Introduction

The 'soft' or 'internal' martial arts include Taijiquan, Xingyiquan, Baguazhang, and other lesser-known arts. When viewed from the outside, at a demonstration or on videotape, for example, they may appear to have little martial to go with the art. This is because they are internal - you cannot see what is going on under the hood.

Those of us who have studied these disciplines as combat arts will have endured much in the way of conditioning exercises and skill development that are intended to inform the seemingly slow and flowing motions with useful martial content. As martial arts, the fundamental attribute level goals are clear - to be able to move fast, hit hard, take punishment, and do damage in as efficient a manner as possible. This article is intended to impart some of the fundamental concepts and exercises that will allow the potential combatant from any discipline to reap the benefit of soft/internal martial arts training.

In order to do this we will require some theory, though I will attempt to keep the esoterica to a minimum. My advice is to suffer through the previous academic article, as it will give you grounding in what other people are talking about when you discuss these subjects. Nothing presented should be against any principles of any Chinese art, but terminology can be confusing - if the surface (choice of words) differs, the depths remain the same. Some ability to translate is necessary if you wish to have an understanding of what is going on in the various disciplines. That's why you need the theory - so that you can talk to other internal artists and know what they are talking about. It is also quite helpful to be able to figure out if they do not know what they are talking about, especially if in the context of you paying money for some product or service.

Soft Iron Palm

When he was 17 years old, my youngest brother asked me to teach him some martial arts. I gave him the following exercises and figured that he would never practice them. It was two years until I saw him again, and he was dying to show me his skill. Seems he had diligently worked the exercises, and he could break three unsupported bricks with either palm.

To understand how significant this is, you should get three bricks, stack them on a table with no spacers between them, and nothing holding them off the table, and try to break them with a hammer. This is very hard to do with one blow. The impressive demos you see are often done with supported soft blocks of concrete, with spacers between each individual block. Set something similar up on your table and hit with the hammer. If you strike with any power and follow through at all, you will smash right through them. Bricks, flat on the table, are very hard to break.

The following is the two-year program that I gave to my brother that led to his ability. It took about three hours to teach it all to him. He practiced all of these exercises every day. Expect to devote about an hour or so per day if you wish similar results.

Breathing Exercises

These are performed sitting in a straight back chair. Sit as tall and straight as you can, but relax completely. Good posture is necessary for total relaxation. Tongue touching the roof of your mouth, behind the teeth, which is traditionally supposed to complete the main Qi circuits. Breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth, with a very small hole for exhalation. Place your hands on your knees, which is supposed to complete another circuit.

Exercise One: Cleansing Breath. Inhale slowly, filling your lungs completely, but not to the point of discomfort. This is a theme in bagua - everything is natural and relaxed. Exhale takes twice as long as the inhale. No visualizations are required, nor should you worry about abdominal breathing. 10 reps, no more, no less.

Exercise Two: Filling Breath. Inhale into your lower abdomen, then expand your lowest ribs, then your chest. Do this slowly and fully. Exhale from the bottom up, also. Inhale and exhale should both take about the same amount of time. As many reps as you want. If you get dizzy or light headed, you are trying too hard. Stop.

You will become friends with the filling breath technique over time, as it is the internal basis of all subsequent gong.

Meditation Exercises

These are performed lying on floor on your back. Natural and relaxed posture and breathing.

Meditation One: Count backwards from 100. You may visualize the numbers if that helps concentration. If your mind wanders, start at 100 again. You will be very surprised at how hard this is to do. If you can get 100 every time with no extraneous thoughts, go to 500.

Meditation Two: Basic relaxation self-hypnosis. Move your mind to the various points described on inhalation, move your mind to some nonspecific point away from your body on exhalation. This is a very common exercise in most traditions. Start with your 'third eye' (right in the middle of your forehead), move to the solar plexus, then the tan tien. Next the toes, feet, legs, back, stomach, chest, shoulders, arms, etc. The goal is to completely relax, one part at a time. I find it helpful to repeat the inhale-exhale/relax multiple times per part for parts that are particularly tense, and I also wiggle some parts around while I am attempting to center my mind on them.

