Staff Article: The Truth About Ki

[monkeygirl]

This post was originally published as an article in a dedicated KarateForums.com Articles section, which is no longer online. After the section was closed, this article was most to the most appropriate forum in our community.

Ki, chi, proper breathing, mind over matter, life force, mystical energy. Whatever the label, this mysterious force has commanded the curiosity of humanity for centuries. Once the topic of fierce debate and contested by many, I am here to testify, once and for all, to the existence of this force and the incredible powers one may attain through disciplined training and focus.

The following testimonials to the reality of ki are accounts of actual experiences from actual people – member of the KarateForums.com staff – beginning with myself.

Unbendable Arm

Several years ago, when browsing the Internal Arts forum, I came across a discussion about ki and the powers which could be harnessed through it, such as levitation, heat creation and increased strength. At first I was highly skeptical, but felt curiously compelled to know more. I asked my instructor if he had ever attempted to find his inner ki, but he informed me that ki had no place in his Tae Kwon Do dojang. Stubbornly, I returned to the Internet, where I found some sites detailing basic ki exercises which I could perform immediately. Excited, I decided to try one known as the "Unbendable Arm" technique, in which the strongest person in the world would be unable to bend my extended arm, allegedly.

I grabbed my older brother and told him of the experiment. Highly skeptical, he reluctantly obliged. I slowly stretched my arm out in front of me, unsure of myself. I stared at my arm intently and flexed tightly, nodding to my brother to proceed. He pushed my hand to my side with demoralizing ease while my face contorted with effort. Being that he was 5 years older and 60 pounds heavier than I, this should have come as no surprise. He asked if I was done.

Remembering the research, I asked him to let me try again. Focusing steadily, I extended my arm once more. This time, I relaxed it completely so that it was slightly bent, using only enough energy to keep it raised. I concentrated my gaze forward, away from my arm and imagined that my arm was infinitely long, extending into the horizon, through buildings, rooms and people. As I did so, I found that I was focused, yet not thinking hard. I felt like I was in another dimension, aware of nothing else, yet oddly aware of this fact. My other senses seemed to "drop out". Somehow I nodded. Gently at first, he pushed on my arm. Nothing. He pushed harder. Still nothing. He tried to bend my arm at the elbow, but couldn't. Finally, he pushed on my arm harder and harder, until he was literally hanging from my arm, both feet off the ground, pulling with all his might.

Astonished, he let go and I came sharply back to reality, as woken suddenly from a dream. In just two attempts, I had completed my first ki exercise.

Tammy (monkeygirl)

Healing Touch

The power of ki is useful in many areas of the martial arts, especially the area of healing. In the following examples, I am going to show you how I have used ki as aa healing and revitalizing tool.

Like Tammy, I too had been researching the power of ki and ki exercises over the Internet, as well as practicing regularly with various training partners at the dojo.

One of my training partners was experienced in the use of ki and making ki balls and we used to train together often. During one intensive training session I fell heavily and injured my shoulder. Immediately my training partner asked if he could try out his ki healing technique on me. I agreed – my shoulder was a ball of agony and I could barely move my arm. He got me to lie down and relax, breathing calmly and deeply. I closed my eyes and he held his hands over my injured shoulder. I felt a warmth spread across the area and down through the rest of my body. This warmth seemed to “push” the pain out of the affected area and into the floor, out of my body. I was amazed! How could my aching, painful shoulder be cured in a few moments by someone who hadn’t even touched me? Immediately, I knew that I wanted to learn this amazing technique – the power of healing through ki.

I studied hard and continued to meditate and practice my ki exercises. One day, a group of friends and I were training on our own at the dojo. We were practicing joint locking techniques with a partner, when one of our group miscalculated a technique and became injured. I knew that this was my chance to try out my ki healing techniques. Swallowing nervously, I approached her and asked if I could try something. I asked her to relax and take calm, deep breaths. I closed my eyes and held out my hands above her wrist. I felt a great sense of peace within me and I tried to “transmit”this peace into my friend.

Suddenly she gasped and stared at me open muthed. “Wow!” she said, “That was incredible!” Her pain and injury had gone! I asked her to describe how she had felt when I had my hands over her; her description was the same as I had felt – a great sense of warmth “pushing” away the pain.

I was so excited that I had managed to master this technique that I was shaking. I could hardly believe that my ki healing technique had worked. My friends were all amazed and wanted to know how I had managed to perform such an amazing feat.

Since that day I have had occasion to use my ki healing powers on several occasions, all with great success. I practice and train in ki techniques on a regular basis as I feel that this is one area which is of immense worth and value to martial artists.

