Historical Context

Before the last century Internal Martial Art–or neijia–masters taught their students orally and students who practiced hard and served the master well were rewarded with the honor of passing the art to the next generation. At the start of the last century, some masters began to publish books about Tai Chi, Pa-Kua, and Hsing-I. Publishing this knowledge was costly, and only a few tried. Those that succeeded were rewarded with more students, and their forms, or lineage, survive to this day.

Secret Transmission

The Internet gives us an opportunity to access these teachings in a way that the old masters never dreamed of. But, the business model for martial art masters has changed very little. Emphasis is on the old ways and traditional methods. While many are trying to expand the reach of the Internal Martial Arts with books and videos, others insist that you cannot learn without access to a master. Even more disheartening this argument often implies that learning from a DVD or book will cause you to make some mistake that will somehow ruin your form and make your practice worthless. The argument is that there is some deeper mystery that prevents proper transmission of the training without spending years in classes.

Superpowers

Sadly, this same group often make outlandish claims about these arts. They will claim that you can achieve immortality, invulnerability, and comic-book powers from the practice. Martial Arts, or boxing, training will not provide with you supernatural or superhuman powers. If it did, I suspect professional sports would look very different than it does today. With the Billions being made in professional athletics, don’t you think someone would have sold out and taught these magic powers to a sports team? And what about the worlds militaries?

Modern Transmission

I reject the notion of Qi as being a magic force used to heal or attack others. Boxing, or martial art, is just that, a physical practice that depends on proper body alignment. We have a century of additional information on anatomy, and the functional mechanics of the human body since the classic texts about Tai Chi, Pa-Kua, and Hsing-I were penned. When dealing with the classic writings and traditional methods I accept what is useful and adopt the scientific method to my practice, testing for what works.

When comparing the health benefits of martial art practice to other forms of physical activity, you find that they are the same. The facts say that a brisk walk, once a day, cannot be beat as a simple, healthy exercise. The internal martial arts have more to offer than a brisk walk, and at least one of them, is based on walking.

I also reject the idea that learning Tai Chi, Pa-Kua, or Hsing-I outside the traditional methods will lessen the value of your practice. I recognize any activity that you undertake for self improvement as a positive action, and find that individuals engaged in improving themselves, are engaged in improving the community as a whole.

There are 20,000 martial art studios in the USA (3 times more than Dunk’in Donuts), yet most American’s think the arts are esoteric or out of reach.  The arts have not been taught to a modern audience that is in desperate need of them. Traditional methods of practice and training has a place, but only if they are supplemented with modern understanding. If we students of these arts are not willing to change and present these arts that will attract today’s audience, then they will die and a great treasure is lost. For those that are familiar with one of these arts, think of your introduction to them. There was some event that made them accessible to you–so you could begin study. Now that you are practicing and enjoy the arts you desire to understand more about them, including the traditional teachings. So, today, ask yourself, how can I make this art more accessible to someone that may be interested in it? It is my sincere hope that The Walking Circle Community will be a place you can direct to get a pragmatic foundation in the internal martial arts.

We are engaged in a global community that can eliminate geographical, societal, educational, and economic boundaries. Reimposing boundaries from the past only serves to turn people away from actions for self improvement.

There are good and bad books or DVDs providing instruction on Tai Chi, Pa-Kua, or Hsing-I, just like there is good and bad martial art schools. The great leveling power of the Internet, however, is that you can reach across geographical and classical boundaries to find the best instruction for you.

The Walking Circle Community

I started The Walking Circle to share my knowledge about the Internal Martial Arts. I am not a master of these arts, but rather, a student of them. The Internet was invented for scholars to share their work on a global scale. Likewise, The Walking Circle community was designed to make your learning more engaged and interesting, making your practice alive to you.

I ask that you join this community so that our practice can improve.

Troy Williams
President,The Walking Circle LLC