Articles
Tan Jon Breathing
This article was provided by Master Callum Forbes, 6th Dan, Chief instructor Kukjae Hapkido. Callum is also the instructor for the Upper Hutt Martial Arts Academy.
Introduction
Most martial arts systems include breathing exercises as a core part of their training and Hapkido is no exception. If you intend to explore the spiritual side of the martial arts, the breathing exercises are the gateway to this. However we teach Tan Jon breathing exercises for more pragmatic reasons. These include:
- Improving our general well being.
- Increasing our stamina.
- Focusing our attention.
- Channeling our energy.
Tan Jon Ho Heup Bup (The Method of Abdominal Breathing) exercises we teach, if practiced regularly will help you achieve all of the above.
What is the "Tan Jon"?
The Tan Jon area, located about two inches below the naval is believed to be the source of origination and the focal point of physical energy (ki). This area is called the Tanden in Yoga and corresponds to one's center of gravity and is a common area of focus during meditation, concentration, and abdominal breathing exercises.
As with a lot of Korean terminology there is often different variations in English translations. The "Tan Jon" is sometimes referred to as "Dan Jon", "Dan Jung", "Dan Gun" etc. They all mean the same thing.
Purpose
By learning to feel and concentrate your mind on the Tan Jon area, you can learn to control and more fully utilize your physical power. Learning to breathe properly and to utilize breath control during execution of a technique is essential to the practice of hapkido and indeed martial arts in general.
Hapkido is more than just physical training - it also involves a large amount of mental discipline. When focusing on a technique in your mind you should try and visualise it performed perfectly. Physical actions are a direct reflection of the images in your mind i.e. the "mind-muscle" connection.
Hapkido means the way of "way of co-ordinated power" or "the way of strength and harmony". This means that mental and physical power are united. In Hapkido, physical power is called "wae ki" while mental power is called "nae ki". Nae ki and wae ki are joined together - one must maintain the balance between the two.
Mental concentration can help increase your:
- Strength/Power
- Stamina
- Speed
- Focus and Precision
- Continuity
- Awareness of your surroundings
In training we learn how to perform Tan Jon breathing (before patterns and basics) and how to apply this technique during a technique such as a strike or joint lock. The actual process of learning Tan Jon breathing helps develop patience, perseverance, and self discipline because it does take time and effort to reach the point where proper breathing during hapkido is automatic. Many repititions of Tan Jon breathing are required to develop an "automatic" coordination between breathing and technique.
The most obvious benefit from Tan Jon breathing is that it teaches abdominal breathing. Most people as they grow up switch from abdominal breathing to upper chest breathing, especially when they are under stress. This uses only the top part of the lungs and can result in more stress being put on the heart and cardiovascular system. Abdominal breathing allows all of the lungs to be used effectively. This increases the oxygenation of the blood with less work for the heart. There is anecdotal evidence that abdominal breathing reduces the risk of some cardiovascular diseases. As an additional benefit: the strengthing of the abdominals can help reduce the likelihood of lower back problems and aid in improving posture.
Increased oxygen supply increases stamina. This is why an older student with good breathing control will always outlast a younger student who hasn't internalised the habit of abdominal breathing.
Most people probably realise that a 'deep, calming breath' is good counter to either 'losing it' or settling oneself during a stressful situation. 90% of all conflict is won prior to the first blow being struck. It is the person who is in control, focussed and aware who will emerge the victor from any 'conflict' - be it an actual physical conflict, or more mundane event such as a business negotiation.
By putting together the breathing control with a calm mind allows you to focus your physical energy into a more effective technique. The simplest way to demonstrate this is to try hitting a punching bag as you breath in and compare the power of this to that of doing the same exercise as you breath out. The strike on the breath out is much stronger. By using your mind to imagine that all of your energy is being transmitted into your striking point allows you to strike more effectively than if you were just swinging away blindly.
Tan Jon breathing can greatly assist muscular tension, provide a solid stance and explosive action. Explosive movement in all martial arts is in fact always accompanied with a kihap! (yell). This yell co-ordinates naturally with the breathing (exhaling on the yell) and this assists muscle contraction thus boosting explosiveness and speed. The kihap! provides a psychological focus for the technique, and this can have the affect of shattering the opponent's concentration and give an opening for attack. In training striking and "duck and punch" drills should be performed with a kihap!
