Master Fung: You've been around Yi Chuan circles for a while now, what do you think people don't get?
Student: Let me think for a moment. First I would say the idea of Hunyuan strength is very misunderstood. You've talked a lot about the qualities and characteristics of Hunyuan strength but its really difficult to grasp how different using it is until you have first hand experience. Having your own strength used like a handle to throw you around changes your perspective of what effective strength is.
Master Fung: How has your perspective changed?
Student: When you began teaching me my mind was fully rooted in the idea of force equals mass times acceleration. Even when I got more consistent in linking my frame I could barely keep from using it as a battering ram because I was holding on to the wrong idea of Hunyuan strength. It was really your patience and the patience of everyone kind enough to play 'shove-hands' with me that got things turned around. Now I understand that Hunyuan strength appears when the frame is sealed and balanced within itself. When I was younger I spent many hours in the gym weight training. One of the things I liked about heavy exercises like squats or dead lifts was how the weight compressed me and gave me leverage to squeeze and stretch muscles that didn't get much use in everyday life. The heavy weight basically sealed my body against the ground allowing me to access a much greater percentage of my total strength during the exercise. With Hunyuan strength the same basic thing is happening, except, instead of my frame leveraging against the weight on the barbell it leverages against itself and the strength of the opponent. This way the frame stores energy like a mousetrap, all wound up and ready to spring.