Top Force with The Neck Empty
（虚領頂勁 虚霊頂勁 虛領頂勁 虛靈頂勁 虚领顶劲 虚灵顶劲）
In the sports world, there is the word of “entering the zone”.
What does it mean? If you enter the zone, you can drive your best performance. In this state, relaxing and tense are living together, and your concentration is peak. You are in mysterious state.
Traditional theory in Taijiquan tells us an importance of “Top force with the neck empty (虛領頂勁)”.
Today, I would like to explain the relation between “Top force with the neck empty” and “entering the zone”.
If you are a martial artist and come across an enemy, you should enter this state in a moment.
If your adrenaline comes up gradually while fighting and it takes time to reach the best condition, it might be you are getting in trouble.
Usually bare-hand fighting ends up shortly.
The ring fighting while wearing boxing gloves is different from the street fighting.
Please imagine the situation that you are surrounded with enemies holding knife or metal bat.
If you are a martial artist, you could instantly switch onto a channel of a state of war.
In other words, it enters the zone.
A martial artist unconsciously acquired this technique.
Then, what could be a state of the body at that time?
Tradition teaches us two theories.
1) Energy down to the body center (氣沉丹田)
Energy comes down to a center of the body, and this energy is expanding from the center to outer as a barrier of energy.
This might be understood.
2) Top force with the neck empty (虛領頂勁)
On the other hand, it would be difficult to explain this theory.
Mind energy penetrates on top of the head and makes it possible to put radar around. If this state would be explained, the neck is relaxed and the head is lifting up. Every movements of the opponent can be detected as a connection of the space.
The state of entering the zone is not only when you encounter enemies.
The same is true when starting a routine exercise of the Taijiquan form.
In order to achieve a best performance, you should enter this state at the beginning of the stage.
