Jason
I believe we are pretty close in our view points, but what I was trying to express in my previous post was that there are things in the martial arts that are beyond my skill and understanding. While I don't concentrate on PPs nor No Touch Knock Outs, it doesn't mean that I don't consider or accept that they exist. Rather I choose not to study that subject matter. However the very fact that after seeing Leon Jay's skill level and a brief glimpse of his teaching style, knowing that he did or believed in No Touch Knockouts would not meen that I would not study at his school. I wouldn't throw out his whole system because he did this, nor could I say he doesn't have proper control systems etc. etc. because I'm not studying at his school and have no clue what his control systems are.
Just because I can't explain something and I choose not to train in it doesn't mean that it is bunk.
I don't know about this school, or the instructor's instructions to them (the students) after he demonstrated his Chi. I mean heck the art director of the video could have said OK when master/sifu whatever uses his Chi and knocks you away, it would look real cool if you would run and climb up the wall. So they do. Laughing all of the way. I don't know, nobody knows, only those at the video shoot.
In regards to the bolded comment. I disagree, the martial arts were developed for self defense and the whole attitude/character development etc. etc. were grafted onto it. There is nothing honest or having integrity in regards to warfare, as in if you need to survive an encounter. If bringing a gun to knife fight helps me to survive and provide for my family than I will. However through training I might come to change my attitude, my character, my outlook on life etc. etc. etc. but for me it is still first and foremost in my mind about self preservation.
In regards to the two Italics comments. Here too I disagree. In my 30 years of training I have seen people do things I can't explain, which I have posted in other threads on MT. I even volunteered for one. I've seen good martial artists volunteer to take part of these types of things and spoke with them afterwards about it. Now for clarification let me explain.
1) There are those acts which appear to be magical/unexplainable/fanciful which can be explained through physical terms but which often aren't, because the instructor might not know why they work because they just do it and for ease of explanation they might say it is because of Chi or KI. Or it could be too that they are dishonest, or it culd be because they really believe it. I'll use early Aikido, Aikijutsu, being demonstrated by high level practitioners as an example. Or the video like you posted.
The video showed the guy withstanding a line or people pushing on him and then his Chi repels them. This same trick was promoted on stage by various men and women during the vaudeville/strong man acts era. Aikido had the same thing, along with the unbend able arm etc. etc. I was just watching a DVD where the instructor was talking about how a high level aikido-ka use to close the gap and kia as the attacker was stepping in and the attacker would fall to the floor; this isn't Chi/Ki it is timing and other playing a game with the mind principles to make the throw happen.
Again watching live at seminars and on DVD high level mastery of the body in an art it often times appears magical; like negative blocking, or invisible blocking, soft blocking and throwing people etc. etc. in arts like aikijutsu especially when you do karate (like I do). My wife watches it and says it's BS, having seen it live I see it as a high skill level. But still explainable and attainable.
2) Those that appear to work for no explanation other than the metaphysical. This is where the No Touch Knock Outs come in, or drawing energy away from someone. These type of techniques and applications are far fewer but often lumped in the larger number of techniques found in example 1.
In closing, take something like invisible blocking. A punches at B and B waves his hand in front of his face and A redirects his punch thus missing B without B touching him. At full speed with a committed punch it looks magical, a jedi mind trick even. However it is a skill that can be learned. While it is not something that I would want (trust) to use in self defense application, it is these types of things (higher skill sets) that keep a person training over 30 years in the art. Likewise I was shown a counter to a S type wrist lock, took me 2 minutes to learn and 11 years later I still can't get an explanation as to why it works but it does. This is for me a technique that falls into example 2 above, a no touch counter to having a S wrist lock applied. I've even done this as a counter to a S lock being applied with the butt of a stick (in my FMA training).
To someone who hasn't seen nor understands the technique it can appear to be BS, or it can appear to be magic. I believe we need to keep an open mind.
), and it really does no permanent damage. I much prefer to avoid all of the piling on that occurs when people discuss the corner McDojo, and just get on with what actually does affect me.
