Little Nine Heaven Internal Kung-Fu

Little Nine Heaven Internal Kung-Fu
February 1, 2016
Volume 9, Issue 1
TRANSCENDING STYLE WITH THE INTERNAL ARTS
Part 1 or 2
Inside this issue:
Transcending Style with
Internal Kung-Fu
2
Transcending Style with
Internal Kung-Fu
3
Transcending Style with
Internal Kung-Fu
4
Transcending Style with
Internal Kung-Fu
5
Upcoming Seminars and
Events
5
The art of Kung Fu, in particular, the Internal Wu Tang
Branch, goes deeper than most
people can imagine. Comprised of Hsing-I, Ba-Kua, Tai
-Chi and the largely unknown
system of Little Nine Heaven
Wu Tao, the oldest known
Taoist martial art, that through
recently discovered records
has been traced back unchanged to 5,000 years ago.
These Internal Arts encompass
everything from the physical
to the spiritual, from fighting
to love making to achieving
immortality, they are a special
treasure given to us by the
Chinese people and are indeed
a National Treasure to them.
The true origin of these arts is
largely unknown; records have
been lost and destroyed over
the course of China's turbulent
war-filled past. The Yellow
Emperor Huang-Ti is well
known as being instrumental
in the spread of the Internal
Arts.
There are literally hundreds of
External styles but only these
four Internal styles. We will
first discuss the differences between Internal and External
methods then talk about new/
altered/ 'evolved' styles as opposed to original unchanged
systems. Then we will discuss
the basic principles and characteristics of each style and the
five different categories of practitioner that can benefit from
these arts.
External and Internal have their
obvious meanings and these
definitions apply in our usage of
them as well, only we are going
to take that meaning further into
the realm of the esoteric. In the
literal usage, External is that
which is outside our bodies and
Internal is that which is inside.
This can be taken further using
yin and yang or the theory of
opposites, which pertains to all
creation; to talk about the inside
or Internal part of an organ and
the External or outside of an
organ that is part of the internal
body.
In Kung Fu when we refer to
External we are talking about
the muscular structure. When
we say Internal we are referencing the inside of the body; tendons, bones and ligaments, the
internal organs, the inside of the
bones (bone marrow), the breath
and an intrinsic energy called
Chi.
But most importantly the Internal requires the use of and
seeks to maximize the power
of the mind and the proper
alignment of the body. The
Internal Arts combine the
External strengthening of the
body through physical exercises (Yang), with the development of Internal power
through Chi Kung breathing
exercises and meditation to
train the mind (Yin); thus
balancing oneself through yin
and yang. Internal Kung Fu
forms themselves when performed with proper breathing, are moving Chi Kung
exercises with self-defense
applications. One translation
of the name Hsing-I is mindbody boxing.
Chi is the “God Particle” that
modern physicists are searching for, the formative energy
and life force for all things
inanimate and animate. This
force exists within and without and can be controlled by
all of us but it has gone dormant from disuse in most.
Little Nine Heaven Internal Kung-Fu
You may feel it move naturally at times,
usually triggered by an emotional event,
felt as a tingling “rush” or warmth, most
commonly in the hands or crown of the
head.
At first it may take imagination in combination with harnessing the subtle but
amazing power of proper breathing,
patterns of breathing and retention of
sexual energy, but Chi can be developed
and accumulated into a true physical
energy that can be emitted from the
body to be felt by others at very advanced levels; it can be used to heal as
well as destroy.
In combat the mind must control the
emotions, in particular fear and compassion; both deadly enemies of efficient
and purposeful movement. The heart
must turn cold in order to take a life.
Compassion for the opponent will cause
hesitation that may prove fatal. Mental
training, meditation and Chi Kung can
be used to control and dissipate the
release of adrenaline as well as slowing
the perception of movement time, making even speedy movements appear to
be slow. Even the U.S. Military is using
'tactical breathing' to help control the
effect of adrenaline on fine motor skills
in combat although I know from personal experience that they don't have the
technique quite right.
Another usage of the terms Internal and
External is when referring to styles of
martial arts. As mentioned before there
are literally hundreds of External styles
such as boxing, wrestling, grappling/
jujitsu, karate styles and the many different styles of Kung Fu; Northern,
Southern, etc. and every animal style
under the sun and moon. They can be
further divided into “hard” styles and
“soft” styles
This energy combined with training the
mind leads the willing and dedicated
down a slow but steady path of rejuvenation and transformation where the
mind harnesses the Chi, which is used to
change the physical body into psychic,
then spiritual energy as the practitioner
merges with the Tao, the limitless void
that is filled with the energy of creation.
The mind controls the will, the will
moves the Chi.
The purpose of this paper is not to denigrate other styles. On the contrary, all
styles and types of Martial Arts are
good and have literally shaped and
saved lives by instilling solid character
traits and offering alternatives to those
at risk in many different ways. The goal
of this writing is to show the benefits to
be had from the Internal Arts by any
practitioner, regardless of what style
you have learned or are learning.
