Hello, again E.M.
Just a quick response here about your question concerning jing. Jing and qi (chi) are not the same by any means. Chi is an energy which all humans have from the time that they are born and wanes as we get older. You can revive and increase chi with certain excercises and breathing control. You can acquire chi quickly with these excercises or slowly through just your basic martial arts practice over the years. I practice quigong in the mornings which specifically target acquiring more chi energy. You don't have to be in martial arts to acquire and use chi in your personal well being.
Jing is the million dollar word for the day. Jing is the internal concept of using the body and specific movements to generate tremendous power without using more muscular strength. Jing is how one can do the smallest movement... almost undetectable and generate enough power to knock the wind out of an opponent. Jing is what internal martial artists focus on. For example, Tai Chi is not just focusing on Chi energy like most people assume... it is focusing on the exacting movements combining all parts of the body into the perfect synchronization to generate the bone breaking power in the perfect punch or in a particular technique. The more in sync the body is in doing say a punch, the stronger the punch. The body is totally relaxed and creates power above and beyond the external styles. Eight Step has great external techniques, but the internal work is really the core. Hsing I, Baqua and Taijiquan are basically wrapped with the external techniques of Eight Step Mantis. This is why Eight Step is different than the other mantis styles. This is also why I consider my left hand and my right hand on equal terms. There is no physical strength needed to increase to get the power. In fact, because relaxation and fluidity in the movement is necessary to effectively use jing, my left hand is usually stronger when striking. This is because it is naturally more limber than my dominant right hand.
Sure you can learn ba bu tang lang quan and be great using the techniques in it, but if you want to master it and be unstoppable, you have to look inside to the internal soft side. As one ages, the external or hard style of martial arts just won't get it... the body becomes weaker and more fragile in a way. Internal is what allows a master to strike harder and faster than a young man maybe even 40 or more years his junior. I knowyou have heard the old saying "don't mess with old man kung fu". This is exactly why. By the time a martial artist ages, his internal side should be more predominant if he practiced correctly. He is deadly at that point for sure. (I should tell you later of a story from my sifu's time as a youth, practicing martial arts and his encounter with an elderly man... a smoker at that! It defines this ability with a nice illustration)
Anyway, this is a quick explanation of the difference. If you are patient, my sifu, John Chang is writing a book on the concepts and practice of jing, which we hope to get published. He is probably the only person who has studied this and understands it to a point that he can specifically tell one how to practice jing and incorporate it into one's art. There are no "secret" methods, flowery yet nebulous explanations. It is straight forward and direct and understandable for everyone. From books written a hundred years ago, the concept is the same. Interesting stuff. Great question, E.M.. Take care and train safe.
Bokfu
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Benjamin Franklin
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. I have other questions, but I may just send you an e-mails. Is your e-mail address 