My Neijia Story - The Missing Pieces Found

Kodawari Hombu Dojo

My Neijia Story

The Missing Pieces Found

(and so much more!)

If you happen to be new to the Kodawari Hombu Dojo or just have not been keeping up, this post/article on my neijia story is the 4th in the “unofficial” My Story series¹. If you had asked me 30 or so years ago how my search for the combative and energetic arts would end, it would NOT have been this way! Just when you least expect it, the Dao² has a way of expressing itself to you. If you are not into philosophy (or don’t really know what Daoism is), just call it synchronicity.

Before really diving into this topic, I need to set the stage for you…

With Dr. Yang Jwing Ming – Houston, TX

Approximately 30 years ago, I was living in Houston, TX. At the time, I was seeing an acupuncturist and doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM³ by the name of Dr. Wu Chengde⁴. Since Sifu Yang originally had a school in Houston, he and Dr. Wu were friends. Based on that, Dr. Yang was brought in to do a seminar over the weekend and the main emphasis was Yangshi Taijiquan Push Hands⁵.

Dr. Wu Chengde – RIP

I’ll save you from the long version of the story. But, suffice it to say that it was an eye opening experience when I got the chance to push with Dr. Yang! At this point in my martial arts training, I had a fair amount of training in Chenshi Taijiquan⁶. But when pushing with Dr. Yang, it was not even funny. Immediately he found my center as was able to just bounce me across the room. Over and over again. Too the point where it appeared, to me anyway, that Dr. Yang was becoming frustrated with my lack of ability to last even a few seconds against him. Needless to say, it had been quite a while since someone was able to put me in my place so quickly and easily. I ended up with a bruise ego and a bruised butt from hitting the floor so many times! HA! But, I also ended up having a real paradigm shift.⁷

This is already going to be a long post (as almost everything I write is). So, I will attempt to save a little bit of time. However, when you have a chance, learning about the Kuhn Cycle is well worth your time. His work was originally published in 1962 (title is The Structure of Scientific Revolutions).

If you’d like to learn a little bit more of the Matayoshi family system of kobudo and empty handed fighting, I would recommend having a look at the following link when you have a moment. The Ryusei-ha Ryukyu Kobudo system that we teach is based on the Matayoshi family system.

Hopefully, after 40 years or so of teaching, seminars, books and videos, everyone knows who Dr. Yang Jwing Ming is. One the off chance that you don’t, please click below or use this link: YMAA Website and Store. If you are looking to spend your money with someone, you can do much worse than “Jimmy”⁸. If you are unsure about what may be right for you and your interests, leave a comment below or shoot me a message directly. I am more than happy to help!

[browser-shot url=”https://ymaa.com” width=”775″ height=”345″ “_blank”]

Folks have always said I had a hole in my head!

Neijia

Neijia⁹ is an interesting term. I believe that it is best to define the term before we get too far into this article/post. There are a few different interpretations of exactly what neijia means:

The Three Sisters

Shao Lin Si

The Shaolin Temple

Neijia differs from other “external” (waijia) martial arts in that all movement begins deeply within the body, then moves outwards towards the skin. It is theorized that this “internal” work (Neigong) was discovered and developed by esoteric Daoists (Taoists) to increase their health and spirituality, many thousands of years prior to making its way to martial arts. The Shaolin and other martial arts systems adopted some of these techniques, developing them further into what we know today as the Neijia, or “internal” martial arts.

And…

I am not certified as an instructor in any of the arts listed below. That might change in the future, but it is not the case at the time of this writing. My interest and studies in these arts are done as a part of increasing my own combative skills and, I believe, will also enhance the combative skills of my students. If this is of concern to you, then I would suggest looking to the practicality of what I am presenting and then making your own determinations. If you have any questions in regards to this, please (as always) feel free to reach out to me directly or leave a comment/question at the bottom of this page.

Taijiquan

Grand Ultimate Fist

Yang style, in contrast to the Chen style, is completely smooth and slow in appearance of practice. Its stances are not nearly as deep as the Chen style, and there will be no appearance of fah jing energy in the practice of the Yang style form. The original Yang style is said to delineate from Yang Lu Ch’an, who apparently studied Chen style to learn tai chi and then he or his subsequent generations, for whatever reason, chose to modify the format. Many folks today practice an abbreviated form of the Yang style, known as the Short Form of Yang, introduced to this country by one of the more noted exponents of the style, Cheng Man Ching.

