ESSAYS

Teaching  martial arts and internal work (nei gong), which includes and is similar to qi gong, yoga, 'meditation', I was forced to learn about the mechanics of trauma and healing of trauma, as the release, that happens within internal work, can allow traumatic material to emerge. I wrote this essay, because I think, that it is essential to be informed about the mechanics of trauma, if practicing or teaching any kind of internal work. The aim was, to at least superficially touch on all the points where internal work and

External Styles also use internal principles. In Karate (a Martial Art, that counts as external style), the teachers used to tell us to “stick” to the bag, to the pad, or partner, when we punch. And to “think the technique through the partner”. I heard the same sentence from boxers. The teachers did not want us to change the outside, the visible form of the punch, the stance, rotation of hip and so on, when they said these sentences. They wanted the outcome of the technique to change, the quality

There are three types of fighting. Play, dominance, war. The first, the play category includes everything from cooperative to competitive partner training. Usually people do never get badly hurt in this category of playful fighting. The competitive aspect of hard sparring can switch into a dominance fight. If it is a fight for dominance, much more violent intention is involved. But the intention is still not, to kill the other one. An martial arts match can be in that category, or a street brawl. A fight for dominance is usually not