Discarding Tingjin

[D_Glenn]

Not quite.

The unfortunate scenario of students who choose to reject or ignore the proper corrections and refinements offered by an expert teacher, or are simply too frickin' lazy to implement the feedback they receive, is another issue altogether, IMO, separate from whether the student is training with someone who is actually capable of providing truly expert feedback in the first place.

I mean...you can lead a horse to water, son, but you can't make her drink!

Doc

No argument there but it's not the point I was trying to make, I should have explained better:

My point is that this is the learning of intricate physical movements which have technically* one 'right way' to do it and many 'wrong ways', so mistakes need to be made inside one's own body. The best way to learn what something is, is to learn what it isn't.

The instructor can't save the student from every mistake, and they shouldn't, mistakes need to made in order to deeply learn it. A good student will fix their own mistakes. When they don't that's when intervention is required.

It's inevitable that they're going to at some point smash their thumb with the hammer, let them, that's the only way they will truly learn.



edit[ *-- In learning a particular Jin, right and wrong are relative, something might be incorrect for that one particular Jin but what is being done is actually just a different jin that is either going to be learned anyway, or in the grand progression of an art wasn't going to be taught until years later. So technically wrong but right for a different Jin.]


.

[D_Glenn]

This really feels like deja vu now. Here's this link again: http://www.ycgf.org/Articles/TJ_Jin/TJ_Jin1.html

or read it here:

"Jin in Taijiquan

Until very recently in human history, most of the physical power we used in daily life
came from our own body. Martial arts of this pre-industrial age, what we now call traditional
martial art, is at its most fundamental level the art of using the body’s physical forces: how
to produce the various types of forces in the amount required, deliver them the most
efficient manner to an opponent’s body to cause him trouble, and prevent the opponent
from doing the same to us, etc.

Today this large body of knowledge survives in traditional Chinese martial art. Amongst
those styles, in terms of training and fighting with these forces, Taiji Quan offers the most
formally thought out, the most detailed, and the most clearly articulated set of principles and
practices.

Imposing in its breadth and depth, Taiji Quan today is never the less an art that is no
longer used for its original reason for existence. For vast majority of the practitioners, the
emphasis of training has shifted from fighting to health. However, if we totally ignore the
fighting aspects of the art, we risk not only losing that part of the knowledge, but
misunderstanding the very essence of Taiji Quan itself. To do Taiji Quan means to practice
and understand it as what it is - a martial art. Otherwise we are not really doing Taiji. If we
are not really doing Taiji, then we will not even get the full health benefits of this training.
For example, if we do not do any push hands, we will miss out on important lessons that
directly relates to how we should do the form.

To really master Taiji Quan, besides having the correct view of what Taiji Quan is, what
the end goal should be, and the training methodology for getting there, we need to have a
complete and accurate understanding of its principles and theories. Here we will offer a
basic introduction on Taiji Quan theories on jin, one of the most important foundations for all
Taiji Quan skills.


1. Li and jin

Martial art is like any other types of knowledge, it took a very long time to develop. At first,
people had no principles or concepts, only hands-on experiences. At some point those
experiences accumulated to a point where it was possible to summarize them as general
theories or principles. People can then test out those ideas. And if they turn out to be
correct, they could be used to improve the practice. Better practice in turn leads to further
understanding of underlying principles, thus the cycle continues.

It is only natural that in the beginning, these concepts are undifferentiated, simple, and
coarse, and only became clearer and more refined gradually over time. In terms of
understanding force, the first major distinction made in Chinese martial art is between that of
li and jin.

In everyday usage, both of these words mean physical force, and can be used
interchangeably. Very often, people use jin to denote a very large force. In martial art,
these are technical terms with more precise definitions. Li is simple muscular force, what we
call “untrained force”, “natural force”, or “instinct force”, because no prior training is
necessary before using it. When we contract our muscles in a simple, natural manner,
doing things like bending the arm to bring a fork to the mouth, or extending the arm to push
a drawer shut, we are using li.
Li is simple, its major attributes are quantitative: how big, and how fast.

If li is the raw, basic material, then jin is the sophisticated, finished product. It is li transformed by practice,
something that produces the desired results with higher effectiveness and efficiency.

Example: two identical twins, same size, same muscle composition – same level of li, one is a professional golfer,
the other never golfs. Stepping onto the course for the first time, the untrained twin, lacking any knowledge of the
sport, can only use what he was born with - li. If his first drive does not go as far as he hoped, his natural instant
will lead him to use more li – swing the club harder, with more speed. His trained sibling uses something far more
powerful and sophisticated. He has jin, and use it to great effect: he is able to drive the ball much further, place it
on the course with much greater accuracy, and often with much less effort.

Jin is complex, its qualities are not just quantitative but qualitative.

Li is a product of nature, jin a product of nurture. Everyone is born with the ability to generate and use li, no
one has jin until they have gone through the necessary training. As we have seen in the previous example, when
we start on an unfamiliar, new activity, simple muscular force is all we can use because we do not know anything
else. This force tends to be highly clumsy, awkward, and inefficient. For this reason in martial art we also call li
zhuo li – awkward, untrained force. Zhuo also means muddy, the opposite of clearly distinguished, clean,
polished, and refined, characteristics we commonly associate with jin. As we become trained, that li is gradually
transformed into jin, something much more effective and efficient. For this reason jin is called “trained force”.

Transforming the primitive li into the sophisticated, refined jin is the one of the main objectives of any
sophisticated martial art practice.

