LI AND QI

by Phillip Starr

“Li” (力) means “strength” or “force” in Chinese and is one of the radicals used in the characters for “kung-fu” ( 功夫). I remember my teacher telling me not to apply too much li in my practice of xingyiquan but it confused me; was he saying that I shouldn't use muscular effort/strength? Was I supposed to remain relaxed?

This is a sticky issue with many people who practice a form of the neijia (the so-called “internal” arts of taijiquan, xingyiquan, and baguazhang) and in fact, any form of the martial ways. We are told not to use strength and/or to relax, which seems contrary to the delivery of powerful techniques, What are we to do?

Ancient writings (or “songs”, as they are often called) tell us that Yi (one's imagination, will, idea, mind), Li, and Qi go together. If your mind is directed towards a certain thing, your Qi naturally extends towards whatever your mind engages. But to effectively emit Qi, you must use your body. This is where it gets tricky...

To effectively emit Qi, one must use no more Li than absolutely necessary; excessive muscular tension cuts the flow of Qi to a trickle. For instance, when you push a door to open it you use only as much strength as you must; the amount of resistance offered by the door determines exactly how much force you must apply. It's the same with picking up a pencil or any other mundance, everyday object. To grab a pencil, you don't use all, or even most, of your (muscular) strength. If you did, you'd probably be unable to accomplish this simple task. This is why toddlers have difficulty in picking up things like pencils; they haven't yet learned not to “over-muscle”it; they use too much strength and have trouble picking up the item. You, on the other hand, can instantly feel exactly how much (minimal to a very small degree) strength is required and you can pick up a pencil almost effortlessly (I say “almost” because some use of muscular effort is, in fact, required).

And so it goes with everything...such as braking your car (remember when you were first learning to use the brakes and almost put your teacher through the windshield?), opening and closing doors, tying you shoes, and so on. And this same idea applies to martial arts as well.

Focus on making your technique as perfect as possible. Let impact (resistance) determine and CREATE the (minimal) amount of tension you require. Don't try to do it yourself; you'll only muck it up and “over-power” your technique. If you concentrate on the technique being as perfect as possible, power will come...naturally.

LEARNING IN A CRISIS

 by Phillip Starr

   Have you ever noticed, in other people or perhaps yourself, situations like these:

* For instance, a woman who is easy going and articulate in a one-to-one situation becomes tongue-tied or withdrawn when she's present at some large social function?

* An athlete (or musician, or whatever) does extremely well when he practices with his friends but when he's in front of an audience or when the chips are down, his skill seems to disintegrate?

* In a given class, a student does very well with his day-to-day work but when an examination comes up his mind goes blank?

     The list is endless. The key element involved in each of these situations is pressure. When the "pressure is on" some people tend to slip and fall, as it were. Take the pressure off and they're fine but when the chips are down, they clutch. This doesn't necessarily infer that those who do well under pressure are superior to these folks; rather, it usually indicates that they have learned to react differently in "critical" situations.

     I am drawing from Dr. Maxwell Maltz's theories of Psycho-Cybernetics, remembering principles that I began practicing many years ago.

     The fact is that although you may learn well and you may learn quickly, people do not learn well in critical situations. If you toss a man into deep water he may learn to stay afloat and swim somehow, but he'll probably not become a championship swimmer. This is because the inept, awkward stroke that he used to survive becomes "fixed" in his mind and he may have a difficult time learning more efficient ways of swimming.

     It is my understanding that in both animals and humans, the brain forms a sort of "cognitive map" of the environment while they are learning. If the motivation is not too intense; if there is no crisis present when the brain is engaged in learning, these maps tend to be fairly broad and general. On the other hand, if the animal or person is overly-motivated or stimulated during the learning process, these maps tend to be narrow and restrictive. We learn just one way of responding or reacting to a given problem or situation and if this particular problem/situation should occur in the future, and the one way we have learned to solve or react to it is "blocked", we tend to become frustrated and often fail to discern alternative routes or detours. We have learned to respond in only one way and we lose the ability to react spontaneously to a new situation. We are unable to improvise.

