural ways the body moves energy through movement and breath control. For example when you stretch your arms and yawn upon waking it is very similar to some of the movements in the Moo Pal Dan Khum. When we first wake our energy is stagnant or in a state of rest , by moving and stretching we mobilize our energy, that is why our body does all these strange stretching movements naturally in the morning or when we are tired.

The Moo Pal Dan Khum have a specific order to systematically move excess energy and tension toward the ‘Dan Jun’ or centre located about two inches below your navel. Conversely, when there is a weakness or lack of energy the MPDK rejuvenates to bring the body back into healthy balance. The first six exercises reduce tension from head to toe moving progressively lower and the last two circulate the energy around the “Kyung Rak” or energy pathway by gently stretching the channels at the front and back of the body. Visualization is also an important part of practise since the mind directs the energy.

IN THIS FIRST ARTICLE WE SHALL DESCRIBE THE FIRST FOUR Moo Pal Dan Khum EXERCISES FOR YOU TO FOLLOW:

No 1> “Lifting hands to the Sky” . To unlock tension in the upper body. Start with feet together, raise the hands high, inhaling as you do so, rising up onto the toes. Once above the head clasp the hands together palms up then gently lower the hips visualizing the energy channeling to the Dan Jun. Lower the arms in a wide arc until they meet at your middle then finally, exhale and push forward. Since Moo Pal Dan Khum is to be carried out at sunrise this first exercise has the feeling of opening the body to the universal energy and appreciating the beauty which surrounds us.

No 2> “Archery pose” . To unlock tension in the chest and upper back: Cross the arms in front of the body (left over right) Focus to the left and inhale while the left arm is extended out to the side simultaneously pulling the right arm back as if drawing a bow and arrow. Lower the hips as described above and still holding the breath bring the outstretched hand back to the centre before exhaling and pushing both palms forward. Repeat to the right.

No 3> “Heaven & Earth” . To unlock tension in the sides and lower back: Holding an imaginary ball (right over left) Inhale and rotate so that the left arm circles up above the head, palm up while the right circles low, palm down and the body bends slightly to the right side.

Simultaneously stretch both palms up and down. Release then reverse by circling both hands back to the waist before exhaling and pushing the palms forward. Repeat on the other side (left over right) bending to the left.

No 4> “Dynamic Punch” .

To unlock tension in the abdomen and hips: Inhale and pull the left hand to the waist, lightly clenching the fist, then look behind over your left shoulder. Extend the punch out to the front turning the fist three quarters and slightly rotating the left hip as you do so. Then slowly reverse and return to the starting position. Raise both arms straight above the head before circling back down to the waist and finally exhale pushing both palms forward. Repeat to the right.

In its history the Moo Pal Dan Khum has been credited to various people and schools, there is no historical evidence of an originator and the earliest records base them on yet older sets. They have also been credited to General Yue Fei who legend has it used them as exercises for his soldiers to achieve readiness for battle. He may have been one of the first to organize them into sets of eight.

These exercises are mentioned in several texts originating from the Song Dynasty. The Pivot of the Way (Dao Shi) (c. 1150), the Ten Compilations on Cultivating Perfection (Xiuzhen shi-shu) (c. 1300) features illustrations of all eight movements. The same work credits the creation of these exercises to two of the Eight immortals, namely Zhongli Quan and Lu Tung-pin.

Whether they originated from the immortals, a general or as we believe the natural evolution of instinctive stretches and exercises they are some of the best ways to experience energy and move that energy effectively throughout the body.

It’s not unusual to see people at sunrise in parks throughout China performing some variation of these sets. We are indebted to Grandmaster Hwang Kee who thought these exercises so valuable that he incorporated them into his Moo Duk Kwan style. He was the first pioneer to include health orientated exercises into a Korean martial art.

Posture: The basic posture follows the same principles as Tai Chi. Stand with feet shoulder width apart, weight evenly distributed. Below the ball of the foot is a point called Yong Gwan which means Eternal Spring which represents our neutral balance point. The Knees are slightly bent to reduce tension, the back also in neutral and the head held high. The ideal standing posture looking from a side view is to see vertical alignment from the ear lobe through the shoulder, slightly posterior to the hip, slightly anterior to the centre of the knee and slightly anterior to the ankle. Many people have poor posture with a forward head and shoulder carriage due to excessive time spent hunched over a computer, driving a car or watching TV for hours on end. It is believed that for every inch the head migrates forward out of alignment an additional force equal to around 3 to 4 kg is loaded onto the cervical vertebrae. Undoubtedly this will eventually result in chronic pain or injury. The Song of the Sip Sam Seh tells us to hold the head as if suspended by a string. It is clear that correct posture achieved through Moo Pal Dan Khum practice is more important than ever in this day and age.

Movement in Moo Pal Dan Khum is both economical and subtle. We draw energy by firmly rooting the feet to the ground, transmitting to the waist then directing to the extremities. This is known as the kinetic chain using the body as a whole rather than distinct parts. There are many small movements which require attention either shifting the weight or moving up and down, forward and back to assist the flow of energy. For example, you will notice as you move your hips your hands will begin to move in the opposite direction i.e. if your hips move backward your hands move forward. Some exercises such as the "dynamic punch" are performed in a deep horse stance to strengthen the legs.

So there we have our brief introduction to the ancient energy exercises which are integral to the art of Tang Soo Do and

Tai Chi Chuan. We shall continue our look at the remaining four Moo Pal Dan Khum exercises in the next article and explain some supplementary training which will help you connect to your own energy.