This manual is for the benefit of every good
and honorable martial artist in this world, so we can work together and learn to
master the true power within ourselves. For if we can master ourselves, we can
be at peace with each other. The art of war is also the art of peace, for only
those who experience war can truly understand it's evil. My work is done in the
hopes we will never have another war and that this knowledge does more good than
evil. Remember that everything that goes around comes back around again.
Consider yourself warned and never abuse this knowledge.
*Any technique I create here can be altered,
for the only way to master ki is to become independent of all other styles. You
must create a way that feels right to you. These can be a foundation for your
own personal fighting style.*
Disclaimer-Not everyone is the same, so please
keep this in mind and do not overexert yourself. If you every feel sick in any
way, discontinue these exercises until it passes. If you constantly feel sick
each time you do these exercises, re-look these over to see if you made a
mistake. If you did not, try to lower the intensity in some way by making a
variation in an exercise. If that still does not help, discontinue practice
altogether and see a doctor, you might be sick. Also, do not perform any intense
exercises while sick or on mind-altering drugs or medications, or if you are
pregnant. Please use common sense.
Meditation to store ki
Sit on the floor with your legs crossed so that
your ankles are touching. Then, cross your wrists and grab the calf opposite of
your arm. (I.e. right arm grabs left calf.) The purpose of crossing your wrists
and ankles is to hold or contain the ki energy you are going to harness, so that
it cannot escape through the two openings of your body (palm of hands and soles
of feet).
Close your eyes and breathe in through the nose
and out the mouth. As you breath in, visualize the earth's energy (in a green
glow) coming into your body via a small "gateway" in the base of your spine.
Visualize the energy vacuuming up into the swirling gateway and your abdominal
area. Hold the energy in your abdominal area as you hold your breath calmly. As
you hold the energy there, visualize it moving rapidly up and through your body.
It should travel through your chest and up to your brain. Make sure it is
traveling SLOWLY, as you do not want to force the energy too much. You are
simply directing it through your body. The energy should also travel through
your arms and legs. Basically, you want it to fill your entire body.
When you can not hold your breath any longer,
empty your lungs and as you do so, visualize the waste air leaving your body to
be re-charged by the Earth. Repeat this cycle, going each time slower and deeper
as you do it. The energy you develop here will be your "fuel tank" or "reserve"
energy that you will use when you practice a ki technique.
If your body starts to vibrate, do not be
alarmed. It sometimes happens and sometimes doesn't. It depends on how much
energy you are taking in. If you start in any way to feel sick or odd, STOP
performing this meditation until the feeling goes away. Perform daily for
maximum benefit.
Ki visualizing tech (This technique was sent in
by Chee Fatt at sifuhiu@tm.net.my )
Chi is your life force energy. It is an
extension of your body much like your arms and legs. The only real difference
between your arms and your ki is that your ki is not activated by sub conscious
thought.* You must visualize what you want the ki to do. This is why a
visualizing tech is needed.
Think of visualizing as your intention. You
must be much like an artist- you will "draw" in your mind what you desire the ki
to do, using your imagination. Also, remember that your very will IS the ki. But
it should not be an order. Do not force your ki. "You can bring a horse to the
water but you can't make him drink." is an old saying can be likened to ki. You
can tell it what to do and make it a strong order, but if your ki is not able to
do the desired effect it will not. It may take quite a lot of practice to always
gain the desired effect, but it will eventually come.
For starters, you should use a stance familiar
to you (the guarding or fighting stance in your art is usually best), relax, and
imaging there are powerful forces pulling and pressing from all directions. The
most important ones are the 2 imaginary opposite forces running from your spine.
One pushing up from your head to the heaven and the other down stamping into the
earth. Maintain in the posture fully relax for 5 minutes and work your way up
gradually Loosen-up when you feel tense.. Very soon you will find chi
bursting-out and your whole body inflated. This is `Wu Chi' (Ultimate emptiness
manifesting Yin/Yang). Try it, you will feel the difference and in just 1 week
you will notice significant increase in chi. After 3 months with 10 minute
practice sessions daily, you will be amazed how powerful you're ability to
activate ki will have become.
*Ki will eventually be under your sub conscious
control with practice, as any other martial art tech does after repetitive use.
Ki ball construction (this exercise was adapted
from the Psion Guild's psi ball exercise)
Ever seen a japaneese anime cartoon where a
character, such as Ryu on Street Fighter, creates a ball of ki in their hands to
perform a ki blast? Well, a ki ball can actually be created. Practicers of a
psychic art form, called Psionics, start their training by learning an energy
manipulation and transformation technique called the Psi Ball. Since psi and ki
energy* is technically the same thing, a ki ball can also be created.
A ki ball is used for two reasons other than
for attack- energy manipulation and energy transformation. The first reason,
energy manipulation, is another way for your body to become accustomed to using
ki energy, much like the ki visualization tech does. The only real difference is
that you are going to have more options to use the ki for, and martial purposes
is one. The other difference is that a ki ball will teach you ki transformation
which can if nothing make your body use ki more efficiently. I will focus on ki
transformation in a little while, but first I want to tell you how to make a ki
ball.
First, you should ground yourself. Then once
grounded, pull energy up into you from the Earth and channel it through your
arms toward your hands. Couple your hands like you are holding an invisible
baseball or tennis ball. Imagine that the energy is going through your hands and
swelling into a ball in the middle of your hands. Let it swarm, constrain, and
become more powerful as you add more power to it. You should feel the power in
your hands as a "tingling" or as I like to say, a "vibrating" feeling. If you
cannot feel the energy, try adding more power to it. You will not be able to see
the ki ball from the start. Hopefully, as you become more adapt at making a ki
ball, you will create one that is powerful enough for you to see*1.
