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Post by AngelaG on Sept 24, 2004 11:03:31 GMT
How many people on here believe in Ki? Have you experienced anything that you would put down to the existence of Ki? Do you believe that Ki has a place in Martial Arts, or should be abandoned altogether as a waste of time? If people don't look into Ki are they missing out on a vital part of Martial Arts training?
When I first started Karate I was very cynical when it came to talk about Ki etc. Since then I have experienced one or two things which my (admittedly fairly limited) knowledge of human biology cannot explain. I have become a lot more open minded about it, and would now say that I realise there are a lot of things I cannot explain and I am open to anyone trying to prove (or disprove) the existence of Ki. I guess I am an optimistic cynic! So I think there is more than meets the eye, but am still highly doubtful about stuff like No Touch Knockouts etc. I have read a few interesting articles about it and some I have dismissed as BS, but some have definitely given me food for thought.
One of the troubles I have with ki is how it would work in a true self-defence situation. It’s interesting to play with this sort of stuff in the dojo but would you want to bet your life on it? Is it better to just stick to hitting the opponent harder and faster than they can hit you? Does the building up of Ki take time, and therefore waste vital seconds where you could be hitting your attacker? Is it even possibly to use something like that within a stressful situation? I still like to play around with the idea of Ki, and research it, because I took up karate for many more varied reasons than just self-defence and it is pretty fascinating stuff; and I’d really be interested in people’s views on this, and whether they feel Ki can be used within a self-defence situation.
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padwan
KR White Belt
Posts: 23
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Post by padwan on Sept 24, 2004 20:31:15 GMT
Hi everyone I firmly believe in the existance of Ki & for examples - on the nice fluffy side you have things such as Reiki & Qigong & on the not very nice but lots of fun side you have Pressure points used for destructive purposes. None of these would work if Ki didnt exist & we would all be none the wiser & still be happy with line dancing 3 times a week  I appreciate that the Ki/Qi debate is one of the most controversal subjects in MA & so I basically take the approach of not trying to convert people because there have been numerous people who despite the fact that when you have actually done something which is either on the healing/destructive side they still sit/ stand there claiming they cant feel anything / it doesnt work / seen it all before yadda yadda yadda even though you can clearly see a reaction to what you have done. Now there definately is a difference between the results you can produce in the dojo which can in some instances be so weird that you cant believe it even if you have seen it with your own eyes & the real world BUT the chances of you pulling this off when you are not in your little cotton wrapped dojo are very slim indeed. Now ignoring all the party tricks Ki can be used in real situations & the two main forms of this are intent as the mind leads the energy & simply 'relaxing' your muscles when you hit someone and as a result let the energy flow through you. Now again I realise than when it hits the fan & your adrenalin goes through the roof the first reaction is to lock up but this is where you need to train at a level which makes you experience these feelings so its not totally alien when it happens. Another problem is being indoctrinated after a long period of time of being taught rigid stances & the classic tense up when you punch. The best way to disprove this theory is hit someone as hard as you can using your normal technique & get the lucky person on the recieving end to use this as a reference point. Now punch them again but use half the power & just think of something to make yourself relax & see how that feels. Then do it again - half the power - double the relaxation etc etc & fairly soon you will find that much to the annoyance of your partner you are punching much harder but using little or no effort + you arent getting as tired as quick but when it still comes down to it you need to hit them hard ;D |
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Post by AngelaG on Sept 24, 2004 23:06:28 GMT
Hi Padwan Welcome to Karate Resource forums. Nice first post! Angela  |
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padwan
KR White Belt
Posts: 23
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Post by padwan on Sept 25, 2004 9:44:06 GMT
I thank you  |
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Post by Aefibird on Sept 25, 2004 15:59:44 GMT
Hi also from me, Padwan!  Back onto the topic... I believe in Ki/Chi/Qi/Whatever-Ya-Wanna-Call-It. I've had some small experience with Quigong (the 'soft' side ) as well as with pressure point training. I too am still a little scepticle(sp?) about No Touch Knockouts and the like, but I'm not totally against the idea that there may be such things. The human mind is a very powerful force and a lot of it is still not understood - Ki probably falls into this category. Edited for mega typos! |
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padwan
KR White Belt
Posts: 23
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Post by padwan on Sept 25, 2004 21:46:44 GMT
yeah same as you on the NTKO stuff but I take the view that if someone can show that they can do it in real life then sign me up !!! ;D
& yeah the mind is without a doubt the most powerfull weapon that you have & the clearest example of this - in keeping with the Ki subject is intent.
