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| Q: In the term "lax and tense", what is the meaning of "lax" as opposed to being soft? |
| It would be a direct and simple task to answer this question if it could be done through an interactive, physical demonstration instead of a verbal explanation. That is not to say that there are cultural barriers or any literal inadequacy. Rather, it is because if the reader or practitioner has not had the benefit of actual experience of trying to "deliver a force through being lax and tense", words can hardly do justice to the physical senses. It would be like trying to appreciate the beauty of a flower in a thick fog. Worse would be downright misinterpretation. |
| However, words are all we have here while you are reading this. In absence of a physical interpretation, nonetheless, I will take the indirect route and attempt to explain what "lax" and "soft" mean. After reading what follows, if you find it add to your understanding, it will be a remarkable achievement on your part. If it appears vague or if the words make little sense to you, you need not be alarmed. It might well be down to my ineffective use of words. It could also be due to the boundary of your pursuit in martial arts at this stage. If it does not find any resonance with you, do leave it for a while and return to it later when hopefully you will find it mean and relate to you somewhat differently. |
| Noticing a focus on the word "lax" in the question and not "tense", it is not difficult to assume it to have come from a practitioner of martial arts. He or she would have gone through a certain process of theoretical and practical training and be likely to have already appreciated the truth that "being lax is difficult to achieve, whereas tense easy". In the English language, the word "force" is generally used when describing a force exerted by a man. In the realm of Chinese martial arts, however, there has been a variety of identities given to what force is. Taiqi Quan (or Tai Kig Kuen in Cantonese), for example, puts forces in eight different categories. This approach runs the risk of over-complication and giving rise to unnecessary details. I reckon that it generally suffices to divide forces into two types, namely "brute force" and ‘bodily force", according to how they are generated and their natures. And naturally by extension, there is a third type which is the combination of a brute and a bodily force. There are a vast number of different names given to forces in different martial arts families or styles, but they all fall within the two types. In asking about "lax and tense" and the difference between "lax" and soft, it is a specific study of bodily forces. Recall a passage in the previous article, "…whole bodily force is a force which is generated by the use of the torso and the limbs which are well coordinated between their lax and tense states and brought ultimately to unity." It points out that if a force can be generate in unity, it bears an important characteristic of a bodily force, and being able to switch between a lax and a tense state is an integral part of it. What, then, are the conditions required of the body to be in a lax state? In order to do so – and here is a critical point – the physical body must be complemented by the spiritual mind, in that they both need to be relaxed, calm and focused. This state of being lax, according to classical literature, is "obtained among being tense". In other words, being lax means that the torso and the limbs are in a state of readiness to exert forces. At this point in time, the tensions within should be small. |
| They should appear to be elastic, and can change with posture and tactical situation. They enable extension as well as contraction of body joints, giving the effects of adhesion and traction on an external object. Once contact has been made, the opponent will feel as if he is unable to freely withdraw from my arms; and if he pushes strongly at me he will find no handle, as if trying to catch the moon in its reflection in water. Therefore, to be lax in martial arts terms, is to exhibit forces which are lively, ready to change, and difficult to counter by gross strength. The word "soft", on the other hand, describes a sense of weakness, a lack of strength, or that forces are uncoordinated. |
Author: Cliff Au-Yeung Kim Man
Date: June 7, 2008
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