Seven Chinese martial arts: archery, spearplay and boxing

  Cavalry guns are called big guns, and infantry guns are called small flower guns. The big gun is over a zhang (a unit of length) long, made from a single piece of white wax wood, with a handle as thick as a duck egg and a head as thick as a duck egg yolk. The big gun is very long and heavy, making it difficult to wield with both hands, and it's not easy to use. The small flower gun is shorter and thinner, easier to shake, with the head flying wildly, hence its name. During training, the big gun is not equipped with a spearhead, now commonly referred to as "big pole". Shaking the big pole is an important training method for internal martial arts, which can practice whole body strength and listening strength. The big gun is heavy, only waist strength can wield it, good gun technique must be able to hear the strength on the spearhead, transform and release, in order not to lose. In the past, internal family gun techniques could "settle the king's affairs", a rare skill that could seal one's wife and children. The big gun is the most precious technique in Tai Chi, only passed down by the master.

  The big gun was hard to come by a few years ago, and even fewer people knew about it. In the past two years, for some reason, it suddenly became popular, and anyone under 80 years old, from kindergarten to adults, would play with several sticks, as if not "shaking the big gun" couldn't practice boxing. The big gun becoming a trend is not a good thing, and the most direct result is that the quality of the big gun has clearly declined. My master had a stick that was only 2.6 meters long, but it was heavier than my 3.2-meter-long one. That stick was bought in the early 1980s, and at first glance, it was obvious that it was made by someone who knew what they were doing, with at least ten years of tree age, while now sticks with only three years of tree age are considered high-end. That stick was something my master had obtained when he traveled all over the country to visit friends for martial arts purposes, and he had paid a high price of 60 yuan for it in a small shop in Hebei Province. It was said that it was made by a master craftsman for his own use, with only twenty or thirty sticks in total. What a good stick it was! Heavy and dense, with a green surface, not a single knot, straight as a knife cut, the gun head not much thinner than the gun handle. When you shook it, the stick body would vibrate, the stick head would oscillate with a small amplitude, but persistently; now sticks grow too fast, with less fiber inside, unable to store energy, and when subjected to force, the stick head will bend, and after a few swings, it will stop. To plant big gun sticks according to the requirements of actual combat weapons, you must start pruning from when the white wax tree sapling is only one meter high, not allowing any side branches to grow, only keeping a few leaves at the top of the tree, in order to limit its growth rate and make the trunk straight. Sticks for military use cannot be planted on mountainsides and left to grow wildly, but must be carefully tended to at all times, and cannot be infested with insects, which would leave scars; also, they cannot be planted too densely, or if the sunlight is poor, they will grow crooked. On a sunny plot of land, planting one hundred sticks, after ten or more years of careful tending, you can get thirty good ones, which is a lot of hard work for such a high price. Sixty yuan in the early 1980s was equivalent to one and a half months' salary. Only my master, who was obsessed with martial arts, would be willing to spend that kind of money, and only true martial arts enthusiasts would go to the trouble of planting those useless sticks.

  Nowadays, all the poles are made of firewood, curved and uneven, and it's hard to pick out a usable one even if you buy a big bundle. However, they do get longer and longer. You use one that's 2.8 meters long, and then someone comes along with one that's 3.2 meters long, and there are even ones that are 3.5 meters long. I've heard that some people online are using ones that are 4 meters long - it's like they're competing in a pole-vaulting competition! There are buyers who don't know the trade, and of course, there are sellers who take advantage of them. It's really ruining our traditional culture, and the losses to the martial arts industry may be even greater than those to the martial arts themselves. Guns are still okay, although they're simple and have been around for a long time. But the production of swords is really chaotic. A sword that's made to look luxurious and sells for over a thousand yuan might even have its guard installed backwards - it's likely that you'll end up hurting yourself before you can even use it on an enemy! This kind of "high-end crap" is only suitable for being hung on the wall of a county official's study, alongside the collected works of Marx and Lenin. They're just for show. Although the steel used nowadays is much better than it was in the past, nobody knows the reasoning behind each design detail of swords. The master craftsmen who know how to make good swords are disappearing. The knowledge contained within swords is actually quite simple - it's just that nobody understands the purpose behind these designs. So, let me explain them slowly and clearly. Once you understand the ingenious arrangements hidden beneath the unassuming exterior of Chinese military equipment, don't go around saying that those broken Japanese iron bars are good.

  The Japanese learn everything from China, but they can't grasp the essence, only the form. The Chinese have long stopped sleeping on the floor, but the Japanese haven't changed in over a thousand years since they learned from us. It's clear that there must be a reason why the Chinese have improved to what they are now. This military equipment is a matter of life and death, and our predecessors summarized their actual combat experience to create what we have today, which must have its advantages. The Japanese just don't know, but we won't tell them. We should at least not be confused ourselves.