In fact, we can judge the sophistication of a martial art style by its treatment of li and jin. In less-developed
styles, the ideas about force tend to be very simple and coarse, with little or no distinctions made between li and
jin. Since jin is more powerful than li, they may just consider jin to be a very large force developed from practice,
and that is the main reason why people think jin is better than li.

When we try to do something and fail because we are met with resistance, our instinctive response is to try
again with greater force. This is our human nature. Martial arts of this level follow that nature, not only in force
training but in its general strategy and tactics. This makes them very easy to understand and appreciate. Here
they believe the path to invincibility is simple, through maximizing power and speed. As a result in fighting, they
can only practice and use jin only in very simple ways.

But as a style matures, the distinction between li and jin becomes clearer and more refined. People start to
have a fuller appreciation of what can be accomplished with jin. It is also noticed that even though muscle actions
are involved in both, li and jin work in very different ways, and therefore different training methods are required.
So the emphasis of force training changes, it becomes far more complex. Now the goal is nothing less than the
complete development of jin in all its quantitative and qualitative aspects.

The qualitative aspects of jin can be very subtle and difficult to observe from the outside. When combined with
high-level principles, we can use jin to do things such as using a small force to defeat a very large one. Today
these types of things seem incredible to us because most of us in our modern sedentary lives are only familiar
with li, and know very little about jin. Today high-level martial art is like great works of modern art, to the untrained
eye, it may seem strange, unnatural, counter-intuitive, or even fake.


2. Wai Jin and Nei Jin

In the past 400 years we saw the rise of a new class of martial art. More effective than ever, their real
significance is that they represent a giant step forward in efficiency. This was made possible by the second major
development in the theory of force in martial art. By this point people had enough knowledge about jin to make
further distinctions between two main types of jin: wai jin - external jin, and nei jin – internal jin. New knowledge
gained from the research into internal jin gave birth to internal martial art. Its members are Xingyi Quan, Taiji
Quan, and Bagua Zhang.

To be called an internal martial art does not mean it uses only nei jin. No martial art can be complete without the
use of wai jin. So internal martial art just means the emphasis during training and fighting is on nei jin, with wai jin
playing the supporting role. Conversely, to be called external martial art means it uses mostly wai jin and very little
nei jin.

So what exactly are wai jin and nei jin, and why does internal martial art favors the use of nei jin? To answer that,
we will first take a look at what they are, and then how they are tied to the central philosophy of internal martial
art. As Taiji Quan is the most systematic and detailed in making these distinctions, we will use it to illustrate these
ideas.

2.1 Definition

Wai means outside or external. To be outside is to be visible. So wai jin means the type of jin where, when used,
an observer can, just by seeing it, understand every aspect of that force: how that force is stored and released,
its speed, angle, direction, etc. We are using wai jin for example when we do a quick and hard punch.

By definition wai jin is yang. Yang in Taiji is not the pure yang, it has a little bit of yin in it. This is called gang
zhong rou – hard containing the soft. The advantages of wai jin are that it is quick, hard, sudden, and powerful.
When released, the feeling is like that of an explosion or eruption, unstoppable, capable of destroying everything
in its path. It can be used to seriously injure or kill the opponent.

The disadvantages of wai jin are: generally the movements are large, and given its external nature, making it
relatively easy to detect and defend against. The duration of its power tends to be short. And once released, you
cannot easily change its trajectory or any other attributes of that force easily. Finally, the storage and release of
power here are completely separate processes.

The key points of using wai jin are speed, power, and accuracy. Practicing wai jin is about fulfilling our potential.
Some internal martial arts masters can release incredible power. It is about absolute quantity; we want to build up
as much of it as possible during practice.

Common types of wai jin used in Taiji Quan are: duan jin – breaking force, chuang jin –ramming force, cun jin –
one inch force, leng jin – cold force, dou jin – shaking force, and chong jin – charging force, etc.

Nei means inside or internal. To be inside means it is something that cannot be seen, only felt. An example of
nei jin is nian jin in Taiji Quan. When we can stick to our opponent perfectly without either struggling against or
lose connection with him, there is almost no physical movement at the contact point between two of us, yet inside
our force is having its effect. The external movement is so minimal and subtle that it escapes the eye.

By definition nei jin is yin. Yin in Taiji is not the pure yin, it has a little bit of yang in it. This is called rou zhong
gang – soft containing hard. The advantages of nei jin are that it is small, long, changeable, and combines the
storage and release process. Small means the movements required are in general very small, sometimes not
even visible externally. Long means when the force is released, the effect can continue on for a relatively long
time. Changeable means its quantity and direction can be altered during its release. The processes for storing
and releasing are one, with no clear separations and breaking points in between. The combination of all these
attributes makes it easy for us to conceal our true intentions. With nei jin, making accurate determinations about
its amount, direction, angle, direction, etc, are very difficult, making it much harder to defend against.

The main disadvantage of nei jin is that, although you can use it to move people easily, it is not powerful enough
in itself to be truly destructive.

The key points of using nei jin use are changeability, subtlety, and concealment. Practicing nei jin is about
developing more subtle and refined skills. Nei jin is more about the relative than the absolute. It is qualitative in
that it is more about how to control and use our force. Most high-level skills in Taiji Quan come from this type of
training.

