I thought I knew Kung Fu.
I really did.
I knew the forms, the techniques, the drills.
I was well coordinated, disciplined, and sharp.
I had good timing and control. I sparred often and did well.
People saw me as someone skilled. And for a long time, I believed I truly understood the art.
But after two to three years of learning from my Sifu, something in me began to shift.
There were things he said that I did not fully understand at first.
I followed the instructions. I repeated the movements.
But only recently have I begun to grasp what he was really pointing to.
As I reflected on what I have been learning, the image of a jar came to mind.
A jar is made to carry something. That is its purpose.
It is not meant to be admired for its shape alone.
It exists to hold a substance.
That is when I realized the truth.
The techniques I had been practicing all this time were jars.
Pak Sau. Tan Sau. Bong Sau.
These are not the art itself. They are containers.
Structures designed to hold something far more important.
But most people only focus on building more jars.
They collect forms. They polish movements.
They believe that memorizing more techniques makes them better at Kung Fu.
But a container without substance is still empty.
And empty techniques do not lead to real skill.
What gives these jars value is what fills them.
And that is what we call the internal.
So what are the internals?
They are not abstract. They are not mystical.
They are structure, alignment, intent, pressure, energy, direction, and sensitivity.
But more than that, they are subtle. So subtle that most people never notice them.
To the untrained eye, they are invisible.
Because the real work happens on such a small level.
Some would even dare to say the cellular level.
Micro-adjustments in posture. Tiny changes in tension and relaxation.
The angle of a wrist. The root of a stance. The way energy transfers without force.
These things cannot be copied from the outside.
They must be felt. They must be cultivated.
They are taught slowly, quietly, by someone who knows how to see them.
That is what my Sifu has been giving me.
Not more jars.
But the substance that belongs inside them.
A person with internal development will always overcome someone with only form.
Because their movements are not hollow. They are filled with something living.
Their techniques are not just shapes. They are expressions of control, awareness, and connection.
So now I ask myself. And I ask you.
Are your techniques just empty jars?
And if they are, are you willing to let them be filled?
Kung Fu is not about collecting movements.
It is about transforming the way you move and the awareness you bring into every gesture.
The jar matters.
But only if it holds something real.