Taoist Ideologies As Bases For Internal Martial Arts

By Marci Glover


Taoists believe that there is a way the body can be strengthened through yogic and psychological practices. This is what is referred to as internal martial arts. The nervous and the energy manufacturing systems are controlled from within the body resulting in a strong human being, both within and without the body. It is common to find people practicing these skills in California. They are trying very hard to preserve this culture.

The people who came up with this genre spent most of their time practicing stunts, mastering them and comprehensively describing skills to other people. They came up with basic ideologies for internal martial arts like power without effort, body balance and energy within. They also came up with major guiding principles for this genre; body and mind relationship and physical mechanisms. These are still the ones giving guidance to practitioners of this trade up to today.

The soft/hard support and the full empty are the main contents of the body mechanism ideology. Accordingly, the hard tissues, which are mainly bones, give the most support to the body. Their locking and twisting reduces the workload for soft tissues like muscles, ligaments and tendons. The hard and soft tissues, however work together in a complementary manner to facilitate provision of strength for the body.

The originators of these ideas went further to say that the interlocking of bones forms pivots that turn in the same manner as levers. The artist applies less effort to produce a greater force whose impact is felt on the opponent. For efficiency, one needs to position himself/herself in certain angles. This is because a greater output is only produced if the effort is in a certain position in relation to the load.

The other argument in the proposed principles is the empty and full ideology. It was proposed that to win a fight, one needs to identify the weak and strong points on his/her body and that of the opponent. Once, one is aware of these points, he/she will be able to act faster, and will also manage to maintain body balance after a tussle with the opponent. A good fighter should then take advantage of this knowledge to attack those weak areas his opponent.

Creators of this genre of also insisted on linking the body and the mind. They always believed that our bodies are controlled by the mind. Therefore, one can avoid pain and gain more strength by engaging the mind. According to this principle, therefore, physical strength is useless if the mind is not involved.

The difference between internal martial arts and other exercises is the therapeutic action known as sung. This is the springiness or suspension involved in yoga, Tai Chi and many other genres of this field. The artist takes his/her mind through a relaxation session, and does not pay attention to anything happening outside his/her thoughts for a long time. Sung creates meridian avenues, balances the muscles and eliminates dysfunction that results from poor posture. It is the most important element that leads to mastery of internal secrets of Tai Chi.

Internal martial arts is a genre that focuses on the ability of the mind to control feelings and how it helps reduce the energy spent during a fight. California has become fond of these practices. Very many people in the city engage in these practices around the city. Recently, a curriculum on this field was started in the city as a way of preserving these practices.




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