internal/external

[HungFamilyFist]

so I have kept it out of most forums as i know it's liable to cause a lot of friction, but I am not a fan of the labels Internal and external. anywho, i came across this:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HCzVJrfs7A[/youtube]


at about 58 seconds in, Sharif starts telling a story about how the labels "Internal" and "External" is meant geographically originally. Any truth to that?

Rik and Chris i expect to drop some knowledge.

[PM]

according to my knowledge and experience, internal/external describe parts of the training, approaches, emphasis etc. within a certain system, not

- a geographical location (inside/outside China)
- not a monastery/layman systems (inside monastery, inside monastery), or insiders/outsiders
- not a internal/external systems (xingyiquan, taijiquan, baguazhang/Shaolin) - and other common heard misconceptions

old saying goes: "internally train essence, spirit and energy, externally train sinews, bones and skin (noi lin jing san hei, ngoi lin gan gwat pei). in TCMA, external/internal training goes hand in hand right from the beginning, just the emphasis might be different in different systems/schools

[HungFamilyFist]

agreed. internal/external is an aspect of training, not the designation of specific styles. I was just seeing if anyone else had heard that before.

[TenTigers]

I believe Sun Lu-Tang first coined the phrase, and then as it always goes, people simply ran with it, blowing it out of proportion. This eventually led to a type of "snobbery," of "We are internal,YOU are external." The reality is, ALL TCMA is internal. All systems train breath, energies,skeletal/structural alignment, power generation, rooting,relaxation,etc.
There are however, undertrained "Sifus."

[Chris H]

Sun Lu Tang also said that any art that focuses on the dan tien is considered internal. I can't think of a single CMA system that DOESN'T focus on the dan tien.

[banditshaw]

True Dat.
Breathing from the Dan tien while in horse was one of the first things I was taught.

[Fat Cat]