Common types of nei jin used in Taiji Quan are: chang jin – long force, chen jin – sinking force, zhan jin –
adhering up force, nian jin – sticking to force, lian jin – linking force, and sui jin – following force, etc.
2.2 Taiji Quan’s approach to fighting with nei jin and wai jin

As we can see, the characteristics of nei jin and wai jin complement each other in fighting, so
it is wrong to ignore either one in our training. As each type of jin has its own unique set of
features, advantages, and disadvantages, during training we must strive to understand all of
them in detail, so that when fighting we can use each when appropriate, as dictated by the
principles of Taiji Quan.

So what is the principle of Taiji Quan, and how is it different from external martial art?

How we fight – tactics, is always constrained by what we have available for fighting –
weapons. Before internal martial art, before we knew a lot about nei jin, our main weapon
was wai jin. As we have discussed above, wai jin’s main attributes tend to be quantitative,
and that had an effect on how people fought.

The other major factors that influenced tactics are human nature and level of
understanding. Skills in martial art, whether for attack or defense, are always designed with
the opponent’s possible response in mind. What do we do instinctively when a force comes
- fight or flight. In the former scenario, we basically try to prevent the force from landing on
our body by resisting it directly with an equal or greater force.
Taken these things together, one arrives at the logic conclusion that, if I just make myself stronger, then people
will have a harder time to defend my attacks directly. This line of thinking follows our natural instincts. It is what
drove the development of wai jin, pushing it to a very high level. But fighting this way, the bigger and stronger
person tends to win rather easily. Although the skills can make some differences, all skills base on this principle.

By the late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty, people started to get away from this purely quantitative
approach. People started to investigate the other characteristics of force, things like timing, angle, and direction.
This is a more sophisticated, more comprehensive approach that also takes into account all the qualitative
aspects of force. People still cared about winning, but the emphasis of research has shifted from effectiveness to
efficiency. How can we win with less effort?

Traditional Taoist philosophy says the soft can overcomes the hard. Applied to martial art, it means we do not
try to resist directly against an incoming force with an equal or greater force, and instead of having all the force
come from us, we try to borrow our opponent’s force to use it against him, etc.

In Taiji Quan we always want to achieve maximum results with minimum effort. Translated into tactics, that means
we do not just use wai jin to attack the opponent directly. We only do that after we have destroyed his balance
and have him under our control. This is a highly complex process involving a lot of changes. For this stage of
fighting, nei jin is the best choice. Once we gained control, we need a finishing strike. For that wai jin is the best
choice.

2.3 Popular Misconceptions

Li is external force, jin is internal force:

Many people confuse li with wai jin. The implication being external martial art people do not practice jin, they
only use li. This is simply not true. All martial art are based on use of jin. External martial art people uses mostly
wai jin. Some people think jin is an unique feature of internal martial art. Internal martial art people use the term
jin more because they research and make distinction between the various types of jin in far greater detail. If we
do not make this type of distinctions, then we do not even have to use that term – it is all just force to us.

Confusing wai jin for nei jin – be careful when other groups talk about nei jin:

Judging by our long history, internal martial art is a fairly recent phenomenon. This distinctions between wai jin
at nei jin is only made clear in a few styles. So in most groups, when people mention jin or nei jin, usually they
really mean wai jin. For people in those groups, this is not a big deal: if they do not make clear distinctions, than
most likely nei jin does not play a big part in making their skills work. However, if we confuse the two in our Taiji
Quan practice, we may never get real Taiji Quan skill. We maybe able to fight, but we will be using mostly wai jin
and using principles associated with wai jin. We maybe able to win, but we are not using the highly efficient skills
of Taiji Quan.

So be careful, practicing internal martial art means the primary focus of your training is on learning how to use
the various types of nei jin.

Nei jin’s are much more complex and difficult to understand and practice than wai jin. To relax and follow when
confronted by a large force is not something that comes naturally to us. But this how Taiji Quan fighting should
be, this is one of the central ideas. Unless we can do this, we are not using real Taiji Quan skill. This is the most
import thing, and it must be learned first.

The other reason for learning nei jin fist is that it is higher level than wai jin. The idea is, if we can master nei jin,
then we can master wai jin rather easily. But if we devote most of our time to wai jin and ignore nei jin, we will
never understand nei jin and therefore internal martial art skills.

Wai jin’s by comparison are fairly easy to understand and practice because they are closer to our natural
ability. Most people can understand them very quickly. The difference in skill level amongst people comes down
to how well they can execute them - how much force can they produce, and how quickly can they release it.


Confusing wai jin for nei jin – be careful when Taiji people talk about nei jin:

Since Taiji Quan is an internal martial art, when people talk about jin in Taiji Quan practice, they are usually
referring to nei jin. This can cause a lot of confusion, leading people to believe they are practicing/using nei jin
when in fact they are doing wai jin. Remember not every jin used in internal martial art is nei jin.

In the early records of Taiji Quan principle, somewhere people even used li instead of jin. It is because the
terms are not normalized at that time. So even today, some people still talk in this way in their oral teaching.
Actually it really makes a lot confusing."

...

[D_Glenn]

"3. Developing jin

In fight we may need a lot of power, so how do we increase and
use power? There are two ways: increase absolute force, increase
relative force. To increase absolute force, there are two methods:
build up muscles, and tap our potentials. To increase relative power,
there are also two methods that can be used: find the best angle and
timing to use our force, and borrow force from our opponent. All two
ways or four methods are useful and practiced in Taiji Quan, but they
are emphasized at different priority levels in different stages of
training.

