[Bloodybirds]

Very interesting cultural comment from Twitch. Thanks Twitch....now I want to go and research that comment!!! I have always wondered why the martial arts grew so expoentially in Asia but failed to take hold in Europe, other than of course superior sword fighting. Twitch....one question initially, why then did Savate take hold in France while the rest of Europe did not create their own hand to hand methodologies?

As I said in earlier comments, I believe chi is a bioelectric response that occurs when one is relaxed with an empty mind. However, it is distinguished from fa jing, basically the method of using great waist and hip action to express power through the hands or feet. Dr. Yang has an interesting perspective because of his educational and martial arts background. I think chi manifestation is real but not in the esoteric way that quasi-mystics purport it to be. It is essentially to me the expression of one's inner energy forces being expressed outward. I have seen my Shaolin master do some things like ramming 75 pounds of weight on the bar into his balls, while grinning, or having a "rambo" knife stabbed in his stomach and the blade breaking (knew that was real because I was the one at the demo that did it to him) but is that just massive power or something else? As far as arts that really study chi, the Shaolin animal arts, and the internal arts (taiji, hsing-i, and ba gua) all emphasize either the hard gung or soft nei gung (all qi-gong) of chi to supplement their strikes and postures. Difference lies in the internal v. external nature of the defense.

[CraigS159]

hi,

In my view, chi is the inner strength of a person, a bit like the spirit. It wont allow you to shoot fire balls, turn invisiable and shoot magic bullets out from your fingers but it will improve your strength (mentally, which will actually contribute to your physical strength).

In my knowledge of ninjutsu, it is said that chi is what makes up the universe and everything that exists within it. Increasing your chi can be achieved by meditating and achieving inner peace and a positive attitude that makes life more enjoyable.

Chi is about using tranquill motion, not force, to achieve a mass amount of power.

[TonyTooRaw]

interesting, thank u guys......cany anyone improve their chi? or do u have to be taught by a certain person or study that art? or can any person just sit down n meditate?

[Bloodybirds]

Tony, like anything else in the martial arts study, it is all a journey of growth and self discovery. I do say, at least in my experience, that it is necessary to have a guide to take you through it who has been there before. I remember the first time I was taught rooting and the first time it worked in a standing meditation I felt a funny sensation like my feet were glued to the floor and sunken in. It was a weird sensation. As far as I know, whether you call it chi, ki, or another acronym, most traditional Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Indonesian, or Filipino arts all teach it. Find someone who is a bona fide master of qi-gong or some other form and follow his/her guidance.

[Hengest]

I have always wondered why the martial arts grew so expoentially in Asia but failed to take hold in Europe, other than of course superior sword fighting. Twitch....one question initially, why then did Savate take hold in France while the rest of Europe did not create their own hand to hand methodologies?

The rest of Europe did create their own hand-to-hand methodologies. The English have boxing and catch, the Dutch worstel-konst, the Germans ringen, the Austrians ranggeln, the Swiss schwingen, the Basques zipota. Look anywhere in Europe and you'll find indigenous fighting systems. With the invention of firearms, both the East and West saw hand-to-hand combatives take a back seat. The difference stems from the opinions over the role of HTH at that point. The West preserved their styles in the form of sport, often very localised, used simply for entertainment. The East, however, saw their styles as methods of spiritual improvement and their study was largely encouraged with this aim in mind.

I don't think religion had much of a part to play. La verdadera destreza, the Spanish school of rapier, is a good case in point. The entire system was wrapped up in Judeo-Christian mythology, particularly with regards to its incredibly complex system of footwork, which relied heavily on the qabbalistic idea of sacred geometry.

I dont know if this will add anything to the discussion, but here goes.

Im sure all of you have heard of the Gaia belief. Basically that everything has spirit, and things of animation have more. In this way everything is tied together, and one can draw on the spirit of the things around him. Theres more to it than just that though.

This is what I think chi is, cause lets face it, its been around so long there has to be some merit to it. I believe chi or kia is the harnessing and focusing of this internal spirit that we all have and share. Thus, we have people with extraordinary talents, such as a sixth sense type of thing. And also the ability to draw some spirit from other things/people to empower the self. I think this spirit is the source of some of the "paranormal" things that are unexplainable, and the source of many other mysteries. If I hadnt typed so much today in the bush forum Id write more, but Im tired now.

[Bloodybirds]

Hengest, thank you very much for a very informative answer. I found particularly interesting your comments on the Kabbala and footwork. I guess I need to go back to my kabbalistic studies from my youth.....missed that!!!

I have always found it interesting to take a period in time from the past and compare developments in disparate parts of the world at the time. It is fascinating, both from an economic and martial aspect, how different cultures took the same problem (s) and developed different solutions based upon cultural norms and practices along with surroundings/environment. Thank you Hengest....time to read up on some of what you mentioned.

[Hengest]

Originally Posted by Bloodybirds

Thank you Hengest....time to read up on some of what you mentioned.

You're welcome mate. It's difficult to find reliable information on Western martial arts on the Net, but one excellent source is the Journal of Western Martial Arts ( http://ejmas.com/jwma/ ) and its subsiduary publication, the Journal of Manly Arts ( http://ejmas.com/jmanly/ ). Both of these are mines of information. Incidentally, if you look in the 2001 archive of the JWMA, you'll find an excellent article on la verdadera destreza by today's foremost practitioner.

[CraigS159]

Anyone can learn to meditate on their own, if you know how. Obviously it helps to ask a martial art teacher for guidence.

[bamboo]

Better yet,

ask a meditation teacher.