A lifetime of practice...

"To train quan is to train a whole person;

To train a whole person takes a lifetime of practice.”

An adage shared by all internal systems says: “externally train the muscles and bones, internally cultivate the one breath.” By that it means externally training the full potential and capabilities of the physical body, and internally training qi movements through breathing and the intention, and cultivating the essence and spirit.

Training must therefore include both the physical and mental aspects. Among them, mental will is the fundamental factor that determines whether a person can achieve a good standard of quan, especially whether he can fulfil "a lifetime of practice" and become a “whole person”.

A common Chinese saying about diligent practice is to work through the winter’s “san jiu”- the third nine-day period after the winter solstice - the coldest days of winter; and the summer’s “san fu” - the three hottest periods of the year that total 30 or 40 days. It means training all the year round irrespective of challenging conditions or situations. It is believed that people who are able to do this will naturally benefit for life. Perseverance and consistency in practice is down to a person's willpower and endurance. “Honest to self and resolute to acquire skill" - seeking perfection through slow meticulous work, staying calm and not hurried, finding harmony, staying focused throughout, and other specific requirements gradually hone a person’s temperament and character.

All martial virtue, martial attitude, the nature of a person’s mind, character, moral and self-restraint etc. are within the scope of internal practice, hence: "to train quan is to train a whole person; to train a whole person takes a lifetime of practice”.