The order these methods are listed above is also their relative
order of complexity. Of the four methods, the simplest way is building
up our muscles. It can be understand and practice directly and
easily. Borrowing force is the most complex way. That requires not
only we know ourself, but also that we know our opponent.

Usually most of the gain from the training for increasing absolute
force happens in wai jin, while most of the gain from the training for
increasing relative force happens in nei jin. Both are necessary for
Taiji Quan, so we need to understand them and practice accordingly.
In Taiji Quan, jin development includes huan jin – how to transform li
to jin, yun jin – how to move jin in the body, xu jin – store jin, fa jin –
releasing jin, and dong jin – understand how to use jin under Taiji
principle.
3.1 Features of high level jin

Integration:

The li that we use naturally in everyday life is actually not all the li that is available to us. A significant portion of
our potentials is untapped. This is because prior to training, our body is not integrated. All of its powers are
localized and fragmented. When our movement is not totally coordinated, when parts of the body is working
against each other, we waste energy. The reason many groups think jin is just a larger li is that with jin, we can
get access to more of that previously untapped potential.

We are not integrated because in our normal everyday lives, we do very few physical things that require
integration. Most objects we need to manipulate are light enough to lift with the right arm alone. So we are
experts at isolation, not integration.

What does integration feel like? If someone is pushing on our right arm with an 100 pound force, and we use
just the muscles of our right arm to resist it, we are using li in a very isolated manner. We are tense because
100% of the heavy load is supported by the arm muscles alone. When we are integrated, we are use the whole
body. We spread that 100 pound weight all across the body, so that our arm is supporting, only say, 10 pounds of
that weight. Now, since none of our individual body parts is supporting a huge load, overall it is relaxed, even
when it is supporting something very heavy.

This relaxed feeling is one of the most important things in our internal martial art training. Without relaxation
there is no sensitivity, without sensitivity we cannot use any of the high-level skills of internal martial art.

And unlike li, when we really have jin, we should feel like jin is always present in all parts of the body, and can
be expressed in all directions.

The Taiji Quan classics states: jin is initiated from the root of our feet, released from our legs, controlled by our
waist, and finally manifested to our fingers. From the feet to the fingers, the energy must flow through intact,
unobstructed, this requires integration.

Smooth and unobstructed:

We want to have the ability to move jin throughout our whole body smoothly. That, at any time, jin can go
anywhere in the body without any special preparatory movements. Only when we can move jin with this level of
freedom and speed can we really use it in fighting.

Changeable:

Lots of thing can happen in a fight, and happen very quickly. We want to be able to make whatever changes
appropriate to our jin: direction, amount, harder, softer, appear, disappear, etc. Push hand practice is the most
important training for this. To practice and understand how to use all thirty-six jin is also very important. Only we
can do this, can we say we understand jin.
3.2 Huan jin – transforming li into jin

One of the most important practices in Taiji Quan training is to transform li into jin. The goal is whenever we
have to use physical force in fighting, we never use li, we just use jin. To reach this stage, we have to go through
certain required training.

The main method for doing this in Taiji is form training. The purpose of any training is to create a new habit, a
second nature, and a new automatic response to things. The types of responses we are training for in Taiji Quan
are inherently against our natural instincts. So a lot of reinforcements are required. We should practice the form
every day. When we practice, the form should be done in a slow, smooth, relaxed, and agile manner. Our mind
must be engaged in every moment to fight against our body’s natural instincts, otherwise, instead of reinforcing a
new habit, we end up strengthening the old one.

Zhan zhuang – post standing, is very popular supplemental method. Compared to forms training it is much
simplified, we just hold a posture statically. The other popular method is called shi jin – testing force. Here we do
some simple movements repeatedly, acclimating our body to the new way of moving, and let it experience what the
correct jin feeling should be like. We say push hand is one of the best ways for learning nei jin.

In the early stages of our training, we may feel like we are actually losing our power. Do not worry about this,
keep on practicing the correct way. When we eventually feel power coming back, that power is jin. This is a very
long and gradual process, no one can do it right away. For a very long time when we use our power, that power is
a mixture of li and jin. This is what makes Taiji Quan very difficult yet very interesting at the same time.

Very often, if we are tight for some reason, maybe because we are nervous, we will use li more. We are
reverting to our natural instinct. We need to train to completely overcome that instinct. So Taiji Quan training is
as much mental as it is physical. This is the most efficient way to train. This way gradually the ratio of li and jin
changes, our body becomes more and more integrated, we will be able to use more and more of the power
available in our body that we cannot get to before because previously our movements are too inefficient. This is
basically what huan jin is about.

This type of training is more qualitative. The goal here is to increase our jin. It is highly physical, but it does
not increase the size of your muscles too much. Theoretically there is a second way to increase our jin – by
training our muscles to increase li, since li is the basic material for jin. That is more of a quantitative approach.
Ideally we want both: we want to have as much li available to us as possible for transformation into jin, and we
want to be able to develop as much of that li in the form of jin as possible.
Here we must be careful because there are many
inherent conflicts between these two approaches.
Especially in the beginning, when you have little
experience with what the correct feelings of using jin is
like, too much of the quantitative type of training can
easily get in the way of qualitative training. Resistance
training tends to be simple, mostly about li. We may be
reinforcing our natural instinct of using li whenever we
have to overcome a large force. This is the opposite of jin
training. Also, much of the jin training requires our body
to be relaxed, here we are building the habit of tensing up.
In Taiji Quan practice we find many people who focus on
the second approach progress at a much slower pace in
the huan jin process, because they are so used to using
their li.
For these reasons traditionally people believe we should focus on the qualitative training more. First learn to
move in the most efficient manner, learn how to get more out of what is available to us. Some people are totally
against resistance training, but that is too extreme. We just need to carefully balance each type of training. Taiji
Quan is a martial art, resistance training should be a part of all martial art training.

