Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not a debunker, but I am a practical scientific minded martial artist. I've heard the concept of Ki my entire career; which has only been 25 years so I certainly don't claim to be an expert, but I'm familiar with the concept. The problem I have with it is that you can't tell me that it has effects on your training that may just as easily have been cultivated by the 20-30 years of training you've been doing, i.e. stronger punches, better core balance, stronger stances, etc without showing me the science separating the two different cause and effects.
I think the body and mind are capable of performing feats that we can not comprehend at this time. I DO believe that there is an electric current that runs through all living things that, when trained over a life time, can produce significant power in strikes and kicks. BUT thats because you've spent your entire life teaching your muscles to lock into a certain position at a certain speed in a certain angle for the last 30 years. Of course your body will transmit the chemical and electric surges through the body quicker and transfer the kinetic energy to your opponent in a much more focused and lethal manner. I also think that you can train your mind over that same time period to become extremely focused, able to deal with pain and stress in a much more efficient manner than without the training. Again though, I don't think this is a mystic flowing energy circulating through channels in your body that someone can harness and throw in a ball at you. I call it mental and physical preparation for combat. I don't think a warrior from Sparta or a SEAL from the teams would talk to you in terms of Ki. They would attribute their abilities to years of preparations and training both their mind and body for their chosen profession. Martial artists are no different.
Again, I'm still "relatively" young :) 25 years does NOT make an expert. There could be something out there that I just can't see, do, perform or comprehend, but the science surrounding the myth just doesn't support the mystic outlook on it. I would have an easier time swallowing it if the community that espouses it would just leave the mysticism out, enter the 21st century and apply some practical physics and science to the argument. Then I think both sides of the argument could learn something. But thats just me.
I think there's definitely more out there than we know, but I also think that the concept of "ki" is bullshit. Focusing your mind and your body on something can be called whatever you want. I tend to call it "concentration" or "motivation." Karate guys call it "ki." But I'm with you - it's not mystical, it's focus.
ReplyDeleteWhats up big brother...nice post and good questions. I know it is probably a little odd to hear me talk about things that dont make much sense or are even believable, but I assure you they are real. I want to get you down here and even if i cant convince the world that there are things beyond science that do exist, i would like to show you that i am not "drinking the koolaid".
ReplyDeleteIts just one of those things, that until you see and feel it, it will never make sense and it will always be a mystical thing. I dont pretend to even be close to capable but i know what i am learning and what it can do. Its all talk no matter what i show or what my experiences are in the past, first hand.
I even invite another gentleman from our art who was just like you and didnt really believe what we were showing to share his experience. Though it is a bad one, i had my hand in doing harm to him and now he is fully aware that what we are learning is beyond explanation.
I hope to one day show you what is really out there and just cause it isnt mainstream, doesnt mean it is bunk. I believe that there is always something far more dangerous, real, and applicable than what we see or hear on t.v. and that is the art we should be seeking to learn. The one taught in secrecy, to family, and under strict trust/confidence is usually where real technique and mastery is gained.
Let me know when you are ready to come, and I will bring you out and then you will see that there is more to what we think or see.
Love you brother
Hi. I’m the guy Alex was referring to in his post. He visited me for a couple of days before seeing you that weekend – I’m in the Silicon Valley. I’ve been a student of Alex for a few years now. I hope to be as good as he is now someday.
ReplyDeleteAnyhow, I’ve been in WHLC a total of ~7 years (a couple of years in college, restarted a few years back). I started as a skeptic. It’s my nature – scientific, rational, no BS. I spent several years teaching experimental methods at a mid-west university and showed students how to debunk a lot of the usual suspect claims a la the Amazing Randi. WHLC doesn’t require you to believe in ki/chi/qi – it is plenty effective by itself. I think a lot of 1st and 2nd Dan folks are still in the ‘open mind’ but not believing camp or even flat out disbelief state.
Why do I believe now? Let’s just say I can’t explain why some light pushing on me ended up laying me up for a couple of weeks. Seriously, some light pushing on my chest one night turned into feeling like a horse had repeatedly kicked me in the solar plexus the next day and progressively worse by the hour. I’ve gotten my share of bruises, bloody lips/noses, busted ribs, broken hands/fingers/toes and so on – this was something very different. I still don’t know what, why or how (the cause or the treatment that fixed it) – I just know what I felt. I also know I can’t convince anyone else of it – my wife still rolls her eyes anytime I even remotely touch on the topic of ki/chi.
I also believe the number of people in martial arts that actually can pull this stuff off or teach it is in the single digits. I think that is part of the reason why people are so skeptical of it. I don’t know if Alex would agree with me, but I think in WHLC there may be two or three people that could pull it off in an actual fight. Even under ideal, compliant conditions it seems very advanced people have difficulty making it ‘work’. But I think if it’s possible (and I do) I’m going to try and get to that level of proficiency even if the odds of it happening are one in a million. And in the meantime, what I’m learning is devastatingly effective in its own right.
Just one guy’s opinion.
The proof is in the pudding. If you are interested, try learning Won Hop Loong Chuan. The effects have to be experienced to be appreciated. Its there from the very first movement of the first form. I'm out in Ridgecrest. I'll be holding a weekend training session in June so if your interested, you can get a hold of me though Alex.
ReplyDeleteJames