My take on the internal aspects of martial arts and sports.

Much of my understanding comes from reading about Chinese martial arts. As I understand it, there are different components that make up the internal aspect of martial arts. Here I attempt to break it down even more for my own benefit. 

The first is Strength. This can be thought of as muscular strength that can be trained. A technique with the necessary amount of strength can be effective. You need strength to manipulate. 

The second is Force Dissipation, the ability to generate maximum force through muscular tension release in the shortest time possible. This requires one to learn to relax (zero tension) and contract (maximum tension) in minimal time. A practitioner can be taught to practice going through cycles of relaxation-tension, and also to improve reactionary time.  

The third is Intention. The intention is what the mind wants to achieve. It is mental resilience, and the ability to block out distractions (mental, visual, auditory, touch, smell, etc).  It involves deep concentration and heightened awareness. An awareness of your external stimuli allows you to respond and act appropriately. At the same time, a deep level of concentration allows you to focus on your intention, despite external factors. An analogy is harnessing sunlight (awareness of the external) using a magnifying glass (concentration) to burn a piece of paper (intent). With intention, the efficiency and efficacy of your techniques are amplified. 

The fourth is the concept of Chi, the force that sustains life. Chi is thought to circulate in the body. The air we breathe contains oxygen which dissolves in our blood and circulates throughout our body. At the same time, one main byproduct of respiration, carbon dioxide, gets expelled out. Breathing air sustains life. Stop breathing and life ceases. My understanding of Chi can be distilled to learning to regulate our breathing, so as to synchronize with our body movements and thoughts.

The fifth is Consciousness. It is an awareness of internal and external stimuli. It is a gut feeling. It is an instinct. It is an awareness of your strength, body structure, force dissipation, intention, and breathing. It is an understanding of your strengths, limitations, and how to overcome them. 

The last one is Emptiness. This is a difficult concept to break. Bruce Lee had a quote. “Be water”. In essence, I think it is a culmination of all the internal gears turning. What is the outcome? The outcome of this is you are like water, always adaptable to the external circumstances, yet always in control of your internal states. 

I will attempt to relate this to the practice of Kembangan in Silat.

In SBL Kembangan, there are no set predetermined movements (jurus). I quote my My teacher, Ash Miah: “The flow of movement is a direct outcome of the flow of our thoughts”. Kembangan is therefore a mindfulness exercise for the practitioner to be aware of our moving physical structure. We are aware of the cycles of relaxation and tensions in our bodies. We have the intention to concentrate and not be distracted. We regulate our breathing. We are conscious and are always aware of both our external stimuli and our internal states. 

Application in self-defense: If one feels a threat directed to us while we are in this state, one adapts and responds immediately to nullify it. It is managing and overcoming fear because fear has a huge influence on our internal and external beings.  

Application in health: One practices Kembangan to achieve equilibrium, helping us in times of anxiety, and providing mental clarity. It is a practice in grounding the physical, and in anchoring the mental.