Many martial artists only see what’s going on with their arms and legs. In the Internal martial arts the movement however originates from the Dantian (energy center) which is similar to our the gravity center. It is only logical to adapt the greatest power from our balance point, since this is where we find the best lever effect for our applications.

There is another topic where i wrote about power transmission, if you are interested in the internal arts i recommend to read it.

Internal Resistor

The main problem for the internal movement is that to understand we must act according to the Yin Yang principle. Which basically means that if we want to hit hard we must become soft. Having hard muscles in order to hit hard will result in more resistance towards our internal movement since the Power Transmission cannot go smoothly with a stiff body.

Qi Gong stretching in shoulder, back and hip is very important for a smooth power transmission from the Dantian. Stretching makes us flexible and it becomes easier to relax.

A proper master in Internal Martial Arts can always tell you where Yin and Yang is and how the lever structure works with your hands and feet.

Natural Order

Another point which is often done incorrectly is the natural order of the body to promote proper energy transmission. The magical numbers in our step is 45° an 90°. Most stances which go into one direction must turn the feet accordingly to transmit our Dantian from heel to toe or from toe to heel. Our feet are the connection to earth and the root of all our movements. Other important points to focus are the knee, hip, chest, shoulder, elbow and fingertips. This topic is rather complex and not suited for beginners, however the Tai Chi Training will feature all this content and it does take a while to fully understand the natural order of movements. This is nothing which people can learn in days, usually it takes years of practice.

Moving and Not Moving

Please read this post to understand what i mean with “wheels”.

Movements which come from a smaller wheel (Dantian mostly) usually are where we want to focus. Moving a larger wheel will disturb our lever effect and so our internal movement and power transmission.

Pulling

Pulling a person usually takes a lot of arm strength and if done as an external movement it is a good example for power inefficiency. Most of this also does not work if the opponent is heavier or stronger than you. According to the internal principle we can make not entirely but at least a little up for that by placing our full body weight into our pull, which we would never reach by simply using our arms.

The internal pull is done by letting our Dantian fall by doing a small step backwards and resting in a full routed 50% mabu (horse) stance (high or low stance does not matter, this can be done by almost standing with knees looking to the outside). The perfect execution of this movement will let the opponent feel your body weight in a very short amount of time.

Understanding where the power comes from it must be clear now that moving our shoulders or elbows will “soften” this effect by decreasing the acceleration of our body weight. This is a good example and a clear difference between external and internal application. The external pull is a large and wide movement (which often leaves your guard wide open) executed with the whole body and usually is very inefficient compared to the internal. The internal pull is a very fast, small and compact movement which does not require much strength, it does require a strong but flexible grip, flexible body and a good power transmission with the natural order in our coordination.

Pulling is only one example, in our Tai Chi training you can learn more about internal applications.

Clean and Pure Movement

Power transmission free from disturbances, be it emotional or physical, is a great inspiration in Wudang Internal Martial arts. Understand the internal arts enables a new approach to our martial arts, personality and the way we view things. Peace in mind and body, fluid movements like water, explosive and powerful like a dragon.

Filed under: Knowledge Tagged: Fighting, Internal Martial Arts, Kung Fu, Martial Arts, master, Shifu, Wudang, wudangshan