Timing

5 character verse (五字訣) is an important poem that attempt to explain the combat and training strategy of LHBF. The following is just a small section:

剛在他力前.柔乘他力後
Be strong before your opponent is ready but absorb and deflect if the attack already started

Internal style does not necessarily translate to the use of soft/passive method. It just means that there is a heavy emphasis on the linkage between body and mind. For example, Hsing-I is considered an internal style but put full body power in each hit. Some of the old Hsing-I masters are rumored to be able to go through walls. Most people know of taichi only as a soft style but it is more than that. Look at judo (translated as the gentle method) at the Olympics, it is more than just ‘borrowing’ your opponent’s force – one can fight agressively as well. Bruce Lee’s JKD (截拳道) literally mean “the way to jam and stop”. So there are different preferred approaches.

For us, martial arts is not just about our own preferences or style which to me is too ‘self centered’. Ultimately, it is about our interaction with the opponent, the environment and to respond efficiently and effectively based on the situation.

Exercise
This section of the old verse talks about “different timing allowing for different approaches”.
Aside from timing, what did we talk about last Tuesday in class in regards to force?