[Martial Arts] Practice Without Strain

Author: Jeffi Chao Hui Wu

Time: 2025-7-19 Saturday, 6:07 AM

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[Martial Arts] Practice Without Enduring
Many people practice, especially in stances like Zhan Zhuang, Ma Bu, and Jin Ji Du Li, and the most common phrase they hear is: "Hang in there, endure it!"
But I want to make it clear now: the true goal of practice is not to "endure," but to "not have to endure."
It's not about being afraid of hardship. In the early stages of practice, it will indeed be tough; you will shake, feel sore, and hesitate—this is unavoidable. But if after a few months or years, you still rely on "gritting your teeth to get through" each session of stance practice, it means your skills haven't developed; rather, your body has not opened up.
I have gone through that stage as well.
When I first started practicing Ma Bu stance, I couldn't stand still for even a minute. Standing for five minutes made my knees shake, my legs sore, and my whole body feel like it was just holding on. Before each practice, I had to "fight a battle" in my mind—resisting, hesitating, anticipating fatigue. But despite gritting my teeth, I stood for one more day, eventually reaching fifteen minutes, then thirty minutes. However, this "ability to stand" did not make me feel truly comfortable.
Each time felt like "enduring time"; although I appeared to persist, I still felt resistance inside. Until one day, things changed.
Now, when I practice Ma Bu stance, I stand for fifteen minutes every day without any psychological burden, and I don't feel like I'm "completing a task." As soon as my feet touch the ground, my skeleton supports me naturally, my energy sinks down, my whole body relaxes, my knees and hips are flexible, my thighs bear the weight steadily, and my feet may tremble slightly but are neither stiff nor tired. Often, I don't even look at the time; instead, I rely on my "body to tell me" when to start and when to finish.
That is the state I want to talk about today: practicing without enduring.
"Practicing without enduring" does not mean making excuses to practice less, nor is it laziness; rather, it means that after reaching a certain point in practice, the four systems of body, structure, energy, and intention align, and you enter a new state of overall cooperation.
It's not you forcing your body; it's your body actively supporting you.
It's not you pushing yourself to practice; it's your body beginning to want to practice on its own.
It's not you counting time; it's you entering "body time"—your body starts to autonomously adjust the rhythm of practice.
Just like now, I can stand in closed-eye Jin Ji Du Li for 10 minutes and over 40 minutes for each foot with my eyes open, not through sheer willpower, but because once I stand up, "I don't have to exert effort; my bones are supporting me."
This state is the result of structure and perception, not a product of willpower.
The same goes for practicing Gong. Every weekend, I practice "Ling Zi Bu" for two to three hours, walking gently, with my intention relaxed and sinking, allowing my energy and blood to circulate smoothly, and I feel even better after walking.
If I relied on muscle strength, I wouldn't be able to walk for an hour, let alone three.
But once the structure opens up, walking is no longer a consumption of energy; instead, it's "adjusting my body while walking, returning to unity while moving."
✦ No need to grit your teeth; instead, you become stronger: this is the true essence of Kung Fu.
I later realized that what many people call "persistence" is actually just using willpower to cover up structural errors.
Clearly, the energy isn't sinking, the bones aren't supporting, and the breathing isn't smooth, yet they still compete with time and will.
Just because you can endure doesn't mean you're practicing correctly;
Just because you can't endure doesn't necessarily mean you're not trying hard; it could be that the method is wrong, and the body isn't cooperating.
True Kung Fu is when the structure automatically supports, the energy and blood flow naturally, and the intention stabilizes without floating.
Once the body enters "self-operating mode," you may even forget the time because it is no longer about "doing practice"; instead, you return to the natural state your body should be in.
✦ Not relying on pain for progress, but using "correctness" for "stability."
A popular saying in the fitness community is: "No Pain, No Gain."
But my conclusion from real practice is quite the opposite: true Gain never relies on Pain.
Pain is just a reminder that some part is still resisting;
Relaxation, stability, and smoothness are the true results welcomed by the body.
If you can only feel effective practice through "pain," then you haven't truly engaged; instead, you're still "beating your body" rather than cooperating with it.
When you find standing in stances increasingly comfortable, walking becoming lighter, and initiating movements more willingly, that is your body saying, "Thank you for finally doing it right."
✦ "Practicing without enduring" is a watershed moment and an awakening point.
"Enduring" is a motivational phrase for beginners;
"Practicing" is the true path walked by those in internal martial arts.
Once you pass this watershed, you will discover:
It turns out the body can stand so comfortably;
It turns out there is real strength in stillness, and real stability in relaxation;
It turns out there is no need to "persist," because your body is already helping you.
I practice Ma Bu stance for fifteen minutes every day, not for checking in, not to show off skills, and not to compete with time,
but because that time allows me to be most aware of my body's sinking, relaxing, and stabilizing.
After standing, my energy flows better, my legs feel lighter, and my mind is clearer.
So, do not equate "practicing for a long time" with "practicing well";
And do not think that "hard practice" is the way to break through bottlenecks.
The real transformation is moving past the "enduring" stage and entering the realm of "natural support."
At that time, you will understand what it means to "stand firm," what it means for "energy to sink," and what it means for "bones to support."
That is—practicing without enduring!

Source: http://www.australianwinner.com/AuWinner/viewtopic.php?t=696937