'Basic' Qi Circulation Exercise

This is the key exercise for success. It is a classic set, and is part of a multi-year program. In the beginning, no Qi circulation is specified beyond that which occurs naturally as the result of your mental focus. This is a theme in bagua training that bears repeating and careful scrutiny - most of the time, the Qi is left alone. Body movement, structural alignment, and intention are thought to be all that is necessary to increase Qi, remove blockages, and develop the ability to use it for high powered striking.

Stand with your hands at your sides and feet about shoulder width apart. Relax totally, with your spine naturally curved, your knees bent, and your coccyx in a natural position. That means butt out. This is not taiji, and a forward tilted pelvis is always frowned upon in bagua - never do it. Try to lengthen your spine via the ubiquitous 'imagine a string pulling up on the crown of your head' visualization. No muscular tension is required for this pulling action - a slight forward tilt of the head is all that is necessary. Stand like this and breathe naturally and relax for a moment or two.

The exercise action is to raise your arms up to shoulder height with the palms facing down. You should look like you are doing the Frankenstein walk.

Then, turn your palms to face each other and open your arms at shoulder height. Palms turn to face each other before any outward arm movement. The picture at the end is that you should look like you have been crucified.

Then bring them back to the center. This is exactly the reverse of the previous movement.

Then turn your palms so that they face away from you. Fingertips up, elbows down, like you are doing the traffic cop stop signal with both hands. Then, move your palms toward your shoulders with elbows pointed down.

Then push them back out. From this position, turn your palms back down and lower them to your sides to the beginning position.

This up-out-in-back-forward-down movement is done with arms straight, but elbows never locked. The elbows bend and droop down during the back and forward portions. A space should always exist at your armpits - the classic technique is to imagine a marble or walnut in your armpit. The key to success is not the movements but the mental intention - your mind should always be focused on your palms or the back of your hand. Focus on palms when they are moving forward, inward, or down. Very little strength is used - imagine your hands are pushing through warm water. Breathe in a slow and relaxed manner. Eventually, you can time your breaths so that expanding or rising movements correspond with inhalation. You should use the 'filling breath' technique after a long period of practice.

At the end of each repetition you will be in the starting position. Give your body a little shake to help relax completely before you start your next rep.

After practicing for a while, you will have your first 'Qi experience'. It is different for everyone, and it may take some weeks or months of effort. Mine was like a donut of warmth and pressure in the middle of my plams. In any case, do not worry about this or attempt to make it happen. The Qi is always there and doing what it is supposed to do. The purpose of this exercise is to develop a connection between your mind and the increased flow of Qi to your hands. You may do this as many times as you wish. Half an hour would be plenty of time.

Qi is traditionally strongest when Yin is changing to Yang or vice versa. The traditional time to do Qigong exercises, then, is at sunrise or sunset.

Another detail is the 'anal pull' that all Party members will be familiar with. The huyin cavity is not exactly the anus, but somewhat forward of it. It is this that we are actually attempting to gently raise. In this gong, raising the huyin is a mandatory component, but you should add it only after you have developed skill in the movements, coordinating the breathing, and correct mental focus. Pulling up gently on the anus is the best way to learn to raise the huyin, and is similar to the Keggle exercises practiced by some women. In general, all exercises should include this detail except the breathing and meditation.

All of these exercises should be performed sometime after eating. You should not be so hungry you are weak or cannot concentrate, and you should not be so full that you are sluggish or sleepy. Balance in all things.

Striking Exercise

This is also very common, but with some bagua specific details. Stand with your feet more than shoulder width apart in front of a table that comes to about your navel. Knees slightly bent. You will be striking something. Typically, a sandbag or beanbag or some such. I had my brother use a stack of magazines, which will work fine for you, too.

It is critical that you use absolutely no force when striking. Raise your hand to about the top of your head. Slight bend in elbow, pointed down. Your palm should face the stack of magazines. Do not slap or otherwise drive your hand downward - simply relax even more and let it fall. Focus on your palm as in the Qi circulation exercise: bring your intent to your palm as it is dropping. No special breathing is indicated at the beginning - total relaxation is the first goal.

