3 Reasons to Use Force

If you follow or practice Taiji-quan or Qigong, you’ve heard: don’t force it. Don’t force the breath, don’t force the movement, don’t force resistance. Blah blah blah…

It’s time to Force It.

Water in Oil --GuroAspenes-cc-attribution-sharelikeHere’s why—

  • You will.
  • You should.
  • You can.

But, I suppose, you’d like more articulate reasons. Boo. You don’t need more reasons: will, should, and can say enough, but I’ll play along. I’ll pretend with you that there’s more to say. Check it out.

You Will.

You will use force in Taijiquan and in all bits of Life. It’s inevitable. If you want to Grasp Chickadee’s Tail, you’ll use force to do it. If you want to get some thing done, applications of force are necessary. Typing a comment at the end? You’ll apply little bits of force to your keyboard to make it happen. Simple, isn’t it?

Try to get your Qigong stillness to type letters on the screen and you’ll end up with nothing. Maybe that’s what you’re looking for though, right? Nothing! Especially if you disagree so intensely that my words tick you off. When you run into…At least use some manners and tact…then I bet you’ll use force (internal mental angst) to keep from insulting me. Good job. Either way, whether you leave a comment or you don’t: force it, you will.

But force is not a big deal. It’s just this (you’ll like this):

In physics, a force is a push or pull that can cause an object with mass to change its velocity. Force has both magnitude and direction, making it a vector quantity.

–the Great Wikipedia

See…it’s inevitable that if you want to go somewhere, choose a vector and get going. There’s nothing wrong or bad about applying force. Which brings us to…

You should.

If you’re going around town saying that folks shouldn’t use force in Taijiquan, soft-styles, or internal martial and healing arts, you probably mean well. I, like you, have said just that thing (but I said it in jest). And, like you, I mean well.

It’s just that you used an outdated definition of force. Using force to mean unnatural motion hasn’t happened, at least scientifically, since the times of Aristotle….

Aristotle famously described a force as anything which causes an object to undergo unnatural motion.

474px-skaters_showing_newtons_third_lawsvgAristotle used it that way. You shouldn’t. Unless you seek to create a mythology that Taijiquan uses no force, don’t use force like old Aristotle. Let’s lean on science in this day and age.

Yes, Taijiquan should be and feel natural. I’ll go so far as to say motile: it promotes motility! But you’ve gotta agree that Taiji uses force. To sit, to breathe, to lie, cheat, and steal. To tell the truth, to make friends, and to love…require force. So does Taiji.

Well, it really requires a whole bunch of forces. But you get the idea. I’m not gonna force it on you. (Or did I already?)

Force might not sound good to you (yet). But it’s pretty simple and it’s all true. Neutralize, in your mind, those ideas that force is bad. It just causes change. You’ll like it more and more.

You can.

Now that you can—enjoy force. Conjure visions of Yoda and the Skywalkers if that helps, and start using those forces. You can use them gently, if you like. Forces can flow from one to another. Force feeds fun. Forces can be freeing and powerful. Force lets you see. (Whoah, really?) Yep.

The more you’re clear about what and where you apply force, the more sophisticated you’ll become.

You can. You should. And, inevitably, you will. Use it.

Gently, please, force something to happen.

Right now.

16 Responses to 3 Reasons to Use Force

  1. Francisco says:
    13 May 2009 at 9:02 am

    Good point about not using unnatural force, after all ling is force in a natural way and fajin well that is just the coolest force.

  2. Aaron says:
    13 May 2009 at 11:02 am

    Force is what makes the sensation of “not doing anything” possible.

    In my own process, a key to “feeling like nothing’s happening” is finding and maintaining what I think could appropriately be called “the sweet spot.”

    The “sweet spot”, once found, takes all kinds of visceral as well as external forces to maintain through movement. It’s not easy to keep the sweet spot in place; it takes effort . . . . .and none (but let’s leave the “none” alone today, as it will distract us from our present purpose).

    Read all you want, talk all you want. Hey, I love talking martial art, especially the Internal. . . . .that’s obvious – I’m here. Still, there’s an ancient Chinese proverb I dig: “shut up and train.”

    If what Steven is talking about strikes any as offensive, well, I would invite you to read the article a few more times and consider it from multiple viewpoints. Do this and I think you’ll see and agree with what he’s saying; at least the core of it if nothing else.

    All of us use force in our internal training.

    If we must refer to the “Classics”, if that’s an appetite that must be sated, very well.

    The Classics of Taijiquan elucidate the levels of Jin one strives to develop in their training, such as Ming Jin (evident, trained force), An Jin (hidden trained force), and Jin literally means “[Internal]Force.” Enough said.

  3. Jeff says:
    13 May 2009 at 7:36 pm

    I have difficulty why some folks see the use of force in all things including Taiji as controversial. However, when I say to myself or others, “don’t force it”, I don’t mean to imply that no force is required. It has more to do with finding the sweet spot that Aaron talks about.

  4. Shannon says:
    13 May 2009 at 9:20 pm

    Force is to do! No to force is to sleep, to sleep is to dream! Ey! That is the rub. Awesome post Steven.

  5. Heather says:
    13 May 2009 at 10:32 pm

    Here’s my poetic bit: ‘force the moment to its crisis’ — T.S. Eliot; occurs to me often, so I guess that means I get you on this one.

    Awesome post, I say!

  6. S.Smith says:
    15 May 2009 at 11:29 am

    Yep, that sweet spot is sweet. And there are moments when one can not-feel pressure or force, e.g. under high doses of adrenaline.

    But in everyday practice using force is necessary. I like how you put it Heather: force the moment to its crisis.

