Xinyiquan and xingyiquan
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DEFINING INTERNAL GONGFU - part one by ken fish Language is an imperfect and imprecise medium of communication, although it seems we generally manage to cope. Terms are defined either by convention or common use, and sometimes used without real understanding on the part of the user or the recipient. Most disciplines have jargon of their own. These jargon terms are frequently new or obscure meaning for words which have other common use meanings. When the average person "feels a thrill" her or she is having a good time, whereas a physician is describing a quality of vibration felt when palpating the area of the chest above the heart. Similarly, when the non-martial artist hears a martial artist use the term "internal" to describe his art of choice, the uninitiated many wonder if it has something to do with the state of his bowels. In the 25 years I have been involved with Chinese martial arts, I have time and again heard terms such as "power," "energy," and particularly "internal" used with only the haziest notion of what the speaker or writer means (or thinks he means). "Power" and "energy" have very narrow physical and mechanical definitions, and will be dealt with here only indirectly. "Internal," on the other hand, seems in dire need of an English language definition, one which approaches the Chinese usage without embracing metaphysics. "Internal" is the commonly used approximation for the Chinese terms Neijia and Neigong. The first literally mean "inside family," and has several connotations. Something taught within the walls of a compound, i.e. a Buddhist or Taoist temple, would by definition be Neijia. This applies to theology as well as martial arts. In addition, the term implies something kept from outsiders or novices, who might be referred to as Weijia, or outsiders. By this definition, no one would want to admit to being Waijia, or worse Waihong, i.e. thoroughly uninitiated. In recent decades the term Neijia has been reserved strictly for so-called "internal" systems of martial arts, such as Taiji, Xingyi and Bagua. I believe this is inaccurate, a confusion of Neijia with Neigong. Neigong means "internal work," and refers to training of muscle groups, ligaments, and tendons not usually under conscious control. By contrast, Qigong refers to breath control and visualization techniques for various purposes - increased circulation to the distal points of the extremities, increased vital capacity, religious discipline, among others. In the martial arts paradigm the terms Neigong and Qigong have distinctly unique meanings. Mistranslation has led to confusion and the incorrect use of these terms as synonyms. This distinction is further confused by attempts to reconcile the same terms, used in religious contexts, with their martial arts meaning. In Taoist, Buddhist, and Animist terms, any practices done within the confines of the sect, ranging from prayer, meditation, ascetic practices, qigong, to yoga and physical devotions may be called Neigong. It is this similarity of terms, but in different contexts and hence with different meanings, which has lead to well intended but inaccurate explanations of martial arts terms by well educated non-martial artists. Some might argue that the "internal" arts have religious foundation and therefore these terms, taken in the religious context, can be applied to martial arts. However, in most cased, the image of the "spiritual warrior" or "sage warrior" initiating and practicing these arts as part of his religious discipline and in accordance with philosophical principles is fantasy. In the heyday of martial arts in China, the majority of the best practitioners were uneducated thugs who trained to become very efficient at killing people in order to attain jobs as soldiers and body guards. It was the educated non-martial artist who romanticized the philosophical and religious connotations. Martial artists, particularly non-Chinese speakers, have also contributed to the problem by using these terms indiscriminately. An immediate sense of discomfort can elicited by pressing the average American (and many Chinese) practitioner for clear definitions distinguishing Qigong and Neigong or even defining "power" and "energy." The dichotomy between "internal" and "external" is a very recent one, popularized mostly since the turn of the century by scholars who were not professional martial artist Marital arts became popular among the educated classes due to the influence of various nationalistic movements in China, however the emphasis shifted to physical development rather than combat skills. A similar shift occurred in the West in the 1960's, becoming even more pronounced with the rise of the "New Age" movement. In order to lend some intellectual legitimacy to the practice of what were supposed to be efficient ways of killing or disabling an enemy, the intellectuals chose to ascribe spiritual benefits and philosophical qualities to their martial arts of choice. The professional martial artist, whose social position was heretofore slightly above that of pond scum, were only too happy to play along. Not only were they able to improve their financial lot by teaching martial arts as calisthenics to well educated, moneyed students, their activities were accorded a greater degree of social legitimacy as well. What then, is an "internal" martial art? How do the "internal" martial arts differ from the "external" martial arts? The answer is that these are the wrong questions. All major Chinese martial arts systems since Tang Dynasty have encompassed both Neigong and Weigong (external work). Neigong training includes a range of motion exercises, stretching, training the body to coordinate as a single unit, and most important, training to employ deep muscle groups for increased strength and power. By this I mean learning to activate (contract) certain muscle groups to a greater degree than they would normally in performing certain actions. For