Some of the stories I've heard about Chi makes it sound like, if I developed my Chi enough I could be Superman or Luke Skywalker. That might sound silly not to mention an exaggeration, but I've heard of people performing tremendous feats of strength, speed, ect. using Chi. I also heard it can be a fountain of youth, the way Yoda was able to bounce around like a muppet on crack when he was over 800 years old which even for his species is quite old.
Superpowers, The Force, ect.
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lklawson
Grandmaster
You don't really need Chi to do this stuff. The body can do most of it anyway.
http://www.cracked.com/article/114_5-superpowers-you-didnt-know-your-body-was-hiding-from-you/
http://www.cracked.com/article_19954_5-ways-to-trick-your-body-into-being-more-awesome.html
http://www.cracked.com/article_19075_5-bizarre-brain-hacks-that-make-you-better-at-sports.html
And your brain is a lot more superpowered than most people think:
http://www.cracked.com/article_20166_5-brain-hacks-that-give-you-mind-blowing-powers.html
http://www.cracked.com/article/127_5-ways-to-hack-your-brain-into-awesomeness/
Ever notice how much Tea the Chi Masters drink?
http://www.cracked.com/blog/7-scientific-ways-coffee-gives-you-super-powers/
And, good heavens, how awesome were we when we were babies?!?
http://www.cracked.com/article_18538_5-superpowers-we-all-had-as-babies-according-to-science.html
Peace favor your sword,
Kirk
Blaze Dragon
Blue Belt
That is a common theory. though I disagree with Iklawson.
As those who believe in Qi, feel you have Qi and that's what doing it. However I suppose it was meant you don't need to do cultivations.
I personally believe in the health benefits of cultivations and meditation. As far as super human feats...well I'm not sure. I believe if you put your mind, your will, and dedicate training time you can get there. Or at least something close. There is a really cool video called martial arts quest or something, that goes to Wudang and one of the masters there is able to run across his students backs, and run up a wall in a very unusual way.
I find by and large that physics will carry you further in any given physical activity than mysticism.
Hong Kong Pooey
Blue Belt
It's easy to be cynical, but I don't speak Chinese (or whatever language) so what is he actually claiming?
Maybe he's saying "I shout and move my arms a bit then my mate pulls the bricks over with a bit of fishing line"
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Blaze Dragon
Blue Belt
So those are probably the worse two examples you can find...not saying they are not good examples. I'm saying they are extreme examples of failure...the first video, I do not know anyone who claims those skills. No martial artist, or practitioner of the internal arts. I know guys like that are out there, but I've yet to meet one. The second video is very sad to me, the guy is so convinced with how his students act, that he believes he could use that stuff in a fight...
So let me set some things straight first...A) I've only been practicing the internal arts for 5 years and am very much a beginner even though I hold a first degree black sash. and B) I also happen to be a practitioner and believer in real energy work.
However I would never be one to claim to use nothing but energy and mind in a fight nor push over stones. I really don't care to go into great detail about magic and mysticism here as it really holds no value to the conversation nor is it the topic at hand. However for those interested, please let me know...
As to Qi, the way I was taught by my sifu, Qi does not leave the body. Now a lot of people argue this, I also do spiritual healing and others claim to use qi to heal by projecting it. This does sit with my martial arts training. I think it's a case of bad translations and assumptions. The Chinese philosophies and practices of energy work when applied to martial arts is a bit much to go into a lecture. However I'll share some of the elementary level concepts when it comes to martial arts and internal cultivations. It's actually argued that westerns will never fully understand as we have to different of a culture.
A person is composed of 3 energies and 7 souls (taoist practice) the 3 energies are relevant here. Jing, Qi and Shen. Jing is your body it's self, your physical substance, qi is your internal energy your intent, it's what moves your body. Shen is your spirit this is what leaves and projects from your body. I once heard it described as a candle, the wick and wax is your Jing, the flame is Qi and the light and heat are Shen. As internal practitioners, we cultivate our jing and qi to produce shen. though there are some (not my sifu) who utilize Shen for healing and the like, it's on an ethric and ethereal level. This affects the physical, but only by reflecting to the physical just like a physical injury will reflect on us spiritually and mentally. However, I like many separate physical from spiritual. You handle physical with physical and spiritual with spiritual. Even though they influence and help each other, consider the issue at hand. Qi for example, is utilized for the movements in taijiquan. It's the intent and where our raw power comes from. it's the key ingredient in fajin, explosive power. As my sifu says "with out qi there is no taiji"
sinking and ground with our minds, directs the qi and makes us more stable. (in magic practice separate from martial arts we have a saying "all energy follows thought"). We put our intent there and it is so. The idea during pushing hands and even combat is to uproot the opponent and break his grounding. However I have seen or heard of anyone successfully doing this with out physical contact. I will say from my own personal experience that putting your intent your qi behind it and doing brother breathing and the cultivation and qigong exercises have made me MUCH MUCH better and the techniques are more effective.