After you have achieved total relaxation, you will want to grunt as your hand contacts the target. The sound is not important, but the effect is. To find your grunt, place your hand on your tan tien and make the noise. Whatever noise causes your tan tien to push outward quickly and forcefully (without any attempt to make this happen other than the grunt) is the right noise for you. Some kind of 'Humpf' is usually best. The purpose of this grunt is to 'wake up' your tan tien, and to begin to develop the connection between it and your intention on the palm at the moment of impact.

Every tradition has its own proprietary 'hit medicine', which is supposed to bring Qi to the trained area. My teacher's bagua is no exception, but this is soft iron palm - dit da jow is not necessary. You should not be 'conditioning' your palm like in karate or hard gongfu - this is a very mild exercise. When you are done, simply wash your hands in water as hot as you can stand for a few minutes.

Do this as many times as you wish, with both hands.

Some general advice - the Qi circulation exercise will interfere with your sleep if you do it at night. Give yourself a few hours before bedtime. The best order is the striking exercise first, followed by the Qi circulation exercise sometime during the day. Work on the breathing and meditation exercises before bed. Wait a few months before you try breaking anything, and start with a new brick that is supported (some air underneath it). If you perform exactly the same movements in exactly the same relaxed manner, it will snap in two with no effort and no negative effect to your palm.

Eventually, you should be able to bring Qi to your palms at any time in any direction, simply by thinking about it.

Soft Iron Body

OK, Comrades. Now we get to the difficult stuff. Breaking a brick with your hand is vastly different than letting me bounce a brick off your ribs. The following is presented for informational purposes only. If you elect to follow the training, you may not have any problems, but if you attempt to test the results you can get hurt. I have practiced all of the below gong and attempted all of the tests and they do work. However, as always, your mileage may vary.

Additionally, this discipline is much harder to learn and put into practice than anything I have attempted to describe so far. Three years minimum, with ten years being more likely. A qualified instructor is almost mandatory for mastery, but perhaps you can make some useful progress with the basic gong.

For clarity, in the Baguazhang and Xingyiquan disciplines I practice, there are no sub disciplines named 'iron palm' or 'iron body'. The overall training programs are supposed to lead to stronger strikes and more durability all by themselves. I use those terms for clarity, assuming general understanding of what they imply. Naming is always an issue in Chinese martial arts, as many vastly different disciplines can share the same names. 'Iron Body', 'Iron Shirt', 'Golden Bell Cover', and various other names are used by multiple martial arts for gong that attempt to do basically the same thing - make the body impervious to harm.

It should be obvious that this is only possible in a limited sense. You cannot turn yourself into superman, and I do not care what the claims are to the contrary. Knives and guns will always beat the greatest master of Iron Shirt that ever lived, as will a kick in the balls or a stick in the eye. On the other hand, it is possible to increase your ability to take punishment end to decrease you sensitivity to pain and susceptibility to injury. In the west we call this 'toughening up'. Ken Shamrock's Lions Den boys call it 'callusing'. The soft style eastern traditions, as usual, do this from the inside out as opposed to the outside in. You should not expect any Kung Fu movie skills, but can expect to increase your ability to take punishment. For those of you who have declined to do so thus far, it is probably critical that you go to www.hsing-i.com and view the videotape of a teenaged Mike Patterson demonstrating Iron Body. This will give you a realistic idea of the level of skill that can be attained in a few years of dedicated and correct training.

As you may surmise, this is accomplished by giving yourself punishment. Less than the hard style, but the process will involve discomfort at best. If this sounds like fun to you, let's get to it.

Iron Board Gong

In this exercise, place a hardback chair against a wall. Set another one facing it a short distance away. Lie on the chairs with your feet on one and your upper back and shoulders on the other. That's all there is to it - keep your body rigid and straight, but relax as much as possible. This may sound incongruous, and it is, but try anyway - straight and rigid is the most important factor, but only use the necessary muscles to do this. Try to keep the uninvolved musculature fully relaxed. Breathe normally (for us) - in through the nose, out through a small hole in your mouth, tip of the tongue against the roof of your mouth behind the teeth.

