As we know, methods of fighting changes, evolve, and even becomes more complex.
Take a snap short from all the information we know from 1850 to 2010 China, we see all the changes, upgrade, update, evolution....etc. of a style be it WCK or CLF.
Due to different environment changes condition changes..... things changes and methods changes......etc. the Truth in the realm of Creation is that nothing is fix and everything continous to changes. Thus, One can even witness the changes of technology we are using to day from black and white TV to Cell phone.....etc
I myself seldom like to talk about these changes of fighting methods because it is a Buddhist knwoing that there is a karma --- what goes around comes around --- beating and beaten are not a pleasure karma to create.
I brought up internal training, instead because, internal training is a core conditioning to support the martial platform. and it benifit the body which will improve a person's living even if one doesnt use it to support the martial platform.
Since human are not born equal in health and strength there is the needs of these training to get one to a certain level so that if one needs martial applications one can execute it to be effective. Otherwise, the martial applications are just some flowerly move.
Face it, for doing certain application or handling certain application one needs certain energy/strenght level.
However, internal training is not some fantasy of short cut or New age nice to have entertainment. For example, in 1850, those who train CLF which is for real martial deal needs to stand in horse stand for six months before learning anything. This is internal training. With or without that six months of standing makes a big different in power generation and close body contact be it one use the same technics or just brute force.
and ofcorse, it is not just standing, One needs to know the process of how to tune the breathing, physical, and mind. Without those process. Standing there is just a wasting of time or min effectiveness.
For a born strong relatively physically strong person, it is not a big deal however for a weaker person it is a big deal with or without the internal training. and also even a strong physical person when facing aging and higher energy level applications needs, internal training boost could boost one to satisfied the needs.
So, why is so much confusion in so called internal training? That is because it was rarely clearify and difficult to grasp with common logic.
Mind is the key of creation, when one needs to create, one needs to hold that in the mind to bring the creation to the physical world.
Beyond mind is the silence or the beingness or the Awareness. To be creative, and flexible one needs to go to this level for Mind has a tendecy of getting stuck or dogmatism after a while without reset.
Mind cant imagine the Silence because it is beyond it. However, if one let go of using the mind, then silence surface. Let Go the mind, and one is within Silence.
For a complete internal training, one needs to experience both using Mind to create and go back to silence to energize the physical.
It is within these two realm, the creation and the silence that physical, breathing, Qi, Jin, momemtum were cultivated.
People talk about Qigong flow of the energy, using the flow to create something, do something for the physical, however, if one doesnt know how to get back to silence then the practice drain. If one only focus on silence and knowing not the creation then the practice becomes still and stagnated.
Qigong, Qi is not a problem, the problem is if one doesnt get beyond the mind to cultivate it and let it surface, then one has nothing to apply. and the mind is clueless until it learn something from experience.
Application is not a problem, the problem is if one keep thinking those New age or some magic internal believe can lead one to short cut the training of application, then one is fantasying.
Those who goes extreme in Application and creation will lead into paranoidal and draining or less creativity or dogmatism.
IE. trap by the pop martial art trend and thinking it got to go that way. once upon a time was Judo, then karate, then MT, then Grappling.. at every instant the followers of these pop think they know the best and universal truth until some other break through and then they abandon thier truth.
Those who goes extreme in silence will become dull wood or rock for they only see the dull silence which is lifeless.
Thus, there is nothing wrong and no problem at all if one knows both the application/dynamics/changes and the silence/stillness/energize.
What really wrong is to have no true understanding in what is what and walking the path of fantasying doing no application will become knows it all somedays. similary walking the path of application without be able to return to silence cause total drying and draining and dogmatism. Both are not the teaching of WCK 1850. IMHO