JEM618

Is English your native language? The ‘unbendable arm’ is not a technique nor is it a ‘trick’. It is a simple tool, for some, to grasp the concept of static and fluid tension, period, end of story. When, and if you can grasp that simple concept, you can then apply it to your techniques to improve upon them. You are hopeless...

Reading this rhetoric remind me of the old saying ‘can’t see the forest through the trees. In medieval times hard scientific facts that could not be explained were thought to be acts of God or works of the devil. Is every concept or principal you can’t grasp or completely comprehend a trick? Ken, did you even try what I suggested? If you did, and you could understand, you might say, ‘Ah, I can see the difference. Ha! It’s not a trick after all. Now I understand.’ The ‘unbendable arm’ is not a technique nor is it a ‘trick’. It is a simple tool, for some, to grasp the concept of static and fluid tension, period, end of story. When, and if you can grasp that simple concept, you can then apply it to your techniques to improve upon them. It’s the very tip of the tip of the iceberg but you guys keep beating on it. The internet is a wonderful place, why not Google about it, get some information and post something intelligent? In Japan, instead of five-dollar bills, they have five-dollar coins. One day my sensei cam into the dojo with about one hundred dollars worth of coins. He had one student stand up, and extend their arm palm up and asked them to make a fist. He took a hand full of coins and dropped then from above. Most of them fell to the floor, a few landed on top of the students closed fist. Sensei asked the student to open his hand, and the rest fell to the floor. Next he asked the student to open his hand he took a hand full of coins and dropped then from above. Fifteen or so coins were in the student’s hand. Sensei asked him to make a fist. The student tightly grasped the coins. A trick, you say? No. A simple tool, for some, to grasp the concept of being closed minded or open minded. You can grasp more with an open mind than a closed one; if you keep a closed mind, you will be ‘poor’, if you keep an open mind you can be ‘rich’.

'Just kick them they'll understand' That says it all about the reality you live in... To that I might add: Then out of nowhere, the guy you just kicked pulls out a knife and stabs you in the throat, and while you lay there on the ground trying to breath, choking on your own blood, his buddy pulls out a gun and shoots you in the back of the head. Read the newspaper. Sound like you go to that evil 'Cobra Kai' karate school from those Karate Kid movies.

I'd have to agree with the others, such feats are possible through conditioning and cannot be contributed to 'ki' per say. However, one could infer ‘ki’ is used to overcome the fear or logical belief that such things are not possible. What I might add is that ‘ki’ training teaches us not to base our fear and reaction on our perceptions or conventional beliefs. Assume you are 5’10” 175 lbs. NOT knowing anything about them: If you were to face off with a guy the size of Bob Sapp you would probably be pretty scared. On the other hand, if you were to face off with a guy the size of Royce Gracie, you may not be as nervous. Our conventional beliefs are engrained in such a way that we automatically fear some one who is bigger than us. When Gracie faces off with someone the size of Sapp, size is not an issue. He remains calm. While other dance around the ring with nervous energy, he calmly stands there with his ‘game face’. If you dedicate your life to something, and believe in yourself, you can accomplish a lot, I think. The same hold true for bending a spear, or the other displays of martial prowess. Most of us, if we put out minds to it could achieve similar feats. What stops us is the convention belief that it is too dangerous or impossible, so we never start. Breaking through that barrier of conventional thought is the key to achieving great height in any arena, not just martial arts.

I was at a training seminar several years ago with Tohei Koichi, and he told us this: Most people fail to extend the simplest logic or use common sense to solve difficult problems. Moreover, failure to do so leads to greater failures. He offered the following anecdote: When you are driving in you car and it starts to rain, you turn on the windshield wipers. Not turning on the windshield wipers will make it difficult, if not impossible to see and you will probably be involved in an accident. Along with that comes common sense that with the windshield wipers on you keep your eyes on the road and continue your journey. If you stop watching the road and start watching the windshield wipers, you can see what’s up ahead of you, and again, may put yourself in danger. (curve ahead, stoplight, intersection) The same hold true for life. You have goals and you work your way towards them. When you have a problem, you find a solution to that problem, or it becomes a bigger problem. Once that problem is solved or under control, you have to let it go, and continue on your journey. If you remain focused on all of the small things you lose sight of what you’re after. This is not to say the small things are not important, as they most certainly are. But, if you think about it, probably half of the obstacles in our lives are self-created and the others can, for the most part be solved with simple logic and resolve. He told us this was a big part of ‘ki’, and extending ‘ki’. 気を出す