It is important to point out that when we say Taiji Quan practice changing our original human nature, we do not
mean it is something against the law of nature. It still obeys the laws of nature, it just operate on a much higher
level than the very primitive and crude ways we are born with. When we lift a big rock with our bare hands, we are
following laws of nature, when we use a rope and pulley to lift it with a fraction of power, we are still following the
laws of nature. The new way represents our most advanced understanding of nature. We want that new way to
be our automatic response to things. In Chinese philosophy this is called “shun qi zi ran qiu zi ran” – “following
the law of nature to get a new nature”.


3.4 Yun jin

Yun jin means to moving jin through our body for usage. There are two types of movement: one is to move or
collect jin to one or two points of the body for release. This is usually done for wai jin. We want to be able to
move jin quickly to any part the body where it is needed. The other way is to let jin spread in the whole body, so
that at one time jin is everywhere in the body. This is usually the way for nei jin.
3.5 Fa jin

The application of jin is often called fa jin – releasing or launching jin. Fa
means to launch, release, throw away, generate, send out, or issue. In most
martial arts styles, the general idea of fa jin is just to release a very powerful
force. In Taiji Quan it is much more nuanced and detailed.

3.5.1 Definition

To understand fa jin in Taiji Quan, we need to discussed the exact
definition of the term fa jin first. There are two definitions for fa jin in
Chinese. The first is “throwing force”. Here the two characters, fa and jin,
are combined together as a noun. It refers to a kind of jin which can be
used to launch something outward, like hitting someone hard or throwing
him far away. When people talk fa jin this way, they are talking about fa jin
as an attacking skill. From this perspective, basically any type of attack can
be called fa jin. Here the most important goal during training is to deliver
biggest power possible.

The other definition of fa jin is “releasing jin”. Here fa is a verb that
means release or launch, and jin the object that means trained force. When
people talk fa jin this way, it is a more general concept meaning to use jin.
Since there are many different kinds of jin in Taiji Quan, there are many
different ways to release jin. It is not restricted to the big explosive type,
especially when nei jin is involved. Here the most important goal during
training is to learn how to control jin, how to use it in the most efficient
manner. From this perspective, fa jin is not just about big powerful forces, it
can be many things, they can be small, soft, or slow.

With two types of jin and two corresponding ways to do fa jin, it means in
Taiji Quan we do not use our force to attack the opponent directly. There
are a lot of detail meanings, especially for nei jin application, which is much
more detailed and complex in Taiji Quan. As the main characteristics of nei
jin are hidden, changeable, and continuous, its fa jin must be like that as
well.

Wai jin, although quick, accurate, and powerful, is difficult to change
once launched. So in Taiji Quan, we only release it when we are very sure
we can hit the target. And even with a powerful type of jin, we do not just hit
with all the power we have, we still try to obtain the maximum effect, meaning
here we still want to use the optimum timing, direction, position, target, and
amount.

In Taiji Quan, throwing forces can be wai jin or nei jin but most are wai
jin. People always say if you do not know how to do fa jin (to release a
throwing force), you do not know Taiji Quan fighting skills. These are some
of the throwing forces commonly used in pushing hands and fighting: jie jin
- interrupting force, chang jin - long force, chen jin - sinking force, zuan jin -
drilling force, cun jin – one inch force, fen jin - splitting force, leng jin - cold
force, duan jin - breaking force, dou jin - shaking force, chong jin - charging
force, and chuang jin - rushing force, etc.
Some of these are harder, some quicker, some longer, some abrupt, and some more powerful. Some are
easy to use, and others difficult to use. The common feature to all of these is that they can be used for hard
attacking. It is important to note that hard does not mean releasing the biggest amount possible. It just means
to get the most effective attack. The important skill here is controlling the amount of our force. Even when we
are very powerful, we still care about how much force we really need to use. Always ask if we can reduce more
and still achieve the same effect. This is part of Taiji Quan’s philosophy of “use minimum force to get maximum
effect”.

Because the process for releasing wai jin is so obvious, so easy to understand and appreciate, many people
mistaking think this is all Taiji Quan fa jin is about. This is one of those common misunderstandings that makes
people concentrate on wai jin training and ignore nei jin training in their internal martial art training. The end
result is our skill stops at that level, and we never understand what high level internal martial art skills are about.

As the name suggests, actually the more important type of fa jin in Taiji Quan is the one for nei jin. Release of
wai jin plays only a secondary, supporting role in fighting. Because nei jin is launched literally inside the body
and usually there is little or no obvious external physical movements involved, people cannot see it clearly.
Sometime they do not even realize a fa jin is happening. This type of practice is much more difficult and complex
than the one for external fa jin. So focus your attention here.
3.5.2 Principles of fa jin

According to Taiji Quan principle, we should not attack
directly, it always happens after we gain control of the
opponent. The first principle of fa jin is timing. This is about
efficiency. Fa jin too early and the opponent is not under our
full control yet (ex. has not lost balance yet), here we will have
to use more energy. If the timing is too late, the opponent
has a chance to change and adjust, causing us to miss or
getting into trouble. To find the correct timing for our fa jin is
called de ji – gain chance. The best timing is the moment
where our opponent is at his weakest - he is off balance, his
body is tight, his root unstable, and his reaction slow.