Rachael (aefibird)

Energy Blast (a.k.a. “Hurling Fireballs”)

Like many people, ki was at the top of my “nonsense” list. I’ve heard some outrageous claims about the powers of ki and saw people making a lot of money off misinformed and gullible people. I was not going to be one of these people. Then I paid a visit to my cousin in the northeastern states.

Jay owns and operates a martial arts academy, teaching Shotokan and Okinawan Kobudo. He also studies and practices Gakta. Jay told me that ki is simply a thought construct originally used to provide a way of understanding how complex systems (such as the human body) seem to work. It all started with Chinese natural philosophers who were basically early scientists. Seeking for ways to understand how things worked, they looked at animals (including humans) and worked from the principle that if an animal isn't breathing, it's dead. “Ki” was simply a word that meant breath. As these studies grew in depth and breadth, so did their system of knowledge. Applied in the areas of medicine, prediction, the martial arts and others, this basic model became a useful tool. Ki came less and less to specifically mean breath and more and more to resemble a concept of “energy”.

He told me you can harness this energy and practices this in his Gakta training; a martial art system that you don't hear a lot about. It is Hindu. Some of the Sikh gurus practiced the martial art to help defend their religious beliefs. Gakta training is linked closely with spirituality and stresses the calmness of mind while defending oneself. It is here that Jay developed the ki to “hurl fireballs”.

I know what you’re thinking. Is this Goku, Goten or Vegta from Dragon Ball Z? When he told me this, I bit my lips and thought the same. But as he explains it, you learn not only self defense, but also self awareness. Your sprit is your guideline that will allow you to manipulate your mind and body in awakening the ki within. There is no right way or wrong way to fight, what truly matters is the way you allow your sprit to train, its the sprit with which you train and fight that makes all the difference.

To demonstrate, Jay went into a squatting position, on his knees and toes. He went into a deep trance or at least a state of deep concentration. I noticed some sweat on his brow. He cupped his hands around his navel and I heard him mummer. Across the dojo, about 15 feet away was an old Blast Master kicking pad. He opened his eyes and stared at it and quickly did an outward thrust with his hands. I almost fell on the floor when I saw what looked like a flash of light with heat waves around it wisp across the dojo. The Blast Master toppled to the side and, you’re not going to believe this, but it was smoking! There was a definite scar of freshly burnt vinyl and you could smell that something was burning. I was totally amazed and shocked. Was this a trick? No way. His demonstration was purely spontaneous and not prepared.

Of course, I wanted to know how he did it. But he said that Gatka is not learned in a day, rather through a process of devotion, practice and discipline over many years. He said that when you train your body you also train your mind. Therefore, when you train your mind you can also train your body. The connection between mind and body must be developed and not taught. The “energy blast” he demonstrated can be a lightning bolt, a telekinetic blast, a fireball or whatever as long as it remains true to the spirit of the practitioner. There is no right or wrong way to fight, what truly matters is the way you allow your sprit to train. It’s the sprit with which you train and fight that makes all the difference.

This energy is not mysterious. It is not some as yet undiscovered by science magical force that one day we are all going to learn to harness so we can all fly and shoot fireballs at each other. It is simply a commonly misunderstood concept that few people have ever mastered. Instead, it is thought to be some sort of folklore or legend.

Ever since the success of the 1998 film, "The Storm Riders", there has been an increasing trend in Hong Kong martial arts films to use computers to enhance the combatants' abilities (or lack thereof) in a process that has come to be known as "computer fu". While many of these computer fu movies have enjoyed success at the box office, critics and fans from all over the world have decried the practice because it seems to have watered down the Kung Fu genre. Some of the harshest opposition to computer fu filmmaking has come from various "old school" stars and stuntmen, as well as some contemporary stars. Jet Li was a student of the energy blast, or fireball as it is commonly called. He originally turned down staring in the movie “The One” because it was going to have a “hurling fireball” scene and he felt it was mocking his art. It wasn’t until the scene was dropped from the script did Jet Li accept the role.

My cousin made a believer out of me, even thought that wasn’t his intention. I did learn a lot more than just knowing that such powers, or actually abilities, really do exist. I say “ability” because it’s something that comes with learning and training, not like a “power” which is mystical. I do not practice this art myself. There just isn’t anyone around here to assist me and I can not just teach myself. But what I can do is use the experience, the awakening, to teach others how powerful the mind is, that there is an inner energy that can be used to complete your martial arts training as well as your spiritual training. We should keep an open mind to the unlimited, untapped resources of both the mind and body.

