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Nei jin, Wade-Giles: nei chin or Pinyin: nèi jìn, 內勁, is an internal power or coordination said to be acquired through the practise of Chinese martial arts. Proponents say that it is characterized by elasticity, flexibility and coordinated with deep, natural breathing. It is said to be the theoretical opposite of using tension or brute force to perform work with the body. One of features of nei jin is allegedly that it involves the entire body working together as a single unit, with no wasted effort anywhere in the musculature when it is being exerted. Chinese soft style martial artists claim that as one ages the power of muscles expanding and contracting in tension gradually decreases but coordinated nei jin and its resulting leverage will increase with time if it is cultivated assiduously.
It is said to be a special feature of Chinese soft styles, alleged to be rarely, if at all, found in other martial arts, although different schools have differing definitions of the term.
In general, the training used to cultivate nei jin is called "nèi gōng" 內功, in distinction to external training that is known as "wài gōng", 外功. A famous example of nei jin is known as "fā jìn" 発勁, a technique trained by practitioners of the internal Chinese martial arts to throw opponents great distances away from them.
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