The second principle of fa jin is position. This is referred
to as called de shi. This happens when our body is in a
comfortable posture and our opponent is not. We are
relaxed, stable, our mind can easily concentrate, and our qi
moving smoothly. We can do anything we want. Our body is
ready to release force. By comparison, our opponent’s body
is in awkward position, he cannot relax, and he cannot make
changes easily. Only when we have this type of positional
advantage over our opponent can the result of our fa jin be
optimum.
The third principle of fa jin is direction. When we want to throw our opponent away, there is a best direction
and a worst direction. The best direction is the direction where our opponent will lean toward when he loses his
balance. Attack in this direction uses the least energy. The worst direction is the one that, should our
opponent move there, his balance will be restored. Throw in this direction not only wastes energy but could
also put us into trouble. Between the best and worst direction there are many other choices. Unfortunately,
most beginners always choose the worst direction. So one key objective in fa jin training is to learn to pick the
best one.

When we can follow these three principles, you are on the right track. This is what is described as “de ji de
shi” – gain chance and position in Taiji Quan Classics. When we practice fa jin, be it external or internal, we
need to follow these three basic principles. This is the way to highest level of efficiency and most refined skill.

Beginners tend to ignore these rules with wai jin, because a powerful wai jin looks good, even it is in fact very
inefficient. When using nei jin, these points are much harder to ignore, we have no choice but to pay attention.
This is how study of nei jin gives people more chance to understand true meaning of Taiji Quan. This is one
reason why in many groups, teachers actually do not allow their students practice release of wai jin for a very
long time. If we ignore these rules, then we are not really using Taiji Quan skill, because these three principles
follow one of Taiji Quan’s central ideas called “zhi ji zhi bi” – “know yourself and your opponent”. To do that
requires sensitivity. And like everything else in Taiji Quan skills, sensitivity plays a crucial role in fa jin.

3.5.3 Features of high level fa jin

In Taiji Quan skill, release of wai jin should be quick, accurate, hard, and amount used optimal. But the real
high level fa jin skill is in nei jin. Compared to nei jin, wai jin is simple, so it is considered a lower level skill in
Taiji Quan training (this does not mean it is not important or useful).

Features of high level nei jin application are that it should concealed, never show our power to our opponent
directly; it should be small, never make the movement too large; it should be fast, never hesitate when we get
the chance; it should be accurate, never do it without know our opponent’s weakness point; it should be smooth
and continuous, having no interruptions; it should be changeable, never be tight and stiff so that the amount,
direction, touching point, etc cannot be changed at any time; it should appear and disappear suddenly, making
opponent confused and paralyzed with indecision; it should mix xu – insubstantial, and shi – substantial; when
real and fake force are mixed together; and it should mix yin and yang, meaning we never just use a pure yin or
pure yang force.

Here we need to talk a little bit more about concealing our fa jin. This is one of the most important concepts
in Taiji Quan, and source of much confusion. What many people think of as fa jin is actually just one type of fa
jin (wai jin). So they think when a power is released, it should always be displayed outward. To onlookers this
seemed impressive, especially when there is a very loud noise involved.

This may be right in some other martial arts styles, but not always right in Taiji Quan. In Taiji Quan, that is okay
for release of wai jin, but wai jin is not the major skill in Taiji Quan. The most emphasized skill for us in nei jin.
Since nei jin by its nature should be concealed, the release of nei jin must follow the same principle. This is part
of concept of wu xing - no movement or posture. It is said “you xing jie shi jia, wu xing fang wei zhen” - “all jin’s
that can be seen are false, only the jin that is hidden is real”. Of course, in the beginning everyone shows
something outside. However with practice, this should be minimized. The most important thing here is to never
think showing a big force outside is the major skill of Taiji Quan. Real high level skill is where our opponent
feels nothing until he is on the ground, and he does not know what force we used to beat him.


3.5.4 Common misconceptions

Fight like we train:

When we practice, the more jin we build up the better. But when we use jin in fighting, actually the less the
better. The biggest misconception about fa jin is people think it is about releasing the biggest force possible.
That does not sound like internal martial art does it!

One of the important things we are training for is to learn control, to know exactly how much force is needed
in any situation. To use just minimum force to get maximum effect is the goal of our Taiji Quan practice.

Ignoring the opponent:

The other big misunderstanding is that we do not need to care about the opponent’s reaction, just release
the force blindly checking if the current situation is suitable. The best way for reaching high efficiency is to
exploit the opponent’s reaction.

We can still win if we ignore these rules. It does not mean other types of skills cannot work. It just mean they
are not Taiji Quan skills, or at least they are very low-level Taiji Quan skills, as they do not follow Taiji Quan
principles. Before we really mastered Taiji Quan skill, maybe these skills worked well for us and won our fights,
but if mastering Taiji Quan is our goal, we should stop doing them.

[D_Glenn]

..."3.6 Xu jin and fa jin

When we use jin, there are two processes involved, store and release. Store jin is called xu jin and release jin
is called fa jin. Before we can do fa jin, we need to know how to do xu jin. Since there are many types of jin’s in
Taiji Quan, and they can be released in a number of ways, there are just as many ways to do xu jin. Basically we
can categorized them into two large groups, one for wai jin and another for nei jin.