Does that include ki/chi? No, it doesn't include ki/chi, as they are natural, not supernatural. They wouldn't qualify.

psychometrics - Well, this is not 'ki' but could be a means of testing it. physicalism - No, absolutely not... this belief is the opposite. The mind moves the body, without the mind, the body does not move. psychophysics - this branch of science deals with the relationships between physical stimuli and sensory response, so maybe a little, but I would lean towards it being almost opposite - the body's reaction to the minds perception. Physical stimuli is not always necessary to generate a physical response. That's where 'ki' development gets confusing. The word or concept of 'ki'(気) is used extensively in the Japanese language. Just of the top of my head, these are used in daily conversation, you're sure to hear half of them on a daily basis: 元気 in good spirits, healthy やる気 willing to try 気が強い strong willed 気が小さい timid 気が短い short tempered 病気 sick 気が重い depressed ~ に気がつく become aware of 気をつける be careful of 気にする be concerned about 気がしない don’t fee like doing In one of my older posts I defined 'ki' as the power that can't be seen, you can take a look and see how the kanji is broken down. You can take a look here and see how prevalent it is in aikido: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Dojo/1804/soa2/soa2-6.html#soa2_6.2.11 Could it all be boiled down to 'state of mind'? I don't know, but that's all for now.

Is this your new hobby; posting the same message under every discussion of 'ki'? Evidently, your master doesn’t teach you to respect other opinions or beliefs, and if he does, you certainly don’t put what he says into practice. The ‘unbendable arm’ is not a myth. It’s practiced countless times in countless dojos all over the world each and every day. OF COURSE it will bend to some extent, but you are sadly missing the point. It is simply an exercise to show the difference between static and fluid muscle tension. In case you don’t know what it involves, which I assume you don’t based on your pedantic remarks, I’ll explain. Pick someone about your size or a bit smaller so you can understand the concept, perhaps your mom, little sister or girlfriend. Have them stand relaxed and extend their left arm out straight parallel to the floor. Have them close their fist as tight as possible keep their arm rigid. Take your right hand and place it on their arm over the elbow. Take your left hand and put it under their clenched fist. Try to bend their arm by pushing up with your left hand and down with your right. Because they muscles are tensed, you will be able to bend their arm by ‘overpowering’ them. Now have them stand relaxed and extend their left arm out straight parallel to the floor. Have them relax and extend their arm. At this point, they must not clench their fist but they should have some ‘fluid tension’ in their arm muscles. Take your right hand and place it on their arm over the elbow. Take your left hand and put it under relaxed hand. Try to bend their arm by pushing up with your left hand and down with your right. Because they muscles are ‘in fluid tension’ it will be more difficult to bend their arm than when they were clenching their fist and holding their arm rigid. OF COURSE, you may be able to overpower and bend there arm. BUT!!!!! That is not the point…. The point is, if ‘done properly’ you SHOULD be able to notice that fluid or dynamic tension is stronger than static tension. That it is more difficult to bend their arm. Maybe the ‘unbendable arm’ should be renamed the ‘not as bendable arm’ so the concept is more easily grasped. One note: THIS is NOT NOT NOT a test of strength. It is a teaching aid to help people understand a concept. I’ve seen countless people in the dojo going red in the face trying to break each other arms in half. Sadly, they miss the point to. But in the end the few who grasp the principal can understand it completely. Good luck. What does this really teach us? Well if we dig a bit deeper, we’ll figure out that being static in a fight will allow us to be beaten and we tend to be much stronger in a fluid state. AGAIN, not worth a million dollars, but common sense is invaluable... OK, back under the bridge.

Keep posting like this and people will start to think you live under a bridge.