I respect anyone's opinion to disagree, and I dont' speak for all internal CMA guys. At the same time please don't lump us all in with these videos here. Heck I know I'm a bit out there myself, and know others dont' want to be lumped with me or my crazy ideas. However it's my path and to each their own.
So let me set some things straight first...A) I've only been practicing the internal arts for 5 years and am very much a beginner even though I hold a first degree black sash. and B) I also happen to be a practitioner and believer in real energy work.
However I would never be one to claim to use nothing but energy and mind in a fight nor push over stones. I really don't care to go into great detail about magic and mysticism here as it really holds no value to the conversation nor is it the topic at hand. However for those interested, please let me know...
As to Qi, the way I was taught by my sifu, Qi does not leave the body. Now a lot of people argue this, I also do spiritual healing and others claim to use qi to heal by projecting it. This does sit with my martial arts training. I think it's a case of bad translations and assumptions. The Chinese philosophies and practices of energy work when applied to martial arts is a bit much to go into a lecture. However I'll share some of the elementary level concepts when it comes to martial arts and internal cultivations. It's actually argued that westerns will never fully understand as we have to different of a culture.
A person is composed of 3 energies and 7 souls (taoist practice) the 3 energies are relevant here. Jing, Qi and Shen. Jing is your body it's self, your physical substance, qi is your internal energy your intent, it's what moves your body. Shen is your spirit this is what leaves and projects from your body. I once heard it described as a candle, the wick and wax is your Jing, the flame is Qi and the light and heat are Shen. As internal practitioners, we cultivate our jing and qi to produce shen. though there are some (not my sifu) who utilize Shen for healing and the like, it's on an ethric and ethereal level. This affects the physical, but only by reflecting to the physical just like a physical injury will reflect on us spiritually and mentally. However, I like many separate physical from spiritual. You handle physical with physical and spiritual with spiritual. Even though they influence and help each other, consider the issue at hand. Qi for example, is utilized for the movements in taijiquan. It's the intent and where our raw power comes from. it's the key ingredient in fajin, explosive power. As my sifu says "with out qi there is no taiji"
sinking and ground with our minds, directs the qi and makes us more stable. (in magic practice separate from martial arts we have a saying "all energy follows thought"). We put our intent there and it is so. The idea during pushing hands and even combat is to uproot the opponent and break his grounding. However I have seen or heard of anyone successfully doing this with out physical contact. I will say from my own personal experience that putting your intent your qi behind it and doing brother breathing and the cultivation and qigong exercises have made me MUCH MUCH better and the techniques are more effective.
I respect anyone's opinion to disagree, and I dont' speak for all internal CMA guys. At the same time please don't lump us all in with these videos here. Heck I know I'm a bit out there myself, and know others dont' want to be lumped with me or my crazy ideas. However it's my path and to each their own.
Blaze Dragon
Blue Belt
Socialwealth
White Belt
Yes chi exists.
I experience chi as physical evidence. Sometimes my chi feeling is raw and incredibly powerful, sometimes subtle and refined. Wish I could do more with my chi awareness and whip out some magic manifestations for you, but that's not where I am.
Yes smarts exists.
I experience smarts as physical evidence. Sometimes my smarts feeling is raw and incredibly powerful, sometimes subtle and refined. Wish I could do more with my smarts and buy you your own private dojo, but that's not where I am.
People try to claim they got smarts by showing their big bank accounts, but they sure don't seem to reveal much when you ask them to demonstrate exactly how they used their smarts to make money in real time. And even when they try to demonstrate they never actually make a million dollars in front of you while you're watching them show you how. At best they just offer staged, common sense suggestions and an obvious bunch of generalized drivel about how they figured it out by doing such and such to make their millions.
