The Internal Power Training Blog

Check out the latest info and research from Coach Chris' explorations in the Subject of Internal
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The importance of Hardness in these Soft Arts

on November 17, 2015 in Alignment, Body Training, Connection, Fascia by Chris
The Internal Arts are perhaps best separated from their more externally focused brethren by
the softening practices of its practitioners.

This focus on 'softness' or on training relaxation, 'sung' or releasing can sometimes actually
become the sole priority of some internal arts styles and practitioners. But there are, in fact,
many methods that require a cycle of 'hard' and 'soft' training to achieve their goals. Primarily
those related to training connection and elastic recoil qualities.

It is through targeted loading (with or without applied weight), 'wound' isometric holds and
other specific practices (which involve some degree 'hardness') that we are able to condition
certain tissues so that they become more elastic, springy and strong. These tissues are the
connective tissues of the body, the tendons, ligaments and other types of material generally
lumped into tissues known as fascia.

With the introduction of high resolution ultrasound it has been discovered that far from
tendons and connective tissue being 'passive' they actually have Kinetic storage capacity and
even contractile function. (Sawicki et al. 2009). This capacity highlights that there is, in fact a
hidden potential to this system that, with the correct training we can utilize.

In order to train this system many arts have developed a wide variety of training methods. In
some methods we use static postures with dynamic internal tensions, similar to holding a
drawn bow (Xing Yi Beng) or compressing a spring, in others heavy weapons are used to 'load'
the tissues, in some methods training partners will push and pull on each other to create the
loading forces necessary.

But regardless of method, the principle for creating greater elastic capacity is two fold. Firstly, it
is in the activation of the muscle fibres and associated connective tissue in an almost isometric
fashion where the tissues stiffen with no significant change in length. This static tension loads
the tissues and motivates a restructuring or remodelling of the tissue make up.
Once we have worked to remodel the tissue we can soften the associated models and let the
tissues relax within their new form. Relaxing the tissue is primarily achieved through ‘release’
rather than stretching (which will increase new tensions into the system).
This load and release cycle creates long term change in the actual physical make up of the
tissue and is essentially, cumulative. The more the tissues are trained the more the attributes
will become apparent to those you train with and the longer they will take to revert back to
their previous form.