Jin 勁 vs Li力 - the Art of Power

Taijiquan and other internal martial arts concentrate on the development of Jin versus Li . Jin is a type of refined force, and can be generated many different ways. Li refers to the strength that someone naturally has or has trained through weight training, and/or calisthenics. The tissue quality is one of the big variables in these two types of Power. When I see a muscular martial artist beating up another one , it seems a lot less like finesse and artistry and more like natural endowment. When an old, non-muscular practitioner generates big forces, the usual response is that it is fake. This is because most practitioners have never experienced JIN so they don't believe in it when people meet me face-to-face I will often let them hold my arm in one hand and resist my power with the other, and they are always startled that my arm doesn't flex at all. I position myself in the line of ridicule on a daily basis, so that people may investigate what this art has to offer, and not just take the word of someone who cannot generate these types of forces. It is a form of sacrifice on many levels, because as an old school practitioner, it takes a lot of control for me to not injure people who are being disrespectful and rude. They are essentially acting like bullies. I can tell you without question that the ones who have felt it and then asked for my instruction and guidance have always been immediately rejected because of their poor ethic. more important to me, than refinement of strength is refinement of the practitioner.

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