After practicing for a good long time, begin to increase the distance between the chairs. Your eventual goal is for your heels to be on one and your head only on the other. This should take at least a few months to achieve. Don't rush it, please.

Once you can hold the fully extended position without discomfort for at least five minutes, we start adding weight. I can stack 4 45-pound plates on my lower abdomen and can hold the position for up to an hour (I need someone to put on the plates and take them off). Note that I decline to practice this gong every day as is recommended, but I have been doing it for over twenty years. Also, it is clear that this kind of intense core training in my youth has benefits for squat and deadlift today - it may be worth considering similar exercises even if you don't care about martial arts. When you get to this level, you will have incorporated abdominal breathing as described below, and an observer should be able to see the plates move a reasonable distance as you breathe. You should start light and build up over many months. Probably a year of hard training will pass before you add weight, and you should attempt only a 10 or 25 pound plate at first.

About the time you make it to full distance between the chairs, add the breathing exercises and meditation exercises from the Iron Palm section. Still do only ten reps of the Cleansing Breath exercise and do them first. This is supposed to eliminate toxins from your lungs. The remainder of your session will be spent doing the Filling Breath breathing, which expands your lung capacity and increases the size of your rib cage gently over time.

This exercise is very taxing of your back, neck, hips, abdomen, etc. Be very careful if you decide to try it. If the first part with the chairs close together is too hard, place your hands on the chair around your ears. This will make it much easier. Otherwise, fold your hands on your lower abdomen, which adds stress and allows you to feel your tan tien move.

As time progresses, you should add Small Circulation visualizations to Iron Board. This is a basic exercise when performed lying, sitting, or standing in a static posture. There are many variations, including reverse breathing, various points of mental focus, etc. In this version, you will do the following, but if you already know this exercise, you can add the visualizations you are already familiar with.

When you inhale, imagine Qi being inhaled. Visualize it flowing to your lower abdomen. As you begin to exhale, imagine the Qi moving to the end of your spine at the coccyx. On the next inhale, it flows to the upper back, between your shoulder blades. Upon the final exhale of the cycle, it flows up your neck and the back of your head, down and out of your nose.

This cycle of Qi movement flows under the skin, perhaps an inch or two deep. Visualize it actually in your spine when it is moving up your back, and between your skull and your skin as it goes over your head. Match the pace of flow with your deep and slow rhythmic breathing. The eventual goal of such practice is to always feel this cycle occurring, without visualization or otherwise thinking about it.

This visualization / Qi flow technique can be added to any martial arts movements or postures that you currently practice, and should assist with power, root, and overall sense of well being.

Beating Gong

You can make what you need with an old pair of trousers. I like jeans, since they are reasonably durable. Cut off the legs. Sew one end closed, and stuff as many dried peas or beans in as possible. Sew the other end closed. Fill the other one with sand. You are going to hit yourself with these, which is a modification of the traditional gong. In the standard method, someone else hits you. If you have a training partner or someone who doesn't like you, please ask them for help.

The basic deal is big, jarring shots instead of sharp ones. That's why a large diameter beating bag is required - if it were slimmer, you would be doing hard style conditioning. We are looking to accomplish two goals - basic conditioning and Qi movement to the area being stressed.

Develop a routine of hitting, starting with the beanbag and moving to the sand bag after a long period of training. With a partner, he or she would start in the center of your body, delivering a few wallops as you brought your intent to the point of impact. It is critical that you have developed the ability to continually feel the small circulation at all times without concentration before you begin this training. That way, your intention will not be split. The Qi must circulate by itself, and you must bring it to the point of impact with your intention.

As this is a soft gong, take it very easy and build up the intensity of impact and duration of the training over a long period. When you cannot maintain focus it is time to stop training for the day. The increased concentration requirements here are the reason you performed (and continue to perform) the meditation exercises described above. Here, practicing concentration and focus of intent while being struck increases these abilities and assists in your ability to concentrate in combat or other chaotic situations.

