[Martial Arts] Winter Cold Resistance Skill

Author: Jeffi Chao Hui Wu

Time: June 26, 2025, Thursday, 5:24 AM

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[Martial Arts] Winter Cold Resistance Training
In Sydney's winter, at five-thirty in the morning, the sky is still pitch black, there is no sun by the seaside, only the cold, biting sea wind howling past. The chill in the air cuts through the skin like a knife, with a temperature of about six degrees, but the perceived temperature near the coastline is only two or three degrees. Each breath carries damp, cold air that even makes my nasal passages ache, yet I am only wearing a pair of ultra-thin quick-dry sports pants, a long-sleeve T-shirt, and a lightweight windbreaker, with sports shoes on my feet and a golf cap on my head. There are no knee pads, no thick socks, no extra warm gear; my entire outfit is a standard summer training attire, minimal to the point of being almost "bare practice." I do not perform any warm-up exercises, nor do I deliberately move my joints or swing my arms quickly to warm up my body; I simply stand quietly in that familiar position, breathing steadily, with my awareness inward, and then naturally enter the training state. Whether starting from a horse stance, or first practicing Tai Chi or Tai Chi sword, in such bone-chilling cold, I can feel my whole body slightly warming up within three to five minutes. After ten minutes, the flow of qi and blood causes my body to naturally break into a steady sweat, with beads of sweat slowly sliding down my spine, and my muscle lines feeling relaxed and strong in the cold wind. This warmth is not forced out, nor is it a battle of will against the cold; rather, it is the result of long-term systematic training, where the body's structure has been thoroughly optimized, allowing for internal and external connection, and the flow of qi and blood operates naturally and orderly, generating heat from the inside out, dispelling the chill, making me feel as if I am in a greenhouse, stable and secure.
The entire training process lasts about an hour and a half, during which I maintain even breathing and smooth qi flow, feeling no cold at all, with my body showing no signs of stiffness or shrinkage. Even though the sea wind continuously blows against my cheeks and the backs of my hands, my skin feels icy, but there is always a warm force slowly surging within my body, as if a stable flame has been ignited inside me, allowing me to remain calm and focused in the cold wind until the end. After finishing my practice, I can still stand quietly or walk slowly, my mind calm, without any urgency to put on warm clothes, nor any signs of cold invading my body.
This ability is not formed overnight; it comes from long-term persistence in practice, from continuous optimization and fine-tuning of internal skills, and from the accumulation of training that pushes the body's limits time and again. Every aspect of the training, from the stability of the horse stance, the slow movements of Tai Chi, the fluidity of Tai Chi sword, to the rhythmic control of Lingzi technique, the structural mobilization of Yijinjing, and the balanced breathing of Qigong, to the stillness of the front foot in the Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg, silently opens up the internal circulation of qi and blood. When the qi truly begins to flow, the internal heat will naturally release and evenly diffuse, making the cold invasion unable to affect me. Many people think I am challenging my limits, but I know very well that this is not a matter of willpower holding on; it is a natural manifestation of internal and external connection and structural self-heating.
Countless winter mornings like this, I awaken my body in this way, verifying the complete path of qi flow, and confirming a fact: true practice does not rely on brute force or the struggle of muscles, nor does it simply depend on mental concentration to resist the outside world; rather, it is through deep structural training that the circulation of qi and blood operates as naturally and efficiently as a started engine, achieving a state of spontaneous energy supply and self-regulation in the body.
Many people cannot imagine that at five-thirty in the morning, with a temperature of only six degrees, howling sea winds, and a perceived temperature as low as two or three degrees, I can, wearing only a thin summer quick-dry pant, a long-sleeve T-shirt, and a lightweight windbreaker, heat up my entire body within just a few minutes and maintain a stable practice for an hour and a half, until sweat flows slowly down my collarbone, and the capillaries in my fingertips and toes are completely filled with warmth. This state is hard to understand unless experienced firsthand, because for most practitioners, in similar conditions, even wearing thick cotton pants, thermal underwear, down jackets, and even adding gloves, knee pads, and warm hats, they still feel cold in their hands and feet, experience joint stiffness, sluggish qi and blood, and may still find it difficult to enter a true state even after half an hour of practice, let alone sweating throughout the session.
Based on my observations and measurements over the past few years, general practitioners under similar conditions (5:30 AM, 6 degrees Celsius, perceived temperature 2-3 degrees, with sea wind) wearing regular warm clothing (such as sports pants + jacket + hat + gloves) exhibit the following cold resistance and practice performance:
1. Initial State:
Many people feel cold in this environment, even when wearing warm clothing, especially in their hands, feet, and knees.
Without warm-up, they often feel the cold invading their hands and feet within three minutes of standing still, with stiffness and slow qi and blood flow.
2. Sweating Time:
They need to first warm up for 5-10 minutes (running or stretching) to feel slightly warm.
If practicing standing post (such as horse stance or three-body stance), it usually takes 15-20 minutes to start sweating lightly.
Many people may not sweat at all after completing a full set of Tai Chi, only feeling warm.
3. Cold Resistance Limit:
In the absence of sufficient warm-up and in extremely low temperatures, most people can only practice for about 30-45 minutes before feeling cold, stiff, and the cold invading their bodies, making them reluctant to stay longer.
Very few can persist like me, sweating continuously for 1.5 hours in a low-temperature environment without warm-up and in thin clothing.
4. Special Note:
My state is not something ordinary practitioners can achieve; it requires long-term internal work and physical adjustments, with strong qi and blood to accomplish.
If general practitioners attempt to imitate this, they are likely to catch a chill or damage their yang energy, so I never recommend others to do so.

Source: http://www.australianwinner.com/AuWinner/viewtopic.php?t=696519