Internal and External --Whats the difference---

[Iron Arahat]

Many people like to classify styles into "internal" and "external". The classification is not as simple as Tai chi is internal while Hung gar is external.

 

The distinction is actually quite simple to understand. Internal and external do not represent different systems of kung-fu, but rather different levels. We can say that external represents the lower more elementary level of kung-fu, and internal the more higher and complex.. Therefore in real kung-fu training, one must begin with the external and patiently and systematically progress towards the internal.

 

 

[Joecooke007]

I am taking an art that focuses a litttle on both. Thank you for helping me see that.

 

 

[dtstiachi]

great post. thanks for the info

[cathal]

I agree, good info

[delli04]

Actually.... the true definiton of external styles vs. internal styles is simple, but it hasn't been stated here. The original definition, and correct, is internal arts are defined as any and all martial arts exclusively from China. Where as external arts are defined as martial arts that were brought into China from somewhere else. For example, Taiji, Bagua, and Xingyi, are internal arts because it is said that they were developed by the Taoists and based on the philosophies of Lao Tsu (from China and in China). While the original external arts were started by Da Mo and the ShaoLin Temples (based on buddhist philosophies) which came from India. Internal from China. External from Outside of China. I practice Yang Taiji, Sun Xingyi, Sun Bagua, and Shorin- Ryu. All have aspects of "hard and soft". I mean I do Yang very slow without any fa jing (explosive energry) but i gurantee if I used brush knee at actual combat speed it would be hard on impact. Even Shorin-Ryu at a higher level has many "softer aspects" I applied the hard/ soft definition also for quite sometime until I started realizing, first hand, that everything is hard/soft (or at least it should be). Then I came across multiple credible internal sites that listed the above as the "orginal" definition. I hope this helps!!!!!

[ovine king]

in chinese

internal (noi) means inside

external (ngoi) means outside.

i was taught that the external means things you can see and internal means things you can't.

as such, forms, sparring, drills, are considered the external aspects.

things like stance, structure, dead resistance training (this is slightly complicated and even questionable...) and theories are the internal aspects.

put another way, waving your arms about is external.

the things that go behind making that hand waving strong is internal.

as for hard/soft, this has not a lot to do with internal/external as in practice, styles do both because one acts as a reference for the other.

besides, hard/soft are only two aspects/types of energy dealt with in chinese martial arts and is as such, an incomplete picture of things.