VISIT OUR SHOP! GW Elite Sparring MMA Gloves

Internal/External

Author: Xia Tolteca
Date Posted: October 30, 2006

In Chinese martial arts there has traditionally been a distinction made between 'internal' and 'external' martial arts, with the former being said to be more fluid, rounded, relaxed, and based on use of 'Qi', and the latter based more on hard, straight, often 'fixed' movements, utilizing muscle strength. Even some martial arts experts believe this. We assert that these interpretations are wrongly appointed and have damaged understanding of the real nature of martial arts.

All movements of the body are movements of the body. All movements use muscles, bones, sinews - and truly powerful movements use whole body integration, that is, all of the body, not *internal energy* but *total energy*. All deliberate movements are guided by our intent.

All movements are movements. All fixed ways are fixed ways. We assert that 'Internal' does not by any means refer to anything to do with the superstitious notion of *internal energy* which we assert is a corruption of the original Taoist meaning, but actually refers to 'unfolding' knowledge from within, from the *internal* in accordance with Taoist principles. *Internal method* has nothing whatsoever to do with the type of movement used in any given martial art. Internal method means that the knowledge of movement and martial art is already in you, and that it can be accessed, or remembered. (It should be remembered, however, that Taoism is a sophisticated philosophy which seeks to transcend limit binary concepts such as internal and external, so these should be used only as a guide, recognizing that language has only a limited ability to teach certain physical ideas. Each person, therefore, needs to experiment themselves, trusting their own intuition and claiming their own martial art, in order to understand the true and profound nature of internal method training.)

*External* also does not mean any particular type of movement - it is nothing to do with how hard a movement is, or how straight, or how much it relies on muscles. These false views have grown up over the years, centuries even, but contradict the original theories of Tao - that knowledge is already a massive potential waiting within a person, and is accessed, not *put in* to us by any means - certainly not by copying other people's movements.

*External* actually refers to the theory that martial art's essence can somehow be learned from the 'outside in', by slavishly copying the moves of another person over and over until they match that other person's *form* as exactly as possible. That process does not give a person a deep or practical skill - it just cripples a person's free flowing ability - the very ability which should have been the true heart of his martial arts. Copying fixed form only leads further and further away from internal knowledge - either in martial arts, or any other area. Your style is unique - you can not copy it from anyone. Only you can bring it out of you, and that is internal method martial arts. A true teacher guides that process in you. A false teacher cripples that process by installing his own method in to your system.

We assert that copying other people is not the true way to essence, and that essence is the starting point, not the destination; and therefore to allow our intent to fully guide our movements, freely, without hesitation, with explosive power, one must strip away pointless form, not add it. Each person is already a master of movement - each person's way of moving is already mastered over long years. It is that mastery of ineffective movement that needs to be stripped away.

We believe that the false interpretations of internal and external have been a terrible blunder, and that this mis-appointment has consequently hindered countless people in achieving their true potential. People try to achieve an understanding of martial arts just by copying other people - but that is not possible. Copying movements does not lead to any understanding - and worse, it imprisons a body in routine, and worse than that, it imprisons the body in someone else's routine.

It could perhaps be said that on another level of understanding, 'internal' refers to intent, whereas 'external' refers to the physical movement which expresses it. We feel that although there are some ideas to unfold around this concept, it is not really true. We feel that this is probably the idea which first began to lead people away from the truth that essence must be unfolded from within. There is a sense in which movement must express intent, yet in truth this is merely a way of talking, and in actual practice intent and expression must integrate in to one thing, so there is no real difference between the internal or external - all are one. We assert that at this point the body becomes aware that there really is only intent.

'In the pursuit of learning, everyday something is added.
In the pursuit of Tao, everyday something is dropped'
Lao Tzu
Tao Te Ching.

No channels of *internal* energy circulate around the body. All of a person is Qi.... Qi is the whole physical form of a person, not a part of a person, or something like blood that flows around the body. That is a superstitious belief.

There is no given way of moving your arms and legs that *generates*, *stores* or *enhances* Qi. Moving your hands up and down won't make you more powerful. Those people who say that they have *internal* power are mistaken. *Power* comes from using the whole body - not from secret stores of invisible energy, no matter how powerful a person may seem. Those people who claim that specific, fixed movements create more internal energy are wrong. No hand movement or breathing exercise generates so called internal energy. There is no internal energy other than the natural energy of a person. There is no mystical secret power. There is no internal force. Power comes from correct use of the whole body. Explosive power comes from relaxation and correct use of body mechanics. All of a person's physical form is Qi.

The soft, flowing movements that are sometimes seen in martial arts do not create or enhance any so called internal energy; they are designed to teach a body how to relax and use its total energy to maximum efficiency. Fixed forms such as taiji do not achieve this. Taiji is an external method martial art because it relies on a person copying a another person's form - i.e. attempting to achieve understanding of the essence of martial arts from the outside in, which is a contradiction of internal method training.

Power comes from total energy, not from internal energy.

Copyright Gate of Quan 2006

Gateofquan@yahoo.co.uk

About The Author

Whilst this article remains under the copyright of the Gate of Quan, it is our belief that all martial artists should work together for our mutual betterment and understanding. In pursuance thereof, we believe that all ideas pertaining to martial arts are the property of the whole world.

Gate of Quan

Article Source: JKD Street Combat - online collection of Tai Chi articles.

Write an online review and share your thoughts with other readers!