Tim, I really enjoy your web site, it is feeled with great information. As a older person who practices martial arts I often wonder if chi can be used for self defence as I get older. I have heard of people who have practed tai chi for so long, they are able project chi from their hands, is there any validity to this? Tim, I understand you studied in China, did you see any amazing feets of chi while you were there? A few years ago, I met a tai chi practioner who related a story to me of his experience of seeing first hand the use of chi. It starts with some young guys hitting and kicking a heavy sandbag in China Town. After these young guys were done working out on the sandbag, an old man approached it and lightly tapped it and created a large hole on the bottom of the bag causing all of the sand to flow out. The old man who lightly tapped the bag was supposedly a master of tai chi who has practiced tai chi for soo long his chi is heavily developed. Is there any validity to this story or is it one of those urban myths? As you progress in age is it really possible to defeat young strong guys with just a push or light tap? Did you see any of these type of incidents while you were in China?

Hi Billy,
Do I believe that you can shoot Chi out of your fingers? No.
Have I ever seen any amazing feats of Chi in China? No.
Do I believe anyone could lightly tap a heavybag and poke a hole in it? No.

Martial arts skills are acquired just like the skills of any other discipline, through hard work and long hours of practice. There is no magic or mysterious energy involved. That doesn't mean an older or weaker person cannot learn to defend themselves against the younger and stronger, they can, with hard work and training under a competent teacher. In addition, there are a host of other benefits to be gained from realistic martial training beyond fighting skills.

Tim,

Is it common for practioners of harder/more externally oriented styles to be able to fight well into old age?

If not, what is it about Taijiquan, Baguazhang, Xingyiquan and similar arts that allow their
older practioners (in their 60's and older) to fight well enough to defend against younger, physically stronger opponents?

Tim,

Is it common for practioners of harder/more externally oriented styles to be able to fight well into old age?

In any case, what is it about Taijiquan, Baguazhang, Xingyiquan and similar arts that allow their older practioners (in their 60's and older) to fight well enough to defend against younger, physically stronger opponents?

* * * * * * * * *

By the way, there was a chinese documentary about
a Shaolin Abbot (Jet Li appears in it also) that developed some serious one-finger gong fu and could support his body weight
on one finger. He was also able to poke a sandbag with very little discernable force and cause the sand inside to come pouring out. I think he was in his 80's at the time. Perhaps it was a hoax, but I'd like to think that a Shaolin monk wouldn't orchestrate a hoax...

David,
I have seen quite a few practitioners of the 'External' martial arts that maintain their skills into old age (for example, Helio Gracie is in his 90's and still grapples). On the other hand, the list of famous Tai Ji Quan masters that died relatively young is quite long. I think it all depends on how you practice, and mainly that you KEEP practicing.

Thanks for responding - I really appreciate it.

I wonder why there are so many Taijiquan masters
that checked out early, and also if it happened
to practitioners of all styles.

Anyway, thanks again for the answer.

Maybe they were just Chi movers and not fighters and they were killed in combat. I am pretty positive that practitioners of all styles die at a wide range of ages. I wonder how many Tai Ji masters have been run over by cars?

well, jou tsung hwa was killed in a car wreck.........

Tim, i just wanted to say that u are wrong about chi and the use of it.It exists.My teacher has told me of people he knows that can move people by concentrating their hand(s) on them from about a foot away or so.(maybe further maybe shorter i'm not sure)But i DO know that it definitly exists.A friend of mine knows of a boy who's teacher can make things float with either chi or his mind.One of those.But i'm not sure about that story because i don't know that boy personaly but i wouldn't exactly doubt it either.But the bottom line?chi exists...

That be sum seriously trippy shizzile.

I read one explanation of the mystical chi everyone is so intrigued with... and it made sense.

It was written in Chen Pan Lings Tai Chi Book that was compiled into English by Y.W. Chang(great book by the way).

It discussed how chi is similiar to static electricity and a story on how Chang San Feng used it.

The story says a robber approached Chang and went to grab him from behind, at this time he leaned forward and the robber fell into the stream, when Chang sit upright, the robber was pulled out of the water by his chi(static electicity).

If anyone knows and has study electicity... it is very appearant it is possible.

I have felt some pretty amazing energy flow from my teacher and have felt an overwhelming awareness when I am in his presence, but I have never seen anyone repel anyone that is feet away etc.

Everyone has an automatic sensing aura around them, but I dont think anyone will be seeing another Chang San Feng.

Dimitri,

Well I heard from someone who knew someone else who knew the guy you are talking about and he said it's not true.

But the bottom line? chi doesn't exist.

Rich,
I've had experience with static electricity. I rubbed a ballon and it stuck to the wall (I can film it if there are any doubters). Do you have any film of using it to pull people out of a river?

LOL, Very funny Tim!

Dimitri,

I am sorry that you have not seen the light on this one (no pun intended). But why don't you go pick a fight and try to use your chi powers then, and let us know the result.

Chi is not for martial arts usage, it's meant for medical purposes and there is nothing mysterious about it, it's just the natural energy within everything. Remember science class, everything is made of energy, and that energy is in many forms from the coarse to the refined, but your not going to shoot out of your finger tips.

Next bring us back something that YOU can validify (did I just make up a new word?). And we want video and pictures.

Tim, sorry I haven't been in class lately, been a little short on money. Gas is just too expensive.

In ancient Greece, and among more recent India, China, and American natives it was known that when in trance or deep meditative state some people could feel 'that which moves within' (prana, chi, ki, holy spirit, etc.). It was even known among the meditative prayer practices of some of the Eastern Orthodox Christian religions. Some of the asian fighting arts systems training methods can lead to the same sensations.

It is an effect of the nervous system, nothing more. However, combine that with such factors as strong blows which appear to be effortless to an observor, mythologies, lack of understanding of how the body functions, and even lack of understanding of how a blows energy is generated, simply that if one does certain exercises, you get a result. Throw in the desire to protect your secrets, enhance your image, plus others who are trying to copy you or are frauds and you end with with the whole 'chi' thing.

Even more, it took a long time to be able to feel that sensation, and not everybody did, so modern teachers tell the students to imagine the 'chi' to speed up the process. This method lets the student create the idea that they feel it without doing the work to acutally do so. Another form of self delusion. One can learn to imagine and 'feel' anything.

More recently, this has become a business.

Hey Tim,
How do you exsplain what the emperor dose in return of the Jedi? I thought that was Chi, is that more like Ki?

-Chris Hein

Chi + natural body processes observed and united through sound fitness practices. A certain feeling of concentrated Vitality... best
investigated with malt liquor and a willing female or James McNeil, some hooker and 2000 Dollars.

Runners get that chi high y'know....

Nothing mystical, just a mystical word.
Except when I'm playing Dragon Ball Z...

Hmmm, a failed attempt at cloning BOB #2.

Hi Tim,

I find it interesting that you keep saying "Chi does not exist". I personally think chi exists, but not in the context that a lot of the esoteric chi fanatics talk about it. Do you really mean that you do not believe in any type of internal energy, or just not the deadly emanating force from finger tips?

Thanks,
Richard

Tim,
The only film I have of static electricity is one I can not share...

She gets mad everytime I show people the tape.