You make a good arguments and your points are well taken. I have only practiced kung fu, some "external" and lot's of "internal" and even "external" kung fu emphasizes relaxed striking and internal energy like chan su jin and fa jing etc. So I am certainly not an authority on all martial arts. But I think, even in Karate styles training methods, there is stretching, breathing and meditation exercises which do promote internal energy flow and are similar to ones found in internal kung fu, yoga, aikido, and other internal health practices. I have always (forgive my elitist attitude) felt that Karate is only rudimentary kung fu that over emphasizes power striking and overlooks the subtle circles and curves of Kung fu. But I still feel once mastered, there is a fair amount of internal characteristics to it. To be able to hit or be hit requires a fair amount of internal development. Breath, tension and relaxation, focus, alignment, cardiovascular development, balance and coordination, and these are just the ones that can be seen on the surface. Having not practiced karate I really can not say for certain, but it seems to me, everyone has chi and can develop it's flow by doing the exercises that focus on breath, tension/relaxation, proper alignment of the meridian's, and using the imagination to move it. Even people who do not practice martial arts of any kind have a fair chance of developing internal health, strength, longevity, and balance through normal day to day activity. I think in order to resolve this debate we must first define what is internal power. For me, it is the ability to align your entire body and coordinate relaxation and tension to deliver maximum power with minimum effort. The ability to receive a blow and distribute it to minimize the impact. And to be able to quickly recover and focus after your energy is disrupted by the blow. Maybe after many more years of practice, when I am old(er), I will appreciate the good I have done for my organs and glands, my skeleton and nervous system, and whatever the power is that keeps these things functioning. For now it's more about learning to fight and defend myself, building strength and cultivating energy, and increasing my odds of having a long and accomplished life. I think these are the goals of all styles of martial arts. To re-coin the phrase, there are many paths up the mountain, it does not matter if you are the horse pulling the cart or the cart, you both get there at about the same time.

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