Evidently you did not read or comprehend the link in the post above. So pedantic; check the dictionary. 1. . The vital principle or animating force within living beings. b. Incorporeal consciousness. 2. . The part of a human associated with the mind, will, and feelings: Though unable to join us today, they are with us in spirit. b. The essential nature of a person or group. 3. A person as characterized by a stated quality: He is a proud spirit. 4. a. An inclination or tendency of a specified kind: Her actions show a generous spirit. b. A causative, activating, or essential principle: The couple's engagement was announced in a joyous spirit. 5. spirits A mood or an emotional state: The guests were in high spirits. His sour spirits put a damper on the gathering. 6. A particular mood or an emotional state characterized by vigor and animation: sang with spirit. 7. Strong loyalty or dedication: team spirit. I cannot see electricity, but I can understand its principle and see it exists through the result of its power. Light bulbs light up, electric motors run, etc. Try to understand ‘ki’ not as something supernatural but as defined as above in #1 & 2. After practicing for over 9 years now, maybe I could try to explain it as attitude, or intention, nither of which you can actually see but both very real. – If you search some of my posts, and read about one of the experiences I had maybe you could understand. (I worked out with a man 27 years my senior, 6 inches shorter, and 50 pound lighter and got my butt kicked by him. Simple logic would tell you that the younger man (me) would have had the advantage but it didn’t work that way. – He told me he used ‘ki’ to defeat me. – In that context we could say that it was ‘mind over matter’, or a positive attitude, or confidence.) Ki is nothing more the combining your mental and physical strength for a total that is greater than the sum of its parts. Have you ever seen a small guy square off with a big guy and shrink in fear just because of his opponent’s physical size, then get his butt kicked? Negative ‘ki’… Have you ever seen a small guy square off with a big guy and be totally relaxed and focused and go on to win the match? Positive ‘ki’… It common sense, not worth a million dollars, but invaluable in daily life. The million dollar prize is for something supernatural – moving objects with out touching them or shooting lightning out of you’re a$$. It will never happen.

For starters, you can look here: http://www.karateforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=13239

Is it ki, or the ability to control the mentality? Or is it experience? And, he was your instructor. Experienced by many years. And he had seen and know of your abilities. He maybe a "natural" fight tactician. What he did to me or demonstrated was just 20 minutes after meeting me for the first time, he is now, and until he dies, my teacher. You could say yes, but are there any 50 or 60 year olds at your gym? Yes. And I had the pleasure of working out with a 71 year old Grandmaster. No Ki there. Probably the "key" to revise his method(s) as he aged. Well, I know in some martial arts, it's possible to continue practice well after 'retirement age' what I was saying is that you don't see 65 year old kick boxers... Sorry, I cannot "completely" believe in KI/Chi existence. Up until now, demos that I had personally witnessed, I can disprove. I completely agree with you and your perception of KI/Chi existence. I know that most of what is seen is easily disproved. I only wish you could meet my teacher! But I look forward to discussing it more. I have 10 years worth of stories to share.

Ki can be defined simply as mental energy. Practicing ‘ki’ involves nothing more than learning how to harness it and combine it with your body’s physical power. Nothing magic, or supernatural. I’ve seen numerous post saying it’s c***, and more often than not, the demonstration of ‘ki’ that these posters are talking about probably were, in fact, c***. What if I told you a 57 year old man, standing 5’6’’ and weighing 150 pounds invited a 30 year old man, standing 6’1’’ and weighing 190 pounds to attack him freely, without reserve. (The 30 year old teaches TKD and hold 2nd dan and practices a few other MAs) What would logic tell you, would win the fight? Would you believe me if I told you that in 20 minutes, the 30 year old didn’t land ONE technique? Would you believe me if I told you the 57 year old man threw him countless times and was able to apply a submission each time? Probably not. Neither would I. And before I actually experienced it, I would have had to agree with the detractors on this forum. That 30-year-old man was me 10 years ago. That 57-year-old man was an aikido teacher that I had met for the first time. I asked him how it was possible, and he said, ‘I used my ‘ki’’. Ki is no good in a fight? After experiencing that, I say, ‘ki’ is everything in a fight. (If ‘ki’ is defined, understood and practiced properly.) While attacking him, there were no signs of stress, fear, flinching, just calm, fluid, confident motion. I have been studying with him for almost 10 years now, and to this day, his technique improves with each passing day, no sign of fading away. Isn’t that strange? He attributes it to ‘ki’ training. The body’s physical peak is between 18-35, after that you start to become comparatively weaker and less flexible. The mind, however, if trained properly, unlike the body, doesn’t become weak as fast, and has the potential to become stronger for a longer period of time. My teacher is less physically strong than he used to be, not by much, but he is weaker. However, he continues to develop his ‘ki’, his mental or spiritual energy, to compensate. Thus, he can now do ‘more with less’. I remember attending a seminar with Dan Inasanto about 15 years ago, and he said as you get older, you must revise your style. Anyone who had done TDK for 15 years or so can attest to the fact that at one point they could shoot a side kick straight up in the air over their head, but with each passing year, the height of the kick started getting a little lower. If you are in your 20s or 30s now, maybe you like kickboxing, but can you actually imaging kickboxing when you are 50 or 60? You could say yes, but are there any 50 or 60 year olds at your gym?

