Is Chi Kung Practice working for you or not? If not why not?

[Alan Armstrong]

Regarding Chi Kung practice are you doing enough? Are you doing it right? Need tips or advice on Chi Kung? Are you sure what Chi Kung is? Is Chi Kung important to your style of Martial Art? I welcome all questions regarding Chi Kung training and exercising. How well has Chi Kung improved your style health or wellbeing? l hope you will participate in this Chi Kung thread. As a martial artist and wanting to participate for all of one's life on this path then Chi Kung is a must for you. The earlier you learn what Chi Kung is the better prepared you will be for the rest of your life. Chi Kung is yours for the taking; what are you waiting for? Also Isometric exercise, pandiculation practice, proprioceptive awareness, dynamic tension, resistance training, plyometric after burn methods, callisthenics, all of these are for you to know learn and master as a martial artist. Chi Kung will also be there to help you when all else you have tried has failed. Please take full responsibility for what you learn and practice here. Extreme Chi Kung can be very dangerous; always consult your doctor on your physical activities. All advice given here is for historical and reference purposes only. Practice at your own risk. Practice responsibly.

[KeithBerg]

We practise 5 Animal Qi Qong within the Ng Ying Kungfu system. Our teacher Patrick van Steen often says that everything is energy. Qi Qong is not mandatory for people to practise. With living healthy and exercising enough sports or whatever, the channels for chi flow open in a natural way. We do practise Chi Kung for a good focus, relaxation and to open up the channels for the chi more.

[Alan Armstrong]

We practise 5 Animal Qi Qong within the Ng Ying Kungfu system. Our teacher Patrick van Steen often says that everything is energy. Qi Qong is not mandatory for people to practise. With living healthy and exercising enough sports or whatever, the channels for chi flow open in a natural way. We do practise Chi Kung for a good focus, relaxation and to open up the channels for the chi more.

Hello KeithBerg, have often tried to make a point here on KF about energy based concepts that turns in to tool based conversation instead.

This is why my participation here has dwindled down to almost nothing.

Perhaps Chinese energy secrets have been blown out of proportion that they have lost validity in main stream MA.

When physics, body mechanics and a whole lot of understanding of how to pull the strings of another human better than themselves, as in balance and using gravity to one's advantage, this being understood by all, until then it will stay in the most part, either in the shadows of mystery or in the realm of con men, for profit or just for fun.

Understanding chi concepts for health benefits and for quality of life is something every human being can use not just martial artists.

Chi kung exercise helps martial artist to be stronger when ever needed and also developes that individual's martial quality, no matter what style or system practiced.

Chi kung can also be used as a therapy to regain health, after serious health issue, having four heart attacks, it is important for me to do the right things to not only survive but thrive.

So my advice is to get past the chi hype and look in to sustainable healthy lifestyle habits, by cutting back on thing that are unhealthy bit by bit and adding thing that are good for your health.

Over time looking back on the healthy life style changes you have made, will have been the greatest gift that you could have given to yourself.

One principle aspect of chi is understanding the quality of all things, from the quality of air we breath, to the water we drink, to the food we eat, to the way we train, so you become an accumulation of things built on quality products, qualty training and quality methods that makes a martial artist a formidable opponent of quality.

[sensei8]

We practise 5 Animal Qi Qong within the Ng Ying Kungfu system. Our teacher Patrick van Steen often says that everything is energy. Qi Qong is not mandatory for people to practise. With living healthy and exercising enough sports or whatever, the channels for chi flow open in a natural way. We do practise Chi Kung for a good focus, relaxation and to open up the channels for the chi more.

Hello KeithBerg, have often tried to make a point here on KF about energy based concepts that turns in to tool based conversation instead.

 

This is why my participation here has dwindled down to almost nothing.

Perhaps Chinese energy secrets have been blown out of proportion that they have lost validity in main stream MA.

When physics, body mechanics and a whole lot of understanding of how to pull the strings of another human better than themselves, as in balance and using gravity to one's advantage, this being understood by all, until then it will stay in the most part, either in the shadows of mystery or in the realm of con men, for profit or just for fun.

Understanding chi concepts for health benefits and for quality of life is something every human being can use not just martial artists.

Chi kung exercise helps martial artist to be stronger when ever needed and also developes that individual's martial quality, no matter what style or system practiced.

Chi kung can also be used as a therapy to regain health, after serious health issue, having four heart attacks, it is important for me to do the right things to not only survive but thrive.

So my advice is to get past the chi hype and look in to sustainable healthy lifestyle habits, by cutting back on thing that are unhealthy bit by bit and adding thing that are good for your health.

Over time looking back on the healthy life style changes you have made, will have been the greatest gift that you could have given to yourself.