Hard styles such as karate, or Shaolin on
the Kung Fu side of the Arts, typically
involve the use of muscular size and
strength as well as forceful muscular
Page 2
contraction to gain power. Soft styles
like Splashing Hands and Tzu Men
Chuan remain more relaxed and use
speed and timing to develop power,
sometimes with a forceful contraction at
the moment of impact then immediately
relaxed again, like a whip, in accordance with yin and yang principles. This
is more in line with Internal principles.
Splashing Hands Kung Fu (Zahn Zhou
Chuan) and Poison Fingers Kung Fu
(Tzu Men Chuan) are examples of External soft styles that closely adhere to
Internal principles and are therefore
suitable for inclusion in the Little Nine
Heaven system. They are very effective
for developing overall fighting skill
when combined with one of the true
Internal styles and Internal exercises in
order to develop intrinsic Chi.
All External systems share certain attributes; reliance on muscular size,
strength and/or speed to develop
“power”. This is a type of power that
will fail to penetrate a properly strengthened internal body. It is a mechanical
power where the larger or stronger rule
Little Nine Heaven Internal Kung-Fu
the smaller or weaker. Internal power
comes from the mind using the Chi as a
moving force to give weight to the
hands and that can be emitted from the
palms and eyes at advanced levels. This
same Chi will give strength to the External and Internal body against traumatic
blows and will literally change the body
from the inside out as opposed to just
the outside as in most External systems.
It is the great equalizer that allows the
perceived lesser individual to rise up
against someone seemingly more powerful.
Most External systems stress and break
down the body, making it weaker as it
ages. The Internal Arts nourish the body
from the inside out. This is combined
with principles that are trained through
drills and forms that were designed and
passed down through the centuries by
the greatest geniuses and powers of the
time, to teach the body how to move
and how to “feel”; how to root to the
ground and bring force from the ground
simultaneously in a chain of lightning,
from the foot out to the fingertips.
Forms are the building blocks of movement and also moving medicine for the
body, the motions working Chi meridians as the body twists and turns through
the specific moves. Proper forms practice combined with special breathing
Page 3
techniques will keep the body flexible
and strong, working both aerobic and
anaerobic aspects of the cardiovascular
system. Unhindered Chi flow will help
prevent and even cure some diseases
and is especially useful as exercise for
those with cardiovascular and pulmonary difficulties.
The reason perfecting the forms are
stressed in traditional Internal Kung Fu
is to maximize this energy flow and
development. If the body is disconnected by flaws in the form that has
been perfected and handed down by
Masters over the ages, or the form itself
is flawed due to changes from the original, the Chi will not flow efficiently or
sufficiently to allow accumulation. It is
very difficult if not impossible without a
teacher to observe your performance
objectively until one learns the essence
and principles of perfecting form and
the forms become self-correcting to a
certain extent. Learning how to make a
form self-correcting is a difficult process that must be learned from a competent teacher.
A great arrogance pervades the Martial
world today in that our tendency has
been to alter the existing styles into a
“new” style or “combined” style.
Granted, the ways of fighting have
changed over the ages and technique
must be adapted to allow for this fact
but the capacity for variation is contained within the traditional systems,
namely the 'true not true' theory. This is
the ability to begin a technique and then
change it in accordance with the reactions of the opponent. Changing the
forms themselves, gross alteration and
eclecticism is not necessary and is the
height of the manifestation of Man's ego
and self-importance.
The original form of Tai Chi, Old Style
Chen may very well have been divinely
inspired, as may have all Internal methods, who are we to alter the work of the
higher powers? The origins of the Taoist
systems are largely unknown because
many records have been destroyed during China's turbulent past. The bottom
line, regardless of spiritual belief, is that
to alter the moves in the forms, where
the magic is contained, changes the flow
of Chi. This is not something that has to
be believed in faith, it can be felt
through practice; it being the difference
in how your body feels and the difference in the accumulation of Chi with
proper form and without.
The most influential perpetrator of the
idea of alteration and combination of
styles and also the original mixed martial artist was Bruce Lee. Until he came
along the tradition of keeping styles
unchanged was still intact although
much had been lost over the centuries.
But he also helped to break through the
secrecy surrounding Kung Fu in general
and we as martial artists owe him a debt
for that. Most people know that he began in a classic Southern style of Kung
Fu known as Wing Chun and he was
also versed in Western boxing and fencing. Much of his Jeet Kune Do terminology came from fencing.
What many people don't know is that he
was also a practitioner of Yang style Tai
Chi that he had learned from his father
at an early age, although his father was
not an advanced practitioner. Bruce realized at some level, the benefit of the
Internal way and his fast relaxed movement was a product of his exposure to
the Internal principles. But the Internal
arts require a life long dedication to realize the skills and develop the Chi necessary for true mastery. Bruce wanted
more and he wanted it now.
He began to use an eclectic approach
and take what he considered to be the
plums from every style he could learn,
doing exhaustive research and seeking
out knowledge of other methods; using
scientific method and principles that are
Internal in nature to form the basis of
what he called Jeet Kune Do. It truly
was the forerunner of modern MMA in
that it utilized elements and techniques
from several different disciplines including boxing, which he altered using
an Internal principle to improve punching power; and Chinese wrestling
(Shuai Jiao), the forerunner of jujitsu,
despite what the Brazilians think.