In performing a strike or self defense technique the idea is to initially focus on the Tan Jon. Think of the action of the kihap! as the moment you are pulling ki from the Tan Jon and focusing/releasing it in the offensive or defensive movement being undertaken.
Training Tips
Abdominal breathing is the diaphragmatic kind, where the air is being drawn into the lower lungs by strong use of the abdominal stomach muscles rather than shallowly into the upper lungs as is more normal.
In Kukjae hapkido we perfrom five basic Tan Jon breathing excercises from the jhoon bee (ready) position. They are:
- Pushing to the front
- Pushing inwards (horizontally - left and right)
- Pushing outwards (horizontally - left and right)
- Pushing upwards
- Pushing downwards
Taking the first Tan Jon excercise (pushing to the front) as an example:
- Stand in a middle level horse stance. Equal balance are on both feet which should feel as if they are gripping the floor. Next straighten and align the hips and lower back by pulling the tailbone around and forward while pushing the bottom of the abdomen around and backwards. This also creates tension in the Tan Jon area just below the navel. Align the upper back, head and shoulders. Shoulders are held back in line with the hips while the head is pushed up and the chin pulled backwards. This also aligns the top part of the spine. The arms are held relaxed in the starting position for each exercise.
- Once the basic body positions above are correct then Tan Jon breathing can commence. Imagine that you are breathing through a hole in your lower abdomen. Inhale through the nose not the mouth. This allows the diaphragm to drop to its lowest position thereby filling all of the lungs with a deep breath. As you inhale slowly move your hands in a circular motion so you have open hands (palms facing outwards) at chest level. Imagine you have a big rock directly in front of you and you are getting ready to push it away.
- Once the inhalation is completed and the abdomen is at its lowest point, most of the breath is exhaled softly leaving behind air only in the lower abdomen. This exhalation should also sink you into a lower stance. At this point the exercise should have been completed to a slow count of one.
- It is important to curl your fingers back in a "claw" like position (as opposed to an open palm). This is good practise for the application of Tan Jon breathing techniques to a palm strike or strike-to-grab technique.
- In the next part of the exercise the remaining breath held to a slow count of two and three. You should feel some tension, heat, whatever in the Tan Jon area below your navel which you then visualise being pushed up your torso, down each arm and out into your hands from your Tan Jon.
- On the count four you expel the last of the breath forcibly, imagining that it is being pushed out along with the energy stored in your hands which may vibrate slightly. The tension in the hands is released explosively; the hands are snapped out fast and retracted just as fast. Exhale through the mouth as you push forwards concentrating on focusing the ki energy in the direction of movement.
- You then repeat the process. As you progress through the grades, doing the exercise to a count of 6 and then 8 further develops your Tan Jon breathing.
- At all times the entire body should be relaxed apart from the Tan Jon area and hands prior to the final exhalation. Often students misunderstand this and try to do the exercise by tensing up. Often they will grimace and go red in the face. This is incorrect and potentially dangerous if the student suffers from high blood pressure.
 | Tan Jon breathing pushing to the front. Notice the middle level horse stance and fingers in a "claw" position. |
 | Tan Jon breathing pushing inwards |
 | Tan Jon breathing pushing outwards |
 | Tan Jon breathing pushing up |
 | Tan Jon breathing down outwards |
Kukjae Hapkido "Tan Jon" breathing style with the snap is a reflection of its army links through GM Lee. Other Hapkido masters without this background teach a softer style - e.g. GM Bong Soo Han (as depicted in his book: "Hapkido: Korean Art of Self-Defense by Bong Soo Han (1974) Ohara Publications Ltd.).
Tan Jon breathing should be done as part of each Basic or Pattern. Once the student understands the breathing sequence it can then be applied to the patterns. All of the movements should be done while the breath is being circulated or exhaled and breathing in should only occur when the student is changing directions. This also applies to our basics, self defence and free sparring activities.
Links
In Chinese Martial Arts this technique is called "Zhang Zhuang" or "Standing Meditation". The "Tan Jon" is called "Dan Tien" in Chinese, standing meditation is fairly common practice in a lot of Asian martial arts, most prevalent in internal arts like Tai Chi, Hsing Yi, Ba Gua, Aikido, and so on. Zhang Zhuang is a form of Qi-Gong.
A good reference on the subject is "Iron Shirt Chi Kung I" by Mantek Chia. Hapkido Tan Jon breathing is a basic exercise that forms part of a Taoist breathing philosophy detailsed in this book.