Anyway, it is traditional to start on the front of your body, in the center, and move in a clockwise circular manner until the entire body has been addressed. Have a care - it is traditionally believed that Qi can be brought to the testes to protect them, but you will not want to test this tradition for a while. Eyes, too. For more advanced genital self-massage components, please consult the excellent works of Mantak Chia or Yang Jwing-Ming.

The desired result of this component is to be able to bring Qi to a specific area at the speed of thought, which is believed to protect against most injuries. When coupled with proper structural alignment, trainees can expect to be able to take a sledgehammer in the gut like Mike Patterson.

Standing Meditation and Breathing Exercises

These are from Xingyiquan, as there is no such thing as standing still in Baguazhang. It is not possible, in my opinion, to learn the eight mother palms of Bagua without direct instruction, so we will use other exercises to achieve the goals of Iron Body.

Basically, it does not matter what posture you assume as long as it is structurally sound. There are many valid ones, and we will pick Embracing the Tree, which appears in every Xingyi tradition of which I am aware (perhaps under other names).

Stand with your feet somewhat wider than shoulder width apart. Bend your knees slightly, with your toes pointed forward. Center your weight in the middle of your feet, align your hips and shoulders over this central point. Maintain a natural curvature in your spine, but attempt to elongate it by standing up as tall as possible. Use the slight forward tilt of your head and imagine that it is suspended by a string from the crown. Relax completely while still holding correct posture.

Stand like this for a moment or two, breathing deeply and slowly. Take a mental inventory of your posture and relax any discernable tension. You can use a modification of the relaxation self-hypnosis meditation here to help dissolve tension in the posture. Once you are completely relaxed, you will raise your arms at which point you will repeat all of the above relaxation steps as necessary.

Arms are raised to shoulder level and rounded as if you are, in fact, embracing a tree. Fingertips touch lightly, with the hands relaxed but fingers held together. Think round in every aspect - your scapulae and shoulders, your arms, elbows, wrists, and hands. Elbows should droop slightly. Do what it takes to completely relax, as above.

Now the exercises start. Hold the posture and remain relaxed. As always, stop when your concentration is broken. Try to do this someplace where distractions are minimal, therefore.

The first stage is the small circulation, as described above. No difference at all, except your body position. Once you can do this for at least twenty minutes without losing focus, we can progress to the grand circulation.

There are multiple exercises named 'grand circulation', but the common thread is increasing the scope of the small circulation by increasing the internal range of the visualizations. This is the one I learned first, and it is as good as any.

As you inhale, visualize Qi being led to your tan tien from the center of the soles of your feet and through the center of the bones in your legs. As you exhale, imagine the Qi moving up your spine and out through the center of your plams via the center of the bones in your arms. This is called 'bone breathing' or 'marrow breathing'. It can be done in multiple other variations - up through the feet and out through the nose as in the small circulation, in through the mouth as in the small circulation and out through the feet, etc. All are valid, and you should try as many as you can think of. Avoid, however, 'Qi stagnation' by making sure your intention moves the Qi out of your body through either the soles of the feet, the center of the plams, or the nose. 'Rising Qi' is bad, too - if you get a headache during these exercises, that's what you've got. It is also avoided by visualizing ALL of the Qi exiting and not staying in your head area. For health, you can imagine the Qi moving to an injured area and remaining there. A good way to maximize the healing effect is to place your hands over the injury while performing the grand circulation. You can do it standing, sitting, or lying down as necessary when practice is for self-healing.

These are still circulation exercises, where your focus is moving Qi smoothly and identifying blockages by feel and intuition. Increasing energy is performed by imagining 'Earth Qi' from the ground remaining in your tan tien, or 'Air Qi' remaining and accumulating there from your nose.

Rooting is increased by Qi coming in through the nose to the tan tien, and then spiraling around the outside of the legs before exiting in the ground. Imagine a deep connection to the earth, with the Qi penetrating many feet below the surface. This is best performed, in traditional thought, on dirt in bare feet. The spirals should feel like they are turning the knees and feet out. Imagine that your legs are giant screws biting into the earth as the Qi drives them.

