The Effectiveness of a Fighter
(This essay is very brief and lacking in detail and is more than anything a personal reflection using my humbly limited knowledge and the information I have read thus far in the book Hsing Yi Chuan: Theory and Applications, Analysis of Fighting Tactics and Spirit.")
In Chapter 1 of Hsing Yi Chuan Theory and Applications, the authors write about the difference between internal and external styles in the Martial Arts. Within this discussion, they mention the three most important factors that decide a fight: speed, power, and technique. They contend that speed is the most important, then power, then technique, and that the innate difference between Internal and External arts is that Internal arts acquire these by starting with the internal (Qi building) aspect and that External arts acquire these by starting with the external (Muscular/Physical) aspect. In the end, both External and Internal should meet, where the External trains the internal later and the Internal trains the external later on. Neither art is devoid of either aspect; it is more a matter of emphasis.
The idea of an ability hierarchy is pretty simple to understand, and I find it to be generally true. However, I wonder the degree to which they are true? For example, a weaker opponent using better techniques can stand to defeat a stronger opponent who lacks a true understanding of skill. On the other hand, a very skilled practitioner who is slow and weak will probably be beaten by one who is generally powerful and fast, and has a good understanding of a few decent skills.
I suppose this argument isn’t so important if one consciously trains all three aspects. Nevertheless, I feel too that depending on the individual, certain aspects may be trained more or less to make up for inability or difficulty. For example, I myself am not very quick, particularly in terms of my reflexes. I will never be amongst the strongest fighters. However, to defend myself, I feel most comfortable using techniques that flow in such a way to "build speed or quickness" into the technique, and also techniques that acquire power due to positional advantage, exploiting basic weaknesses in the human body that cannot be easily trained away with (i.e. attacks to the knees, attacks that take an opponents balance, attacks to the eyes/ears/hands). Of course there are many roads one can take, though, in the end, clearly, the BEST fighters need speed, power, and technique. I guess I'm just saying technique is to ME most important; after all, that's one reason why there are so many different styles of martial arts.
Afterwards, Chapter 1 explains the major and subtle differences between the four major Chinese Internal Martial Arts: Tai Chi Chuan, Hsing Yi Chuan, Ba Kua Chang, and Liu Ho Ba Fa. Basically, Tai Chi Chuan is defensive, hits like a whip with rounded movements at a short and middle range. Hsing Yi Chuan is more offensive, attacking with explosive strikes using linear back and forth motions at a short range. Ba Kua Chang is circular, equally defensive and offensive, with a focus on making an opponent lose balance, and it is effective at all ranges. Liu Ho Ba Fa is basically explained as the first three combined.
Liu Ho Ba Fa is it’s own system, but it uses the principles of the other three arts. Truly, it would seem ideal to learn a system that encompasses three other systems (like MMA). However, Tai Chi Chuan, Hsing Yi Chuan, and Ba Kua Chang are all so involved and apparently difficult to learn properly without a good master that it might be difficult to learn a system that combines all three while staying true to all the principles of each. All of these arts are very theory based and based on different ways of increasing an individuals Qi, and they each approach Qi building in different ways.
In MMA, you combine techniques to create a more effective fighting art. Today, if one were to combine only the “techniques,” not the internal aspects, of these three arts one may produce an effective art, but it’d be lacking the internal element, and thus such an art would only be a superficial adaptation of a deeper systems.
The book addresses part of this notion; the internal arts are more difficult and slow to learn and apply than the external systems. However, I have yet to see Internal Martial Arts practitioners demonstrate the effectiveness of Internal Arts in actual combat or even competitive fighting. I wonder how effective the external aspect of the Internal Arts is in applied combat. After all, competitive martial arts are proven to have very effective techniques, and they seem almost 100% external. Perhaps, I must ask if they lack the internal aspect? I don't know the answer. And then there are those videos of Old Masters shocking people that touch them, but that’s another conversation altogether....
All in all, the next book I'm reading, "Hsing Yi Chuan: Theory and Applications, Analysis of Fighting Tactics and Spirit" is extremely interesting, very well put together, and full of super amazing information. I look forward to learning more! The authors, Master Liang Shou-Yu and Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming are amongst the most amazing of Martial Artists! I hope to answer many of the questions I have by finishing the rest of this book! I am grateful to them for writing it and sharing their vast and extensive knowledge.