example, untrained persons, even weightlifters, only minimally exert their intercostals muscles when performing pull down exercise. The intercostals can trained to contract to a considerable (although not grossly visible) degree to augment the pull down or press down action. It is because the untrained observer cannot see the difference in apparent exertion, but the results can be clearly seen and felt, that these techniques are called internal work. All Chinese martial arts, particularly Northern and Western Chinese martial arts, seek to achieve and even balance of strength and suppleness in every movement (Kang Jou Xiang Qi), and work to train both internal and external skills (Nei Wei Jian Xiu). The movements of a skilled Chinese martial artist of any Northern system, and many Southern systems, should appear soft, light springy, and supple, full of strength but without stiffness. These qualities are simply the hallmark of good martial skills, not just "internal" arts. The best examples I have seen of the results of this sort of training have not been limited to so-called "internal" martial artists. In China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan all of the best Shaolin teachers I met possessed these skills to extraordinary degree, and were able to demonstrate aspects of both Neigong and Qigong which most "internal" martial artists only fantasize about. Indeed the dichotomy I mentioned seems stronger the further one is from skilled teachers, suggesting that it is a prejudice of the ignorant and unskilled. Weigong refers to the external, i.e. visible aspects of any martial art. All systems require firm balance, good posture and stance work, proper mechanical alignment, and so forth. These are the external structure without which there can be no advanced work. A further, historical note. There is a considerable body of evidence that orthodox (Hebei and Shantung) Xingyi was developed from early to mid-Ming Dynasty Shaolin, and Chen family Taiji from military martial arts of the same period. I will discuss the significance of this in my next article. REALITY CHECK - by ken fish Martial arts are more popular today than ever before, particularly as spectator events and other entertainment venues. Martial arts as a practical matter are almost extinct. The former has, in many ways, led to the latter. Full-contact matches, tournaments, movies, TV, and chain martial arts schools all contribute to the tremendous popularity of martial arts-flavored activities. At the same time, they encourage a view of martial arts training and application that is completely divorced from reality. Ask yourself what tournament sparring skills will help you when a knife is to your throat (it takes but a flick of the wrist to cut). How will pushing hands or performance wushu skills prevent an intruder from harming you and your loved ones late at night? If grappling is your thing, what prevents the friends of the guy you've just wrestled to the ground and are attempting to choke out from beating you to a bloody pulp while you're occupied? Yes, some valuable skills are to be gleaned from boxing or kickboxing - timing, distancing, and rhythm. Grappling may teach escape from holds. These skills are but components of real combat skills, and training within the framework of these sports may diminish one's ability to react properly to actual violence or the threat of violence. When faced with a hostile attacker (rather than a sparring or ring partner) there is no time to set up and feel out the opponent. The encounter must be ended almost as soon as it begins, within a second or two at best. The end result should be a would-be perpetrator who is either unconscious or severely incapacitated. When weapons enter the equation, ending it quickly is all the more vital. The sort of training which yields these results is the antithesis of sport martial arts. The student must practice realistic, simple techniques repetitively, to the point where conscious thought is no longer required. The techniques must then be further practiced under stress, in as close to a realistic format as possible. Only then is there a chance that the techniques will be there when needed. The techniques must be inherently violent and capable of doing maximum damage with the least-wasted motion and effort. Willingness to use the force necessary to hurt or even kill is absolutely essential. This quality, what the British call "bloody mindedness," is what distinguishes survivors from victims. This quality is not anger; rather it is a kind of ruthless determination and emotional detachment. I have seen these qualities and skills in many places, but seldom among "martial artists" today. Members of the Shinbhet (Israeli secret service), SAS elite forces and Soviet GRU agents possess similar skills from similar training. The martial arts teachers I've known who had these qualities were almost to a man from backgrounds that required them to be mean, suspicious individuals. For the most part they were at least peripherally involved in some aspect of either organized crime or intelligence. What these individuals had in common was not just similar training, but the need and opportunity to use their training. Which brings me to my last point: few martial arts teachers today have had encounters that seriously put their skills to the test. I still cringe when I recall a prominent writer of kung-fu books telling me that he had never had a real fight, or even witnessed one, but he taught what he imagined would be useful. Sadly, he is not the exception. He is perhaps just more honest than most teachers. MARTIAL ARTS FOR HEALTH The history of Ba Gua Zhang, and most other Chinese martial arts as well, is such that today it is very difficult for anyone interested in studying these arts to again exposure to a complete system By complete system I am referring to a comprehensive step-by-step method of training which is designed to develop a high level of well-rounded martial arts skill. While all traditional