     An example is given of people learning how to get out of a burning building. If the building is on fire they will take at least two or three times as long to learn the proper escape route as they would if there was no fire present. Some never learn at all. The automatic reaction mechanism is jammed with too much conscious effort ("trying too hard"). The ability to think clearly is lost.

Those who manage to survive will have learned a narrow fixed response. If you were to put them in another burning building which is constructed differently and change the circumstances slightly, they would react as poorly as they did the first time.

     However, you can take these same people and have them practice a "dry-run" fire drill when there is no fire present. There is no emergency, no crisis to interfere with clear thinking. They are free to concentrate on leaving the building correctly and safely several times...and should a fire ever occur, they will most likely react in the same way as they have practiced several times previously. Their muscles, nerves, and brains have memorized a broad, general, and flexible "map" and the attitude of calmness and clear thinking will carry over from their "dry-run" practice to the real thing.

     The surface moral to this story is obvious; practice without pressure and you will be able to perform better in a critical situation.

     It was "Gentleman" Jim Corbett who coined the term "shadow boxing." He used his left jab to cut the reigning heavyweight boxing championship, John L. Sullivan, to pieces. When he was asked about how he had developed his technique he replied that he'd practiced it in front of a mirror ten thousand times.

     Gene Tunney did the same thing when he prepared to fight the formidable Jack Dempsey. He'd watched Dempsey's fights, knew his every move, then spent hours "shadow-boxing." He imagined he was fighting Dempsey and countering his every move. And it worked.

     It's said that Billy Graham preached sermons to cypress stumps in a swamp before developing his electrifying speeches before live audiences.

     It occurred to me many years ago that this was one of the most important aspects of technique and form practice. The "father of Japanese karate", Funakoshi Gichin, emphasized that once you have learned to execute a given technique correctly and you can do it without difficulty, you must practice it as if a live opponent is standing before you. Don't just "throw the punches and kicks out there"...you have to visualize the opponent standing before you and attacking you.

      Your conscious mind knows, of course, that there isn't really anybody there and so, you are able to practice without pressure. You practice and your body-mind learns to respond correctly after repeating the movement or technique over and over.

      Form practice is intended to do exactly the same thing; to enable you to learn how to react correctly without pressure. If you practice your form and just count your way through it, you'll learn nothing. It becomes a set of memorized but relatively worthless movements which you won't be able to use spontaneously when the chips are down. But if you concentrate, vividly see your opponent, and apply your movement correctly - and you practice the form over and over and over - your muscles, nerves, and brain will build a flexible and effective "map."

     At the same time, there is the matter of emotion in a crisis. One doctor said that he believed there to be only one basic emotion - excitement. It can be manifest as fear, anger, courage, etc., depending upon your inner goals at the time. ..if you are inwardly organized and determined to conquer a problem, run from it, destroy it, or whatever. "The real problem," he said, "Is not to control the emotion but to control the choice of which tendency will receive emotional reinforcement."

     If you intention (your goal) is to move forward, make the most of the crisis and win out in spite of it, then the excitement of the occasion will reinforce this tendency and it will provide you with the courage and strength to go forward. However, if you concern yourself primarily with running away from the crisis, wanting to get past it by avoiding it - this tendency will likewise be reinforced and you'll experience fear and anxiety.

     If you want to develop superior technique and real skill, I recommend practicing without pressure - but practicing while visualizing an opponent. This must be done whenever you train your techniques and forms and it can also be done while you just sit back, relax, and close your eyes. Your imagination is your most powerful weapon and training aid.

THE KATA OF JUDO

 

by Phillip Starr

Some of our younger martial arts enthusiasts may be surprised to hear that judo actually employs the use of kata! But yes, it does… and not just one or two. There are several kata employed in judo, all of which require the assistance of an uke (receiver). Unfortunately, most judo kata are not practiced much anymore; since judo sold its soul to the god of sport and his right-hand man, the Olympics, most practitioners no longer saw (or currently see) the need for the kata anymore. And for the most part, the judo we have nowadays is no more like the original, traditional version than an apple is to a horse. One of my senior students who began his martial arts career in judo refers to the current version as “brudo” or brute-do”, which I think is probably pretty accurate.