There are innumerable variations, and you should experiment with them and thereby make the art your own. You can and should add all of these breathing and visualization exercise variations to your Iron Board gong as you master them, as long as they do not require a connection to the ground.

The next goal is to develop a Qi Belt, which you imagine as a few inches wide at the level of your tan tien. This is achieved by visualizing a clockwise flow from the tan tien to the center of your spine on inhale and back to the tan tien on exhale. Deep abdominal 'filling breath' style breathing, please. If you can develop a continual small circulation and Qi belt without thought, you have achieved a milestone in Iron Body, and should be able to test your skill. Since that will be a few years from now for the most disciplined Party members, I'll save the testing protocol for later.

If you practice Iron Board, Beating Gong, and the various meditations and breathing exercises diligently, perhaps someday you will be able to let me hit you in the gut with a sledgehammer. This is a lot of work for a benefit that may not pay off in the modern world, but it sure is cool to be certain that you cannot be hurt by most blows. Note that in traditional martial arts, Iron Body is not taught to beginners for just this reason - there is little chance that defensive skills will be mastered if you don't care if you are hit.

From Gong to Jing

Jing is power that is useful in a martial context. Martial means things pertaining to war, of course, so the goal of jing development exercises is to develop the ability to express destructive power in life-or-death combat. All new age 'martial' artists whose goal is other than killing your enemy before he kills you can leave for encounter group now.

So far we have been discussing gong, or basic power development exercises. Now our attention turns to exercises that will make this power applicable in martial context. This is a common problem in all areas of human performance, but more critical in ours - we have more at stake than losing a game.

In western sports science there is the problem of 'accommodating strength to skills'. What this means is that since it is clearly known that stronger athletes can run faster, jump higher, hit harder, etc., once strength is increased the athlete needs to learn how to use it effectively in the context of their sport. Bench press does not transfer directly to hitting a baseball, in other words.

We have a similar issue with our gong work. Enough power to break a brick may exist, but it is meaningless if the artist cannot strike effectively in a combat situation. You can break a pile of bricks, but as Bruce lee so aptly said, they 'don't hit back'.

So, we are left with the task of applying our newly developed power to combat-effective movements. Nobody is going to teach you any meaningful martial art by written communication, so what I will attempt to do here is give some suggestions on how to apply the principles of Chinese internal jing development to the arts you already know. This should be relatively easy to accomplish, and should be applicable to any art except those who insist that your feet are not solidly rooted to the ground at the moment of impact. Even if all you know is the boxing you have seen on television, the principles should work for you.

We are going to do this by applying our visualizations and Qi movement to the actions of our art.

Take your karate kata, for example, and perform it very slowly. Focus your attention on the tantien up until the moment of impact of the block or strike. At that point, make your personal grunt, and concurrently bring your intent to the striking surface. The timing is critical, as is complete relaxation. As you no doubt surmise, this makes any form or kata a qigong exercise. You should shelve the ego and pick the most fundamental and basic form or exercises in your style. Your teacher would tell you that the secrets of your art all reside there.

We should breathe deeply and smoothly, tongue affixed to the roof of the mouth as usual. You can and should develop the ability to perform the small circulation and Qi belt visualizations while stepping through your form. It is vastly different to do this while moving, so take your time. A good way to practice this is to omit any attempts at Qi movement while striking, concentrating on the circulation components for a good long time. Matching breath to movement is an eventual goal, and as before you should coordinate inhalation with movements that open your arms or body. However, do not fall into the trap of developing jing that is only available on exhalation - spend some tine performing coordinated grunt and intent movements to your strikes everywhere in your breathing cycle.

Anyway, at first, walk through your form. Move slowly and deliberately, with your mind centered on your tantien. Relax completely, and concentrate on perfect form and alignment. Do not focus your attention anywhere else (like on the strike, block, or kick) - just relax, stay centered, and move slowly, and breathe deeply. Your goals here will be to achieve 'centering' first, then to achieve total relaxation in your movements with perfect form. Think about the taiji demonstrations you have seen, and attempt to make your form as smooth, flowing, and relaxed as that. Once you have practiced this way for some time, move to the next step.

