The Way of Restraint

Chapter 10: Supercompensation – True Science of Martial Arts

Another eight days passed.  

Su Jie had been studying at the “Minglun Martial Arts Academy” for half a month.  

For most students, fifteen days would merely be a vacation filled with sleeping in, playing online games, and enjoying the air conditioning.  

But for Su Jie, these fifteen days had brought about monumental changes in both body and mind.  

Under the guidance of Odell, a world-class coach, Su Jie’s understanding of martial arts improved by leaps and bounds. He had shed all confusion and was progressing boldly.  

His physical fitness also reached a new level.  

Though he couldn’t yet compare with athletes who had trained for years, he was far stronger than the average student.  

The most important gain was that he learned the correct training methods from Odell, ensuring he wouldn’t waste time on detours. Even after Odell left, Su Jie could train independently.  

This was critical.  

July 16th arrived, the official start of summer break according to Guyang’s schedule.  

At three in the morning, Su Jie went to Odell’s courtyard.  

As usual, he enjoyed a hearty breakfast and began various flexibility exercises.  

The warm-up routines resembled Tai Chi joint exercises, purely preparatory. However, as Su Jie’s body developed and his muscles became more defined, Odell tailored additional movements for him. These included simple actions like leg presses, splits, waist twists, forward and backward stretches, and symmetrical exercises to loosen up key areas of the body. This thorough preparation ensured that the formal training session would yield maximum benefits and help him quickly get into the right state.  

Warm-ups were essential and could not be skipped.  

Odell’s meals were top-notch, consisting of nutritious, high-quality ingredients specifically tailored to Su Jie’s physique. This demonstrated the professionalism of a world-class martial arts coach.  

“Training is fundamentally about making yourself stronger, but if you don’t understand the principles of becoming stronger, you can’t grasp what true training is,” Odell said, watching Su Jie finish his warm-up and begin the lesson.  

“When muscles are stimulated, glycogen is consumed. Afterward, the glycogen not only replenishes but also surpasses its original level. In science, this is called supercompensation, and it’s one reason why consistent training makes you stronger. However, there’s a limit—overtraining can deplete key substances in the body, causing permanent reductions in physical ability. Accurately gauging this balance is crucial, and even I can’t do it as well as artificial intelligence.”  

“Moderation in all things,” Su Jie agreed. “This aligns with the Chinese philosophy of the golden mean—balancing yin and yang. Only by achieving an extreme balance between training and recovery can progress be both rapid and perfect.”  

“You have great insight,” Odell nodded. “Modern martial arts theory divides physical fitness into four key areas: the physiological cross-sectional area of muscles, the nervous system’s regulation, the efficiency of bones acting as levers, and the composition of muscle fibers. All training revolves around these four aspects. For example, bone efficiency as a lever corresponds to the concept of unified power in Chinese martial arts, often called integrated force. Meanwhile, the nervous system’s regulation ties to reaction speed, courage, hormone secretion, and inner calm—all of which are fundamental to internal cultivation methods in martial arts.”  

Su Jie asked, “I’ve researched martial arts materials online, and traditional Chinese martial arts often emphasize integrated force, with countless types of power and techniques. Even simple movements come with explanations that could fill essays or books. It all seems overly complex and hard to understand. Isn’t there a lot of unnecessary mystification?”  

“What do you think?” Odell countered.  

“I think movements like the hoe strike—lifting, plunging, stepping, wrapping, stretching, releasing, exhaling, and retracting—do indeed involve deep principles. Writing a book about them isn’t impossible. The more I practice, the more profound and expansive it feels,” Su Jie reflected. “But once this move is mastered, it seems to encompass all other movements.”  

“Exactly. Your understanding shows that you’re on the right path in martial arts,” Odell said. “I’ve seen many martial artists waste decades pursuing the wrong methods, achieving nothing in the end.”  

“I’ll be leaving soon. Tell me, what have I taught you during this time? Can you continue practicing on your own after I leave?”  

“I’ve learned the true method of practicing and applying the hoe strike, the warm-up joint exercises you taught me, and the muscle and skin conditioning techniques for relaxation and tension. You also taught me how to manage my eating and sleeping routines with the ‘Great Corpse State’ method. If you leave, I can still practice the hoe strike, warm-ups, and maintain proper routines. However, continuing the muscle conditioning will be difficult without you. It requires precise striking techniques, and if someone else does it incorrectly, not only will it hinder progress, but I could also get injured,” Su Jie replied without hesitation, showing he had thought deeply about this issue.  