In the judo kata, the movements must be very precise. And in the Nage-No-Kata (which demonstrates a number of throws), even the uke’s form must be perfect. The photo below is a fine illustration of this. The form and movement of both participants must be flawless… and isn’t this the same thing for which we strive in the kata of karate, taekwondo, kung-fu, iaido, kyudo, and other martial disciplines?

It is because we’re interested in more than just whacking someone as hard as we can or body slamming him into the ground. What we do is an art. We strive for perfection. One of judo’s maxims is, “Maximum effect with minimum effort.” Trying throwing a 6’5”, 280 lb. linebacker sometime. If your technique isn’t really good, you’re going to end up underneath him! It doesn’t mean the technique is worthless. Au contraire. It means that YOUR rendition of it is seriously flawed. You need more work. More polish…mentally, physically, and spiritually. And the kata is the main form of “polishing.”

In the percussive arts we utilize solo forms of kata but when we practice one-step and three-step fighting drills, they should be performed with the same precision as the kata of judo. The attacker should fire out a letter-perfect textbook technique with sharp focus and an appropriate degree of power. And he should attempt to touch his partner. This is critical since, if he pulls his attack short, the receiver learns to respond to an attack that isn’t going to hit him! It develops an incorrect sense of distance.

The receiver should respond with razor-sharp precision and his counter-technique should be sharp and crisp - delivered with enough power to knock his partner down (at the very least). BUT it must be so finely controlled that it stops just short of contact. Sadly, most instructors nowadays don’t insist on this kind of precision and power nowadays. And that’s one reason the arts that we claim to love so dearly have degenerated so badly.

Watch the performance of kata. Then watch the students engage in randori (as in judo) or jiyu-kumite (as in karate). There should be a very definite relationship. If the two look entirely different, if the kata is sharp and clean but the sparring looks like a sloppy kickboxing match or a backyard slugfest, there’s a serious problem. The kata and kumite should look very much the same… performed with the same precision and focus.

This same thing is true even in combat shooting. Yeah - I saw your eyebrows jump… well, consider it. Take a week and go to a combat shooting school. There, you will learn - step-by-step - how to begin your draw…how to step, turn…everything has to be done just so because your life will depend on it. The weapon is “presented” (brought to the position for shooting) and fired. Everything has to be just right and you’ll practice it over and over again, both in class and at home - because when the chips are down, you’re going to have to be able to pull this off without thinking. Otherwise, you’re going to end up as a messy stain on the sidewalk. And what is this if it’s not a type of KATA? And yet, there are those who say kata is worthless…

I hope this gives you a new perspective on your kata and your chosen martial art. There’s so much more to it than most people suspect. I keep discovering new things… like peeling off the layers of an onion, there’s always another layer of knowledge and skill to be explored. Want to join me? Here…have an onion.

Is Your Martial Arts Practice “Hard Style” or “Soft Style?”

 By Phillip Starr

Is your style of karate or kung-fu considered a “hard style” or a “soft style?”  Most Western practitioners of these disciplines are able to answer this question in a heartbeat.  They may elaborate on the subject a bit, but they immediately understand the question and what it implies; “hard styles” rely on the development and application of brute, muscular force while “soft styles” emphasize relaxation, minimal muscular effort, and the utilization of qi (internal power).  I remember when the terms “hard style” and “soft style” were first introduced to Western martial arts enthusiasts by the martial arts media back in the 1960’s.  I’d never heard of these phrases and I asked my teacher, Master W. C. Chen about them.  I was astounded when I saw that he was every bit as confused as I was.  These appellations have never been used in China or any other part of Asia.  They were, as nearly as I can determine, created by the martial arts magazines of the day.

