Hi Narda,
Trying to fully explain the internal arts is very difficult because of different backgrounds, different experiences and personal perception.
From my point of view internal and external are relatively less useful distinctions.
Essentially there is movement in space all of which has external and internal components.
Systems of study may he hard and fast, hard and slow, soft and fast, soft and slow and many more permutations.
We normally accept definitions such as CMA internal arts are tai chi, bagua, hsing yi or Daosit arts where CMA external arts are ones like Northern Shaolin, Hung Gar, etc. But those classifications are not universally accepted even within the Chinese arts. I’ve seen Chinese instructors who don’t believe there is a real distinction, just different methods of training for the same goal.
While an art like tai chi is considered internal, there is a large discussion that the Chen systems (considered one of the predecessors of many other tai chi systems) really is just a small piece of Shaolin (as the N. Shaolin temple was about 100 miles from the Chen village).
Now I’ve played Isshinryu for 35 years, which most would consider an external art, and Yang Tai Chi for 30 years, likewise the internal side.
But each has internal and external components. Heck Goju is just ‘Hard/Soft’ or ‘Internal/External’, which of course brings us to the discussion of Tensho.
While I live that Chi is a component of my training, and existence, I can’t show it to you, I can’t give you a cup of Chi. If you were to spend about 3-6 months playing tai chi with me I could let you decide if there is something to it or not, but you have to personally take that journey. Yet that opening isn’t the answer.
I find a better set of definitions like this.
1. The purpose of form is to develop ones energy potential in movement.
2. The purpose of form technique application is to tap that energy into a physical response.
3. Forget trying to put words around internal energy feelings (Sanchin Hard or Tai Chi soft). What I find more useful is that you internalize your movement to use your entire body as one. More perfect alignment in technique execution equals the body not contesting against itself, and with less effort you generate greater response.
So whether Hard and Fast, Hard and Slow, Soft and Fast or Soft and Slow, the long term goal (often requiring 10 or 20 years) is continually working to make the body move more efficiently, to do more with less movement for greater effect.
Now consider Tensho in that light. It only takes a short time to move to wave your hands around, but to internalize your motion so your entire body is within those hand movements is more difficult.
While Tensho isn’t part of my Isshinryu training, I have studied it from several traditions. More interesting was Ernest Rothrock’s version called Tension Form from his Pai Lum training. Daniel Pai originally taught a form of Goju and eventually taught various Chinese traditions. Their Tension form is most definitely a Chinese-styled variation on Tensho, but more interestingly the advanced study requires three entirely different styles of breathing. The first level uses a sssssssss breathing pattern. I was once shown the 2nd style and it was so hard my side immediately got a stitch in it, but I was only shown it once.
So how to make this intelligible, for words don’t really do it. I’m going to reference some youtube clips. Look the best performances are rarely on youtube, but you can still find some indicative steps. BTW these clips are and aren’t perfect, but sometimes we see great things by seeing the imperfections, nor on a different day and a different place any of them may be much better (or worse) too.
Look at the following three versions of Tensho. The first shows a much greater total body involvement in the techniques. The 2nd is also doing so but differently. The third demonstration, a good public display, shows a very different approach to the hand techniques compared to the full body involvement.
They’re all using internal energy with their external movement, but look how differently?
Chinen Shinzo Sensei performing Tensho
Filmed at the Jundokan in Naha, Okinawa.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qAtvZ8Poi4&mode=related&search=Tensho Kata by Hichiya Yoshio
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MjTZPqVAnoGoju Ryu Karate Do Association of Singapore - Tensho Kata
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhmWFgj_3s8Now let me show you a Hard style with great, IMO, internal development. As I see this the performers body is so unified in its motion, they can flow between techniques. Most definitely external, yet most definitely internal.
Yanqing Tui
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85tdZYkMQWIJust to change the mixture, take a look at this form, the length makes it a tremendous long term study.
Five Animals Eight Methods Fist wu xing ba fa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty8FLQ_LBus&mode=related&search= To specifically see rather fair body unity in movement I offer a few tai chi forms from different systems of study, traditional forms, contemporary competitions forms, etc.
Chen Tai Chi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYkftdgHDJItai chi Yang 48
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9SRS_z67nITai Chi Yang Style (XIN) Fast Forms
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X5Dyzj4NKUSun style Tai Chi 73 Taiji
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xW5WWLtI68Back to the hard, let me offer an old friend and a students old performance. They’re not perfect, but I feel they show working towards full body involvement with a technique.
Gojushiho Kata
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBGANY4NbpAKusanku Kata
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BzGK-wRtr8Finally back to Okinawa and some other considerations.
1990 Okinawan Karate ~ Kobudo Festival Demonstrations
Kama – Akamine Bo – Masanobi Shinjo Goju Suparimpe – Goju Tensho - Ryuko Tomosose Uechi Suparimpe -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQcz8rtvIacMatayoshi performing Okaku
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmASeBvCq5MMatayoshi Hakkucho Kata
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=encHYcCQgxcKusano performing Hakucho
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzVdNiZUxmcIn the end there is just technique moving through space inserted into an attack line of movement, hopefully with the correct angle of entry, and the technique drawing from energy developed through kata, kuen, form study.
Or at least that’s how I work it.