What are the Five Elements?
HNK uses this philosophical concept of the five elements. To the uninitiated, this could seem like fluff to make a style sound better. To others it can sound immature and cartoony. But to those who do understand or at least have an open mind, the five elements are a great beacon on the path of martial arts.
Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Void. These elements come from ancient Japanese philosophy as well as from other cultures around the world. These are also the alchemical elements, the differences of the zodiac, and a way to categorize things into five good chunks.
There have been many definitions of what these elements mean in the martial arts, but over years of study, questions, and seminars I have come up with working definitions. These definitions describe the way that techniques and principles work, as well as emotions that people are in when they are doing martial arts.
Earth represents the Resilient Warrior. It is solid, rooted, and unwavering. By holding its ground, restricting movements, and using powerful blows Earth resists, endures, and crushes the problem.
Water represent the Patient Warrior. It is fluid, receptive, and controlling. By manipulating balance, motion, and energy Water moves with, redirects, and alters the problem.
Fire represents the Fierce Warrior. It is fierce, quick, and aggressive. By constantly advancing and projecting relentless strikes Fire stalks, attacks, and overwhelms the problem.
Wind represents the Untethered Warrior. It is evasive, shifty, and mobile. By controlling range, height, and movement Wind avoids, confuses, and goes around the problem.
And Void represents the Ultimate Warrior. It is imaginative, unpredictable, and creative. By using intention, deception, and embodying nothingness Void understands and provides whatever is needed to handle any problem.
Each technique and principle in HNK can be assumed to follow these guidelines. I consider these as 'flavors' to your style. Whereas a roundhouse kick can be considered a fire strike because it is designed simple to do damage, a moving armbar could be considered a water technique because of its usage of the opponent's energy and peaceful method of ending the fight. A grabbing wrist-lock could be considered an earth technique because it restricts the opponent's movement and locks their balance. And a crescent kick could be considered a wind strike because it can be done on the move and circles around the opponent's limbs umtil it reaches its target.
Well what is Void then? Void is the trickiest of all the elements. It is hard enough to define, even when you can put words to it. Simply put, it is the right action at the right time with the right end result. Some describe it as the combination of all the other elements. Though that isn't wrong, it's not completely correct either. The four elements are used to describe the vastness of what can be considered void. I've mentioned that the roundhouse kick is fire, by assumption. That same kick can also be void depending on your timing and reasoning. If you fight very watery, like an Aikido practitioner and you use a well-placed roundhouse, many would assume that you 'tapped into the void' to use a kick unlike your other techniques. Void can even be a glare, sending off a subconscious message that you are not the one to be messed with (this is called 'using your intention' and is assumed by many martial arts styles but taught by few). There are some techniques and principles and even martial arts styles that can be assumed to be completely void (from what I've encountered, I would assume the Russian Martial Art of Systema to be a void-based art, and the deepest levels of Ninjutsu).
All in all, the elements are ways we can understand our emotions and try to define our martial arts styles. They are by no means necessary, but in a hybrid system that utilizes many techniques from many different styles, it is helpful to know how your lessons fit together. Generally speaking, elemental techniques work well with the same element. There are some combinations of elements and fighting types that are perfect together (and many martial arts systems seem to be patterned by these combinations). In fact, as your rank progresses in HNK, your training increases to include 1 of 6 Paths, which are styles based on combinations of elements.