Some karate and kung-fu enthusiasts elaborate a bit further and explain that “hard styles” utilize techniques that travel in straight lines and “soft styles” promote the use of circular techniques.  I’ve never understood how anyone could accept this terribly flawed explanation and when would ask for some elaboration, the answers I received were almost comical.  “We use straight punches”, they would say.  I would counter this statement and remind them that the so-called “soft styles” utilize exactly the same type of forefist thrust.  Moreover, this type of direct punch employs a (circular) turn of the hips as well as a (circular) screwing motion of the wrist just prior to contact.

Not to be so easily dissuaded, they would argue that their kicks were directed along a straight path.  They would happily demonstrate a front snap kick and a side thrust kick as proof of this.  I countered easily and showed them that both kicks travel along arcs (as they must, since they are chambered from the height of the kicker’s knee).  I would also show them techniques such as sword-hand and backfist strikes, both of which travel along semi-circular paths.

Even so, they would not be dissuaded.  “Our blocking techniques are circular but our punches are straight”, they argued.  I had to shrug my shoulders.  There’s no point in quibbling with a closed mind.  Their convictions were based on remarks made in their favorite monthly martial arts publications, so there could be no doubt as to their validity, right?

You bet.

These were the same magazines that avowed that “soft styles” such as taijiquan and baguazhang didn’t require the application of any muscular effort whatsoever.  Many aspiring martial arts masters understood this to mean that any “98 lb. weakling” could easily become an expert at time travel by knocking his larger opponent into next week!  The few taiji schools that were available were soon packed to the gills with students and the cash flowed quickly and easily.  But the truth got lost in there somewhere.

Some karateists prided themselves on practicing systems that were touted as being both hard and soft.  Goju-ryu is a prime example.  “Go” means “hard”, they would say.  And “ju” means “soft.”  So there you have it, right?

No, not quite.  Like the early practitioners of judo, who believed that the “ju” of judo meant “soft, gentle”, they didn’t bother to learn something of the Japanese language and culture.  The word “ju” does NOT mean “soft.”  Not by a long shot.  Rather, it refers to a type of pliability such as we might see with the flexible limbs of a young tree.  Push against it and it gives way easily.  It does not, however, collapse entirely.  When you release it, the limb will snap back to it’s original shape.  This kind of elasticity is what “ju” refers to.

All martial arts, from karate to kendo, aikido, kung-fu and kendo underscore the importance of doing more with less.  That’s a fancy way of saying that one shouldn’t use any more (muscular) strength than is absolutely necessary.  Ever.  A highly skilled practitioner of karate, which is generally referred to as a “hard style”, will perform his techniques with celerity but without excessive brute force.  I have trained and socialized with some of the finest karate masters of the last century such as Hidetaka Nishiyama and Seiyu Oyata.  Their techniques were crisp and quick, delivered with minimal muscular effort.  To the novice, such techniques would appear to be lacking any real destructive power but those senior practitioners who had had the dubious pleasure of being on the receiving end of those techniques knew better.

At the same time, I have known a great many practitioners of taijiquan who prided themselves on their ability to push a foe some distance.  The fact is that their pushing technique was seriously flawed and was more of what I call  a”shove” rather than a “push.”  And in any case, I’ve never known a push to end a serious conflict!  Taijiquan, as well as baguazhang and xingyiquan (the three classical “sister” styles that are generally referred to as “soft” or “internal”) utilize a wide variety of punching, striking, and kicking techniques that, when applied correctly, are terrifically powerful.  But if you’re thinking of finding someone who can demonstrate such skill to you, you’d best plan to travel for a long, long time.  Such skill nowadays in the “soft styles” is extremely rare, even in China.

The terms “external style/school” (waijia) and “internal style/school” (neijia) are often used interchangeably with “hard” and “soft”, respectively.  Again, such phrases are rarely used in China.  They were originally coined by a famous teacher of the neijia, Sun-Lutang, back in the 1930’s.  Some people argue that they actually refer to where a given style originated; those that originated outside of China were called “waijia” and those that were native to the Middle Kingdom (that’s China for you rednecks) were referred to as “neijia.”  Put simply, this argument is wrong.