A note on 'total relaxation' in motion. It is obviously not possible to relax completely when standing or moving. The underlying goal of high repetitions while 'totally' relaxing is to involve muscles that you normally would not use. If you can punch slowly without using apparent muscular strength, the numerous small muscles, tendons, and ligaments come into play. The visualization of using 'Qi' to power your movements will also tend to increase this effect. If antagonistic musculature is completely relaxed in movement, the movement will obviously be more powerful and fast. Use of all of the subtly involved agonists and synergists will improve coordination and power when you do actually include the prime movers. In western terms, this is the 'secret' of martial Qigong. An internal strike involves these principles, and uses only the smallest possible physical motion to impart the destructive force. A useful suggestion from the Dragondoor message board is imagine your bones moving your body instead of your muscles.

Next, you will add the filling breath breathing technique, and use the small circulation Qi visualization. Walk through your form as above, and feel the Qi circulating through the conception and governing vessels as described previously. It will take a long period of dedicated practice before you reach the point where you can feel this circulation occurring constantly while you are in motion, so plug away and don't rush it. Relax, stay centered in the tantien, move slowly, and circulate the Qi.

After another long period of practice, add the Qi belt visualization. This, you will recall, is the wide band of Qi circulating around your trunk at around the level of your tantien. At the point where you have done everything described in prior sections, and have accomplished the ability to feel the small circulation and Qi belt in motion, you will have made significant progress in developing the ability to actually apply your Iron Body skills in a dynamic situation. In order to further progress, you will have to have a partner strike you with the beating bag or other implement as in the static gong. We will return to this in a moment.

Next comes the grand circulation and intention movement. The feeling while moving is the previously described 'charged fire hose' - you can feel full Qi between your tantien and the striking surface you are about to use at all times. When your form calls for a punch, you should be able to feel the Qi from your low belly up your spine, through the center of your arm, and to your exact striking surface, which will differ in the various arts - could be a specific knuckle, the center of the top two, the bottom three, etc. In Baguazhang it is believed that Qi flows best through palms or fingertips and that a closed fist impedes flow. However, Taiji and Xingyi frequently use clenched fists, and many forms of Bagua do, as well.

So, the feeling is this, assuming a punch with the first two knuckles: A full 'charge' of Qi already exists between your tantien and the exact center of the striking surface. As your punch connects with the imaginary target, you will make your grunting sound and imagine Qi moving from your tantien to your striking point, pushing the Qi that is already in the 'hose' out and into the target. Note that this emission of Qi is depth-sensitive. If you are punching to the body, imagine that it travels a few inches. If you are blocking a forearm, imagine it moves somewhat less. The key is to visualize the energy moving into your target exactly deep enough to damage the vital parts and no further.

Also note that emitting Qi is traditionally always followed by exercises that 'build' Qi. In the beginning of your training, it is advisable to 'keep' the Qi, meaning to imagine it traveling to the correct striking surface but not leaving your body. Only when you have achieved the constant 'charged hose' feeling should you progress to emission exercises, and you should always do some standing gong designed to replace the energy you have spent afterwards.

There are many tests for Qi emission, and the key to designing a good one is that it provides feedback that will allow you to refine and focus your movements and intention. The ubiquitous Wing Chun Kuen / Yongchunquan 'candle test' described previously is perfectly valid. You need to be able to see something react to your motions, and gauge the direction and penetration of your efforts. This will help you develop control and correct any extraneous movements.

I have used a tank of water with a soft target below the surface. You can give this a try. Arrange something that you can see through with perhaps four inches of water in it. Place a large, light, waterproof item inside. A hunk of tofu is fine. Place your hand on the surface and relax completely, attempting to recreate the Qi feeling of a charged hose. Grunt and strike, paying attention to minimal hand movement. When water splashes out, your force is on the surface and not penetrating. When the object moves and water does not splash out, you have achieved focus and penetration. Continue this practice until you can actually damage the object or make it move violently, and the surface is not displaced much. Increase difficulty over time by increasing the depth of the water. This is the same concept as the candle test except that the use of water allows us to see the mistakes in force direction. A heavy bag is also useful - place your fist against it and strike with minimal wind-up or extra motion. If you can make a big dent in the bag without it swinging very much, you are on the right track.