  The eighteen types of martial arts weapons, only the knife, gun, sword and club can be used to win a fight, the others are just for show. Mr. Lao She said "the month-old staff, the year-old knife, and the lifetime gun", the gun is the most profound and difficult to learn among all military equipment. It's easy for someone to wield a stick and hit things randomly, but give them a gun and they won't know what to do. The gun has the reputation of being the king of all weapons, in a battle between two armies, it's the most useful, knives and clubs are not even comparable. If used well, the gun itself has life. When Ma Teng's army was defeated, "the gun was like a roaming dragon", a long spear wrapped around people and horses, protecting them, the cold light of the gunhead shone everywhere, ghosts and wolves wailed, great generals won battles after battles, it wasn't just luck. The big gun is an instrument for changing dynasties and sweeping away the old, it's not comparable to knives or clubs. The internal family's big gun method was created by Yue Fei, passed down through loyal officials and filial sons, petty people who deceive and cheat are not worthy of knowing its secrets. Li Ya Xuan didn't teach petty people, even if he did, those with small cleverness wouldn't necessarily understand.

  The current popular internal school spear method, many people like to name it under the name of Zhao Yun, a famous general of the Three Kingdoms, and call it "Zhao Zilong's Thirteen Spears" or simply "Thirteen Spears", or according to the school, it is called "Taiji Thirteen Spears". However, thirteen is just a virtual number, and the spear method actually has only three basic movements: block, grab, and thrust. All other movements can be derived from these three.

  The era of Zhao Zilong was really too far away, but attributing the spear method to Yue Fei is reasonable. Yue Wumu Wang once wrote an article describing the "Henan Great Spear" of that time, and the spear's structure and usage described by Yue Wang are not much different from those of today.

  The internal school spear method took shape in the Song Dynasty. Before the Song Dynasty, for example, during the Tang Dynasty, there were famous spears like Luo Cheng, but the popular ones were still horse spears, such as Shan Xiongxin and Wei Yigong. Horse spears are actually just lances, and their usage is completely different from that of spears.

  The internal school fist is not only Taiji, but also includes Xingyiquan and Baguazhang, which developed simultaneously with Taiji. When Yang Luchan was learning in Chenjia Gou, Dong Haichuan of Baguazhang and Li Luoneng of Xingyiquan were also active.

  Chen Wangting created the fist and said that it was a great achievement, but this is actually a false claim. If Chen Wangting heard his descendants making such claims, he would be ashamed to death. Xingyiquan has always taken Yue Wumu Wang as its ancestor, which I support.

  Yue Wang clearly pointed out the advantages of the "Henan Great Spear", but it did not receive attention in the martial arts world at that time and later. For example, only a few good fighters like Bao Zishen, Yu Qilin, and Shi Wenguang used spears.

  Although internal school methods and great spear techniques were not widely spread during Yue Wang's time, they had already developed very well. In his spear manual, Yue Wang commented on the battles of that time: "When two horses clashed, both sides were afraid, holding the lance tips and unable to lift them up, directly stabbing at the ground." This was not only because the iron lances were too heavy, but also because even if they used lighter wooden lances, they still could not be lifted. Moreover, the center of gravity of the wooden lances was biased forward, making it difficult to use.

  But once they switched to using spears with elastic white wax rods and internal power, the spears came alive. The spearheads only stirred at the enemy's chest and face, and no matter how hard they tried to block, they could not stop them. The cavalry of Yue Jiajun, led by Zhu Xianzhen, defeated 100,000 enemies with just 800 soldiers, which was not achieved solely through bravery.

  Unfortunately, Yue Wang was harmed by the emperor and the treacherous party, and his elite troops were lost. However, a few people still passed down the internal skills and spear methods. The internal school fist, from the end of the Yuan Dynasty to the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, was summarized by Zhang Sanfeng, and for the first time, there was a distinction between internal and external schools.

  Later, during the time of Chen Changxing and Yang Luchan, it spread throughout the world. Xingyiquan, Baguazhang, and Taiji all became famous schools, and internal skills, spear methods, and sword techniques reached their peak. Unfortunately, the era of cold weapons also came to an end.

  The spear and the lance are made of hard wood, without elasticity, and cannot absorb the opponent's impact. When two spears intersect, the force is fully transmitted to the hand, and if the angle is not suitable, the weapon will be dropped on the spot. This is a lever principle, and everyone can try pushing a spring door to understand.

  Foreign spring doors are very heavy, with a long rod as the mechanism, making it convenient to open the door with one's buttocks when carrying things with both hands. If you push the door handle side, even children can open it, but if you make a mistake and push the hinge side, it will be difficult.

  The wooden lance is made of hard wood, and the force of the opponent's blow on the spearhead is magnified several times due to the lever effect, making it impossible to hold onto. Therefore, when using a lance, one must always face forward, never at an angle, or it will be knocked out of one's hand.

  Western knights who engage in combat with lances are too naive and cute. The long levers are only effective if they are completely vertical; if there is even a slight horizontal distance, the two horses will collide, and the lance will bounce back, causing the wielder to break their arm unless they let go of the lance.

  The Westerners' solution is to thicken the rear end of the lance, like a door knocker, relying on the wood's own momentum to absorb the impact. When colliding, they release their grip to avoid injury.

  The British drive on the left side of the road because it follows the tradition of knights' duels in the past. Knights held lances in their right hands and had to be completely vertical to be effective, so they all drove on the left side. I don't know if everyone has noticed that in movies nowadays, knights' duels are often depicted with both parties driving on the right side; this is for safety reasons.