Ki has nothing to do with religion! Grrrrr. Many people argue ki does not exist, that it's a hoax. But 'real ki' does exist, in simplest terms; we could call it the power of the mind. Normal people do not concentrate on this power that exists in all of us, they go about their daily business satisfied with the power they normally use. People who wish to develop their ‘ki’ do so by tapping into their mental energy and combining with their body to create a product that is greater than the sum of its parts. Sure, there is a bunch of ‘fake ki’ over blown self-aggrandizing demonstrations that mean nothing or are completely fabricated. (Fire-balls, moving objects, etc.) But simply practicing ‘ki exercises’ and getting in touch with untapped potential that you possess would certainly do you more good than harm. (And I bet God would smile down upon you for trying.) Christians, I must as you this: (I am one myself) Have you ever seen God? Has anyone you know ever seen him, touched him, or talked to him? I’m not talking about in the spiritual sense, in prayers, dreams, visions, etc. I mean in the flesh. I’m gonna guess the answer is, ‘No’. Yet you believe in his existence, don’t you? Wars have been fought and countless people have been killed, tortured, exiled, or prosecuted for believing one way or another. (The cause of all wars are over territory, money, or religion, the latter being the greatest, longest lasting culprit.) Christians practicing ‘ki’, IMHO, is no problem. (I’ve been doing it for 9 years now, and have yet to be struck by lightning! And I’m almost sure that if I don’t get into heaven it’s gonna be because of something I did in my misspent youth and not for practicing ‘ki’.

Quote: Ki is something that run throughout your body and is formulated with your Haza I believe. FYI: It's 'hara' 腹, which means stomach or abdomen. It's said to be [ generated from / stored in ] the center of the body which is two inches below the navel.

5000 yen a month, about $44.00 at the current exchange rate. The fee hasn't changed in eight years, no contract, put the money in an envelope and hand it to the teacher at the beginning of the month. You don't go, you don't pay.

Yeah, working that shift is HELL! Anyway, I'm gonna guess you can't sleep well during the day, it's tough and can be caused by a few different reasons. Reason 1: Most graveyard shifters run on caffeine and nicotine. When I worked that shift, I drank about one cup an hour (6-8 cup a night). So after working midnight to 8 am I was leaving work WIRED. Even if I was tired, I couldn’t sleep. Reason 2: It’s sunny! Your body is not programmed to sleep when it’s light out. It takes time to get used to sleeping through the brightest part of the day. Reason 3: Everyone else you know is on a human schedule. You don’t want to miss out, so you try to stay awake. Hmmmm…. How to fix it. Well, there’s two ways to do it. One is to go home and go and unwind; relax and enjoy yourself, do what you would normally do after work if you worked during the day. This includes going to the gym, doing laundry, etc. – even having a few beers! (It sounds strange to day shifters, having a few cold ones at 10 am or 1 pm, but it’s just an upside down timetable.) Eat ‘dinner’, just as you normally would, before you go to bed. Try to stay awake until 8-10 hours before your next shift, go to bed and sleep 8-9 hours, get up, eat ‘breakfast’ and go to work. Note: have coffee, but only the first two hours into the shift, after that drink juice or water, get the caffeine out of your system. Another way is to go home, go straight to bed and get up after you sleep 8+ hours – this would make it 4 or 5pm – get up eat dinner with family or friends – watch a little TV – relax – take a nap if you want, but try to stay awake – go to work – same deal with the caffeine – none after 2 am. When you get out of work, you’ll be beat! You’ll want to go to bed. Consistency is the key – it’s hard to match schedule with day shifters if you want to do stuff. You can’t go to bed right after work one day and get up and stay up, go to work, get out of work, stay up all day the next day and then sleep before work.

