Ok, Anybody heard of this guy Mantak Chia? I was talking to an aquantence of mine and he started asking me about Qigong. He then proceed to say that he had learned it from boks and that the style he learned was, you guuessed it, "Armor of the Golden Bell". To be fair he didn't really know much about the Chinese systems of hard qigong and was quite dismayed when I reaveled to him the secrets of the sShaolin monks breaking spears and stuff with their necks. But he sited this guy and low and behold, a book on Iron Shirt. WTF?

Now I have seen plenty of geek acts pretending to be qigong outside of the monks, so I am pretty damn sure that it's a buch of crap. My teacher also devulged that inthe day, that was how martial artist would bring in the dough by attracting students. True? I don't know. But it's a hell of lot more p[lausible than a guy who can not get cut with a chopper weilded by an enemy. These are tricks, true, but some are rather dangerous tricks if you don't know what you are doing. Who is this Mantak Chia dude, and why the hell is he convincing people that they can make their skin as durabale as a buick?

"why the hell is he convincing people that they can make their skin as durabale as a buick?"

Answer: cause the money rolls in proportionally to the looks of amazement on the faces of the rubes in his audience.

Yes, very true.

I guess what I am really after is the notion that people will believe this kind of crap. It's just plain wierd, almost as if someone is arguing the David Copperfield is really breaking the laws of physics with his magic show or something. I was taught how to do almost every single one of those tricks the so-called "Iron body masters" demonstrate and they are just that. But, if you tell people how the trick works, they dig their heels in and say that I may know a trick but so and so knows the rea thing.

Now I also understand the attraction of "iron body skills" to a martial artist. But demonstrations of getting hit in the gut (having time and conditioning before hand) and over the top of the head are just ineffectual. I can see that working on people who don't know Martial art or who dont fight at all, but anyone who spars knows that getting hit in certain areas wil hurt less and ccause less injury than others. Now, if the "Iron body" master can take one across the jaw, or a baseball bat to the side of the head,without getting hurt, then we will talk.

Mmmm interesting Chad, the answer is obviously "of course they can't" but in the breath (excuse the pun) I have seen people smash glass bottles (untreated) by simply blowing into them. But specifically addressing the hard qigong element, I have seen old chinese guys get punched full strength in the throat with seemingly no adverse reaction. Later they told me that although it does not "real" damage (they build the cartilage in the throat and lead the 'chi' there, thus strengthening it) but it still hurts like hell.

Interestingly they said that the hardest aspect of hard chi gong is to cover the eyes with the 'golden bell' and the test for this? I don't want to even say it as judging by some of the fools yapping on here might actually try it.

The answer is never at the top of a far flung mountain, it's always closer to home (i.e. where you should be practising daily)

sine when did the stat selling instructional videos at wal mart. youre a liar. (maniacal laughter ensues)