Internal, External, Transformation
Recently someone posted on Reddit (the go-to place for serious discussions) asking what makes internal martial arts internal. They seemed to have a hard time with it because no matter how relaxed we get we have to use our muscles; without them there is no movement. But they seemed to make a leap to thinking that using any muscle changes something from being internal to external. But I don't think the line is that sharp; we try to use as little muscle as possible and more importantly release any unnecessary tension we may be holding in our body (at least that's what I've heard Master William C.C. Chen say).
Lots of people commented to the post and yet no one said anything close to what Dr. Tao says in his Taiji Push Hands book. The explanations mostly fell into two buckets: internal means using chi/qi/energy, or internal means using leverage rather than force.
While I agree that leverage is a part (maybe large part) of what makes an internal art internal (Dr. Tao mentions this in his book), something seemed to be missing. Dr. Tao regularly referenced the Tai Chi Classics and in particular passages related to "overcoming hardness with softness". What does that mean though? Part of it is leverage, but it's more I think. Here's a passage from Dr. Tao's book:
"If when we practice Push Hands we can unify the momentum, and unite it with the principles of leverage and inertia, we can create a very strong force which can be used in the technique called Yielding, Guiding, Neutralizing and Closing. This technique is different from using 'hard' force.
"Even though one can still use aspects of this technique when using 'hard' force, one's responsiveness is not as sensitive. It is therefore important to always adhere to the path of lightness and nimbleness if one wants to achieve a high level of skill. Even though practicing brute force can also generate momentum, it is not easy to develop sensitivity. If you want to be able to 'use softness to overcome hardness,' you have to practice to cultivate lightness and nimbleness. Only that is the right path." (pg. 148, Taiji Push Hands)
Every teacher talks about relaxing, and many talk about the idea of not using muscular force at all. I feel like this is a side effect of not having the right language to explain what they're feeling in their body. I've heard it said that we get to the point where we use our ligaments or fascia or some other aspect of our physiology to move rather than our muscles, but that's just not possible. Our muscles are what we use to move and I think when we get to the point where we release all unnecessary tension in our muscles it feels like maybe we're not using any muscular force at all. Our body seems to have inherent power. Maybe that's a testament to how much tension we typically hold on a regular basis when we're not moving with purpose and awareness.
Of course maybe there is something more and I don't know what I'm talking about. I recently read a book by Robert Chuckrow (listed on the Resources page) where he talks about hydraulic pressure caused by bioelectric impulses being a potential explanation for chi/qi; a way we can move our body without muscular force (or contractive force or strength as he calls it). It's an interesting idea and he shares some exercises in that book that one can try in order to experiment with trying to move with that "expansive strength". It's not, however, scientifically proven and he shares that with that kind of intention in our movements we can only move a little, in the end for any larger movement muscles are necessary.
I've always been a person who holds lots of extra tension. My teacher used to pound the muscles of my back and arms to try to get me to relax. Once I warm up a bit and start doing form, taking deep breaths and moving with intention, a level of looseness comes that I can understand others speaking in magical terms. It is not a normal state for me, so in a way it's magical. But I believe it's really just the way.