The fight is not decided on the aggressor or whoever gets in the first shot but the one that controls the situation. Although I know getting the first shot is important in some cases I think controlling the situation is a better strategy. Survey the surroundings; you are not in the dojo: Are there any items that could be used as a weapon? You may not want to use one but consider that your opponent may use something against you. In a bar – beer bottles, chair, pool cues, a mug of beer, or worse a hot drink In the street – bottles, a piece of wood, anything that looks like it could be used On the beach – sand (a handful of sand in the face is no fun – you could use it as a defense against multiple attackers or get some thrown in your face, then get your but kicked.) In just about any environment there is an abundance of ‘weapons’ if you don’t plan to use one at least be aware of them. In controlling the situation there are a few things you can do. Concerning the above; before the **** hits the fan, position yourself between your opponent and anything he may want to use or you may want to grab. This can be done while ‘talking him down’, i.e., ‘I really don’t want to fight you’ (shuffle – shuffle) As far as ‘talking someone down’ this also has its advantages; as a situation escalates, so does adrenaline, if you are in the ‘toe-to-toe-in-the-face-shouting-pushing’ stage you are in trouble. You can't think clearly and are certainly not in control. If you are ‘talking someone down’, in a very natural way you can assess positioning: e.g., if you are too close, step back a bit; if you are square shouldered to your opponent exposing vital targets, you can adjust your stance. IMHO, in a street fight I think it’s better to counter off an attack, than to attack. In a street fight, if someone is attacking you, and they are pumped up on adrenaline they are focused on attacking and hurting you, they are not thinking about defending themselves, just attacking you. If they are ‘allowed’ to attack first this gives you the advantage. Moreover, from a legal standpoint; if there are witnesses, and the police are called, it makes a difference. Were you attacking someone or were you attacked. The cops always ask who threw the first punch. Was it assault or self defense? (I know some will digress, but let’s be realistic if we are talking about a ‘real street fight’. In the case you DON’T know your opponent, if he trains, has any training, etc. You don’t know. You also don’t know how CRAZY he is. Is he going to try to bite off your ear, grab you by the skull and shove his thumbs into your eye sockets, stab you in the throat with a pen?) Consider this – with no mats if it goes to the ground head injuries can be serious or fatal. Suppose you fire off a good spinning sidekick and knock some guy on his a**, he’s not trained to fall, or maybe he’s a bit drunk, slams the back of his skull off the pavement, gets a concussion, goes into a coma, or dies. This could also happen if it goes to the ground; you get the mount and bang the goys head off the ground a few times. You really don’t want someone point to you and saying ‘He started it’. (POINT: drinking alcohol dilates the blood vessels in the head – with increased blood volume in the skull, the natural ‘cushion’ that exists is reduced increasing the likelihood if brain damage if an injury is sustained – avoid fighting drunks) IMHO 2 - a street fight is almost always avoidable, and would dare to say, in every case can be avoided. It takes two people to fight and if you try to talk the guy down and diffuse the situation it’s much better. Now, if HE still wants to fight, than it’s not a fight, it’s an assault and THAT changes all the rules. Again some may digress, but if you are a trained Martial Artist and you reall have confidence in your ability, there’s nothing to prove. Of course there are many other factors to consider, but that’s my 2 cents for now. I’ll be back…

I agree with you but I didn't wanna start a war. If you don't want to follow dojo etiquette go play a sport or take part in an activity in which it is not required. Of course, the sensei that has a business to run is caught in the middle it's a double edged sword. (pardon the pun) You get some guy who doesn't want to bow and and you tell him he has to and he gets a lawyer and sues on some civil right thing. (In which case he would lose but bad press is bad for business.) You get some guy who doesn't want to bow and and you tell him doesn't have to and you leave youself open to, 'If he doesn't have to why should I? or 'I don't want to do (fill in the blank) - You don't make Mr. XX bow, 'Why do I have to (fill in the blank)?'

