Info about Karate
Understanding the Internal Power of Tai Chi Chuan
When practicing tai chi chuan, the student will notice a number of physi¬cal reactions. He will start to feel very hot and will sweat profusely. At the same time, his skin will feel tight, like a drumskin, and it is not unusual to experience a raised energy level for several hours after practice.
• Body conditioning
Students who have trained in the basic exercises for a minimum period of several months may then go on to practice body conditioning which can be used as a complementary training method. This initially involves using a small bag made of a soft material containing Chinese green beans or dried peas to hit the body's vital points in a specific order. At first, the 'beating' is done quite gently, but as the student's skin becomes more resilient not only are the contents of the bag changed to harder fillings, such as gravel and ultimately ball-bearings, but also the amount of force used is increased. While it is not absolutely necessary to practice this conditioning it can prove useful if the student intends to enter fighting competition, for example.
At all times the student takes care to ensure that he does not use so much force as to cause bruising. To make sure that no damage is being done either to the skin or to the underlying physical structure, be it muscular, skeletal or organic the student is advised to use specially-prepared Chinese medicine which rubbed into the body after training. Each teacher usually has his own recipe fo this oil which is a carefully measured mixture of Chinese herbs and spirits.
• Confidence in the face of pain
The importance of the Nei Gong lies in the confidence it gives the student. When he knows that he can absorb the strongest blows without sustaining internal injuries, he can put into practice the fighting techniques and strategies of the art, with a mind unclouded by fear.
Another important lesson the student learns through this training is how to cope with pain and then to use it effectively. When the time comes to test his Nei Gong skills, the student allows fellow practitioners to jump on his stomach from head height, and then takes repeated blows and kicks to the body.
When undertaking the first phase of the tai chi chuan fighting training, my teacher, Master Tan Ching Ngee, asked me if I liked pain. Puzzled by the question, I asked him what he meant. By way of explanation and reply he slapped me hard around the face; he then proceeded to march me up and down the training area, slapping me around the face. Through the haze of remorseless, stinging, agoniz¬ing pain I suddenly began to feel a red rush of anger, which must have shown itself in my eyes. Immediately Master Tan stopped and smiled.
'Now', he said, 'now you know what fighting is all about. If you can't learn to like and use pain, then you can't fight!'
I am not sure whether I like pain yet, but I do know how to use it, to channel it into my fighting methods. The Nei Gong testing works in the same way, for the practitioner can use the feelings engendered by the passive acceptance of pain to fuel the aggressive spirit which is essential if you are even to contemplate a situation in which you have to harm another human being.
Another lesson taught by the Nei Gong is that very often to make effective use of the tai chi chuan strategies the exponent must be prepared to absorb at least one blow. What this does is to disturb the opponent's rhythm, thus provid¬ing the opportunity to attack. It is quite common for the attacker to find himself actually bouncing off the tai chi chuan practitioner's body; such is the power and stability developed by training in the art.