When I was growing up, in the middle of the last century, there was this strange beast called the martial arts. People could defend themselves merely through the use of this strange energy called ki. Heck, women could beat up mugs and rapists, and even children could defend themselves using this thing called Karate.
I explored Kenpo, and Goju, and judo, and several other martial arts, and I found little trace of this mysterious energy. Mostly, you just stood in line and hit the air, and I began to believe that ki might be more of a myth than a reality. Still, I saw pictures of people breaking bricks, and doing other things which, even though they seemed a bit muscular, touted this strange energy called Ki.
As years passed, and as I practiced my martial arts techniques thousands and thousands and thousands of times, something strange happened. I began to sense a world beyond myself. I began to understand the world without de[ending on eyes and ears, and with a sense of myself that went beyond body. Slowly, I began to understand there might be truth to this ki thing, and to understand that circus tricks were the icing, and enjoyable, but that real intrinsic energy was something else.
I studied Tai Chi Chuan and Aikido, and other internal arts. I began to feel a strange energy permeate my body, and I began to enjoy a profound health which made me feel more spry than even when I had been young. And I began to realize certain things about this mysterious subject called ki, or chi, which should be understood, should people wish to really delve into the truth of the subject.
When you do your forms you must attain a low center of gravity, for this will create a better energy connection to the planet. A better energy connection means more real energy will pass through the legs and into the energy center of the body. I realized that the tan tien is nothing but a simple energy generator on the body level.
If you can excite the energy center through the use of forms, then you can cause an energy to seep upward through the body. This energy will excite a tan tien in the upper body, and then cause a person, through the excitation of the tan tien in the head, to view his body from outside his body. Thus, the body is filled and becomes a battery charged with supernormal energy which is called ki or chi.
The energy of the body can be used in many ways, and this provides a whole new education for a student of such things. To explore this education one should attempt to not use muscles, for energy locked into muscles stops the intention which drives the energy, and stops the emission of intrinsic energy. Instead, when striking, one should use ones body like a noodle, not even tightening the fist, merely driving it through the attacker, and occupying the space of his body, and to loosen the motion and sensitivity of the body so it is empty, and able to seek an imbalance of the attacker even in combat, and further the guidance of his energy in a profound and magnitudious manner.
Ki, whether it is called pneuma or chi or prana or intrinsic energy or whatever, is not mysterious. It is simple to find and define and use, if one only pay attention to the simple things I have written in this article, and are willing to practice endlessly. Whether you study goju or uechi or shotokan, whether you practice tai chi or yoga, this thing called ki, or chi, is available to you, and it defines The Path of The True Art. - 31373
I explored Kenpo, and Goju, and judo, and several other martial arts, and I found little trace of this mysterious energy. Mostly, you just stood in line and hit the air, and I began to believe that ki might be more of a myth than a reality. Still, I saw pictures of people breaking bricks, and doing other things which, even though they seemed a bit muscular, touted this strange energy called Ki.
As years passed, and as I practiced my martial arts techniques thousands and thousands and thousands of times, something strange happened. I began to sense a world beyond myself. I began to understand the world without de[ending on eyes and ears, and with a sense of myself that went beyond body. Slowly, I began to understand there might be truth to this ki thing, and to understand that circus tricks were the icing, and enjoyable, but that real intrinsic energy was something else.
I studied Tai Chi Chuan and Aikido, and other internal arts. I began to feel a strange energy permeate my body, and I began to enjoy a profound health which made me feel more spry than even when I had been young. And I began to realize certain things about this mysterious subject called ki, or chi, which should be understood, should people wish to really delve into the truth of the subject.
When you do your forms you must attain a low center of gravity, for this will create a better energy connection to the planet. A better energy connection means more real energy will pass through the legs and into the energy center of the body. I realized that the tan tien is nothing but a simple energy generator on the body level.
If you can excite the energy center through the use of forms, then you can cause an energy to seep upward through the body. This energy will excite a tan tien in the upper body, and then cause a person, through the excitation of the tan tien in the head, to view his body from outside his body. Thus, the body is filled and becomes a battery charged with supernormal energy which is called ki or chi.
The energy of the body can be used in many ways, and this provides a whole new education for a student of such things. To explore this education one should attempt to not use muscles, for energy locked into muscles stops the intention which drives the energy, and stops the emission of intrinsic energy. Instead, when striking, one should use ones body like a noodle, not even tightening the fist, merely driving it through the attacker, and occupying the space of his body, and to loosen the motion and sensitivity of the body so it is empty, and able to seek an imbalance of the attacker even in combat, and further the guidance of his energy in a profound and magnitudious manner.
Ki, whether it is called pneuma or chi or prana or intrinsic energy or whatever, is not mysterious. It is simple to find and define and use, if one only pay attention to the simple things I have written in this article, and are willing to practice endlessly. Whether you study goju or uechi or shotokan, whether you practice tai chi or yoga, this thing called ki, or chi, is available to you, and it defines The Path of The True Art. - 31373
About the Author:
Al Case has practiced the martial arts for forty years. He has written dozens of articles for the magazines and had his own column. You can find out if his Ki is worth a darn by getting his free ebook at Monster Martial Arts.