One principle aspect of chi is understanding the quality of all things, from the quality of air we breath, to the water we drink, to the food we eat, to the way we train, so you become an accumulation of things built on quality products, qualty training and quality methods that makes a martial artist a formidable opponent of quality.

Hi Alan; glad to see you!!

To the bold type above...

Your contributions here at KF have been substantial across the board. It's important to always consider that the wide plethora of knowledge's and experiences here at KF, and in that, we don't always read posts that are what we had hoped for.

I hope that we'll continue to learn from your vast knowledge and experience, as once again illustrated in your most recent post on this thread; solid post!!

[Chunmonchek]

Perhaps Chinese energy secrets have been blown out of proportion that they have lost validity in main stream MA.

When physics, body mechanics and a whole lot of understanding of how to pull the strings of another human better than themselves, as in balance and using gravity to one's advantage, this being understood by all, until then it will stay in the most part, either in the shadows of mystery or in the realm of con men, for profit or just for fun.

Understanding chi concepts for health benefits and for quality of life is something every human being can use not just martial artists.

Chi kung exercise helps martial artist to be stronger when ever needed and also developes that individual's martial quality, no matter what style or system practiced.

So my advice is to get past the chi hype and look in to sustainable healthy lifestyle habits, by cutting back on thing that are unhealthy bit by bit and adding thing that are good for your health.

Over time looking back on the healthy life style changes you have made, will have been the greatest gift that you could have given to yourself.

Each of the above resonates with me.

To me...Chi...or whatever you want to call it...is all about attaining efficiency...doing more with less...

I find the problem is that the issue is that it's an experiential thing. In other words, unless there is a similar or common experience, words will not suffice...

[Alan Armstrong]

The Western mind set is a very difficult one to adapt to the Eastern one, it does take a lot of time and effort to adapt to and still a person might not reach very far.

As more and more Westerners learn and share with other Westerners on topics such as Chi the more easier it will become for everyone over time.

Personally I can snap back in to tool based thinking and using techniques in a second but this is secondary to using energy-efficient concepts first.

Chi is also air, run out of air in a confrontation due to being exhausted or winded by a shot to the abs or a rear naked choke they all add up to losing.

As a car needs air in it's tyres and for the combustion engine chi is present to make things work not just efficiently.

Chi is energy that can used in many positive and negative ways to hurt or to heal having too much of a good thing can also have the reverse effect therefore moderation is a factor also.

Modern day Western personal trainers are now using Chi Kung exercise concepts in their curriculums they just might not know it, as it is showing up progressively more over time.

Perhaps trainers are missing out on Chi aspects and only using the Kung, which represents time and effort,

[Alan Armstrong]

Thank you sensei8 for your comments.

There are Chinese energy concepts that are very small in them selves but have deep profound meanings.

"Jin" Elastic energy, the more a martial artist has of this one the better.

"Song" Sinking and releasing as in making use of one's own body mass.

"Ting" sensing the tension in another person and taking advantage of it in a confrontation.

"Ji" Triangulation or funneling energy to a point.

"Bien" Whipping energy.

"Biu" Thrusting energy.

These are just a few of many, small concepts individually but collectively used with martial art intention can be very overwhelming for the none initiated.

[Alan Armstrong]

Another problem with Western misinterpretations of Chinese sounds and how we for example try to make sense of them, for example the multitude of spellings for the same idea "Jom" or "Jum" or "Jam" to sink or sinking or sunk, when it's true meaning is "pillow".

As with pillow, there is a 'connection of two things coming together' element and a 'time' element also a 'slow or gradual' element and a 'softness' element, a connection of pillow and sinking.

Therefore to express a technique with the quality of 'Jum' then to use the idea of sinking with a pillow in mind is correct instead of something already sunk or as a sinking ship.

Clear descriptions of Chinese energy concepts is a must otherwise everything is up for mass miss interpretations.

[Alan Armstrong]

Written as "Peng" pronounced "Pung" as it would be misinterpreted with a bad smell.

When this Chineses word Pung can become lost in word association with smell, it is however probably one of the most important energy concepts in martial arts.

As Pung is not only a direction of a curved arch going down and up in Tai Chi Chuan it is also defines the quality of all things in their natural comfortable state.

Therefore in a fight situation it is better to stay composed, aware and prepared in a Pung state of being whilst let the opponents be disjointed and uncomfortable, OK easier said than done, that is for sure, but be assured that this is the place to aim for as a martial artist, as this is the closes you will be to your MA potential.

[Fat Cobra]

I am an extreme novice at Qigong, I must admit. I do some exercises, including the 5 Animal Frolics and the 8 Pieces of Brocade. I really like them and do believe they greatly supplement my Ryukyu Kempo Training.