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7 principles of training in relation to Neijiquan “Internal Arts’

June 10, 2010 on 1:19 pm | In Tai Chi Chaun/Taijiquan | No Comments

I didnt have time to elaborate how this article might be useful to IMA (i’ll use Tai chi for example) so here it goes…

SAID- Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands principle
If we take the physical stress of trainin hard in say something like fajin….day 1 you train on fajin ‘An’ or push for 15 minutes…the next time you train you will be more prepared and can go for 20 minutes. you can adapt to the increased stress you impose on your body. Take standing maybe it is painful for you to stand 10 minutes. well the more you stand 10 minutes, your more able to adapt to 15 or 20 minutes of standing.

GAS- General Adaptation Syndrome

this principle has to do with recovery time after hard work. so take your fajing exercise you just did for 15 minutes and then go into something less impacting, maybe a round of your form or sitting qigong for rest and recovery.

Overcompensation- this is growth in response to training. the longer you train in something the better you will get. If a taijiquan person trains very hard and diligently in a specific skill- say ‘holding’ postures, then they can reap the benefits of that training in terms of leg, core, and hip strength.

Use/disuse- use it or loose it principle. this is a basic kung fu principle. if you train for several days and take a break for a week, you loose what you gain. kung fu is like paddling up a river, if you stop paddling your making your way downstream when you need to go to the source and essence which is way up stream. This has alot to do with Wu De- diligence, perseverance and discipline.

Specificity principle - A basic principle of training which states that in order to improve a certain component of physical fitness, a person must train specifically for that component. an example here would be if your going to do a Tui Shou ‘push hands’ event and you go to yoga class 80% of the time. Yoga class might help you get more flexible, but you should really be in Taiji class training 80% of the time with other students in push hands and event simulation.

Overload- this principle states that you will not grow if you do the same thing everyday. a perfect example is CMC stating you need 1 form in morning and 1 form in evening. To really be an outstanding Taiji player you need to change up and do alot of hard work. for exampe: instead of doing the form once, try doing alot of repetitions of just brush knee, wave hands like clouds, and repulse monkey over and over until the legs burn.

The Law of Individual Differences
here is a perfect example- Taiji people love to mimic and pretend they are their teachers many times. some will do the form the same way their teacher does and try to mimic everything without looking inside and trying to understand how their body is and capable of. I have seen young guys move like an old man taiji simply imitating the old mans form. The old man back might be slightly hunched because he is 90 years old. people should learn to listen to their own body and how it feels.