Sometimes a few folks will even take the time to show you exactly how they did it all, but then all you see is just some boring as hell day to day process. It doesn't look like it adds up to much at all. It makes much better sense to argue that smarts don't really exist because not everybody can just go out and do exactly what the wealthy folks tell us to do to make a million dollars and become billionaires like them.
I could easily come to doubt that financial success is really due to any smarts at all. Smarts is just a sham cover for hidden help behind the scenes (thanks Daddy for my silver spoon) or otherwise lucky sperm club circumstances and relationships that nobody wants to give honest credit to for their success. Or not.
The path of Mastery sure is a real bee-yatch, ain't it.
Better to have never begun...
I experience chi as physical evidence. Sometimes my chi feeling is raw and incredibly powerful, sometimes subtle and refined. Wish I could do more with my chi awareness and whip out some magic manifestations for you, but that's not where I am.
Yes smarts exists.
I experience smarts as physical evidence. Sometimes my smarts feeling is raw and incredibly powerful, sometimes subtle and refined. Wish I could do more with my smarts and buy you your own private dojo, but that's not where I am.
People try to claim they got smarts by showing their big bank accounts, but they sure don't seem to reveal much when you ask them to demonstrate exactly how they used their smarts to make money in real time. And even when they try to demonstrate they never actually make a million dollars in front of you while you're watching them show you how. At best they just offer staged, common sense suggestions and an obvious bunch of generalized drivel about how they figured it out by doing such and such to make their millions.
Sometimes a few folks will even take the time to show you exactly how they did it all, but then all you see is just some boring as hell day to day process. It doesn't look like it adds up to much at all. It makes much better sense to argue that smarts don't really exist because not everybody can just go out and do exactly what the wealthy folks tell us to do to make a million dollars and become billionaires like them.
I could easily come to doubt that financial success is really due to any smarts at all. Smarts is just a sham cover for hidden help behind the scenes (thanks Daddy for my silver spoon) or otherwise lucky sperm club circumstances and relationships that nobody wants to give honest credit to for their success. Or not.
The path of Mastery sure is a real bee-yatch, ain't it.
Better to have never begun...
fangjian
Black Belt
Chi is a real thing, Yes. But it's not a supernatural fluidic "energy" 
that 'flows' through the body and can be projected at things and stuff.
It seems (highly likely) to be the re training, strengthening, stretching, winding,...of the fascial network of the human body. Now, you can get that 'tingling' feeling by just relaxing and focusing on the palms of your hands ( I E holding the ball and all that ). Not sure what causes that, blood flow and awareness?
However, you can also get a tingling feeling when you are training your fascia. I first noticed it in my first lesson in BaguaZhang. MY arms were out in that basic stance you associate with BaguaZhang. The teacher mad us do it for many minutes. Hold the position. Extend your fingers more. More. ... . MORE! It was brutal. My hands were nearly going numb. Tingling. Pain in my arms. At the time I thought I was doing something wrong. The teacher barely spoke any English so possibly couldn't explain. I didn't know that THAT was what you're supposed to be looking for.
The Goods are hidden in plain sight.
that 'flows' through the body and can be projected at things and stuff. It seems (highly likely) to be the re training, strengthening, stretching, winding,...of the fascial network of the human body. Now, you can get that 'tingling' feeling by just relaxing and focusing on the palms of your hands ( I E holding the ball and all that ). Not sure what causes that, blood flow and awareness?
However, you can also get a tingling feeling when you are training your fascia. I first noticed it in my first lesson in BaguaZhang. MY arms were out in that basic stance you associate with BaguaZhang. The teacher mad us do it for many minutes. Hold the position. Extend your fingers more. More. ... . MORE! It was brutal. My hands were nearly going numb. Tingling. Pain in my arms. At the time I thought I was doing something wrong. The teacher barely spoke any English so possibly couldn't explain. I didn't know that THAT was what you're supposed to be looking for.
The Goods are hidden in plain sight.
Yeah, but I hear that the higher the concentration, the lesser the life span. The balance of the force and all that. Mind you, there is "Force Drain"
Cirdan
Senior Master
I think rapid aging is more caused by over-use of the force like dark practicioners are known to, rather than just a natural high concentration. Hence the wisdom of conserving one`s energy.
