To me, there is only a right way to move or a wrong way to move. There is no "internaL" way to move or "external" way to move. When you use your - limbs to generate power, you are doing it wrong. - body to generate power, you are doing it right. A correct Karate back reverse punch should be: - Borrow the counter force from the ground. - Bring it up through your back leg, hip, upper body, shoulder, and then reach to your arm. If you just "freeze" your body and punch from your arm, you are doing it wrong.
If your definition of chi and internal power states that it should allow 50 year olds to win in Olympic weight lifting or 5 foot tall men to out-sprint Usain Bolt, then I guess what you define as internal power does not exist. However to me it is an absurd definition.
Very good application for the Yang form. i see connected body,subtle body mechanics suggesting what Rebel Wado was calling internalizing power
His posture looks wrong to me. Granted - I may be doing the poor guy an injustice, but he simply didn't look too centred to me? He seemed to be "reaching" rather than “controlling” if that makes sense. From an “internal power” perspective that is.
Granted the necklace is a bad idea! his martial effectiveness of the applications seem very good for Taiji
Gary,I read Wado Karate has Jujutsu roots,does it have internal practices brought from the Shindo Yoshin Ryu?
This is Kent Howard displaying some form applications from Bagua (lineage from one of my heros Wang Shu Jin) [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcHwh9D6epY"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcHwh9D6epY[/ame] This is Wang himself kicking ass [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3331hHtPcbU"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3331hHtPcbU[/ame] Now interestingly if you compare the mechanics and flow to someone who has a more "external" reputation - in this case Our Lord Rickson - there is little difference except in the idiosyncrasy of the techniques [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hd6fXryCjiM"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hd6fXryCjiM[/ame]
This is where there is a difference between internal power and internalizing power. Most combat sports lead to the internalization of power because the mechanics are based on physics and tested under pressure. However, the techniques themselves, although effective and tested, can still end up watered down. For practical purposes, most martial arts is watered down yet still can be effective. The video you posted does DEMONSTRATE some good principles but the applications were done in a watered down manner. Because we live in mostly peaceful times, I don't see a big issue with initial reactions/responses being watered down to give the opportunity to assess the situation while still protecting yourself. However, from there, it should be allowed to follow up with progressively more detailed technique that is less watered down. In the video, the initial more watered down technique is not followed by a progressively less watered down technique (although there were some hints that they could be). The way to tell is look at the uke (opponent), at what point are they "dead"? Not really any point with the exception of the one time the defender sprawls and grabs him on both sides of the head (this could be a double eye gough and lead to a neck break... but hard to tell if that technique was hidden in the application used). A quick story told to me by one of my instructors. The event took place around 30 years ago or so. He was training in internal martial arts and his instructor was a very large and heavy American fellow. They were doing push hands and the instructor would send his opponents flying/back peddling across the room into walls. The visiting grandmaster (I think he called him Doc Wong) was a small Asian man well into his 70s by that time, stopped the lesson and told the big instructor to push hands with him. So the big instructor took the challenge. Soon, maybe instantaneously, when contact was made, the grandmaster struck the big instructor somewhere about the liver, with both hands, almost like doing CPR on him. The big instructor staggered back a few feet and then he just collapsed to the ground. It took him maybe ten minutes before he was able to get off the ground and stand with help. When he finally got up. The grandmaster asked if he wanted to try again. The big instructor declined, said he had had enough. So the sending people flying is a demonstration of the watered down or sport aspects. It can be effective and is nothing to look down upon... but to believe that you are a master because you can do that is to not understand the deeper lessons of the martial arts.