For wai jin we want to release a very powerful force in a single direction as quickly as possible. Storing and
releasing are two distinct steps. This process has been likened to bending a bow and then releasing the arrow.
Breathing is used.

With nei jin we are releasing a changeable and hidden force. The force usually is long. This process has
been likened to spring water gushing out of the ground continuously. Here store and release are not distinct
processes.

There are two definitions for xu jin, corresponding to their counterparts in fa jin. For throwing force type of fa
jin, it means to store a powerful force. It follows the bow and arrow analogy. Here, in training, our goal is to be
able to store and release as much force as possible, as quickly as possible.

The second definition of xu jin corresponds to the release force definition of fa jin. It is about preparing to use
force. It is about our movement. There are two things here we should do well. One is to hide our attempt. Xu jin
is for fa jin. If our opponent can detect our xu jin, he knows fa jin is coming and defend against it easily. In fact,
when we do xu jin, it is the most dangerous time for us. The best moment for victory is often when the opponent
is just getting reading to do fa jin. So movement wise, the smaller the xu jin is the better.

The other key point is to make our xu jin continuously, since we need to do fa jin continuously. A higher
levels, xu jin and fa jin takes place at the same time without any interruptions in between. People always say: jin
should be like a spring that never stops.

In the case of wai jin application, both of these points are difficult to perform, especially the second one. So
practice them with nei jin application first. That will help us understand this process.

One of the key differences between nei jin application and wai jin application is that for nei jin, xu and fa are
not clearly separate processes. According to Taiji principle, yin and yang must be together and mutually
supporting. Xu jin is yin, fa jin is yang. Only when they’re both present at the same can we call it real Taiji Quan
skill. If we do fa without xu, our jin will be too hard, straight, short, and not changeable. Our force can be easily
defended against, or borrowed. If we do xu without fa, we will give our opponent a big chance to beat us by
compressing us. Including xu with fa makes our fa jin difficult to defend against. Include fa with you xu makes it
hard for our opponent to attack us.

The most common mistake for xu is the outwardly evident withdrawal movement. The most common mistake
for fa is the outwardly evident hard forward movement. Both betray our true intentions to the opponent.

Because the processing of xu and fa are clearly separated in wai jin application, wai jin does not really follow
Taiji principle. Therefore it is not considered a higher level skill in Taiji Quan.

Xu jin up is the practice of building up our jin. The power that we use, the higher the percentage for jin, better
it is for our practice. Here the most important parts of training are learning to use our mind and growing our qi.
This is because jin always follows qi, and qi always follows the mind. The way to develop our qi is through using
our mind. And when our qi becomes strong, the jin will increase.


4. Using jin in pushing hands and fighting

One common mistake for many people is that they try to use fa jin too directly. They just want to use their jin
to beat their opponents as hard as possible. But in real Taiji Quan skill, throwing jin should never be used
alone. The complete process consists of five steps:
1. Ting – listen: feel or detect what the opponent want to do,
2. Hua – melt or dissolve: neutralize the attacking force,
3. Yin – lure: give the opponent false impressions, making him feel like he can get you, and leading him to go
where you want him to go,
4. Nia - hold or control: get the opponent under your control (usually means keep him off-balanced), and
5. Fa - release a throwing force: attack.

Here the first four skills are nei jin skills, while the last one, fa, can be either nei jin or wai jin. In order to be
true Taiji skill, the first four steps must be present.


5. Dong jin

In Taiji Quan practice, having developed a large amount jin does not automatically mean we understand Taiji
Quan. Dong jin, or understanding force, means we mastered Taiji Quan. Someone is said to have reached dong
jin level when he understands how to apply jin according to Taiji Quan principle. Before we reach this stage,
maybe we can use our jin to do something, but not according to Taiji principle, and we do not understand why the
results are less than optimum.
It also implies a familiarities with all the different types jins. To successfully practice
each type of jin, the common key points are: relaxation, timing, direction, position, mind,
and an understanding of yin and yang. Only when we pay attention to these details can
our skill reach high level.

According to tradition, in Taiji Quan, for either empty-hand or weapons, there are
thirty-six kinds of jin. What that really means is there are thirty-six different ways in which
our trained force can be used. Once we have jin, we can study in detail how to apply it in
each of these ways.

Some of these jin’s can be used to throw people. We should practice them separately
carefully in detail. Compare them, understand what is the same and what is different.
The best way is train with a partner. A large number of repetitions is usually required. Jin
is one of the foundations of all Taiji Quan skills, so we want to have a complete and
accurate understanding of this area.


6. Additional meanings of the word jin in Taiji Quan

Although “jin” in general means force, there are other meanings for it in
martial arts practice. We should know these in order to avoid any confusion. It is difficult
to explain why some of them are used that way, but that is just how the usage of language
evolved.
Sometime, jin does not mean force, but ability. For example, in Taiji
Quan, we have ting jin, yin jin, sui jin, etc. Ting means listening. Ting jin
means ability in the area of sensitivity. It is listening with our body,
knowing from touch what our opponent is trying to do. All Taiji Quan skills
are based on this ability. Yin means luring. Yin jin is the ability to making
our opponent go where we want him to go without to use force to push or
pull him to that way. Sui means following. Sui jin is the relaxing ability
which allows us to follow our opponent. Usually people like to list these
abilities is nei jin.

