Martial Arts Of The World - Webs

powerful larger, sweeping, striking movements. The spear is a poking, stabbing,
long-distance weapon, the major weapon of the common foot soldier
in ancient times.
Minor weapons show up in various styles and include the fan, a graceful,
beautiful, and artful weapon of courtly life. The stick is a common
walking traveler’s weapon. The fire wheel (or ring) is an old weapon making
a resurgence in popularity.
Taijiquan and the other internal martial arts, called neijia, are to be
considered with the external martial arts, waijia, among the various styles
popularly referred to as gongfu (other spellings include kung fu and gung
fu) and wushu. Wushu refers to the martial arts of China in general (but it
can be meant as a specific modern sport). This term is inclusive of taijiquan.
Kung fu, though popularly and erroneously referencing the martial
arts of China, in point of fact simply means “excellence.” The character for
the word kung fu consists of the characters for time and energy.
Though there is some dispute regarding the origins of the term internal
martial arts, the internal martial arts have characteristics that distinguish
them from the “external” styles, waijia. The “big three” internal arts,
taijiquan, xingyiquan, and baguazhang, have the characteristics of being
grounded, rooted, and balanced while expressing all techniques. The emphasis
is on relaxation, calmness, and control. Since these arts are shaped
by Daoist philosophy, yin and yang are clearly distinguished and yet harmonized
in all movement. The mind’s intention, yi, directs internal energy,
qi, manifesting as force, jing. Striking techniques tend to inflict internal injuries,
less conspicuous to the eye, as opposed to the more obvious externally
apparent injuries of the external arts.
External martial arts are much more numerous, and they are often
those associated with the Shaolin Temple, Buddhist origins, and India (i.e.,
a source outside China). The most profound difference is that external
styles emphasize developing as much speed and power as possible through
training the body. This training includes developing speed in footwork and
learning long-range techniques and specific strategies and timings. Double
weighting (distributing the weight equally on both feet) is a feature of the
external school of martial arts, whereas double weighting is virtually taboo
in the internal schools.
The internal martial arts feature all of the techniques of the external
arts, including punches, kicks, grappling (ch’in na), throws, breaks, locks,
and sweeps, but the application of power is different. Taijiquan (sometimes
translated as “grand terminus boxing”) is better adapted for shortand
medium-range fighting than for distance fighting. This is in part as a
result of its emphasis on utilizing the opponent’s own energy against the
opponent.
Taijiquan (Tai Chi Ch’uan) 623