In Chinese martial arts society, it is also said: “First, bravery; second, power; and third, gongfu.”3 The word “gongfu” here means the martial skills that a person has achieved through long, arduous training. When the situation occurs, among the factors necessary for winning, the first and most crucial is how brave you are. If you are afraid and nervous, then even if you have fast speed, strong power, and good techniques, you will not be able to put all of these into action. From this proverb, you can see that compared to all other winning factors bravery is the most important.
It is generally understood in Chinese martial arts society that before the Liang dynasty (A.D. 502-557), martial artists did not study the use of qi to increase speed and power. As explained earlier, after the Liang dynasty, martial artists performing Muscle/Tendon Changing Qigong from Da Mo realized the value of qi training in developing speed and power. This type of training quickly became a major component of almost all styles. Because of this two-part historical development, the examination of this topic will cover two distinct eras. The dividing point will be the Liang dynasty, when Da Mo came to China (A.D. 527-536).
It is generally believed that before Da Mo, although qi theory and principles had been studied and widely applied in Chinese medicine, they were not used in the martial arts. Speed and power, on the other hand, were normally developed through continued training. Even though this training emphasized a concentrated mind, it did not provide the next step and link this to developing qi. Instead, these martial artists concentrated solely on muscular power. This is why styles originating from this period are classified as external styles.
Da Mo passed down two classics: the Muscle/Tendon Changing Classic (Yi Jin Jing) and the Marrow/Brain Washing Classic (Xi Sui Jing). The Yi Jin Jing was not originally intended to be used for fighting. Nevertheless, the martial qigong based on it was able to significantly increase power, and it became a mandatory course of training in the Shaolin Temple. This had a revolutionary effect on Chinese martial arts, leading to the establishment of an internal foundation based on qi training.
As time passed, several martial styles were created which emphasized a soft body instead of the stiff muscular body developed by the Shaolin priests. These newer styles were based on the belief that since internal energy (qi) is the root and foundation of physical strength, a martial artist should first build up this internal root. This theory holds that when qi is abundant and full, it can energize the physical body to a higher level so that power can be manifested more effectively and efficiently. In order to build up qi and circulate it smoothly, the body must be relaxed and the mind must be concentrated. We can recognize at least two internal styles, post-heaven techniques (hou tian fa) and small nine heavens (xiao jiu tian), as having been created during this time (A.D. 550-600). Both later became popular during the Tang dynasty (A.D. 618-907). According to some documents, these two styles were the original sources of Taijiquan, the creation of which is credited to Zhang, San-feng of the late Song dynasty ca. A.D. 1200.4
In summary: The various martial arts are divided into external and internal styles. While the external styles emphasize training techniques and building up the physical body through some martial qigong training, the internal styles emphasize the building up of qi in the body. In fact, all styles, both internal and external, have martial qigong training. The external styles train the physical body and hard qigong first and gradually become soft and train soft qigong, while the internal styles train soft qigong first and later apply the built-up qi to the physical techniques. It is said: “Externally, train tendons, bones, and skin; and internally, train one mouthful of qi.”5 This means that it does not matter whether you are studying an external or an internal style; if you want to manifest the maximum amount of power, you have to train both externally and internally. Externally means the physical body, and internally means the qi circulation and level of qi storage in the body that is related to the breathing.
It is said: “The external styles are from hard to soft and the internal styles are from soft to hard; the ways are different but the final goal is the same.”6 It is also said: “External styles are from external to internal, while internal styles are from internal to external. Although the approaches are different, the final goal is the same.”7 Again, it is said: “External styles are first muscular strength (li) and then qi, while internal styles are first qi and later li.”8 The preceding discussion should give you a general idea of how to distinguish external and internal styles. Frequently, internal and external styles are also judged by how the jin is manifested. Jin is defined as “li and qi,”. Li means muscular strength. It is how the muscles are energized by the qi and how this manifests externally as power. It is said: “The internal styles are as soft as a whip, the soft-hard styles (half external and half internal) are like rattan, and the external styles are like a staff.” The concept of jin will be discussed next.
Martial Power—Jin
Jin training is a very important part of the Chinese martial arts, but there is very little written on the subject in English. Theoretically, jin can be defined as “using the concentrated mind to lead the qi to energize the muscles and thus manifest the power to its maximum level.” From this, you can see that jin is related to the training of the mind and qi. That means qigong.
Traditionally, many masters have viewed the higher levels of jin as a secret that should be passed down only to a few trusted students. Almost all Asian martial styles train jin. The differences lie in the depth to which jin is understood, in the different kinds of jin trained, and in the range and characteristics of the emphasized jins. For example, Tiger Claw Style emphasizes hard and strong jin, imitating the tiger’s muscular strength; muscles predominate in most of the techniques. White Crane, Dragon, and Snake are softer styles, and the muscles are used relatively less. In Taijiquan and Liu He Ba Fa, the softest styles, soft jin is especially emphasized and muscle usage is cut down to a minimum.
The application of jin brings us to a major difference between the Oriental martial arts and those of the West. Oriental martial arts traditionally emphasize the training of jin, whereas this concept and training approach is relatively unknown in other parts of the world. In China, martial styles and martial artists are judged by their jin. How deeply is jin understood and how well is it applied? How strong and effective is it, and how is it coordinated with martial technique? When a martial artist performs his art without jin it is called “flower fist and brocade leg”. This is to scoff at the martial artist without jin who is weak like a flower and soft like brocade. Like dancing, his art is beautiful but not useful. It is also said: “Train quan and not gong, when you get old, all emptiness.”9 This means that if a martial artist emphasizes only the beauty and smoothness of his forms and doesn’t train his gong, then when he gets old, he will have nothing. The “gong” here means “qigong” and refers to the cultivation of qi and its coordination with jin to develop the latter to its maximum and to make the techniques effective and alive. Therefore, if a martial artist learns his art without training his “qigong” and “jin gong”, once he gets old the techniques he has learned will be useless because he will have lost his muscular strength.
Often jin has been considered a secret transmission in Chinese martial arts society. This is so not only because it was not revealed to most students, but also because it cannot be passed down with words alone. Jin must be experienced. It is said that the master “passes down jin.” Once you feel jin done by your master, you know what is meant and can work on it by yourself. Without an experienced master it is more difficult, but not impossible, to learn about jin. There are general principles and training methods which an experienced martial artist can use to grasp the keys of this practice. If you are interested in this rather substantial subject, please refer to my book: Tai Chi Theory and Martial Power, published by YMAA.
Hard Styles, Soft-Hard Styles, and Soft Styles