Well, I don't know the name of it, but right around the peak of Gracie popularity, Seagel made a movie. In one scene he does some 'text book BJJ'; mounts / passes the guard / chokes the guy out from behind. Really basic but easy to see exactly what he was doing. Anyway, that fight, which takes place in a train car, only lasts 20-30 seconds. Can't remember if there is anymore.

Jeff Speakman - Perfect Weapon His style is Kenpo, but he battles 3 TKD fighters in a dojo.

I know that bowing in religion has more significance. Missed my point - Bowing in martial arts has nothing to do with religion. Bowing in martial arts simply shows courtesy and respect. Maybe someone should explain the meaning if the bow to him; that it has no religious connotations, then go from there.

Why do people shake hands? Why do people bow? A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... Ooops, that’s too far… Anyway origin of the handshake: When meeting strangers – the handshake was used to show peace, an amicable meeting, i.e., your hand was empty: you were not holding a weapon… sword, gun, knife etc. (That’s why the right hand was extended, it’s the primary weapon hand for most) Used by knights and cowboys. The bow has two interpretations: 1st subjects were not allowed to gaze into the eyes of the emperor or high ranking official, bowing ensured the gaze was averted. Shows subservience, exposes the neck. 2nd, bowing averts the gaze from the person you meet, leaving you open, showing trust and also showing you mean no harm. (I bow and I can’t see what you are doing, you could attack me but I trust you. I can’t attack you from a vulnerable position so I mean no harm.) This is akin to the handshake. HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH RELIGEON!!!! If you watch westerns you’ll see American Indians raise their right hand and say ‘How’ for a greeting – showing they are or want to be friendly – SEE, I have no weapon! Let’s smoke the peace pipe. Trivia: origin of the ‘toast’. In medieval times it was often difficult to assassinate someone; storm the castle, kill the guards, climb the tower, break down the door…. So, poison became one of the tools of the trade. Kings had ‘food tasters’ human guinea pigs…. The king would say, ‘Yeah, go ahead start without me…..’ and if the food taster didn’t drop dead, well, the king would eat his fill. Anyway, you might want to kill or have someone killed by putting poison in their wine glass (or grog) and not their food. The toast was used to make sure everyone got a dose. Glasses were raised and you would pour some of your glass in mine, I’d pour some in yours. That way, if you put poison in my glass, you’d wind up drinking some, too. Today, the toast remains a symbol of mutual trust, or distrust, depending on which way you look at it. HTH

How can Bill Gates be so rich? He dropped out of college in his freshman year. Some people's natural talent is off the scale. i.e., it can't be measured by any standard set for 'normal' people.

There's nothing to perceive. The western interpretation or translation is incorrect. 道 is an apple. 術 is an orange. They are both fruits but completely different. During the American occupation in Japan all martial arts were outlawed. Japanese were not allowed to practice any fighting art. (Martial arts / skills) The founder of judo adapted ju-jutsu; i.e., he turned ju-jutsu into a sport with the underpinnings of a fighting art. He was able to convince the Japanese and American governments at that time that to preserve Japanese culture people should be allowed to practice judo because it was not simply a fighting art but a means to spiritual development. The same holds true for ken-jutsu; it became kendo. Rather than a technical fighting skill, it was called a means for spiritual development. Those western martial arts that seem quite aggressive, such as TKD and kickboxing are more sports than martial arts (Although it could be argued they are martial arts, I can't see the value of being a top level TKD point fighter on the battlefield. I.e., Green Berets and Navy Seals are not taught to fight like TKD Olympic hopefuls). In any case they are not 武道 (budo), they lean more towards 術 (jutsu). Anyone who studies, what ever they study, has to decide what level they want to study at. Do they want to study their skill as a sport (to stay in shape, fight if they have to) or as an art (to find the deeper more spiritual meaning and essence of the art).