The hidden meanings of yin and yang - John Bellaimey

Tui Shou

Pushing Hands

Baguazhang

Eight Trigram Palms

BaGua incorporates the concept of continuous change, and this is quite evident to anyone witnessing this invigorating style. BaGua moves in continuous, fluid circles within circles, utilizing an impressive array of dynamic footwork, confusing the opponent, first to evade and then to entrap the opponent. The BaGua practitioner seeks constantly to entice the opponent in and then execute a flanking move to end up either behind or to the side so as to not have to deal directly with the opponents arsenal. This can be a very suitable style for women, as well as men, placing the emphasis of self defense on tactic, instead of strength alone. BaGua demands a great deal of attention in the realm of martial combative theory before it can be applied successfully. Toward this end, there are several two person exercises designed to illuminate key concepts within the art. These can vary widely from family to family, depending on lineage and viewpoint. There is a heavy emphasis on Chin Na (seizing/locking) and Shuai (throwing) in BaGua. One of the more unique qualities of BaGua is the heavy, almost exclusive, use of the Palm in striking. Although it should not be forgotten that the elbows, knees, shoulders, hips, feet and head are also employed in close to distal situations.

A person’s heart and mind are in chaos. Concentration on one thing makes the mind pure. If one aspires to reach the Dao, one should practice waking in a circle.Daoist Canon

Xingyiquan

Form and Intention Fist

The development of mind in the internal arts is a very important part of the training. We say that the specific part of the intellect we are trying to cultivate is the “Intention”. What is Intention? It is the workings of the mind which when put in to motion causes the occurrence of events in our lives. When you intend to do something, you cause it to come to pass. When you do something unintentionally, it is a reflection of an undisciplined mind. To train the Intention is to train yourself to be successful in any endeavor. Xingyi begins from an empty posture, coiling the body’s energy in readiness, and then springs San Ti Shr (three leg stance). From San Ti Shr all movement can then be brought forth. The mind, however, must remain still even while the body is active. The chi must be lead actively from one part of the body to the next with the intention while the postures transition from frame to frame. There must be a fullness of path maintained with the intention at all times throughout the practice. Both the closing and the opening energies must be experienced fully for the practice to be valuable.

Yiquan

Intent Fist or Boxing

Zhanzhuang is Force-searching
Shili is Force-testing
Mocabu is Force-moving
Fali is Force-releasing
Shisheng is Sound-testing (Force-articulating)
Tuishou is Force-activating
Sanshou is Force-expressing

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1
It starts with My Shotokan Karate-do Story, moves to my Goju-ryu Karate-do Story and then on to My Aikibudo Story. Links and background on all of these can be found at the end of this post/article.
2
Dao – 道 – The Way or The Path, in this case, referring to the philosophy (not religion) of Daoism.
3
Traditional Chinese Medicine or 中药 – Zhongyao in Chinese or Dento-teki Kanpō Igaku – 伝統的漢方医学 in Japanese. Also, for anyone interested, acupuncture in Chinese is zhenjiu – 针灸 and in Japanese it is hari-jutsu – 鍼術- or needle skills/techniques/science.
4
Dr. Wu Chengde – 吴诚德医师
5
Yangshi Taijiquan Tui Shou – 揚式太极拳推手 – Yang Family Style of Grand Ultimate Fist Push Hands
6
Chenshi Taijiquan – 陈氏太极拳 – Chen Family Style Grand Ultimate Boxing
7
In the simplest of terms, a paradigm shift is an important change that happens when the usual way of thinking about or doing something is replaced by a new and different way.
8
There is no disrespect intended in referring to him as Jimmy. When I first met him almost 30 years ago, that was the name he instructed me to use.
9
neijia – 內家 – translates to internal family. Or, if you prefer, neijiaquan – 内家拳 – which translates to internal family fist or boxing

1
It starts with My Shotokan Karate-do Story, moves to my Goju-ryu Karate-do Story and then on to My Aikibudo Story. Links and background on all of these can be found at the end of this post/article.
2
Dao – 道 – The Way or The Path, in this case, referring to the philosophy (not religion) of Daoism.
3
Traditional Chinese Medicine or 中药 – Zhongyao in Chinese or Dento-teki Kanpō Igaku – 伝統的漢方医学 in Japanese. Also, for anyone interested, acupuncture in Chinese is zhenjiu – 针灸 and in Japanese it is hari-jutsu – 鍼術- or needle skills/techniques/science.
4
Dr. Wu Chengde – 吴诚德医师
5
Yangshi Taijiquan Tui Shou – 揚式太极拳推手 – Yang Family Style of Grand Ultimate Fist Push Hands
6
Chenshi Taijiquan – 陈氏太极拳 – Chen Family Style Grand Ultimate Boxing
7
In the simplest of terms, a paradigm shift is an important change that happens when the usual way of thinking about or doing something is replaced by a new and different way.
8
There is no disrespect intended in referring to him as Jimmy. When I first met him almost 30 years ago, that was the name he instructed me to use.
9
neijia – 內家 – translates to internal family. Or, if you prefer, neijiaquan – 内家拳 – which translates to internal family fist or boxing

Kodawari Hombu Dojo Ryusei-ha Ryukyu Kempo Karate-jutsu