Jujitsu, in fact, came to South America
with the Samurai who inherited the bastardized version of Shuai Jiao during the
occupation of China, a tactic they used
often to conceal the best secrets of their
arts from the invaders. They can be
credited with introducing the 'guard'
which just happens to be counter to Internal principles necessary to strike with
power from the ground.
Grappling after going to the ground and
emphasis on kicks is just one aspect
where Jeet Kune Do begins to stray
from the Internal path. It should be
noted that Bruce Lee's movie fighting
and what he taught for self-defense were
very different and his kicks for selfdefense were low line straight kicks
used mainly to close the gap, very similar to Internal method. The Internal
styles take it even further, rarely kicking
unless a full power strike is open to a
vulnerable point. Raising the foot to
kick breaks your root and leaves you
vulnerable to counter and takedown.
Bruce was an exceptional athlete and
was without a doubt one of, if not the
best of the External martial artists and
his influence was widespread.
A pivotal point came in San Francisco
in the late 60's as popularized in movies
about his life. The conflict with and
subsequent challenge he faced from the
traditional teachers who were angry
with him for teaching foreigners was
completely true except that the circumstances about what really happened
were very different. He was challenged
by one of the top teachers and a legend
in San Francisco named Master Kuo
Lien Ying (1895-1984) who was not a
muscled long haired Hung Gar monster
as in the movie but instead was a normal looking man who was a master of
Hsing-I, Bakua and Tai Chi. Master
Kuo was well known as a skilled fighter
that at one point challenged then heavyweight boxing champion, Joe Louis,
who did not accept.
As in the movie the fight unfolded but
instead of a cheap shot kick to the spine
from behind, Master Kuo moved in
close enough to kiss, as is the way in all
Internal styles, stepping behind like a
moving shadow as is the way of BaKua, and did internal damage with a
slap to Bruce's spine. Master Kuo was
only defeated once in his life and that
was by Master Chiao Chang-Hung, the
Grandmaster of the Little Nine Heaven
Wu Tao system, after which, as is frequently the case, they became good
friends. That is another story. Ironically,
Bruce's recovery was long but Master
Kuo had mercy and could have killed
him. It was soon after recovering that
Bruce went to make movies and eventually died under controversial circumstances. Yes, this too is a story that is
different in the reality of it as opposed
to the popular version but it is a story
also for another time. Very few people
know the true story of the death of
Bruce Lee and should have been investigated further. I use this anecdote about
Bruce Lee to illustrate that not all is as it
seems and that the Father of MMA and
arguably the best external martial artist
of his time was laid low with ease by an
Internal Arts master.
Bruce was convinced of the efficacy of
the Internal Arts and if not for his early
death who knows how far he could have
gone, with the right teacher. His philosophy, Jeet Kune Do principles and style
actually led me to and helped me realize
the incredible treasure of Master McNeil's
teachings.
With the immense popularity of MMA
there is a great emphasis on fighting and
External development as opposed to Internal development in modern martial arts
and a trend away from practicing forms.
It is perceived to be a waste of time given
the goal of their training. As we have seen
the Internal (forms), and the External
(fighting) cannot be separated and still
maintain a healthy balance of the yin and
yang. This is a mistake that is made by
MMA practitioners, along with spending
too little time practicing any one style or
aspect of fighting to truly become proficient as they strive to be eclectic in their
approach, to be “well rounded”.
This may work somewhat in competition
with rules of the game they play and a
referee and one opponent but there is a
huge difference between “sport fighting”
and street fighting. What we do is for selfdefense although many principles can be
adapted and adopted for use by MMA
fighters if they just set aside the ego and
investigate the possibilities.
the rules make it possible for grapplers to
remain relaxed and conserve energy on
the ground. I appreciate and enjoy watching two good Jujitsu fighters for the
physical chess match that it is, and the
principles of leverage used can be helpful
with learning standing armlocks/breaks
but not enough to spend valuable training
time doing something that I would never
use in a real fight. This is the end of part
one, part two next month.
The primary difference is that in real combat there is no name to that game, no rules
and no “unfair” fights. The only unfair
fight is the one that you lose and leaves
you crippled or dead. One of the first tenets is never go to the ground as you become vulnerable to attack from another
opponent. It is also less efficient in that
more energy is expended and the quickest
way to stop a fight is striking. You are also
vulnerable to a concealed weapon. Only
This article was written by
James Doty.
School in Arizona
jimdotyl9h@gmail.com
480-352-1992
Upcoming Seminars and Events
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December 26th to
January 10th
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January 31st to February 5th
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San Francisco, CA
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MARCH 2016
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March 18th to 22nd (pending)
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APRIL 2016
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Dates Pending– 2 weeks
Visit Master Chiao’s Hometown
& Temple
JUNE 2016
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June 10th to June 13th
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Spain
June 14th to 22nd
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