When to ki-up?

[Makalakumu]

In my dojang, I have three general rules regarding Ki-haps and their use...

1. To draw attention...in a self defense situation, the best thing an attacker can wish for is a meek and quiet victim. In many cases, the presence of loud noise and watching eyes can make would be attackers think twice.

2. To intimidate...again, in a self defense situation meek and quiet can be synonomous. When the meek cease to be quiet bad things start to happen to perps. In essence, this is the quintessential blood curdling battle cry.

3. To express power...this can take many forms and it can have many explanations. The end result is the same. Executing a technique with an emotive (and spiritual) shout increases the power of that technique.

Here are some examples from my training that show these principles applied...

1. 30 min before my instructor and I performed a self defense seminar on my old college campus (as the crowd was gathering) we milled on the out skirts of the park. Silently, he took a swing at me and I went down. He took my wallet and ran. NO BODY EVEN LOOKED. 10 minutes before the start, we did the same demonstration, this time I defended and let loose with my war cry. The entire crowd was instantly staring.

2. At my second dan test, I had to spar three other black belts at the same time. I am a quiet guy and known for speaking softly. At sijak I let loose with a war cry that shook the foundations and three trained fighters stood rooted, staring, and bewildered while I got the jump on them. My instructors instructor (a sixth dan) pointed this out as an example for his higher ranked students.

3. Breaking. Five bricks. No spacers. I visualized my hand moving through and the shout came from a place in my mind that is usually buried.

upnorthkyosa

 

[Zepp]

Adept,

There's an article about ki by Ron Chapel in the Fall 2004 issue of MartialTalk Magazine. It's not the kind of thing that would belong in Nature, but I think it puts things in a perspective you might appreciate.

 

[Adept]

Adept,

There's an article about ki by Ron Chapel in the Fall 2004 issue of MartialTalk Magazine. It's not the kind of thing that would belong in Nature, but I think it puts things in a perspective you might appreciate.

Sounds good. Is it an online publication? If so, where does one find it? If it is a paper publication, do you think it would be worth importing it to Australia? Also, which months are fall? I'm assuming september to november?

 

[Zepp]

It's an online publication put out by the owner of this very board. Just go to www.martialtalk.com and click on the link for the magazine.

Btw, it's in PDF format, so you'll need to download Adobe Reader if it isn't already on your computer.

 

[Marginal]

Look, I'm not trying to be confrontational or aggressive. If you honestly believe in something like ki or life force, I'm genuinely curious as to why. Maybe there is some key research I've missed, or perhaps a fresh perspective could help me learn. So in all sincerity, what makes you believe in ki?

Largely depends on how you look at it. If you're moving cups, knocking people out without touching them etc, that's rocketing off into the realms of quackery.

On the other hand, someone once presented me with the following chi blocking exercise:

Put your finger on someone's philtrum, (the spot directly under their nose) and tell them to try as hard as they can to take a step forward. They won't be able to.

There's a trick to this. Most of the hold up is phychological. In trying to move forward as hard as they can, they tense. Thusly, their neck muscles etc work against any attempted forward movement. There are valid and completely reasonable physiological reasons for why the exercise works as it's intended. Call it chi or biomechanics etc, the result's the same. A boxer's trying just as hard to focus their energy on one point. Chi energy, kinetic energy... Doesn't really matter.

 

[Zepp]

On the other hand, someone once presented me with the following chi blocking exercise:

Put your finger on someone's philtrum, (the spot directly under their nose) and tell them to try as hard as they can to take a step forward. They won't be able to.

Gotta try this one. Thanks for posting it.