  Wearing a hard armor like a turtle shell, two horses drive on the right side and collide, and the "electric pole" comes horizontally, lightly hitting the waist. The pole breaks, but the person is unharmed. This small difference makes ancient life-and-death duels into a fun entertainment suitable for all ages.

  As long as the horse drives on the right side, everyone can be King Arthur, winning the beauty's favor. On TV, there are people in British castles who organize this kind of tourism project, allowing everyone to try it out and see that what I say is true.

  Two horses meet, both wielding heavy weapons, hard against hard, whoever is heavier will have the advantage. Qin Ming wields the wolf-tooth club with a loud crash, while Xue Ping uses the mountain-opening axe, both following this train of thought. The dozens of kilograms of wolf-tooth clubs and mountain-opening axes borrow the power of the horses to sweep horizontally, absolutely cannot be met head-on. If met head-on, even iron spears will be bent, and both arms will be fractured, but when he swings his club, his hands are empty, without any effort. Against this kind of opponent, the large hammer is the most useful. The hammer is heavier than the club, and as long as it has some speed when swung, its momentum exceeds that of the club. When the hammer and club collide, their momenta cancel each other out, and both hands are empty, without injury. The hammer is shorter than the club, and can change moves quickly, taking advantage of the enemy's slow withdrawal to strike with one hammer blow. The Golden Army loves to use wolf-tooth clubs, but when they encounter Yue Yun's golden hammer, they are completely finished. The key to using heavy weapons is to bring out their speed, keeping the hands empty to prevent recoil. This is like playing tennis, where gripping the racket tightly and meeting the ball with a single hand will hurt the wrist, while holding the racket loosely allows it to move freely without fear. To wield a hundred-kilogram golden hammer in a short time requires some innate divine strength. The power of the arms alone is useless; only by relying on the waist can one wield heavy weapons. Internal family kung fu emphasizes clever strength, using four ounces to move a thousand kilograms, but when it comes to competing with brute force and wielding large hammers, it's still not sloppy. Everything depends on having a strong and full waist.

  A robust waistline makes all the difference: a gentle face, yet an aura of authority. In traditional Chinese paintings, great generals and temple deities always have waists measuring over ten inches in circumference; never are they depicted as muscular men. It's not that ancient Chinese artists didn't know how to paint muscles - the little demons holding up the legs of the Four Heavenly Kings in temples are indeed muscular, yet fierce and ugly. In Western art, there is no concept of inner strength, so artists only focus on muscles, equating bulk with beauty. The male figures in sculptures all have bulging muscles, but what's the point of having muscles if you don't need to tense up your whole body even when hammering iron? Unfortunately, Da Vinci never saw the majesty of spiritual robustness. A great general sits tall and relaxed in his tent, his posture like a beautiful woman's languid elegance, yet with energy concentrated and spirit focused. With three thousand soldiers arrayed around him, the momentum is like thunder and lightning, ready to strike at any moment - that's true bravery. As the saying goes, "Lord Guan doesn't open his eyes; when he does, someone will die." This is what it means. In traditional Chinese paintings, great generals who have won a hundred battles are depicted with their spirit, not their physical form. Their loose, wide robes and sparse brushstrokes fully convey their wisdom, integrity, benevolence, and bravery.

  The heavy weapon swung, as long as it hit, it was enough to drink a pot of wine. If it didn't hit, it would be miserable. The heavy weapon had too much momentum and was slow to return, giving the enemy an opportunity to take advantage. Zhong Zuo recorded that Wei Zhenggong snatched away Sui Yangdi's mace three times. Sui Yangdi wielded his mace well, but Li Yuan never forgot the humiliation of being defeated by him and wanted to kill him. Even Li Shimin couldn't save him with his life. Sui Yangdi's mace must have been powerful and heavy, if it didn't hit its mark and couldn't be withdrawn in time, Wei Zhenggong would charge into the gap and snatch the mace away, capturing him. It wasn't just the mace, but also the wolf-tooth club, all hard weapons, if they didn't hit their mark, they would reveal an opening, and knives and clubs were no exception.

  Hard weapons, one is shock hand, two is empty door. But the white wax rod's big gun is different, the white wax rod has elasticity, using the gun head to hard frame axe and stick, the gun bends, there is a small buffer, the hand does not shake, the enemy's weapon power is also unloaded. The white wax rod can store energy, bend and rebound, as long as the gun handle turns, the gun head will come out, hit it right, half of the credit is the enemy's own. The mystery of Neijia Kung Fu lies in this, attack and defense are one family, defense is attack, attack is also defense, one action does two things. On TV, Japanese Aikido masters perform with their disciples, stretching out a stick to hit him, first knocking open the opponent's weapon, then hitting his head, hitting twice in a row, like playing chess, you move one step, he moves two steps, of course, everything is his win, is there such a shameless thing? In fact, this shamelessness is also learned from Chinese cheats, Japanese people have 200 million people with one brain, no creativity at all, let him think independently and kill him. Poor Japan and Korea are deeply poisoned by Chinese culture, they can't solve it themselves, so they might be saved.

