30 January 2012

external exercise for internal development

Since the 1970s there has been a common dichotomy of martial arts practitioners presented to the public. On the one hand you have the big, tough, often brutish type- a well muscled guy who maybe yells and moves with lots of speed and intensity. On the other hand you have the gentle, leaner type who moves with grace. He is thoughtful and probably meditates. This latter has “internal power” that is much stronger than the muscular strength of the big man. But does one type of energy necessarily exclude the other? Can they not co-exist or even facilitate one another?