To advance irresistibly, push through their gaps.
(Sun Tzu)
Fa jing
'Fa jing' is
the name given to a sudden wave of
energy that surges through your body
and into the opponent.
However, fa jing is not the energy itself. It is the means by which
the energy is
delivered.
Fa jing is the main means of striking in
tai chi, fuelling
both strikes and chin na.
It is the medium by which
kinetic energy
is transmitted from one body to another.
Where does the power come from?
A practitioner learns how to generate an undulation wave.
This is passed throughout your entire structure, storing and releasing kinetic
energy.
We develop this wave by learning whole-body movement. Every strike involves
every body part moving as one.
The
skill cannot be attained by
force.
Only when the body has augmented itself with
neigong will fa jing emerge
without effort.
You need to be soft and relaxed.
You need to let go of your tension.
The fa jing release of energy is akin to a sneeze; the entire body opening
and closing in an instant.
In self defence practice, we cannot use fa jing on one another.
The outcome is too unpredictable.
We use soft target pads and sticks for fa jing practice.
The gravity component of fa jing is trained separately. We strike one another
using gravity in order to develop this skill.
Chasing
your own shadow
'Fa jing' means spontaneous energy release or
'jing
release'. It is concerned with kinetic energy emission.
It is the means whereby energy can be transmitted from one person to
another.
It is not structure or movement or energy.
It is the way in which the energy is emitted.
Fa jing is a
means, not an end.
The harder you seek it, the more you try.
Trying involves effort, effort causes
tension, tension blocks energy and
there is no fa jing.
Wrong means = wrong
end
The body, freed of tension, should reach a condition where the joints move
freely.
Only then is the body loose enough for fa jing.
You must be sufficiently attuned to your own movements to feel when
and how fa jing can be
generated.
Some students are not patient enough and use force.
A common mistake is to use the pelvis and hips rather than the combined muscles
of the entire body.
People become adept at rapid pelvic turns or abrupt shunts of force.
These are quite strong but they are not fa jing.
They tend to create a residual pattern of tension within the body.
Fa jing is like a wave, rippling up from the ground, through your
hand and into the opponent.
Instead of using the hips and pelvis, you should use the spiralling of the legs,
the opening and closing of the spine and the movement of the centre.
Hocus pocus?
There is nothing mystical or unscientific about 'fa jing'.
Despite the exotic Chinese name, it is simply a question of body mechanics,
gravity, distance and timing.
It will not develop overnight but the seeds should emerge within the
intermediate syllabus, grow during the experienced
level and flourish within the advanced syllabus.
Soft power
Fa jing is not hard, it is
soft. The effect is hard, not the
means itself.
No more than 4 ounces of
pressure is applied and the moment of delivery is a
split-second.
You do not have time to tense the hand.
The hand (and body) must close by itself on impact, then instantly re-open again.
Conscious strength ruins any chance you have at using fa jing, so just relax.
Be patient.
When you deliver fa jing into a focus mitt or target pad it will pass
through the body and into the ground.
It may cause the floorboards to resonate.
External ways
Students often make the same mistakes when attempting fa jing:
pushing upon impact
- this approach is
external in nature - the classic 'punch through
the opponent' strategy
- it is not tai chi
'cocking' the pelvis and/or shoulder
lunging forward
an obvious build-up
a push
a step
- your step should occur because of the release, rather than to cause the
release
tension in the striking tool
overall tension in the body
emotional tension: anger, aggression
forcing
Fa jing is
altogether different to these approaches.
The bite
Upon impact, your hand/elbow/knee sinks slightly into the opponent before
bouncing back off again.
This process occurs naturally and need not be contrived.
If you pull off too soon, 4 ounces of pressure has not been established and the
power will diminish.
Not so fast
Increased effectiveness is produced by gravity and heaviness in the striking
limb, rather than pushing harder or striking faster.
Spontaneity is the key to fa jing.
A tense body - with habitual holding patterns - will not provide an adequate
conduit for kinetic energy to pass through.
If you can
feel your own body moving, you are too tense.
You should feel only the movement itself.
A free body is capable of striking instantly and spontaneously.
Fa jing looks fast but it is not a matter of speed. It is loose and sudden, not fast.
By relaxing the muscles and joints fully, the body is capable of
spontaneous movement.
This is what makes fa jing seem fast - no preparation, no
tensing-up beforehand.
Instant energy release.
Cold jing
There must be no anticipation, no telegraphing, no movement at all. One moment
you are standing still, the next you have struck.
The spiralling kinetic energy wave passes through your body without fanfare, and
into the opponent.
This is known as 'cold jing'.
Small power
Large sweeping or jabbing movements cannot be applied using fa
jing.
Fa jing is small by its very nature. A bigger movement takes too much time.
To use fa jing, you must get your body close to the opponent
- then apply fa jing as the sting.
Page created 25 November 2000