  The white wax rod is a great defensive weapon, and its offense is also a single move that can defeat the enemy without any hesitation. When the spear thrusts out, it's like a thousand cherry blossoms, first shattering the protective mirror on the chest, then drilling inwards. Each flower-like movement of the spear is deadly, making it hard to know which one to block. At this moment, you absolutely cannot block, or you'll be finished. The white wax rod is soft, and if you block it head-on, you'll only lend your strength to the opponent, allowing them to counterattack with even greater force. This is where the enemy's skill comes in - half of the credit goes to them, and half to me.

  The fist manual says "staff fears the nodding spear, spear fears the circular motion", which refers to the fact that once the great spear starts shaking, its head moves wildly, making it difficult even for a god to defend against. The only way to deal with such a high-level opponent is to shake your own spear and match theirs, so they can't hear the force behind their attack, making it hard for them to proceed with their next move.

  If two spears clash, and you sense the force behind the opponent's attack, you can take advantage of the momentum and strike back. You can either borrow the force to counterattack or directly attack, as long as the spearhead is slightly offset, allowing you to slip in easily. If you don't sense the force, you need to quickly change your move and adopt a defensive stance.

  A high-level expert will immediately use their spear to push against yours on the ground, following the same principle as pushing hands. Whoever senses the opponent's force wins, regardless of what technique they use. Only amateurs would focus on using specific techniques to counter others. The internal school's spear method consists of only three moves: block, grab, and thrust. However, these three moves are not mutually exclusive; a single spear movement can encompass all three styles. Only when you master this fluid movement can you be considered a skilled spearman.

  When exchanging blows with a master, one must be extremely cautious. The body should be relaxed and the spirit concentrated. If you can't hear the force coming, don't panic. Under no circumstances should you make a reckless move or reveal your strength openly. As long as you don't make a reckless move, even if the opponent's blow is about to land, there is still a glimmer of hope for escape. But once the opponent senses the incoming force and counterattacks, it's like having a million troops outside but being ambushed in one's own command tent - there's no way out. Therefore, composure on the battlefield is crucial. The more urgent the situation, the calmer one must remain. However, when dealing with ordinary foot soldiers or worn-out armor, such considerations are unnecessary. A great general can trample multiple camps without fear of being outnumbered. With a single spear dance, it's like a giant python wrapping around a tree - front and back, left and right, protecting the troops, advancing and retreating firmly, the spearhead everywhere, touching means death, colliding means demise. Perhaps some readers won't believe this: how can someone achieve such bravery with just flesh and blood? This is the unique wisdom of Chinese culture, the philosophy of Taoism and the internal martial arts: the mystery of the Tao lies in the harmony of yin and yang!

  Relaxation is also a kind of energy, it's the energy that differentiates yin and yang. Relaxation must come from within one's power, this is not a secret that can be passed down. Li Ya Xuan said to "relax greatly and soften greatly", many people misunderstood it, harming themselves, thinking that swinging their sleeves every day was practicing kung fu, which is impossible.

  To practice relaxation, you need to have internal energy, playing basketball, punching sandbags, weightlifting, all of these are necessary just to get started, but this is only an introduction, don't get stuck in it. Relaxation is energy, found within one's power, but you must have a master who understands the intricacies guiding you, can't do it on your own, or imagine and act randomly.

  Li Ya Xuan's "great relaxation and softness" was said for those who have already entered the door, it's an advanced technique in kung fu. When entering the door, you can mess around with some random things, but going up only "great relaxation and softness" is the right way! Li Ya Xuan is a veteran, he talks about everything, but doesn't talk about the most basic entry-level practice methods, however, entry-level practices can't be generalized, it all depends on individual understanding and opportunity.

  I'm saying this because I don't want to see people who are eager to learn being harmed by scammers. Internal energy is all about power, there are many subtle movements inside. Meditation, visualization, taking medicine, whatever elixirs or mantras, they're all scams. If you really want kung fu, just open your hands and fight, if you can't win against a beginner, it's fake goods, brothers be careful.

  Note: The translation is quite literal, but the text itself seems to be written in a somewhat archaic and poetic style, so some nuances may be lost in translation.

  The internal power is great and lasting, and the reaction is surprisingly fast. When fighting with others, I often take the initiative. How can this be achieved? It's all because of the wonder of "intention precedes strength". Intention and strength are also a pair of yin and yang, with before and after, mutually causal and complementary. The internal family fist strength is like shooting an arrow, with no return (the return is already the second arrow). When the opponent is dodging this move, my "intention" has already prepared the next move according to his action. This next move uses the rebounding force of the previous move, which comes in handy. The boxing classic says "there must be a fold in the back and forth", that is, relying on the joint conversion to change the direction of the rebounding force and strike out again. Internal family fist starts with understanding strength, once you have strength, all the way up is to practice sensitivity, observation, and this "intention precedes strength". The internal family fist distinguishes between yin and yang, the enemy can only catch the past "strength", but never catches the "intention" that moves with the enemy. The internal family fist dares to claim invincibility, all because of this.

