Glossary of terms
Related article: “When Baseball Seeks Its Center”
A brief guide to the terms used in the study. The character forms keep the linguistic setting of each tradition; one term may be explained differently by different schools. Boxing, MMA and wrestling are listed without explanation.
Body, attention and philosophy
HaraLiterally belly; in the Japanese cultural and martial vocabulary also a person’s inner center, resolve and calm.
Hara ga suwaruLiterally “to have a settled belly”; an idiom for inner firmness, courage and composure.
KiA Japanese concept associated with vitality, intention, breath and unified action; individual schools interpret it differently.
QiThe Chinese relative of ki; in Chinese traditions connected with breath, vitality and cultivation of the body.
GiThe Korean form of the concept written with the character 氣; it also appears in the Korean martial-arts vocabulary.
Tanden“Cinnabar field”; the traditional area of bodily concentration in the lower abdomen, especially in stance and breathing.
Seika tanden“The tanden below the navel”; the traditional name for the center in the lower abdomen to which Enomoto’s statement refers.
Seika no itten“The one point below the navel”; the central instruction of Tohei’s school of mind–body unification.
Shinshin tōitsuUnification of mind and body; the principle of Nakamura’s and later Tohei’s teaching.
Shinshin tōitsu-hōNakamura’s method of unifying mind and body, combining breath, attention, inner attitude and discipline.
Shinshin tōitsu-dō“The way of unifying mind and body”; an alternative name connected with Nakamura’s teaching.
Mushin“Mind without attachment”; a state in which action is not slowed by disruptive conscious commentary.
Muga“Without self”; a concept associated with weakening egocentric self-observation.
Fudōshin“Unshakable mind”; the ability to keep inner stability under pressure and changing circumstances.
MaaiThe relationship of distance, timing and the right moment between opponents or actions.
FukuatsuIntra-abdominal pressure; a modern physical term that also came up in interviews with Japanese pitchers.
KokyūBreath or breathing; in martial schools often part of rhythm, stance and timing of movement.
Bushidō“The way of the warrior”; a modernly interpreted ethical and cultural ideal to which Japanese sport is often related.
ZenA Japanese Buddhist tradition; in sports literature associated with attention and acting in the present.
Japanese schools, training and weapons
AikidoaikidōA Japanese martial art working with balance, contact, timing and principles of uniting mind and body.
Shinshin Toitsu AikidoTohei’s line of aikido with special emphasis on ki, relaxation, a stable stance and concentration below the navel.
IaidōA modern Japanese discipline of drawing and wielding the sword, often developing attention, precision and timing.
KendokendōThe Japanese sporting way of the sword; training includes stance, distance, timing and the strike.
KenjutsuSwordsmanship techniques of the traditional Japanese martial schools.
BattōjutsuTechniques of drawing the sword and executing a cut immediately.
JōjutsuTraditional Japanese techniques of fighting with the jō staff.
TaijutsuA general Japanese term for unarmed fighting and movement techniques.
KobujutsuThe study of older Japanese fighting techniques and movement principles.
Kashima ShinryūA classical Japanese martial school studied, among others, by Yoshinori Kono.
Negishi-ryūA classical Japanese school of throwing weapons; another of Kono’s lines of study.
Shorinji KempoA modern Japanese system founded by Doshin So in 1947; it also draws on Chinese martial traditions.
Kyokushin karateA full-contact style of karate associated with hard physical conditioning and competition.
ShinkyokushinkaiAn organizational and teaching branch continuing the tradition of Kyokushin karate.
KarateA Japanese/Okinawan martial art of punches, kicks, blocks and forms; there are many schools and rule sets.
Tomari-teA historical Okinawan tradition of unarmed fighting associated with the Tomari area.
DojodōjōA space for teaching and training martial arts.
BokkenA wooden practice sword used, for example, in teaching stance and relaxation.
SuburiRepeated solo execution of the basic swing or sword cut; also used in baseball drills.
EmbuA demonstration of martial techniques or a rehearsed routine, for example in Shorinji Kempo.
Ippon-ashi dahōSadaharu Oh’s one-legged batting stance, often called the “flamingo stance.”
Hiza no nukiReleasing (“unlocking”) the knee at the start of a movement; a principle also studied in the baseball slide-step.
Tanden tōhōA term for pitching with concentration on the lower abdomen and coordination of the body’s center.
ShōseikanKono’s research dojo, founded in 1978 and devoted to the study of efficient movement.
Chinese, Korean and other martial traditions
TaijiquanA Chinese martial art known for slow forms, work with balance, weight transfer and breath.
Yakyū taikyokukenJapanese name for a training set of movements inspired by tai chi for baseball.
Han Shi Yi QuanA school of Chinese martial art mentioned in the text, studied by the biomechanist Keizo Takahashi.
YiquanA Chinese martial art focused on stance, bodily perception, intent and the cultivation of movement.
QigongChinese methods of working with breath, attention and bodily coordination.
Kung fugongfuA broad name for Chinese martial traditions; originally, more generally, any skill cultivated over a long time.
Northern ShaolinA group of northern Chinese Shaolin traditions; in Hoefling’s background one component of the broader Wing Woo Gar system.
Wing Woo GarJames Wing Woo’s synthetic Chinese martial system; it combines Hung Gar, Choy Li Fut, Eagle Claw, Northern Shaolin and the internal styles of taijiquan, baguazhang and xingyiquan.
BaguazhangA Chinese internal martial art characterized by circle walking and changes of direction and axis of movement.
XingyiquanA Chinese internal martial art emphasizing intent, bodily coordination and direct transfer of force.
TaekwondoA Korean martial art and Olympic sport, strongly focused on kicks, technique and speed.
HapkidoA Korean martial art including joint locks, throws and work with the energy of the opponent’s movement.
JudojūdōA Japanese martial art and sport of throws, locks and control of balance.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu / BJJA grappling discipline focused on fighting in contact, control and dealing with a partner’s resistance.
Muay ThaiมวยไทยThai boxing; in the text it appears as a training experience of players and as the original sport of a Taiwanese coach.
CapoeiraAn Afro-Brazilian movement and fighting tradition combining fighting techniques, rhythm and acrobatics.
BudokonCameron Shayne’s movement system, combining jiu-jitsu, karate, yoga and mobility.
Yōshūkai Karate-dōOne of the schools of karate; the article lists it among Cameron Shayne’s training specializations.
Baseball and research vocabulary
Flow / zoneNames for a subjective state of fluent, deeply focused performance; in the text a parallel to some players’ testimonies.
Kinetic chainThe sequencing of the body’s segments that allows force to be transferred from the ground to the hand, bat or ball.
ProprioceptionPerception of the position and movement of one’s own body without continuous visual control.
Slide-stepA shortened pitching delivery used, for example, to control runners on base.
FieldingDefensive handling of the ball in the field.
NPB / MLB / CPBL / KBOThe top professional baseball leagues of Japan, the USA/Canada, Taiwan and South Korea.
ERA / OPS / AVG / RBICommon baseball statistics: a pitcher’s earned run average; the sum of OBP and SLG; batting average; runs batted in.
Boxing · MMA · wrestling