This subject came up in another thread. Do you think there's an IMA 'type' of personality? Some people drift between different arts before finding a certain internal art is the right 'fit' for them, other people (like me) stumble onto it by accident and realise it's perfect for their personality. What do you think IMA people have in common - in terms of general personality, beliefs, body shape?, philosophy... I don't want to stereotype but I'm sure there'll be some common traits among people who are drawn to this 'strange' brand of martial arts.
I do some IMA and people say i'm a quite different in personality. More calmed, more relaxed. Body shape? i dont know....
I think IMA practitioners are usually more open/accepting to new things. Yes, more calm/relaxed but mabye not all the time. I don't think there is a certain common bodyshape. /Xio
Hmmm... If your talking build, my first thought was that their is no specific build related to the internal martial arts that I am aware of. Then I was thinking about the various people I know who are involved in the various internal arts, and I did realise a pattern. It may be just me and the people I know, but this is what I percieved: Xing Yi - Generally powerfully and or heavily built/bulky people. Anywhere from short to tall in size. I also feel that Xing Yi tends to attract and suit aggressive individuals, who do tend to focus on fighting more than the health aspects. Taiji - Usually slimmer builds, and quite often taller than those in the other 2 main internal systems. Tends to attract more placid individuals, with philosophical minds, with more emphasis on health than fighting. Bagua - Shorter to medium sized people, both in size & weight. Usually somehwhere in the middle between placid & aggresive, and the focus is usually a good mix between fighting & health. Tends to be an under-tone of superiority though.
I think that IMA folks tend to be more relaxed, in general, just because it is such a major focus of the training. Also, at least in America, you have to be fairly open-minded to accept qigong initially, because of all the nonsense surrounding it.
Actually, theres a rich history of masters in all the IMA especially the neijia quan - tj, xy, bg in which they all have different heights, build, temperament, etc. Here's a few examples: Chen Fa Ke - Early 20th century standard bearer for Chen style TJ was a skinny mofo. Yang Ban Hou - Yang Lu Chan's son was also skinny. He was also the meanest MOFO around and would routinely hurt his won students. Another reason why he didn't have too many and that the Yang small frame isn't widely practiced. Yang Cheng Fu however, was a bear of a man. In fact, a lot of Xingyi dudes were thin too. Sun Lu Tang, Wang Xiang Zhai, etc. What you find is the build/physical attributes make them more adept at certain elements within the style. For example, I am medium high and slightly built and I would be better at Rooster animal of xingyi than bear which would require more heft. However, when you attain enough skill, you should be able to effectively use them all. KevinS