  Little one, I say: The white wax pole of Yue Wang's big gun is the ancestor of internal family kung fu. This is because the white wax pole has elasticity, can store energy, and can merge with people to form a large yin-yang. Therefore, those who move the white wax pole must understand the principle of yin-yang, which is internal family boxing.

  Nowadays, many people practice shaking the white wax pole as a means of exercising strength, which is deviating from the right path. The white wax pole is over one zhang (3.33 meters) long and has no power at its head, but this power is not in the hands, even if the hand's power is great, it is not enough, only the waist and leg's power can be used, the hand must be relaxed, listening to the pole's elasticity, then lift the gun.

  When my master taught me to practice with this pole, he required that our arms be stretched out, one hand grasping the hilt of the gun, the zhang-long pole was held level, and at least for half an hour. This is my Tai Chi school's untransmitted ultimate skill "Big Gun Stake". The "Big Gun Stake" practices the unity of man and gun, stiff power can't hold it for half an hour.

  Only by opening up the yin-yang of the human body and uniting with the yin-yang of the gun can one support it for more than half an hour. In short, it is necessary to make all joints and bones of the body slightly tremble, and shake together with the white wax pole, making the gun and man into one, muscles tense and relax alternately, resting in turn, can hold for as long as you want.

  When holding the "Big Gun Stake", the head of the gun is always slightly trembling, and the iron pellets inside the gunhead are ringing softly. If practiced better, without moving hands, the gunhead can dance up. The sentence "Shaking the big pole is used to practice listening to energy" is invaluable. All brothers know the yin-yang principle of internal family boxing and weapons, do not spread it randomly, and absolutely cannot pass it on to outsiders, otherwise, you will be condemned by heaven.

  After practicing "big gun stake", you can hear your own gun, and the gun and person have feelings. As soon as you touch the gun handle, you know what the gun wants to do, and any small force added to the gun head can be felt. Yang Luchan's son, Yang Banhou, could use a big gun to poke dead flies on glass without breaking the glass, which shows how good his listening skill is and how high his shooting technique is. My master only needs to touch the gun head slightly, and the bricks at the corner of the green brick wall will fall off one by one, all relying on listening skills. If you use brute force, even if you break the handle, it won't work. Tai Chi's listening skill is a thorough and endless skill. With good listening skills, power can be generated, and many incredible things can be done, such as poking acupoints. The acupoints of the human body are all located at the deepest part of the joints and muscles. Without changing force, even if you break the bones, you cannot poke the acupoint, because during the process of breaking, the limbs will move under force, and the acupoint will also move. To poke an acupoint, you need to listen to the force and follow it to a certain point. As long as the power is great enough and the time is long enough, the acupoint can be poked. When an acupoint is poked, that piece of muscle will not listen to commands, and it is the same principle as dislocating bones. To relieve the acupoint, just pat it back in the opposite direction. There are acupoints all over the human body. In my personal opinion, for convenience, I summarize that any joint, tendon, or midpoint of a muscle is an acupoint. When hit, this piece of muscle will "dislocate". Acupoints, in my personal judgment, are the key points of human movement, just like a few small roads in a big city that are very critical, and once blocked, they can paralyze a whole area.

  In the early years of the Republic of China, there was a legendary acupuncturist named Huang in Shanghai. He had a magical needle that could revive people from near death. He once cured Zhang Jian's chronic illness with just one needle, and his reputation spread far and wide.

  When a foreign doctor asked him about the location of the acupuncture points, Huang replied: "Acupuncture points are alive, only living people have them, and they can't be seen by dissecting corpses. The discovery of these points is the result of ancient sages' hard work and self-cultivation."

  Huang's needles were made of pure gold, extremely soft, and about a foot long, slightly thicker than a hair. The tip was blunt, and he usually wore it on his finger like a ring.

  With such a soft needle, Huang could insert it into the flesh, circling around joints and internal organs to reach the most hidden acupuncture points. It's hard to imagine how good his hearing was.

  When Huang treated Yuan Shikai for a headache, the golden needle went in half an inch deep. In the 1980s, a movie was made about Huang's story.

  Huang's training method was similar to that of internal martial arts, relying solely on listening skills. The Taiji school practiced pointing at acupuncture points without using sandbags; instead, they relied on pouring their spirit into their fingertips during practice, connecting their fingers with the body's yin and yang energy to achieve the ability to point at acupuncture points.

  The technique of pointing at acupuncture points is actually similar to shooting a gun or wielding a sword. If one can shoot down a single brick on a wall without moving any other bricks, isn't that equivalent to hitting the wall's acupuncture point? The use of weapons and martial arts are closely related.

  The spear had developed a sense of hearing, and as the two horses met, their weapons clashed. The spear was like a spiritual snake, following the opponent's weapon and piercing through it. The general had only one move to kill his enemies.

  The white wax pole's spear was a living divine instrument, with its own yin-yang principle. When bent, it would straighten; when straightened, it would bend again. If stabbed left, it would deflect right; if chopped forward, it would automatically block the back.

  The more powerful the opponent, like an ox, wielding heavy weapons and being a fierce general, the easier they were to defeat. If he could bend my pole, I'd be delighted! With just one turn of the spear handle, no force was needed, and the spearhead would pop out and stab him again.

