地 · Chi
The Five Holds
Five positions, ground upward. Ankle, knee, hip, spine, shoulder — in that order, because a joint that cannot do its job hands that job to the joint above it, and work done further up while the base is missing is work performed on a compensation.
Everything needed to train is on this page. Nothing here is withheld.
The session
- 01
Ankle
The deep squat, heels flat
45–60 seconds
Feet around shoulder width, turned out as much as is comfortable. Descend as far as you can while both heels stay flat on the floor and your lower back stays long rather than curling under. Stay there. Fingertips on a door frame for balance are fine; a grip that takes weight is not.
Watch for
The heel lifts, usually around thirty seconds and usually unnoticed. Train barefoot on a hard floor so you feel the pressure migrate to the ball of the foot. The moment a heel leaves the ground, the hold is over — write down the honest number, not the one you were aiming for.
Too hard today? Hold a door frame and control the descent, going only as deep as heels-flat allows. Or stand with your heels on a book about two centimetres thick — but treat that as scaffolding and reduce it every fortnight, or you will end up with a deep squat and the same ankle you started with.
Measure it. Knee-to-wall. Foot flat, toes pointing at a wall, drive the knee forward to touch it with the heel down. Find the furthest distance that still works and measure toe to wall, both sides. Most men start between four and nine centimetres.
- 02
Knee
The split squat, rear knee hovering
45–60 seconds each side
Step one foot forward into a long stride. Lower straight down — not forward — until the rear knee hovers a couple of centimetres above the floor. Front foot flat, heel down. Front knee travelling forward over the foot. Torso upright. The rear knee never rests: the moment it touches, the load leaves the front leg and this becomes a hip position instead.
Watch for
The torso pitches forward. It feels harder because you are working, and it moves the load off the front knee into the hip and lower back. Shoulders stay roughly above hips for the whole hold. Film one from the side and it will be obvious.
Too hard today? Shorten the stride, take fingertips on a wall for balance, and descend only as far as the front heel stays flat and the torso stays vertical. A shallow honest position beats a deep one held by leaning.
Measure it. Squat to depth twice — once flat-footed, once with heels raised two centimetres. If the knee tracks inward on the flat version and stays straight on the raised one, the knee is fine and the ankle is not.
- 03
Hip
The split kneel, tailbone tucked
60 seconds each side
Kneel on one knee, other foot flat in front, both at roughly right angles. Cushion under the down knee. Now tuck the tailbone under — think of the belt buckle lifting toward your chin — and keep the torso vertical. The tuck is small, a few degrees, and it is the entire exercise.
Watch for
Leaning forward, which produces more sensation while doing considerably less, and arching the lower back, which lets the pelvis tip and keeps the hip shut. Put a hand on your lower back for the first few sessions and feel whether it stays flat.
Too hard today? Bring the front foot back toward the rear knee to shorten the split, and reduce the tuck. A very small tuck in an easy stance is the right start. A long stance with no tuck is the wrong trade — it produces a stretch you can feel in tissue that is not the point.
Measure it. Lie on your back on the floor. Pull one knee to your chest and hold it. Does the back of the other thigh stay in contact with the floor? The gap, if there is one, is range your lower back has been supplying every time you walk.
- 04
Spine
Single-leg stance, eyes closed
30–60 seconds each side
Stand on one foot, the other lifted. Stand tall, close your eyes. Two requirements matter more than duration: the pelvis on the free side stays level rather than sinking, and the trunk stays vertical rather than side-bending toward the standing leg. Stand near a wall; one finger is information, not support.
Watch for
The free hip drops and the trunk leans to bring your weight over the foot. It feels like balancing and it is the exact compensation this position exists to remove. Film from the front once — it is invisible from where you are standing.
Too hard today? Keep the eyes open and close them only for the last few seconds, extending that weekly. Or rest the toes of the free foot lightly on the floor behind you. A frantic, gripping foot means the position is currently too hard — come back a level.
Measure it. Time each side with the eyes closed. Note the difference between sides, and the difference between eyes open and eyes closed. A minute open and eleven seconds closed means your balance has been running on vision.
- 05
Shoulder
The hang
30–60 seconds
Hang from a bar, both hands, arms straight, and let your shoulders come up around your ears. This is a passive hang — you will have been taught to pull the shoulders down and back, and not here. The value is in the full elevated range, which is exactly the range that has gone missing.
Watch for
Grip failing first, which is a hand problem being mistaken for a shoulder ceiling — use straps or keep the feet partly down. And in any overhead work off the bar, the lower back arching to deliver range the shoulder does not have.
Too hard today? Keep the feet on the floor and take a quarter of your weight through the arms, then a third, then one foot down. Ten seconds is a legitimate start. If hanging is sharp in the joint, leave it and work the wall position instead — back to a wall, lower back flat, arms sliding up as far as honest range allows, thirty seconds.
Measure it. Back against a wall, lower back pressed flat, arms overhead and straight. Measure the distance from the back of the hand to the wall, both arms. Under five centimetres is decent; fifteen or more is substantial restriction.
Ninety days
Phase one · weeks 1–2
3 sessions a week · one round · 30 seconds
Find the honest position for each of the five. Do not chase depth and do not add time. Two weeks establishing where your real positions are is what makes the following ten weeks work.
Phase two · weeks 3–6
4 sessions a week · two rounds · build to 60 seconds
Depth does not change. Stance length does not change. Load does not appear. The only variable moving is seconds. This is the phase men skip because nothing appears to be happening, and it is the phase doing the work.
Phase three · weeks 7–12
4–5 sessions a week · two rounds · 60 seconds
Now progress beyond time: deeper squat, longer stride, and modest load in the split kneel and the single-leg stance. One progression at a time, a fortnight apart. When a position gets deeper, its time resets — a deeper position is a new position.
The rule that governs all of it: time first, then depth, then load, never out of order. If a hold feels easy, stay longer. Adding weight to a position you cannot yet hold is the mistake that put most men here.
The plates
One thing a screen cannot do
The drawing beside each position above, at full size — one to a sheet, to print and put on the floor beside you, with the line to watch marked and the dose on the plate.
A thumbnail tells you the shape. A sheet on the floor is the only version you can check yourself against while you are in the position, which is the only moment checking is any use — and it is the one thing you cannot do holding a phone.
Free. Leave an address and they come to you.
These five are the first of five scrolls — 地 Earth, the ground a discipline stands on. The other four are Denshō.
Nothing here is medical advice. These build capacity in joints that are sound and under-prepared. Pain that wakes you at night, followed an injury, or comes with swelling, locking or giving way is a matter for a doctor, and no protocol substitutes for one.