In any sport, the coach is crucial.  

Having an international top-tier coach like Odell was the key to Su Jie’s rapid progress. Without him, Su Jie’s training would stall.  

Even world champions and boxing kings rely on coaches for daily training. 

Without a coach, practicing alone is like a blind man feeling an elephant—it’s easy to develop bad habits. This is especially true for Su Jie, who is currently at a critical stage in his growth and cannot afford to lack guidance.

“You’re right. After I leave, you can’t just randomly find someone to hit you for horizontal training. However, there are some real experts at the Minglun Martial Arts Academy who can help you train. Once you truly reach the stage where your entire body becomes soft as cotton, hard as iron, and capable of twisting freely at will, you’ll be able to train yourself through autonomous movement without needing anyone to strike you,” Odell said. “This is a hallmark of China’s hard Qigong, which actually mirrors a level in ancient yoga. It greatly benefits physical fitness.”

“I’ve been training horizontally for so long that I’ve noticed something unusual. No matter how hard I train, my muscles don’t get sore anymore, and my endurance has increased significantly,” Su Jie remarked, having long been aware of his peculiar situation.

“Muscle soreness results from prolonged tension and the accumulation of lactic acid under pressure. If not relieved through methods like massage or saunas, it can settle over time, leading to calcification. This causes frequent soreness in the soft tissues, eventually leading to numbness and loss of sensation,” Odell explained in his usual scientific and medical style. “Typically, students studying hunched over or working at a computer for long periods face these issues in their shoulders, neck, and lower back. The same goes for those doing farm work. Severe calcification sometimes requires surgical intervention, using needles to peel it off. Traditional Chinese acupuncture often works on the same principle, extracting blocked calcifications from the muscles and skin. My horizontal training method ensures your body remains free of blockages, making it hypersensitive. Eventually, you’ll reach a state where your skin alone can sense even the subtlest changes in the surrounding airflow.”

Su Jie wanted to ask more questions, but Odell stopped him. “That’s all I’ll teach for now. Let’s begin horizontal training.”

Su Jie quickly stood still, ready to accept Odell’s strikes.

Using a rubber baton, Odell struck him, producing varying sounds—sometimes crisp, sometimes muffled.

The crisp sounds indicated force concentrated on the surface, while the muffled ones showed deeper penetration of force.

At times, Odell also used his palms, fists, fingers, twists, pinches, and presses.

These techniques were all aimed at enhancing Su Jie’s skin, muscles, and tendons’ flexibility and sharpening his perception.

This was the essence of Odell’s expertise as a world-class coach. Basic joint exercises and martial arts advice could be taught by many, but his methods set him apart.

After the horizontal training, they moved on to physical conditioning, the so-called martial arts drills.

Oddly, Odell’s physical training for Su Jie included only running, push-ups, planks, crawling in the “lying tiger” pose, squats, and jumps—none of the usual bag-punching or striking drills essential in combat training.

“Coach, isn’t bag-punching and target-striking vital in combat? Why don’t you include those in my training?” Su Jie asked during a break after their session.

“Bag-punching and target-striking are simple and can be practiced on your own later. Do you know why I have you focus on these specific exercises now?” Odell asked with a smile.

“It feels like body sculpting in fitness,” Su Jie replied after some thought.

“Exactly, body sculpting,” Odell confirmed, impressed by Su Jie’s quick thinking. “At your age, your body is like a sapling. If it starts growing crooked, it’ll never grow tall. But if it’s tied straight from the start, given proper nutrients, pest control, and care, it’ll grow into a towering tree. My training ensures your physique is perfect, with no asymmetry, and prevents you from taking detours in your martial arts journey.”

“Isn’t the training designed by artificial intelligence more advanced than yours? Wouldn’t it achieve more perfect sculpting?” Su Jie posed a sharp question.

“This…” Odell faltered momentarily before his gaze turned deep. “In truth, the human body’s potential is limitless, especially in terms of psychological resilience. You’re my experimental subject. I’m recording all your data to reference later. I believe I can do better than artificial intelligence.”

“I’ll fully cooperate with your experiment,” Su Jie assured him.

“Good,” Odell said, clapping his hands. “Let’s continue training.”

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