  7. Joshuah says:
    16 May 2009 at 9:55 am

    I think your writing is showing a lot of improvement!
    I found the article stimulating and provocative without being too insulting or vague.

    It also illustrates for some of us one of the fundamental differences in the WTBA approach in terms of how they define terms and employ them.

    For example the concept of force is one that seems to have several connotative definitions that are socially accepted. In our own transmissions the concept of force is defined clearly and takes upon itself a different meaning than the force you define and refer to. The idea of not forcing the breath, one of our key transmissions, is an excellent example. The concept in the transmission is not that energy, ergo force, is not used, the concept is that strain is contraindicated and causes physical changes in terms of making the body tight, this type of taut muscular tightness is entirely antithetical to the transmission and the term force gets applied to it. Ergo we when it is said we don’t use force the concept is that there is no strain, there are several reasons for this but the most important is that strain is nothing other than incomplete transmission of kinetic energy, it is wasted motion and energy.

    However at the same time our transmission focuses upon stances and movements that cannot initially be done without some strain or extra force, because the body initially is not conditioned to be able to do them properly. This conditioning, which is nothing like that of weight training, causes muscles to get heavier and denser but softer to the touch when they are relaxed. It takes about 3 years to reach the right level of conditioning for the system.

    In terms of forcing the breath, forced breath results in strain in the abdominal cavity, this tightness interferes with the transmission of energy in our system, since the wave of force is led by the waist from the ground to the hands or where ever it is transmitted, it must pass through the abdominal cavity including the area around the lungs, any excess tension or strain (sometimes called force) causes the energy to not transmit or flow completely. I do not know how this relates to WTBA transmissions but it is essentially part of the transmission of my favorite taijiquan.

    I hope that I have been tactful enough to be able to share. I apologize for the lack of poetic form and the lack of brevity, I made this as concise as I knew how.

    Thanks,
    Josh Young
    Joshuahyoung [at] gmail [dot] com for anyone who wishes to contact and speak with me to share notes.

  8. S.Smith says:
    16 May 2009 at 10:39 am

    Josh, welcome back and I appreciate kind words.

    As a licensed bodyworker (LMT) since 1996, I’ve helped lots of folks escape pain and find freedom, function, and fun with movement.

    Erle Montaigue’s WTBA system continually impresses me with its anatomical precision and articulate, physical foundations for long-term physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual development.

    While I am a WTBA Instructor, please don’t interpret my words as WTBA words. Though I think our thinking is parallel, I cannot speak for the Montaigues or the WTBA….

    The ideas and concepts at RealTaiji.com, while based on many sources and systems, are my own integrated visions of the Supreme-Ultimate Wake-Up.

  9. Joshuah says:
    16 May 2009 at 10:46 am

    Thank you.
    I should mention that in term of skill your writing has always been good that I have seen. I only speak of improvement in terms of that I found it easier to relate to it than previously.

    Thanks,
    Josh

  10. Aaron says:
    17 May 2009 at 12:50 am

    Hello Josh. Good to see you again.

  11. Robin says:
    17 May 2009 at 9:17 am

    Nice post! I really liked this article. Especially because I hear that drivel about not using force all the time. I totally agree with Aaron that it’s all about finding that “sweet spot” – that balance, if you will. Sometimes I’ve found it helpful to completely exaggerate force so that I know where that sweet spot is. If you are constantly teetering on the edge of it, afraid to force too much, you’ll never know where your limits are.

  12. Sue Taylor says:
    17 May 2009 at 9:26 am

    Kudos! I have enjoyed reading your blog entries. I like how you think and your general approach to ‘life’. I’m a huge fan of Qigong and TaiChi.

  13. Heather says:
    21 May 2009 at 10:48 pm

    So I have some follow up thoughts on this —

    Context & Intent. Words will be words, meaning they can only do so much. It’s okay for me to tell someone not to force it if they are using a jackhammer where a scalpel would be better. Or if they hire an army to take on a little spider. I exaggerate to prove my point.

    I think analyzing the words we use habitually is good if we realize the reason we do so. “Force” is very broad, and has so many possible meanings that it does beg the question of the motives behind it. Force with selfish intent or force of habit tends to inspire me less than forces of nature or forces of goodwill.

    Also I don’t think it behooves us to take words out of context. We can make each other into aliens if our intent is to misunderstand. But if our intent is to find a way to go deeper, or to get better, then “more power” to that.

  14. S.Smith says:
    22 May 2009 at 7:18 pm

    Good points Heather.

    Context is the real definer…what is hot? Depends on the context: temperature or sexiness?!

    In internal arts both context and intent get difficult to pin down when we talk, use words, and try to teach the inner stuff. It’s tough because inner stuff is difficult to see and define.

  15. John Crewdson says:
    26 May 2009 at 10:11 am

    Right again Steven. Not using force is akin to silent meditation. Use of “appropriate” and properly directed force is tai chi.

    However, not forcing it does apply in many situations. The key is knowing when to force it.

  16. Josh Young says:
    27 May 2009 at 9:45 am

    I am glad you mention this, my methods of striking remind me more of silent meditation than of a martial art. They employ so little force compared to more intense practices that I can practice 2-4 hours a day without feeling too weary at the end of the day.

    My favorite move for this is rollback, I am still working on getting it down better on my left, but on my right can do it with momentum, or without force or forcing it, and achieve all the power I could ever want in the blow. It is a very soft move so the energy in it is crisp and sharp. I have a hard time getting the motion soft enough through my left hand but am working on fixing that.

    But then my use of soft and gentle energies, as much as it fits my expectation of not using force, still employs forces, so to speak, despite being nothing like external art. It also employs muscles, and despite the soft easy methods involved the training of the torso to be able to do these moves properly can be very physically demanding, even though the key to the whole thing is utter softness.