Sun wanted to differentiate between styles that rely on the development of “coiling power” (chansi-jin) and the manipulation of small, inconspicuous, internal tissues and those that focus solely on the use of the larger, overt muscle groups.  Such a distinction does, in fact, exist.  Most contemporary karate styles do not utilize coiling power at all.  However, my research indicates that the early Okinawan forms of karate did.  Over the generations, most of this information has been lost or forgotten.  However, this would qualify such styles as forms of neijia!  That statement probably won’t help me win any martial arts popularity contests, but it’s true.

So, hard or soft, internal or external, what counts is that you learn to perform your techniques and form correctly.  Hard and soft eventually become one.  And THAT is where real skill lies.

INVEST IN LOSS

 by Phillip Starr

The well-known Taijiquan teacher, Chen Manching, once said, “To acquire real skill, you must invest in loss.” Over the years, I have repeated these words of wisdom to my own students but very few of them really understand and make use of them.

I have known tournament competitors who simply could not tolerate losing. I knew one who was so obsessed with winning the first-place trophy that he discarded all lesser awards! How foolish. He did not understand that the arts we practice are not intended to impress audiences, win us many fans and accolades, or fill storefront windows with trophies. No, our arts are aimed at self-development. If you manage to win some awards along the way that’s fine but in the end, it’s how we have developed ourselves that really matters.

In order to learn, it is first necessary that you lose. Many, many times. You will practice with students who are senior to you and instructors who are senior to them… and as a novice, you cannot defeat them. You don’t expect to do so, either. As your skill slowly increases, you perform at a higher level and perhaps the number of your losses decreases…but that’s not really the point. If you think it is, if you are obsessed with winning; you are incapable of learning. You’re blind.

Many moons ago, I held the title of U.S. National Champion. I entered a small, local tournament that was being hosted by a friend of mine. Another friend asked me why I was competing that day. “Just for fun,” I said. He shook his head. “You don’t understand…if you win, it’s no big deal; people would expect that because of your reputation. But if you lose, you’ll lose a lot! You have nothing to gain and everything to lose. Don’t do it!”

I shrugged and did it, anyway. I lost that day. No, it didn’t damage my reputation and it served to help me improve my technique. So, although I lost in the competition ring, I had really won…in my heart.

Those who refuse to see beyond the ego cannot learn. They are enslaved by their own desires, by their own image of what they think they should be. You must put your ego aside if you expect to learn anything and make progress. The only place where winning matters is the battlefield.

IMPROVEMENT

 by Phillip Starr

Countless times different students would approach me and say, “I practice all the time but I'm just not improving.” And I'm sure that every instructor out there has heard the very same thing; a student doesn't feel that he/she is making any headway in improving a particular technique, form, or whatever. The student is discouraged...maybe this martial arts thing just isn't for him/her. Or maybe YOU feel that way from time to time.

The first thing to consider is the frequency of your practice. Are you daily practicing whatever it is that you want to improve or do you just do it now and then? Regularity is the key to improvement. The more often you practice it, the more improvements you will make.

The second consideration is focus. Do you just kind of “lob” your way through your practice, or do you really concentrate on making the desired improvements? Merely going through the outer motions will lead you nowhere; mental focus is essential!

There is a simple technique that can genuinely help you to improve your technique, form, or whatever. Find a comfy quiet place to sit, relax completely, and close your eyes. You're going to watch a movie and YOU are the star! Visualize yourself doing your technique or form flawlessly over and over. Concentrate! Your subconscious can't tell the difference between what is real and what isn't...it gathers all information through the five senses. For this reason, it's vital that you involve as many of your senses as possible; imagine hearing the noises that you typically hear during practice, do the same for various smells, and so on. Do this for perhaps ten minutes daily (IN ADDITION to your usual practice). Believe me, it'll work! I know from firsthand experience; I do it all the time.

But don't make the mistake of thinking that this exercise can replace actual, physical practice! There is no substitute for regular practice! Bear in mind that significant, readily noticeable improvement doesn't happen all at once; improvement comes in tiny, micro-measurements that you may not notice right away. But they're there. You'll see improvements coming on gradually. Stay the course and never, EVER give up!