Thursday, April 26, 2012

Basic Internal Art Principles

Here is an excellent article on some very basic principles of the internal arts, yes all of the internal arts, that must be instinctive when used, from a blog entitled "The Way of Least Resistance."  The article's title is The Way Internal Arts Work: Part 1 and eloquently breaks down the usage of footwork coupled with momentum and mass to develop power.  Naturally, since the internal styles (e.g., taijiquan / tai chi chuan, baguazhang /  pa kua chang, hsing I chuan / xingyiquan, I chuan / yiquan, liuhobafa, etc.) each do this differently, it doesn't break each style down into specific detail; however, the article does provide a nice overview of those concepts for the three major internal styles as known in the West.  Each internal style also has its unique methods for relaxation and skeletal usage to employ its own power generation mechanics based upon the tactics and core theories of the style, but indeed it is physics and not magic.  Kuntao Silat relies heavily on the principles of internal martial arts especially at more advanced levels, but a trained eye can spot it even at the introductory levels.

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