From External to internal.

[Anonymous]

A shout out to all of the martial artists out there. I have 30 years of Yoshinkan Aikido experience. I have trained with the top ranked players in Canada and a few from New Zealand and Japan. While “ki” is a topic in the Aikikai, it is not talked about openly in the Yoshinkai. My experience has been the study of mechanics/ body alignment “Kamae”. While some of the Overseas Japanese instructors have had some out of this world abilities I have not seen it in the western trained players. I have trained with those that have been Live in students( Uechi-deshi) and the experience has been the same. Mechanics and alignments, No “Chi”, “Ki”.
My interest in this practice is due to the obvious decline of my fellow Aikido practitioners as we have aged. Yes there is genetics, Diet and lifestyle. There is however, the undeniable decline of vital energy and resilience. My own ailments incurred from repeated trauma and repetitive overuse both on and off the mats has slowed me up. I have seen huge changes since beginning the “Old Yang style” program, all for the better.
So to my question: How do you make the transition from muscular strength to intention? When I do H&E and Tai chi the openness and elastic feeling is awesome. I have difficulty with the transition to partnered exercises. How do you transition from softness to the physicality of Bau Gua and maintain the internal dynamics?
Martial arts require high levels of physicality. Timing and mechanics alone don’t work without endurance. If you “gass out” in a multiple opponent situation you are done.
I understand health before strength. I can now look forward to training with greater vitality into the next decades than I ever expected. The martial artist will always be there…
Any input would be awesome.

[Anonymous]

Hello D.R. —

I have found this an interesting issue, for a few reasons (thus the handful of posts in regards to this question I wrote, can be found, on this forum, so I won’t repeat here).. but I think there is a bit more to this issue than merely the surface. -there seems to be a memetic-resistance to these ideas (back when I was learning Aikido in late-70s- there were the 4 principles, as well as the founder’s teachings on certain concepts that were later ‘removed’ as inessential– those 4 principles were dismissed/taboo nearly from ‘ortho’ Aiki (only showing up in: Ki Principles by Koichi Tohei ) … and then in the 90s and onward there was a progressive “improvement” getting the nonsense out.
(like the modern “understanding” of martial-mechanics on YouTube and Blog-posts.. even in books by those that seemed to study with those of internal lineages, often explain it all as just physical…)
….
Just as the “medical” seemed to not only split into different tracks (and contextual-frame it “alternative” or traditional (read-archaic).. as in, in-opposition-to __ mainstream, ala alt to)… and now more and more MDs are training (briefly) in Traditional-type medicine (as if jumping stream- one can sort of leap-frog to the other-stream.. and now both… the foundations are a bit different).. -relevance, the saying, often said, all external-styles become internal over time is really the same principle (from Chi is just a metaphor, and thus we didn’t practice, or even learn that system- but then later utilize those skill-attributes… )

it seems there is a transition/translation (as it is a different system of context-how it is explained, it isn’t just the same-thing said differently, and it isn’t one-thing ah-got-it.. done, but a like learning a new language.. then (like language-skills, need to build up ‘vocab’ as well as the “flavour/style” .. each language has a different flow and ‘way’ (otherwise just using words in one’s other language ).
So just like showing someone skill that is developed from Plyometrics.. building up the ability to receive and rebound strong-bouncey shocks … needs to be built up slowly.. but over time, one can see, and think how can I jump to that? try and do what they did.. ouch…

not saying Chi-work is the same, just as an example.. like how smoothly can one do moves A, B, C.. ? and then one can start to link them, as well as get the feeling of how/when they fit in (in flow).. but trying to link and/or use in “application” before getting movements (A, B, C) down-pat, doesn’t have the foundation.
………..
so in short, I find the underlying memetic-resistance (subconscious-conflict? something in our language? or something in our collective-group-mind? not sure, but something rejects or just “knows” that there isn’t anything to this-stuff… and even if Consciously we decide/believe we’ll work in it.. its still there, underneath) …

and our legacy, the culture, that developed of the last 30-40yrs where that sort of an approach was there and it was gradually filtered-out, as well as translated (extend ki- just means focus your mind, concentrate on one-pt: that’s just center of mass.. relax completely: um that is just yah-know relax… weight underside.___)

[What is gravity? -directly connect-align with ‘that’?
relax “completely”? even lying-down, let alone slumping in chair- leaning back- feel all the contraction holding organs and spine held-in space.. can “let-go”? can feel the shift and flow that starts to move? that isnt chi.. that’s just becoming aware of the pulse-venous and perhaps sense the arterial… the capillary swish, the adjustments to balance, the hiss-hum in/over your nerves (in your ears, below/behind hearing).. that’s just becoming a bit more present- and then one can see/exper what the practice can show you….. even “rowing” or tenkan-turning with such an awareness might reveal things that relate to your question? things that were there all along, but were filtered out, per the understandings of one’s practice.]

just a thought- luck in your seeking, what do you find?

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