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[Martial Arts] Practicing Fist Techniques with EnergyAuthor: Jeffi Chao Hui Wu Time: June 22, 2025, Sunday, 11:03 AM ········································ [Martial Arts] Practicing Punches with Energy
The so-called "practicing punches with energy" is one of the important realms pursued by many traditional internal martial arts practitioners. The general practice method often involves transitioning into the punch stance immediately after standing meditation, taking advantage of that moment when the whole body's energy and blood are surging and the meridians are open, allowing the internal force to flow through the movements of the punches. This state is brief and precious, hence it is referred to as "practicing with energy." However, most people's experiences are fleeting—the sensation of energy quickly dissipates, and they can only feel the energy circulating through the meridians in the initial few moves. As the punch sequence progresses, the energy gradually disperses, and the body swiftly returns to its usual state, resulting in empty movements that lack intention and power.
My experience is entirely different. I never chase after the "sensation of energy," nor do I deliberately use my mind to guide the flow of energy and blood, much less insist on every move having intentional "power." I simply practice standing meditation and energy work day after day, allowing the structure to settle naturally and the meridians to open naturally. When the meridians are truly open, the body becomes a complete and smooth energy conduit, and practicing punches no longer requires any additional preparation or deliberate guidance.
Even in the early morning by the sea, with the cold wind carrying a chill of 6 to 8 degrees Celsius and the sky a damp, cold gray-blue, I wear only thin summer clothing, gently initiate my movements, and my stance flows like clouds and water. My breathing is natural and prolonged, and the energy rises from the soles of my feet, travels up my legs, and directly reaches my spine, supported stably like a mountain, extending to the top of my head. During the practice, my skin evenly sweats, warmth arises naturally, and my clothes become slightly damp, yet I feel no cold. The external low temperature cannot sever the stable warmth flowing from within, which is the true manifestation of "energy operating automatically."
In the early days, my practice process was no different from that of the vast majority of practitioners. After standing meditation, while my body was still immersed in the surging energy and blood, I hurriedly switched to the punch stance, hoping to prolong that feeling of practicing with energy. But often, before I could complete half a sequence of punches, the sensation of energy would dissipate like a receding tide, the warmth in my body would drop sharply, and the punch movements would become stiff and sluggish, as if I were merely performing an empty shell. This cycle continued for a long time until one day I noticed that the energy began to extend naturally.
At first, it was half a sequence of punches, and the sensation of energy was still there; then it became a complete sequence, and the warmth remained; later on, whether it was punches, swords, knives, or more complex free-hand applications, I could maintain the flow of energy and blood throughout the entire process like a steady underground river. There were no ups and downs, no interruptions; as soon as I moved, the energy moved with me, and when the movement ended, the energy smoothly returned to the dantian. At that moment, I truly understood that "practicing with energy" is not a deliberately stimulated transient state, but a kind of "normal operation."
Deeper changes are reflected in the letting go of "intention." In the early days of practice, it was inevitable to be led by thoughts—thinking about guiding the energy through the governing and conception vessels at the start, focusing on the force reaching the extremities while practicing punches, and thinking about sinking the energy to the dantian when finishing the movements. The deliberate command of intention instead made the body stiff and obstructed the flow of energy. As my skills accumulated, I no longer deliberately thought, nor did I chase any sensations; I simply allowed the movements and breathing to naturally synchronize, maintaining a stable structure with a smooth central axis, and the energy flowed naturally with the structure. This state of "doing without intention" actually deepened, stabilized, and sustained the internal operation.
When the body truly becomes a natural conduit for energy, practicing punches with energy is no longer an added means but a natural expression of the integration of internal work and punch stances. At that time, practicing punches is not "practicing punches for the sake of internal work," but rather the punches themselves are internal work, and internal work is the punches.
I once mentioned in the article "Natural Reversal" that deep changes in the body are often not sudden explosions but the result of slow accumulation. The same applies to practicing punches with energy. In the beginning, I needed to rely on horse stance to warm up the meridians before entering the punch stance; later, as my foundation settled, the meridian pathways became the norm, and the flow of energy became a daily background operation. Even without any warm-up, I could directly raise my hands and perform the stance, and the energy and blood remained stable and abundant.
The preciousness of this state lies in its complete overturning of the traditional understanding of the separation between "internal work" and "punches." Many people believe that one should practice internal work before practicing punches, or that internal work is merely to serve martial arts; however, when you enter the stage of practicing with energy throughout, there is no longer a boundary between internal work and punches, and the two become a natural cycle of the same system. Practicing punches is internal work, and internal work is also practicing punches.
Now, I no longer need to deliberately think about any issues related to "practicing with energy" while practicing punches. Every morning, facing the horizon, with my feet slightly sinking, breathing naturally and prolonged, the punch movements slowly unfold, integrating the internal and external, with energy flowing like spring water, stable and peaceful. This is what is meant by "gaining without seeking, connecting without moving."
And this state is not the result of extraordinary talent, but rather a natural outcome of years of stable training accumulated day after day. From half a sequence of punches to a complete sequence, from short-lived sensations of energy to all-day stable energy flow, this is the inevitable path of the gradual integration of body and mind.
Practicing punches with energy is not just a training method but a watershed in cultivation. When the energy truly integrates into the structure, when the movements no longer rely on intention, when the punch movements naturally embody the internal work, you will understand—true "practicing with energy" is never something pursued, but rather a natural state that arises after accumulating to a certain depth, like water flowing naturally to its course.
Mr. Wu Chaohui practicing Tai Chi in the morning light of Sydney.
For specific training methods and empirical evidence, click the link below to read another article "Punches Emanate Energy."
[Martial Arts] Punches Emanate Energy Source: http://www.australianwinner.com/AuWinner/viewtopic.php?t=696461 |
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