Uncle Liang was describing the effect on the body of a rarer kind of “internal strike.” Fa Jin is the general term meaning to “express” or “issue power.”  However, for the internal martial arts (IMA), the term has a special meaning.

Most fa jin practiced today refers to a kind of bounce back where a correctly placed “soft” response (from a palm, forearm, or other aspect of the body) causes a training partner to be thrown backward. Essentially it refers to force being sent back into and thus controlling –– or directing –– the opponent away from the practitioner. (See video, below)0

But there is a rarer, potentially dangerous, version of the practice –– the kind of internal power strike Master Liang was talking about. That “technology” has always been treated as a closely guarded secret. That form of secret fa jin doesn’t repel the opponent back and away from the practitioner. Instead, “energy” is directed into the opponent. At its highest “dose” application, the strike penetrates the core of the attacker and stresses internal organs. Because of the inherent danger involved in the practice, the initiate studying the technique must at the same time learn to carefully gauge the amount of “energy” they release into a partner or opponent. Care must be taken to prevent injury.