SenseiHitman
Orange Belt
Teach a beginner to relax while in a controlled environment while in some pain. Then after they can demo the ability to stay cool n meditate on the bed we walk up onto the students stomach and stand on them to test their breath synchronization. once they do this well we place cinder blocks on the stomach then break them with the sledge hammer this is done to demo the ability to synchronize your breath = breath out to take the incoming blow, the belly must push forward to keep the blocks supported. The last block is the hardest. To lay on the bed and meditate is a skill taught to the white belt or beginner, before taking the 1st degree black belt test I was required to do the cinder block breaking on the nails. This coincides with striking the stomach with the 2x4s and forearms with 2X2s. Using the Ki to protect the body and to get power in blows is taught here. These exercises along with others (yoga/chi gung) fall under that category of Iron Shirt and Iron fist training. One demo my teacher used to do was have me lay on the nails, place an orange on my belly, and slice it in half with his katana while wearing a blind fold. To be funny when he first would walk up on me with the blind fold on he would wave the blade next to my face then I would push it away and he would make the cut.