Body centerline

Body centerline (정중선, jeongjungseon): a Korean kumdo source defines it as the line that passes vertically through the middle of the front and back of the body.

• In the jungdan (중단) guard, the tip of the jukdo (죽도), called the geomseon (검선), stays on the opponent's centerline. It is aimed at the throat (인후부), and its extension falls on the opponent's left eye or between the eyebrows.
• The left fist is held about one fist in front of the navel and one fist below it. It is fixed on one's own centerline, with the feeling of supporting the jukdo from underneath.
• English-language kendo sources describe this as «taking the centre». The bamboo sword is placed on the opponent's centreline, access to one's own is denied, and the position is used to create an opportunity to strike.
• The same sources add that the idea goes beyond geometry. One instructor says that simply pointing the tip at the opponent's centre is not the same as taking the centerline. He sees it as pressure that comes from the movement of the whole body.