THE BEST OF THE BEST IN DEVELOPING INTERNAL FORCE
Horse-Riding Stance
Question
You mentioned that we chose the best of the best when practicing internal force. What do you mean by "the best of the best"?
— Nicolas, Spain
Answer
In the course, "Developing Internal Force", I chose Horse-Riding Stance from Shaolin Kungfu, and Three-Circle Stance from Taijiquan.
Shaolin Kungfu and Tijiquan are best known amongst the initiated for internal force, though today many people regard Shaolin Kungfu as external, and many Taijiquan practitioners do not have internal force. The reasons will be explained later.
The best exercise in Shaolin Kungfu to develop internal force is the Horse-Riding Stance, and the best exercise in Taijiquan is the Three-Circle Stance, although many Shaolin practitioners today who practice the Horse-Riding Stance, and many Taijiquan practitioners who practice the Three-Circle Stance, do not have internal force. Again, the reason will be explained later.
This is what I mean by "the best of the best". Shaolin Kungfu and Taijiquan are the best martial arts to develop internal force. The Horse-Riding Stance and the Three-Circle Stance are the best in Shaolin Kungfu and Taijiquan for this purpose. This is confirmed by the success of course participants in developing internal force. It is actually ridiculous that course participants confirmed they had internal force by show of hands after just 4 hours of training!
It is a well-known fact that many people, irrespective of whether they are Shaolin or Taijiquan practitioners, have practiced the Horse-Riding Stance and the Three-Circle Stance for a long time, like for months, but have no internal force. Why is this so?
It is because although they know the techniques of the Horse-Riding Stance and the Three-Circle Stance, they do not have the skills of developing internal force. The two fundamental skills are to be relaxed and to be free of thoughts.
The Horse-Riding Stance is ingenious. The form of the stance is such that if a practitioner is relaxed and free of thoughts, Cosmic energy will naturally collect at his dan tian, or abdominal energy field. The Three-Circle Stance is more comfortable, and Cosmic energy will also collect at his dan tian if he is relaxed and free of thoughts.
Shaolin Kungfu is considered by many people as external and hard, although there are actually more internal and soft arts in Shaolin Kungfu than any other martial arts. These internal and soft aspects are practiced only at an advanced level after practitioners have won the confidence of Shaolin masters. Most Shaolin practitioners have not reached this advanced level, nor won the confidence of the masters.
Most Taijiquan practitioners today do not have the skills to develop internal force, although they have the techniques of the Three-Circle Stance. They also do not have the skills to apply their Taijiquan techniques for combat. They only practice the external form of Taijiquan techniques like a dance.
The above is taken from Question 4 December 2018 Part 1 of the Selection of Questions and Answers.
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