martial arts styles started out as complete systems, over the years these systems have been whittled away until all that we are left with today, in many cases, are fragments. In some cases all that is left of a particular system is one form sequence. If we look at the history of China in relation to the martial arts, it is not difficult to understand how the fragmentation occurred. Since the end of the Qing Dynasty martial arts instruction and practice in Mainland China has undergone a slow transformation from being studied solely for use in defense of one's self and others to being practiced predominantly for health and/or performance. This transformation began to take place during the early years of the Republic when prominent Government officials and skilled martial artists developed public martial arts programs for the purpose of improving the physical fitness of the Chinese people. The Central Martial Arts Academy (Zhong Yang Guo Shu Guan), which was opened in the late 1920's in Nanjing, and its network of subsidiary provincial martial arts schools, was an outgrowth of this program. The transformation further progressed under the communist government who will promote a diluted version of the health and performance style martial arts and has sought to standardize the martial arts by reducing complete systems of training down to a handful of performance oriented forms.
After the overthrow of the Qing Government in 1911, the "martial arts for health" movement began to emerge in China for two reasons. First, the Chinese people were generally weak. A corrupt government, foreign invasion, opium addiction, and poor harvest had beaten the people down. Second, for the same reasons listed above, national pride was low. The new government decided that in order to strengthen the country, they needed to strengthen the people. In order to strengthen the people, and increase national pride, they chose to use traditional Chinese methods of physical training, which meant using the Chinese martial arts. Influential intellectual martial artists, like Sun Lu Tang, helped begin this movement. Sun Lu Tang's introduction to his book on Xing Yi Quan (Xing Yi Quan Xue - published in 1915) states, "the way of becoming prosperous and strong lies in the bracing up of the people. The important point is to brace up the spirit. A strong country cannot be composed of weak people. We cannot make people strong without physical training. To brace up the people through physical training is the way to strengthen the country." Other traditional martial artists began to echo Sun's words. They even began calling the martial arts the "national arts" or guo shu to distinguish them from Western sports activities and promote a sense of national pride. As time went on and China was plagued with Japanese imperialism and further Western modernization, the guo shu movement became stronger and plans were made for a national guo shu program. The principal of the Central Martial Arts Academy in Nanjing (Zhong Yang Guo Shu Guan), Zhang Zhi Jiang, proclaimed, "strengthening oneself strengthens the race and protecting oneself protects the country." The Central Martial Arts Academy was officially opened in December of 1927 and by March 1928 they had acquired sufficient funds to get the school off its feet. Their goal was to train a crop of instructors who would spread martial arts training throughout China in public schools in order to "make martial arts common in all walks of life." However, as traditional martial arts were exposed to a wider variety of people, the traditional instruction was greatly modified for mass consumption. In the late 1800's and the early years of this century, those that studied martial arts in China were primarily farmers and peasants who hoped to obtain jobs as bodyguards, caravan escorts and residence guards. Since police protection did not exist outside of the major cities, men in small villages also trained in martial arts in order to protect their homes from bandits and thieves. The majority of these individuals were uneducated and were considered to be "ruffians" by the educated class in China. Sun Lu Tan's introduction to his book on Xing Yi Quan say, "There was a prejudice in the old days that literates despised martial arts as martial artists were short on literary learning." However, he also indicated that the times were changing. He continues by saying, "Now the country will be improved through reforming affairs. Martial arts has been put into the curriculum in schools so that students can be cherished on both literary and military sites. This is a good way." While the student was studying the fundamentals of the art, the teacher also tested the student's loyalty, patience, martial morality and determination. All of these factors were weighed along with the student's physical ability when the teacher made decisions about when the student would be exposed to new material. This training, at all levels, was extremely difficult and the teacher placed high demands on the students. Only the most loyal, hard working, and highest skilled students would earn the right to become "inner door" students and lineage holders. It was not uncommon for an instructor to only choose one student to receive the full transmission of his art. In order to teach short "martial arts for health" courses to the public something had to give. Traditional martial arts instructors who participated in the national programs saw this as an opportunity to gain some "face" for themselves and the martial arts, however, they were not totally willing to let go of tradition. Traditional instruction consisted of a student studying with one teacher for a significant amount of time in a private or small group setting. The teacher usually taught at his home or in a park near his home. Students were taught slowly and steadily with an emphasis on basic training. Advance skills were only taught after fundamental skills could be performed with a sufficient degree of expertise. What occurred in