Saturday, May 1, 2010

Training in internal martial arts


Every person training in the martial arts will have his or her workouts and workouts of the day sequence ... they will look to masters for that sequence or they will understand something about mastering a skill and will be in the process of developing that sequence by exploring new training, emphasizing methods that seem particularly well-suited to the martial artist's own natural abilities and preferences. My own sequence is far from perfect; I am not really a martial artists.  I am only learning to pick up a few skills to be healthier.  I cannot really become an apprentice, but I do need to look to others for training and guidance.

The basic grounding for my training comes from the teachings and example of Jesus Christ ... because there has been no one who's been tougher, smarter and better at fighting evil than Jesus Christ. His words have been ignored by others, especially those in the church, but those words still hold true today. One of Christ's fundamental teachings is to regard and accept others as you regard and accept yourself. I try to look at wide diversity of approaches including things that many would not see as "martial arts" such as the autobiography and writing of Mahatma Gandhi. 



I have become a huge fan of various authorities that come from a buddhist or daoist perspective, notably Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming.  

I could describe why I am a big fan of Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming, but you can and should look around and form your own opinions.  I am not sure if my endorsement should carry much weight.  Nonetheless, I really do believe that Dr. Yang and his disciples [and the other authors associated with YMMA publishing]  are an outstanding source of content.    Material that is highly worth reading, considering pondering.  Of course, all material should be read or pondered with skepticism and critical thought, but I think you will find that Dr. Yang's material holds up well.

Consider the sequence listed in his book Tai Chi Theory and Martial Power for taijiquan and Shaolin White Crane kung fu training.  The basic sequence looks something like the following:

  1. Building and strengthening relaxation, calmness, concentration practice and discipline
  2. Understanding of human physiology and fundamental theory of basic human bioelectricity as applied to chinese medicine, qi gong massage, acupressure, acupuncture and sensitivity of various areas of the body
  3. Breath training for maximizing the oxygenation of the blood and setting the foundation for maximum power in martial arts
  4. Experiencing and generating qi or bioelectricity
  5. Qi or bioelectricity circulation and control
  6. Still meditation
  7. Fundamental stances
  8. Breath coordination drills
  9. Fundmental moving drills
  10. Solo taijiquan
  11. Analysis of martial application of taijiquan sequence
  12. Beginning taijiquan pushing hands
  13. Fundamental forms of Taiji Jin training
  14. Hen and Ha sound training (i.e. similar to "grunting" in tennis)
  15. Fast taijiquan
  16. Advanced taijiquan pushing hands
  17. Advanced Taiji Jin training
  18. Qi expansion and transportation training
  19. Martial applications of pushing hands
  20. Free pushing hands
  21. Taiji fighting set
  22. Taiji fighting freeform
  23. Exploration of other martial arts
  24. Understanding of weapons; disarming weapons
  25. Understanding of especially explosive situations and defusing them

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