If you pick a point say LI 10 for argument sake & while you are merrily battering away thinking nice happy thoughts or start doubting if it will affect the person all you will get is a partner with a very sore arm & they will have just experienced the normal surface type pain.
Whereas if you start thinking shall we say slightly more negative things ;D & actually visualise whatever it is that you want the person to feel then you are pretty much going to get yourself taken off their xmas card list very rapidly lol
+ obviously the more bizare the thoughts you have the funnier the reaction in your partner lol ;D
Qigong is lovely to practice -same as reiki & again you can get some fairly scary reactions if you really focus when you do it - just trust in the force lol
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Post by AngelaG on Sept 25, 2004 22:18:45 GMT
yeah same as you on the NTKO stuff but I take the view that if someone can show that they can do it in real life then sign me up !!! ;D I agree with this, but with one condition; they must prove it works on me... if not I'll always be wondering if the other person was 'in on the act'. |
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Post by searcher2 on Sept 26, 2004 8:56:27 GMT
It works because I KNOWit works
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Post by demonwarrior on Sept 26, 2004 9:29:37 GMT
Is it possible to use Qi on one's self? Such as in self-healing?
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padwan
KR White Belt
Posts: 23
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Post by padwan on Sept 26, 2004 10:27:03 GMT
agree with you Angela - there are a lot of instances where instructors of 'whatever' discipline will have their favourite uke's or deliberately pick on someone cause they know they will get a very positive response - which obviously makes them look really good.
Like you unless someone can get a positive reaction on me then its a case of move on to the next thing or just play with it till it actually works - which in a lot of cases is a lot more fun & satisfying.
& yeah to be honest unless you have a full time reiki / qigong practice then its likely you will use it on your self more regularly than on other people - especially if you do martial arts / other contact sports & it certainly beats having to shove a load of painkillers down your neck in the morning lol ;D
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Post by Aefibird on Sept 26, 2004 11:04:20 GMT
Qigong is lovely to practice -same as reiki & again you can get some fairly scary reactions if you really focus when you do it - just trust in the force lol "The Force is strong in this one..." Heh, heh, if I trust in the Force, does that mean that if I do a weapons kata it has to be performed with a light sabre? ;D |
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Post by Aefibird on Sept 26, 2004 11:05:28 GMT
I agree with this, but with one condition; they must prove it works on me... if not I'll always be wondering if the other person was 'in on the act'. I agree with Angela - I'm a bit of a cynic and a sceptic when it comes to NTKO and the like - I'd always be wondering if it was a set-up if I got to see one performed in real life. |
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padwan
KR White Belt
Posts: 23
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Post by padwan on Sept 26, 2004 21:39:14 GMT
you mean you dont anyway  - Like D'uh - what sort of club do you belong to !!!!!!! lol ;D - but if you are into pressure point stuff - then obviously after a few years you have to trade it for a red one though !!!! lol |
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thingy
KR Green Belt
Posts: 150
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Post by thingy on Sept 27, 2004 12:31:24 GMT
I believe in Ki/Chi/Qi/Whatever-Ya-Wanna-Call-It. Is it real? Chi was explained to me by a Tai Chi teacher, along these lines. Chi isnt anything mystical, imagine a dead animal. Hold that thought....... it's....thats right! A chicken on a plate. That chicken on a plate has no chi. When it was alive, it had chi. Thats it. (further proof that Chickens can do karate) |
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Post by Aefibird on Sept 27, 2004 15:49:33 GMT
Right, Thingy, you've convinced me...
I'm gonna give up Shotokan and take up Chicken-Do... ;D ;D
Hah, that dead chicken on the plate is probably better at karate today than I am. I was practicing earlier today at home and (to use a charming Barnsley expression) I was like "a frog in a sock".
Anyone else ever get those days where everything that you do martial arts related is utterly utterly hopeless? ? Or is it just me?
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- Like D'uh -