Sometimes, jin means level, for example dong jin. Translated literally,
dong jin means understanding force. However in traditional martial art
training, people always consider dong jin as a level of practice, which
means one can understand and apply Taiji principle in his/her practice.

Sometime jin is a technical concept, like hua jin, or na jin. Here hua
means dissolve, so hua jin means techniques that can solve the problem
in a very gentle or easy way. Na means grip or control, so na jin refers to
skills for keep our opponent under our control.

Sometime jin means attempt, intention, like xin jin. Xin means heart,
so xin jin means a strong attempt.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *


This is the ideal use of force, minimum necessary force, and
maximum effect. If we ignore the martial aspect of Taiji Quan,
where all the sophisticated use of power is most clearly
illustrated and directly understood, if our self-satisfaction about
having developed a large power stops us from researching jin in
further detail, then we will never reach this high level in our Taiji
Quan practice"

.

[D_Glenn]

Here's an important part of the article:

"This relaxed feeling is one of the most important things in our internal martial art training. Without relaxation
there is no sensitivity, without sensitivity we cannot use any of the high-level skills of internal martial art.

And unlike li, when we really have jin, we should feel like jin is always present in all parts of the body, and can
be expressed in all directions.

The Taiji Quan classics states: jin is initiated from the root of our feet, released from our legs, controlled by our
waist, and finally manifested to our fingers. From the feet to the fingers, the energy must flow through intact,
unobstructed, this requires integration.

Smooth and unobstructed:

We want to have the ability to move jin throughout our whole body smoothly. That, at any time, jin can go
anywhere in the body without any special preparatory movements. Only when we can move jin with this level of
freedom and speed can we really use it in fighting."



Notice that the classic is referring to the general concept of Jin in the body, not 'emitting jin' (Fajin), or 'generation of power'.


Fa Jin is described in the following classics:

静如山岳，动如江河。
Be calm like a mountain, move like a river.

蓄劲如开弓，发劲如放箭。
Store/gather up Jin like drawing back a bow, emitting jin (fajin) is like releasing the arrow.

曲中求直，蓄而后发。
Find the power through the action of bending, after it's gathered up it's then released (fa).

力由脊发，步随身换。
Power comes from emitting (fa) through the spine, the body and spine move and change with the stepping.


.

[Ron Panunto]

Not quite.

The unfortunate scenario of students who choose to reject or ignore the proper corrections and refinements offered by an expert teacher, or are simply too frickin' lazy to implement the feedback they receive, is another issue altogether, IMO, separate from whether the student is training with someone who is actually capable of providing truly expert feedback in the first place.

I mean...you can lead a horse to water, son, but you can't make her drink!

Doc

No argument there but it's not the point I was trying to make, I should have explained better:

My point is that this is the learning of intricate physical movements which have technically one 'right way' to do it and many 'wrong ways', so mistakes need to be made inside one's own body. The best way to learn what something is, is to learn what it isn't.

The instructor can't save the student from every mistake, and they shouldn't, mistakes need to made in order to deeply learn it. A good student will fix their own mistakes. When they don't that's when intervention is required.

It's inevitable that they're going to at some point smash their thumb with the hammer, let them, that's the only way they will truly learn.
.

I recall a quote from Thomas Edison when asked what he learned about inventing the light bulb, and he said that he learned 9,000 ways not to do it. But know that we know how to make a light bulb, it isn't necessary for everyone to go through the 9,000 ways to do it wrong. If a teacher knows how to do the internal arts, then he should be able to pass it along to his students without the student having to reinvent it for himself.

[D_Glenn]

...

[D_Glenn]

...

[Daniel]

Thank you for putting up this info, Glenn. I will read it in more detail once I have some coffee in front of me.

I think it´s been an interesting thread - not the original premise, but all the info that has come out because of it.

Personally I consider tingjing to be a "power", but a yin power, even though I clearly grasp Fong´s linguistic clarifications.

Will read the texts and comment later.


D.

Sarcasm. Oh yeah, like that´ll work.

[Ron Panunto]

I take my valuable time to think and write out well-thought out answers to your questions, even passing along information that is personal and that's what I get in return.
Lightbulbs.
Ron,
Just so you know, don't ever expect me to reply to any of your posts ever again.
.

You must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed Glenn. My light bulb analogy was a response to your opinion that taiji practitioners are forever condemned to repeat mistakes made by past practitioners. I simply don't agree. If a teacher actually knows the correct way to practice IMA then he should be able to pass along the correct method to his students without making them go through the 9,000 ways not to do it. And I did not ask you to type 3 pages of material that is readily available to anyone with the gumption to look it up. Maybe you should use your VALUABLE time for something more productive.

[Chris Fleming]

[D_Glenn]

Thanks Daniel. And it's a good read, it pretty much explains everything that's been touched upon in this thread.

***
Ron, probably true about the side of the bed. Also factor in that I don't look at the IMAs from the taijiquan perspective, that is indeed a frustrating style to find competent teachers in. I've met a couple good ones but they're rare, you have to go to them, some of these guys are hard to find. Although I just read an article on fajin in taichi mag and it's terrible, maybe it's a translation problem, but in imho it's wrong. So that's a good example of how poor it's being passed down even among the Chinese. If I was into Taiji I'd go with Chen Yu or his students, holding one Mo Ling up as an example, they really are teaching them all the intricacies.

----
And I didn't have to type the 3 pages above, just for the sake of readability on a laptop I copied & pasted it here.


.