I think rapid aging is more caused by over-use of the force like dark practicioners are known to, rather than just a natural high concentration. Hence the wisdom of conserving one`s energy.
Maybe. The Darksiders tend to feed off the force. All though allegedly Palpatine found a way to enhance himself without creating a wound in the force. At least I think was in a novel, I know the technique has been explored in the KOTOR series. Palpatine was as old as Yoda in some circles.
Cirdan
Senior Master
I haven`t kept up with the expanded SW universe for years, only read the novels by Thimoty Zahn lately.
About Palpatine he uses clones and dark side spirit transfer to resurrect himself in the Dark Empire story, because "flesh does not easily support this great power" and his body wears out rapidly. However Mara Jade (Luke`s wife in the EU and former Emperor`s Hand) says in a later story she thinks the reborn Emperor was not really him so who knows.
Skywalker vs Palpatine
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Chi powers? No, not real in any superhuman sense. The idea of Chi as a muscular coordination concept where minimal energy is used to maximum effect is an idea I can buy. I've seen a lot of parlour tricks presented as evidence for existence of the superhuman ability of chi, I'm not convinced.
As far as exercises specific to developing chi? I'm sure there are many health benefits but as for developing fighting skill I don't know if I'm convinced it makes a better fighter. It seems like a waste of time if your only goal is to become a good fighter. It may develop core strength but so does gymnastics and without all the esoteric nonsense that sometimes comes with internal training. It has its place and certainly has benefits but I don't think its superior to any "hard" method.
Can anyone provide any evidence for the superiority of chi/internal training?
As far as exercises specific to developing chi? I'm sure there are many health benefits but as for developing fighting skill I don't know if I'm convinced it makes a better fighter. It seems like a waste of time if your only goal is to become a good fighter. It may develop core strength but so does gymnastics and without all the esoteric nonsense that sometimes comes with internal training. It has its place and certainly has benefits but I don't think its superior to any "hard" method.
Can anyone provide any evidence for the superiority of chi/internal training?
I haven`t kept up with the expanded SW universe for years, only read the novels by Thimoty Zahn lately.
About Palpatine he uses clones and dark side spirit transfer to resurrect himself in the Dark Empire story, because "flesh does not easily support this great power" and his body wears out rapidly. However Mara Jade (Luke`s wife in the EU and former Emperor`s Hand) says in a later story she thinks the reborn Emperor was not really him so who knows.
Skywalker vs Palpatine
Just read one Luke Skywalker novel. The where a star forge type machine I guess, scoffed on asteroids and spat out Tie Fighters. The fan fiction stuff makes it even more murky for the casual fan like me.
I have no doubt Ki/Chi exists. Hard Ki is present in every fight you see, tournament or street. Soft Ki is a different matter. It is the soft Ki that people dispute and discount. I have now been studying soft Ki for over eight years and teach it in my karate classes.
The interesting part happens when new guys come to my Krav classes. We don't talk about Ki there but it is the perfect place to practise its application. Many of those guys have MA backgrounds, are young and full of testosterone. They can't understand what is happening but they all want to be able to perform the techniques effortlessly.
Ki is not magical, it's just difficult to define, but what annoys me considerably is when people would genuinely like to discuss Ki/Chi and others just want to rubbish it. Certainly everyone that has experienced what they call Ki would attest to it, but that doesn't mean that everyone's experience is the same. Aikido without Ki is a very poor cousin of Aikido that teaches Ki.
Just my 2c.
The interesting part happens when new guys come to my Krav classes. We don't talk about Ki there but it is the perfect place to practise its application. Many of those guys have MA backgrounds, are young and full of testosterone. They can't understand what is happening but they all want to be able to perform the techniques effortlessly.
Ki is not magical, it's just difficult to define, but what annoys me considerably is when people would genuinely like to discuss Ki/Chi and others just want to rubbish it. Certainly everyone that has experienced what they call Ki would attest to it, but that doesn't mean that everyone's experience is the same. Aikido without Ki is a very poor cousin of Aikido that teaches Ki.
Just my 2c.
Are you talking about instinct coupled with training. Just curious that you mentioned street. Then again more than likely out of my depth here.
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