the public classes was that the students were taught a very small slice of the complete martial art. The forms and exercises that were taught were traditional, however, typically the teachers only taught a few basic exercises and forms which were good for developing general balance, coordination, and flexibility. Since health became the emphasis, the very rigorous training which was designed to teach students how to fully develop into good fighters was not generally taught. Of course, if the student in the public class showed great potential a teacher would take that student aside and teach that student privately and possibly give that student the complete transmission of the art, but these cases were rare. Most of the individuals in the public classes only received the surface level of the art they were studying. WHAT IS A COMPLETE SYSTEM? Complete Ba Gua Zhang systems are comprised of step-by-step, progressive, balanced curriculums which expertly combine all aspects of internal martial arts training. They are designed by an experienced teacher who will guide each student's individual development as it is appropriate for each unique individual. Any complete Chinese martial arts system will include a thorough and integrated training curriculum which incorporates wai gong, nei gong, and qi gong training methods. Below I will provide my definition of these components and explore each of these areas as I see them. Although I have divided them into three separate categories below, the reader should understand that in terms of internal martial arts training they are all part of the same whole and thus elements of one component will naturally cross over to the others. These components of training cannot be put into nice neat boxes, they are mutual supportive and mutually dependent. Although beginning level training methods might isolate the various components of training, more advanced training will always contain all of these elements. Additionally, every training component in a system like Ba Gua enhances the attainment of skill in other areas. For instance, good solid wai gong training provides the foundation for nei gong and qi gong training and good nei gong and qi gong training will give deeper insights to the wai gong training. Also, exercises like the circle walk practice can be used to train all of these components depending on the walking method and the focus of the training. This is one reason why each system of Ba Gua will have numerous basic circle walking practices and stepping methods. Wai Gong Wai Gong is the external aspects of martial arts training which includes firm balance, flexibility, agility, good posture and stance work, proper mechanical and structural alignment, coordination, stability while moving, and a physically strong body. These basic skills are practiced in the context of developing all aspects of the fighting arts such as foot and leg work, which includes stepping, hooking, kicking, trapping and sweeping the legs; striking with all parts of the body; seizing and locking (qin na); and throwing (shuai jiao). These aspects of training form the foundation of practice and are emphasized heavily during the first few years. A complete system of Ba Gua Zhang will have numerous straight-line and circle walking forms, which are all Ba Gua specific and focus on the development of one or more of these vital aspects of martial arts training. In traditional Ba Gua Zhang schools beginning students spend years developing the basic wai gong skills before focusing on the more refined aspects of the art. This is not to say that the basic skills training is not "internal." This training does involve the use of internal principles, appropriate body alignments and natural body movements. It is simply less refined than the more advanced training. One cannot start with a physically weak, uncoordinated, unbalanced, unconnected body and hope to develop refined internal strength through the study of intermediate or advanced Ba Gua forms or exercises. Today many teachers in the United States who gained skill through solid basic training and then later progressed to more refined aspects of the art tend to forget where they came from when teaching students. They no longer like to practice the physically demanding components of the art that were so important to their own development, or they find out that they do not attract many students to their school when they teach this way, and so they don't teach it to their students. As a result, their students are being cheated and will never be as good as their teacher. In Ba Gua Zhang systems there are any number of forms and exercises associated with wai gong training. Basic stance work, straight-line and circle walking stepping drills, hand movement exercises, kicking sets, straight-line repetition of movements, straight-line linked forms, various cir4cle walking drills, apparatus training, power training with weapons, numerous two-person sets, etc. Each system will have their own approach. There are also numerous circle walking exercise working with different types of stepping exercises working with different types of stepping methods and upper body postures which develop the body and leg strength in a variety of ways. Nei Gong Nei Gong is training which is designed specifically for the development of muscle groups, ligaments, and tendons not usually under conscious control. This training involves refinement of the basic wai gong skills and development of the connection between mind and body. In the beginning levels of nei gong training, repetitive physical movements are combined with: 1) relaxation of all muscles which are not directly involved with the particular action being performed 2) breathing in coordination with the motion 3) simple imagery (use of intention). The combination of relaxed physical movement, breathing, and intention begins to teach the practitioner how to move in a highly refined manner and facilitates the development of subtle strength and efficiency in movement. |