Devise your own training aids to help you progress based on the requirements of your art and the equipment you have. No need to get fancy or spend a lot of money. The goal is instant feedback that will allow you to course-correct as necessary. Once you can consistently recreate the penetration with conscious control using the techniques that you have chosen from your art while moving, you will have made great strides in the ability to actually use the 'Iron Palm' skills you have developed.

Finally, adding Iron Body training to your movements is the last and most difficult step in Jing development. You have an improved ability to concentrate and have conditioned your body to move in a slow and relaxed manner through the simple form you have chosen. The Qi circulates without thought in the small circulation and Qi belt. Now it's time for your partner to start beating on you again.

Move through your form with an empty mind. Your partner will strike you with the beating bag or other implement in the same pattern as before - starting at the center of your body and moving out in a circular pattern. At the instant of connection, issue your grunt and bring your intention to the point of impact. As always, start very gently and increase power gradually over time. It should take at least a year of constant practice before you can attempt to take full-power kicks and strikes to the parts of your body that are already the most durable. No spears to the throat without direct instruction from a qualified master, please. Remember that this is soft gong - the strikes should be jarring and possibly uncomfortable, but should never really hurt. Progress from beans to sand to fists and feet gradually and slowly and only when you can take the current level of punishment with zero tension and stiffness.

The entire program of gong would last three years at a minimum, and ten years is most often considered a 'significant milestone' in Chinese martial arts. Take your time, take it easy, learn to relax completely, and do not hurt yourself. Injury is common among the impatient and unguided, and can derail your training for years. Like the turtle, slow and steady wins this race. If you need to fight tomorrow, soft gong is not for you. I recommend the ancient arts of Run Fu or Gun Fu in that case.

Conclusion

To summarize, your standing practice has helped you learn to circulate Qi with proper body alignment. Continuing these practices while in motion will improve balance, rooting, and coordination via the concept of 'centering'. You should have improved stamina through relaxation - the muscles you do not need to use are not tense and using energy reserves to stay tense.

Your Iron Palm practice has led you to the ability to use rudimentary internal striking mechanics. Further practice in motion has given your striking additional power in actual situations. The various meditation and visualization exercises have increased your ability to concentrate which leads to better performance on all levels in combat situations.

Your Iron Body training has strengthened the core musculature and connective tissue around your spine and limbs, your fascia, and the surface of your skin. Application of these principles while in motion will increase your durability and resilience.

The practice of slow and relaxed movement will improve the quality of your martial movements and involve all of the musculature in your motions. This will improve speed, coordination, and power.

It is hard to argue that achievement of such goals would not be very desirable for any martial artist of any discipline. You can progress through understanding of the basic principles and strategies of soft gong and jing, and you can make significant improvement in all of your martial and sports abilities by diligently applying them. However, it is clear that direct instruction from a qualified teacher is the best approach. Since many of us do not have the luxury of access to such an individual, learning it yourself is the next best thing. I encourage you to take the principles and exercises, perform additional research as necessary, and use them to make the art of soft gong your own.

Please post any questions, comments, or corrections that you may have at Dragondoor.com, and I will endeavor to answer all of them to the best of my ability.

Garm Olafson is a software engineer and freelance writer who lives in the recesses of Virginia's Blue Ridge mountains. His youth was misspent in various ways, including tours of duty with the USMC's First Reconnaissance Battalion and Second Force Reconnaissance Company in which he did his part to keep the free world safe from the Godless Hordes of Communism. Olafson is an instructor of both Baguazhang and Tanglangquan Kung Fu, a mildly successful competitive powerlifter (who added 105 pounds to his squat PR on the Russian program Pavel wrote about in Powerlifting USA), an avid outdoorsman, and proud husband and father of three.