SEQUENCE OF JIN SKILLS
I thought I would post my opinion about a sequence of jin skills, as they are developed, but it would be nice if other people would contribute their own opinions, critiques, and so on. Thanks.
"Jin" refers to a force direction, usually sourced from either the ground's solidity at the sole of the foot or the downward pull/force of gravity on our body. Jin is the result of our body's inherent ability to make corrective forces by using involuntary-muscle/fascia systems to create directed stressors in our bodies. In other words, it is the "qi-tissues" or "qi" that forms the jin forces. That's why the common definition of "jin" is that it is "the physical manifestation of the qi".
A good basic idea of the body's natural "jin" ability can be had by imagining that we are in a swimming pool in chest-deep water. Remember foremostly that instead of using the torso for forces, we should source our forces from the soles of the feet directly to the direction that we need. Jin starts at the feet and that is the whole purpose of "sink your qi". There is also the old saying about "the jin starts at the feet, is controlled by the waist, and is expressed in the hand", but it must always be kept in mind that while the ground is the source, the mind is the controller.
If you are in chest-deep water and force your way forward while gently sweeping your arms forward, you will be moving against a vertical resistance and your body's auxiliary strengths, the qi-tissues, will come into play. In this sense, walking through water can help to strengthen and develop your qi ... but moving slowly and imagining that you are pushing through water, "feeling" the resistance as you move, will also convince the subconscious to bring those tissues into play.
After a little practice, you will be able to stand still in chest-deep water (or imagine that you're standing in chest-deep water) and imagine a current coming from one direction, letting the force from the feet help you meet the incoming force. Then, without moving, you can imagine the current begins to come from another direction and you have to let the current's force be held at the soles of the feet. And so on. This is some of the most basic practice and manipulation of the qi-tissues to form jin and it is why, when you're moving in your form, you should try to realistically feel as if you are moving against water's resistance.
Instead of water, we can later practice against a partner and begin to refine our skills. Taijiquan practices jin if four basic directions: Up, Down, Away from the Body, and Toward the Body. They name those four jin directions Peng, An, Ji, and Lu, respectively. Push Hands practice is the practice of moving using the four jin directions of Peng, Lu, Ji, An. Other internal arts also use the idea of four basic jins; for instance Xingyiquan has its Rise, Drill, Overturn, Fall as indicative of the four jins used in an application.
As mentioned earlier, one good exercise is to stand in place and practice creating jin forces without moving the body. I covered that topic in the "Cast in Resin" post in this same blog.
If you can learn to move force directions within your own body, then you can also move those forces in any object that is tightly connected to your body/frame/structure. For instance, if I hold a small wooden stool in both of my hands, in front of me, I can imagine (and thus use my "will" or "intent") and manifest different force directions ... and a partner holding a leg of the stool should be able to feel those different directions within the stool. In the old Chinese qi-paradigm, I would be "sending my qi into the stool" when I do so in such a way that my partner can feel the changes in forces while I am not moving my body in a detectable way. These are moderate jin skills.
If a partner grabs me or pushes against me, etc., in a way that briefly makes his structure a part of my structure, then I should be able to use my jin to affect his structure, and therefore his balance and weighting. This ability to affect an opponent's balance is mysterious-feeling to an opponent, more so if the opponent is very skilled (so keep practicing!). If, with a seeming touch or brief engagement with the opponent, you can off-balance or neutralize his forces, you have reached the level where you are entering the higher levels of jin skills.
There is a good anecdote, by the way, of Chen Fa Ke using his jin skills when an opponent made himself part of Chen Fa Ke's frame by grasping his arms. If you use your jin to place the opponent's balance exactly between their two heels, they cannot move without disrupting their own balance:
Mr. Shen San was the number one wrestler in China. One day Master Chen met him at a martial arts competition. Upon meeting, the two aged martial artists exchanged greetings of mutual respect while shaking hands. Shen then said, “I have heard that Taijiquan is famous for being soft. In the ring, competition is conducted through drawing lots. What will a Taijiquan practitioner do if he is to face a wrestler?” Master Chen answered, “I think there should be a way for a Taijiquan practitioner to compete against a wrestler. I am not experienced in this, but I know that when two parties fight, it is not customary to first ask in what style the other party is proficient.”
The respectable Shen then proposed that to answer the question he and Master Chen compare fighting techniques. Master Chen said, “I don’t know how to wrestle but I enjoy watching wrestling as an art form. I know that wrestlers always grab the opponent’s sleeve before applying any techniques.” As he was saying this, he extended both forearms, which Master Shen then grabbed. At the time some students and I were watching them and were quite excited at the prospect of having the rare chance to witness two great masters compete. But, unfortunately, someone came to deliver a message to the two masters regarding a business meeting. They left right away, hand in hand, laughing. Two days later, Shen came with a gift when we were practicing in Master Chen’s house. I invited him in. The respectable Shen said to Master Chen, “Thank you for not humiliating me that day.” My master answered, “Not at all! Vice versa.”
When I heard their conversation, I thought that they had engaged in another match and felt unfortunate for losing the chance to see them compete after all. Seeing me absorbed in thoughts, the respectable Shen asked, “Didn’t Master Chen tell you what happened the other day?” I replied that he had not. The respectable Shen was apparently moved. “Your master is the best. Especially his morals. You must learn from him! Experts can tell the level of kungfu by one single touch. When I grabbed your master’s hands, I knew that his skill was far superior to mine because I couldn’t apply any strength to him.”
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