  Being surrounded by layers of camps, with horses trampling and troops closing in, was even better. The spear would never miss its mark. Man and spear were as one; wherever I wanted the spear to go, it would follow. Wherever my eyes landed, the spear would automatically pierce there.

  As long as a person continuously provided energy and spiritual intention to the spear, it would help them strike in all directions.

  The White Wax Gun is invincible as long as it has energy. Relying on the elasticity of the white wax gun head, its rotation is extremely fast, leaving no room for the enemy to take advantage of. Even if faced with two enemies at once, it's not a problem; with a flick of the wrist, the gun head swings 180 degrees, able to simultaneously deflect incoming attacks from both sides. When the gun head rotates in a circle, even a hail of arrows can be blocked. But once the gun stops shaking, an opening is revealed, and if the large gun didn't rely on the elasticity of the white wax, its slow and lacking in lethality. Directly using force to thrust with the white wax gun poses little threat, as it's difficult to pierce iron armor, and most importantly, this method is very slow. When two internal family masters meet, the one who can dissipate the opponent's gun momentum is the one who will win; a gun that doesn't recoil is the most terrifying thing, even more so than being surrounded by enemies. At this point, the enemy has already closed in, and there's no time to rotate the gun again with force.

  In the Taiji spear method, there is a move called "Bai Shi Liang Zhang", which trains how to "escape from death" with a large spear. "Bai Shi Liang Zhang" is simple, just retreating and pulling out a stance, one hand raised high, like the special pose used in the Zhongzi dance during certain periods. It doesn't look like there's anything brilliant about it, but this move is actually the way to win by losing with a large spear, far more sinister than "Tuo Dao Ji", "Hui Ma Qiang" and "Sa Shou Jue". Nowadays, people who know the true usage of "Bai Shi Liang Zhang" are few and far between, and those who can practice it successfully are even rarer. "Bai Shi Liang Zhang" is actually the last resort to win by abandoning the spear, no one in the world can escape this final blow that leaves both sides dead. With one hand raised high, the intention is to abandon the spear and take out the single knife on one's back, combining sword and spear for a fatal strike. This is like the double checkmate in Chinese chess, where the enemy has nowhere to escape. As for how to combine sword and spear, I can't say any more, please forgive me, esteemed audience. If one masters the Taiji spear method up to the point of "Bai Shi Liang Zhang"'s combined sword and spear strike, it's considered a complete achievement, and one can go down the mountain to assist a wise ruler, achieve fame, and save the world from suffering.

  The shooting method is the only unique skill in the world, while the sword method is a variant of the shooting method. The internal family sword method is purely a shooting method and not a knife method. The Wudang Sword Manual has a sentence: "If you use a sword as a knife, it will make the old sword immortal laugh." When fighting with swords, the internal family sword method is absolutely impossible to hear the sound of weapons colliding, and at most, one sword can only lightly touch the opponent's weapon and draw a line. The precision of swordsmanship lies in adapting to the enemy and making a successful move. The internal family sword method does not have many sword movements, but rather focuses on body methods, especially waist and leg techniques. When the skills are mastered, it is like wanting to go down the mountain. Shaolin disciples need to fight through eighteen copper man formations, while Wudang disciples need to use a small bamboo stick to jump onto a tree and stab a monkey. There are many Shaolin disciples all over the world, but there are only a few Wudang disciples who can master the sword method. Even if it's just jumping onto a tree with two feet, not many people have mastered this move. As long as each generation of Wudang disciples can produce one person who has mastered the sword method and stays to teach, they will not decline so much. The internal family swordsmanship does not require high standards for the sword itself; even a bamboo stick is fine. When there's nothing else available, pinching a finger into a sword shape also counts as a sword. Among knives, guns, swords, and sticks, swordsmanship is supreme, but it is only an application of the internal family's superior body methods.

  The shooting and swordsmanship are unique to China, Japan and the West do not have them. The Japanese sword is a knife method, and it's still a clumsy and deadly knife method. The Western broadsword is also a knife, very primitive and simple knife method, without any variation, fighting with it will be at a disadvantage, the more force used, the more unlucky. However, Western fencing is a good game, especially foil fencing, but it only uses one function of the sword, which is stabbing, a bit monotonous. Chinese martial arts must go global, and those few gold medals in Olympic fencing must be taken. If the fencing arena were circular, I would say I have a sure win, even with the current rules, with good hearing and energy, I can still win, and one day, please watch me make a name for Tai Chi at the Olympics.

  The Western broadsword is shaped like an enlarged Chinese sword, with a very long hilt, used entirely as a knife, held and swung wildly with both hands. Westerners have only one thought in their minds, to swing the sword with great force, never thinking about what to do if they miss. To increase the force, the back of the hilt of the Western broadsword has a counterweight, a very heavy iron lump, carved into various decorative shapes. The purpose of the counterweight is to increase the impact of chopping without increasing the size of the sword (the Western broadsword is already too thick), this arrangement is simply stupid: it makes it harder to swing the sword back, and increases the risk of spraining your little finger, and the sword may even fly out of your hand. I have a 9-foot long fly fishing rod, which also has a counterweight at the end. The manufacturer's intention was to make casting easier, but I removed the counterweight long ago. With the counterweight, the force is disrupted, and you can't feel the force of the line on the tip of the rod, and the line can't be cast far. By listening to the force of the line, using my waist strength to lift and flick the rod tip lightly, I can cast the entire 90-foot fly fishing line with just one motion. The best posture for casting is "White Crane Spreads Its Wings".

