| He was one of the greatest kung-fu masters in | | | | internal arts. |
| the world, a direct descendant of the creator of | | | | I've studied other martial arts and have found the |
| tai chi, and he was asking me to show him a | | | | body mechanics of the internal arts far more |
| punch. It was an exciting moment but also | | | | difficult and complex. For high-quality tai chi you |
| nerve-wracking. Trying not to be nervous, I | | | | must maintain ground strength, peng jin, |
| settled into the posture and prepared to show | | | | whole-body movement, silk-reeling (spiraling |
| him internal power. Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang | | | | movement through the body), dan t'ien rotation |
| stood in front of me, watching carefully. | | | | and opening/closing the kua. You must connect all |
| Trying to remain relaxed, I shifted my weight | | | | of these skills through the body as you deliver |
| from my right to my left leg and my right fist | | | | the strike with speed, power, and relaxation. |
| shot out, fast, relaxed, and powerful. At the | | | | Everyone brings bad habits to the internal arts, so |
| same time, my left elbow thrust backward and | | | | it takes years for all of us to learn the principles |
| my left hand stopped at my ribcage. | | | | of internal movement and lose the muscular |
| Grandmaster Chen was not impressed. He took | | | | tension we've carried with us all our lives. It takes |
| my right hand in his left, my left hand in his right | | | | years for us to lose the muscular tension that |
| and told me to relax. Before I knew what was | | | | we've developed all of our lives. |
| happening, he jerked the right hand out and | | | | When Grandmaster Chen worked with me on the |
| pushed the left hand backward. I wasn't quite | | | | punch, I didn't have it the first few times I did the |
| relaxed enough and almost suffered whiplash in | | | | punch and he corrected me each time. Suddenly I |
| my neck. | | | | understood, and the next time I punched I |
| Relax, he told me again, and once again he jerked | | | | connected the relaxed power from my foot, |
| my arms -- hard -- forcing one to punch and the | | | | through my body and out my hand, exploding and |
| other to return to my ribcage. For a minute, I | | | | shifting my weight at the same time. |
| was like a rag doll, completely limp as he | | | | "Ahh!" he said, his face lighting up. "Good." |
| repeatedly demonstrated how relaxed I was | | | | As a martial artist, few things are better than |
| supposed to be when performing fa-jing. | | | | getting a "good" from Chen Xiaowang. |
| I'm often stunned by the literal-mindedness of | | | | A short time later, he astonished those of us |
| some internal arts people -- teachers and | | | | attending his Washington, D.C. workshop by doing |
| students of tai chi, hsing-i and baguazhang, the | | | | a series of fa-jing strikes.C. With each strike, it |
| three internal martial arts of China. The subject of | | | | seemed his uniform was exploding in all directions. |
| fa-jing (pronounced "fah-zhing") is one example of | | | | That type of power comes from being connected |
| how a simple concept is misunderstood and | | | | and relaxing -- and from a lifetime of practice. |
| misinterpreted. | | | | You can stand a few feet away from him and |
| Fa-jing means "issuing energy." Unfortunately, the | | | | almost feel the energy when he does fa-jing. It |
| people who desperately need to believe in the | | | | reminded me of being on the floor right behind |
| supernatural think that in doing fa-jing, you are | | | | the basketball hoop during a University of Iowa |
| shooting chi out of your hands or body. They | | | | game. When the big players were slamming into |
| take it literally. | | | | each other beneath the hoop, you could feel the |
| It's not magical or mystical. It's a matter of | | | | body heat and almost feel the energy as they |
| physics, and in the internal arts, it's a matter of | | | | collided. I'll never forget it, and being close to Chen |
| body mechanics. | | | | Xiaowang when he does fa-jing is very similar. |
| Boxers issue energy anytime they deliver a jab, a | | | | There are two myths about tai chi that all martial |
| hook, or an uppercut. If you're into karate, you | | | | artists should put aside. One is that tai chi is a |
| issue energy when you break a board with your | | | | slow motion health and meditation exercise. In |
| foot, and if you're into MMA, energy is issued | | | | truth, it's a powerful martial art that is practiced |
| when you drive a knee into an opponent's face. | | | | slowly so students can learn the body mechanics |
| In the internal arts, fa-jing -- issuing energy -- is | | | | and later can speed up the movements and |
| more complex, but the end result is the same. | | | | deliver amazing power without a lot of obvious |
| You knock someone into next week. | | | | effort to the untrained observer. |
| Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang, whose | | | | The other myth people should forget is about chi. |
| ancestor,Chen Wangting created Tai Chi 11 | | | | Fa-jing has nothing to do with shooting energy out |
| generations ago, teaches that fa-jing is a matter | | | | of your body. Instead of focusing on chi, which |
| of proper body structure (posture) and good | | | | has never been proven exist in independent |
| internal movement. From there, he says you | | | | scientific studies and which is too often the focus |
| simply "step on the gas." He likes using automobile | | | | of tai chi teachers, you should focus on proper |
| metaphors. In other words, if you use good | | | | posture and body mechanics. Do this and you'll be |
| structure and mechanics and then add speed, you | | | | closer to developing the relaxed power of fa-jing. |
| will create the unique relaxed power of the | | | | |