Internal Arts Principles Articles
I dare you. I don’t think you’re willing. Your dependence on crabbiness and moodiness gets you what you want, and acting bitchy and aggressive serves you just right. Maybe. Maybe not.
So I dare you, because it’s difficult to mash mean moods and sever silly sufferings. It’s tough to create compassion, kindness, and kick-ass, cool-heartedness. Our world needs it now. You can do it. You are The One. So take this Dare-Pill and see how far this Post-Hole goes.
I dare you.
Read Six Daring Acts to Lighten Up »
Minimizing the Arc of Movement With Qigong
“No pistol shooter, no matter how expert, can hold a pistol in firing positions without some motion. This is called the arc of movement. The very best that any shooter can do is to keep the arc of movement at a minimum—it cannot be eliminated.” The N.R.A.’s Basics of Pistol Shooting (57).
For humans, perfect stillness does not exist in the living. Our bodies constantly make adjustments, large and small, to maintain even simple postures. In marksmanship, constant adjustments add up to what is called the arc of movement. The arc of movement is the amount that the firearm moves as a result of a body’s natural inability to maintain perfect stillness. The greater the arc of movement, the more difficult it is to maintain proper site alignment which leads to inconsistent marksmanship.
At first we might think that to minimize the arc of movement we need to force our arm into stillness. This severe willing of stillness inevitably leads to muscles contracting, causing tension as well as motion. Anyone who has tried showing off their bicep could tell you that intense muscle contractions cause trembling in surrounding muscles. We can conclude that forcing our arms into stillness leads to a greater arc of movement, the exact opposite of what we want.
Read Pistol Qigong Is A Blast »
Relax. You know how. You do it everyday. You sleep for example. And you, nevertheless, crave more of it! You desire more methods, more skills, more prowess to let go, let up, and let loose.
Relax. Stop pouring effort and emotions and energy and reasons and time and money into machines and lessons and language and schools and therapy and workshops. Stop trying, real hard, to relax.
Relax. No pressure, no need to worry. Relaxing is easy — go deeper with the following five free methods.
Read Five Little Known Ways to Relax »
§ Steven Smith’s Wisdom in a Nutshell
One posture point depends on another. You could Knee, Knee without Cat Feet, but you’d miss the subtlety of Cat Feet—the sinking. Likewise, with other posture points. So work your way down this list. Find each point’s point from the ground, up.
The histories of Tai Chi Chuan often seem vague and mystical. Many books and internet sites attempt to remove Taijiquan (a modern spelling of T’ai-chi Chüan) from its violent historical roots, preferring instead to clothe the vibrant and colorful Zhang San Feng in the grey robes of the Sage. Such bland suggestions or proclamations, be it accidental or deliberate, should insult the reader. They muddy the reality of Taijiquan.
Read Mystical History of Tai Chi »
I feel safe in the presence of stress and aggression. I can speak brave words and express confidence because I can kill with my bare hands. What silly rules of etiquette, scary social norms, or sadistic corporate policies stand in my way? What deviant criminal or sadistic fool can harm my good will? None.
