Why Similar Postures in a Form Mean Little

 

Many applications and usages in Chinese martial arts can be found in numerous different styles.  One of the reasons for common applications is that over the centuries, certain applications have been found to be so generally useful that most Chinese martial arts adopted those applications.  Remember that the Chinese martial arts evolved over thousands of years and the better techniques have been codified and saved.

 

One of the prominent features of the Chinese martial arts (and the other Asian martial arts that borrowed from the Chinese) is how the body mechanics are used.   The Chinese developed a system of whole-body strength, using the middle of the body as a pivot as it Opens and Closes, that optimized the use of strength, while using less muscular effort.  The system of strength and mechanics that is the hallmark of Chinese martial arts is often denoted by the Yin-Yang Symbol ☯, indicating the constant cycling of Open and Close.

 

The problem is that almost all techniques and applications can also be done using what could be called "normal, muscular strength".   If we look at the well-known joint-lock below (called "xiao tran" in Chinese; "nikyo" in Aikido, etc.) we can visualize this particular bending of a joint as being done either with arm strength or with the elastic-contractile tissues of the whole body, as motivated through the dantian/tanden.   Those two radically different ways of moving the body will look very similar to a casual observer, but they are very different.

 

My point is that while we sometimes hear people explain that some martial arts are related because they contain a certain number of the same techniques, that really means little.  One art may be using "normal, muscular strength" while the other art may be using the qi and jin that are the famous hallmarks of ancient Chinese martial arts.  Regardless of having the same posture and appearance of many techniques, the arts may be totally unrelated other than the fact that they also utilize some of the old, provenly effective techniques that were developed through the ages.

 



 

 

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