  I don't want to talk about the grip of a big gun. The grip of a gun is "the gun does not expose the handle", and the hand holding the gun should grasp the end of the stock, without exposing any wood. The benefits of this grip are that first, when pulling the gun back and forth, it won't hit yourself, and more importantly, the gun and arm strength are connected, so you can hear the force at the tip of the gun.

  The physical education professor who wrote the textbook doesn't even know such basic principles, and yet they still produce DVDs to show off everywhere. It's easy to imagine what kind of standard routine the Physical Education Committee is promoting.

  The biggest flaw in Western and Japanese swordsmanship is that they don't consider what to do when they miss a strike. Westerners are brave and bloodthirsty, and seem to disdain dodging. A warrior uses all their strength to swing a heavy sword, but in doing so, they lose their balance, relying on the opponent's block to steady themselves. If the opponent doesn't block, they'll fall over.

  This principle is simple: the momentum of the big sword doesn't change, and if you use a lot of force and time to swing it up, you need to use just as much force and time to pull it back. How can you change your move in time?

  Chinese internal martial arts are better than Western martial arts in this regard. The first rule of Chinese martial arts is "don't lose your center", which means you must have the strength to control your power. Therefore, the primary goal of Tai Chi push hands is not to lean on the opponent's body, and if you strike empty air, don't move your feet.

  How can this be achieved? Only through root strength, and as mentioned earlier, "separating yin and yang". Japanese swordsmanship has the same problem as Western broadswords, but it's even worse. Japanese swords have no weight at all, and fly out of control with just a touch, yet they don't follow a light and agile path.

  Japanese swords actually originated from Chinese Tang Dynasty Han people's knives, which were improved upon to become only Miao knives or double-handed long thin knives. However, Miao knives rely entirely on upward momentum, using jumping to generate power while simultaneously quickly turning the body to make up for the empty space, hence the saying "jumping Miao knife".

  Japanese swordsmanship, on the other hand, has no body method to speak of, and once you miss a strike, there's only one dead-end path. The Miao people fought against the Ming Empire for three hundred years, and even with the great power of China, only the Miao people refused to submit under Zhu Xi's tyranny. The bravery and ferocity of the Miao people are actually due to their rich battle experience, which is far beyond what the Japanese can compare to.

  An expert in internal martial arts wields a stick or sword, never swinging wildly or chopping randomly. All their power comes from the root, and they can retract quickly. Take Yang Zhi's killing of Niu Er, for example. With just one thrust of his treasured sword, Niu Er was splattered with blood all over the market. Don't underestimate this single move - even in a state of urgency, Yang Zhi's technique was precise and square, revealing the excellence of his family's traditional martial arts.

  If a Japanese swordsman were to perform this move, they would likely let out a loud yell, raise their sword high, and then slash down with great force. But Niu Er was a timid person, and as soon as he saw the sword coming, he stumbled backward and fell, narrowly avoiding being cut down. The Japanese way of slashing downward may look beautiful, but it's slow! You have to first lift the sword up before bringing it back down, relying on gravity for power. But gravity is limited in its acceleration, unlike the explosive force generated by the waist and legs.

  A British scientist once wrote an article analyzing soccer penalty kicks: a good goalkeeper relies on their leg strength to jump up and catch high-flying balls with ease, whereas when dealing with rolling balls on the ground, they rely on gravity to bring them down. Even if they guess the direction correctly, they'll still be too late.

  The Japanese just don't get it - even in karate, they mindlessly shout out loud, warning their opponents to be careful! Traditional Chinese internal martial arts sword techniques never involve slashing downward; instead, they use the entire length of the sword to generate power and strike with precision. The sword is never raised high, as this would disrupt the flow of energy from the root. As long as the root energy remains intact, even a thousand-pound iron hammer couldn't crush you.

  In taiji sword techniques, there's only one move that involves jumping forward - but it's still a forward thrust, not a downward slash.

  Han Muxia had previously used the internal family knife method as a foundation, and compiled a large knife method for the 29th Army to specifically counter the Japanese katana. The Japanese wielded a thin iron blade, chopping down from above, but the big chopping knife was stable like Mount Tai, using its strength to lift it up, and with one collision of the two knives, if the downward force was too great, the Japanese sword would break on the spot, or be knocked flying. At this time, the big chopping knife also gained space, advancing a step forward, and with one slash, cut off the Japanese person's neck. The 29th Army's large knife, in the Great Wall Battle, chopped the Japanese people to the point of having no way out, specially researching and developing steel neck guards, it was fortunate that they thought of this. Those devils even to this day still haven't figured out why they lost, after several decades summarizing their experience and inventing some sort of "drawing sword path", truly pitiful! These scoundrels aren't even worthy of wielding those two jin of iron.