Greg (Kicks)

Levitation

Ki and internal energy is a major “bone of contention” for martial artists. Either you believe or you don’t, right? Well, up to a few months ago you could have put me firmly into the non believers camp. Then I had one of the most amazing experiences of my life…

It all began when I went to a weekend seminar and training session given by a famous martial arts master (I won’t name drop!). The seminars were great and I learned a lot of new stuff and made a lot of new friends, too. Well, one guy who was there was full of energy and was always raring to go. Someone asked him how he could always be so full of beans.

“I’m a ki Master” he replied.

Although I really wanted to laugh, I didn’t. I was intrigued by the guy and his claims and wanted to know whether being a ki Master really was the source of his unlimited energy and enthusiasm.

“What can you do with your ki?” someone asked him. The guy told him to meet him back here after the seminars were over and he’d show him.

So, as everyone else was packing up to return to their homes, a small group of us gathered in a little gym to watch this so called “ki Master”. “Go on then,” shouted someone, “shoot a few fireballs.” The group laughed. “I can do better than that,” he replied. “I can levitate!”

You could see that in the group gathered there, some people believed him and others clearly thought that we should call a psychiatrist for him. Guess which section of the group I was in?

The ki Master walked into the center of the room and closed his eyes. It was deathly quiet; the only sound we could hear was the ki Master’s steady, rhythmic breathing. He stretched out his arms and suddenly there seemed to be a “glow” around him. It was like a pulse of bright, energetic light surrounding his whole body. There was an audible hum of energy in the room. Slowly and carefully, the ki Master rose off the ground. It was no more than a couple of inches, but there was a clear gap between his feet and the floor beneath him. He remained there for a few seconds and then returned to the ground. There were no wires anywhere near him and he was barefoot. The group was totally amazed. No one spoke for several seconds after the demonstration. It was a moment of enlightenment for all of us.

The ki Master showed us other amazing feats that he could perform with control of ki, but it was his demonstration of levitation that I found to be the most incredible.

I was a total skeptic until one summer’s evening when I met a man with an amazing claim…

Doug (KSN Doug)

[Patrick]

Thank you for the submission.

[Slydermv]

Cool read! I'd still have to see it to believe it though... I was born a sceptic...

[Mr. Mike]

so, this was mostly for comedic or entertainment purposes, right?

[joe2002]

The only problem I have with this artical is that most of the examples given are really vague. I have seen to many wild things to say that I'm a non beliver but I have yet to see someone levitate or throw balls of fire, I'm not saying it couldn't happen. I'm just saying that the problem is no real proof is given to back up these claims. I could say the same thing as anyone from this article and say the reason I can't tell you how to do it right now like this is cause it takes years of diligent study and training, but that wouldn't mean that I'm telling the truth. If I could learn to do these amazing things I would, but I cant so that means that these amazing feats are impossable. Its like the question about if a tree falls in the woods and no ones around too hear it. Does it make a sound? Well yes it does but it doesn't effect anyone cause there is no one there for it to affact. But I agree Ki is somethint real. However I view it as something that is created not controlled, so therefor I don't need to confuse my students by talking about it I just teach them how to create it in there technique. Well hopefully I did not insult anyone cause that was never my intintion, if I have please let me know so I can apoligize and explain myself.

[Red J]

Like Mr. T. says, "I pity the fool who doesn't believe in the power of Ki".

[Patrick]

Hello,

Well, time to break the silence here.

April Fools!

It is not (neccessarily, anyway) that we don't believe that these things could be possible (and we're not trying to insult anyone who does believe in them, etc.), but with the overwhelming voice of this community being one of disbelief, we thought it would be fun to make people scratch their heads a bit when our staff comes out and says that not only do they believe, but they have personally witnessed.

Doug's part was not written by Doug, but by Rachael (I felt having a fourth name would help the article's believability ). The other pieces were written by those who signed them with Tammy writing the intro as well. So, it was a true staff article, just not a real article.

Thanks.

[Kicks]

Yes, this was just for "Kicks" and Giggles (who is Giggles?).

However, the research I did on fireballs led me to some interesting finds about Gatka, which I had never heard of before. So I enjoyed the researd and write up. I hope y'all enjoyed the sense of humor we tried to have on this day.

Oh-Ki Do-Ki ?

[Red J]

Like Mr. T. says, "I pity the fool who doesn't believe in the power of Ki".

Or the April Fool!

Nice job staffers.

[Mr. Mike]

phew!!1 I was seriously starting to doubt the maturity of the board staff

ok. You got me...funny, I never even thought to cinsider what day this was on.

man, you got me.