  Each province of the Republic of China had a national arts hall. Top internal martial artists like Han Mu Xia and Shang Yun Xiang took it upon themselves to practice military boxing for the rise and fall of the country. Han Mu Xia's big knife method, which was practiced by the 29th Army, was one of his best works. The 29th Army's big knife method emphasized stake work and root strength, and the Japanese sword couldn't withstand its power. When the 29th Army's big knife charged forward, the Japanese sword would be knocked flat with just one block, and it was impossible to defend against. The 29th Army's big knife method required that one must be able to chop through a thick bamboo pole with a single knife stroke. It's easy to imagine what effect this would have on chopping off a Japanese person's head. Unfortunately, the current military boxing is not as good as it used to be. The current military boxing originated from Shaolin's Fuhuquan, which lacks stake work and root strength, and doesn't emphasize waist strength enough. In the past, most soldiers were from rural areas and had strong waists from doing heavy labor, but now that there are more city soldiers, their waist strength is naturally weaker, and practicing this way will likely lead to defeat.

  The internal family swordsmanship is very impressive, but the knife and stick methods are quite careful. In Japan and the West, knives and sticks are swung wildly, which is due to ignorance. China is a country with many disasters and difficulties, and the martial arts that have been cultivated for two thousand years are old, profound, and unpredictable, so they often seem incomprehensible on the surface.

  Regarding the stick, the Fist Classic says "stick fears nodding head, gun fears circular motion", which means: good stick method should be like gun method "pointing", not swinging wildly. If the gunhead starts to move in a circle, it's scary. "Stick sweeps a big area", when using the stick, sweeping horizontally is very satisfying, but the enemy can't get high-handed.

  Sweeping and swinging takes time to prepare, and you need to open your own door before using force. Bullying the weak is okay, but encountering a master, opening the door for a moment will lead to being beaten. Swinging the stick wildly looks scary, but the power is actually not great. A stick can only be so heavy, and it's completely possible to boldly rush forward.

  With both arms hanging down, slightly propping up the ribs, taking a step forward, looking at the stick about to reach the body, using the root of strength, just need to turn around, this force will dissipate. When turning around, hands only need to lead, and the stick is yours. If he's smart, he should throw away the stick immediately, but if he still holds on tightly, he'll be in trouble.

  Just take a step diagonally behind him, and hit his back of the head once. His hand holding the stick can't turn around. Things in the world are like this, there is no absolute good or bad, having multiple sticks in hand when fighting is a good thing, but it depends on the situation. Smart people should throw away what they need to throw away, if they can't bear to throw it away, they'll lose their life.

  Look at today's officials, sitting high and mighty, grasping power tightly, doing foolish things. The Tang Dynasty called that throne "foolish bed", which is really fitting! A person who is smart when playing music becomes stupid when sitting on the throne.

  The staff method must be used like a spear, with small movements and guarding one's own gate as the top priority. Although the head of the staff is flat and doesn't have a blade, it can still cause damage if used forcefully. With a strong root power, even with a small movement, it can withstand a thousand pounds, which is more powerful than swinging the staff around. When using the staff, the hand should grip at one-third of the length, and the waist power should be used to operate it. The hands should exchange positions quickly, and one staff should cover oneself from top to bottom, left to right. First learn to defend before thinking about attacking others. Attacking requires going through the middle gate, just a slight movement of the waist, and a single point is enough. Unless the opponent has truly shown signs of defeat, it's absolutely not allowed to open up the gate and swing or chop wildly. The effect of swinging and chopping is only slightly less than using waist power to make a single point. "Pointing" has a follow-up move, if the point doesn't land, the staff can be used to deflect the enemy's attack with a horizontal movement. Swinging and chopping don't have a follow-up move, once the staff is out, it can't be withdrawn, which is a fatal technique. The internal family knife method and staff method are not visually appealing, without any large opening or closing movements, all just turning circles and transforming, releasing power and immediately withdrawing; Japan's Aikido and such are very impressive, with loud shouts and big swings, extremely satisfying. But when it comes to life-or-death battles, they either dare not use force or can't withdraw their staff after using force, at which point regret is too late.

  China's Neijia Quan equipment inherits the Yin and Yang principle of Neijia Kung Fu, taking root strength as the foundation, integrating release and unity, and is the pinnacle of world cold weapon art, with invincible ability. In today's hot weapon era, although there is no longer a horseback gun fight, Neijia Kung Fu can still be used to guide military equipment research, military physical fitness, and tactical action design. For example, using the principle of root strength to analyze the design of rifles can lead to the conclusion that a rifle without a stock is not a good idea: the stockless structure greatly increases the difficulty for a tired soldier to quickly and accurately move the gun barrel over a large range (stockless design has many more serious drawbacks). Similarly, Neijia's breathing principle can provide a scientific answer to how fast or slow military troops should march during emergency or long-distance marches.

  The principles of yin and yang in Chinese culture are not contradictory to science. It's hard to say that criticism without studying traditional culture is a scientific method. Giving a scientific explanation to the principles of yin and yang in internal martial arts is our generation's responsibility, and I'm just starting here. Briefly introduced some knowledge about weapons!