Now for the fun part; ki manipulation.
Basically, you are going to change the ki ball into something more exotic or
different. Maybe you'd like to imitate a favorite anime and change your ki ball
into a sphere or flame of ki. Perhaps you'd like to toss the ki ball back and
forth between your hands. You can create anything your imagination can conceive
from your ki ball as long as you can see what you want clearly and you focus on
the object.
* Psi and ki are different usages of life force
energy. They are composed of the exact same thing, life energy, but the two are
not the same. Ki energy can be combined with the physical body while psi energy
cannot. However, ki energy is not as powerful psychically as psi energy is. More
on this later.
*1 Your "third eye" must also be trained before
you will see anything, although a ki ball is part of the training for the third
eye as all ki usage is.
Experimental Exercise to perform a low level Ki
blast
Focus your ki through your target using your
eyes and mental image. Tighten every muscle in your body, and while doing this,
imagine your ki focusing into your body and radiating. This energy will travel
up into your hands. Perform a double open handed strike from the center of your
abs, and when you want to release the ki, tighten your hands while stretched out
as hard as you can. While the hands are tightened, focus the ki as a destructive
force that will harm your target, pushing it back as your blast reaches it, then
going through it. Perform this movement as fast as you can.
All techniques use the ki you have stored, so
do not drain yourself with overdoing these practices. It will take time and hard
effort to train your body to absorb and transmit ki efficiently (that is why the
masters are so old) so does not be discouraged. Every one has a different level
of power they are born with, but all have the potential to achieve "super-human"
energy level, where legend has it you can become immortal.
Experimental exercise to create a low-level
psychic shield.
There are three ways to do this- and should be
practiced in the presented order-
Level One Exercise-
Before a ki storage meditation, imagine an
energy shield surrounding your body from five inches away. It should contain
your astral self (if you've haven't heard about this, learn) and all of your
energy. Constantly imagine this shield around your body, blocking any other
energies except the ones you want to let in (earth energies which will come from
below). It will protect you from other ki also. It will stop your ki from being
drained by one who can drain ki. It will protect you entirely from a psychic
perspective. It will also contain any energy you charge up. You must visualize
this shield around you as a colored energy and closing your eyes helps. A dark
color, such as green, purple, or red will work. DO NOT USE A LIGHT COLOR!!! Dark
colors will bounce energy away, while lighter colors will not only let energy
through, it will also enhance them. When you can put your shield around you
without closing your eyes, move on to level two.
Level Two Exercise-
During the day, tighten your psychic shield
around you the whole day. You will not get this right away, so be patient and
practice. Keeping your shield around yourself for a full day is your ultimate
goal in this exercise. This will train you to keep your shield around you
subconsciously, so it is extremely important that you master this before moving
on to level three.
Level Three Exercise-
WARNING- This is an experimental exercise that
I am not sure will work, so the effects are entirely on speculation. If you
practice this exercise, you are putting yourself at possible psychic and
physical threat. Use your head with this one.
The goal of this exercise is to learn to block
powerful psychic attacks, including those that utilize ki. First, start with
putting your shield around you and a friend throw "negative thoughts" at you.
They are going to try and cause some sort of harm to you on a psychic level,
possibly on that of a low physical one (headache, stomachache). You must imagine
stopping these energies with your shield, and if you feel necessary, deflect
them back at your friend. Be cautious.
Next, you must practice blocking ki with your
shield. Have your friend throw low-level ki blasts at you, extremely light. You
are going to look past him/her and strengthen your shield with your ki, and
block or stop it. Again, you can even deflect it back at him/her. Be cautious.
The last one is creating a force field around
you, that no one or thing can penetrate. This shield can go extend around you
for at least two yards, possibly more. You will sit down, cross your legs and
meditate. While meditating, imagine a force field around your body for two
yards, harming any who try to penetrate it. It will stop them and block them
from coming in. Focus hard and use your ki to create it. You will need another
person to try and enter this force field to know if it will work or not. Be
cautious, for this is a defensive and offensive technique and can harm someone.
Ready charge-
This is a reaction charge. It will increase
your awareness of all attacks at you. Very useful when you think you might be
attacked. Simply visualize your energy surrounding you, ready for you to use in
an incredible attack of speed and strength. Watch everything around you
carefully and from the corner of your eyes. Use Kung-Fu technique "soft eyes"
(not looking at target) to watch everything around you.
Tips on using ki for fighting
(submitted by
Chee Fatt) "The ultimate fighting emotion is not violence, strangely, it is
compassion with a steady awareness. Try it in your sparring session, you will
realize this truth."
These techniques have been created
by me, MisteryShadow, unless otherwise noted, and can be distributed as
necessary as long as a link is made back to my page. Those that are otherwise
posted are to be asked before used.
Understanding Ki
In order for you learn ki, it is essential that
you understand it. Therefore, I have compiled a short lesson that will help you
establish a foundation for understanding how ki works. The first you must learn,
is the Theory of Yin-Yang.
Yin-Yang Theory
"The yin is the ancient Chinese feminine
principle and the yang is the masculine; together, they represent universal
complementary opposites, dualities. The yin comes before the yang because it is
the primordial darkness that exists before the lightness of creation Yin is the
Earth, Yang is the Heavens"
This means that there are two main elements
that control all other forces in the Universe. Yin represents darkness, emotion,
and strength. Yang represents light, thought, and defense. Yin has long been
associated with feminine and evil, while Yang has represented masculine and
good. However, I do not follow that belief, since I see that you cannot attack
without having an evil nature based on this belief. Attacking is not evil; it is
not that simple. It is impossible to defend oneself against another without
attacking. That is not evil, it is good. You cannot fight for what you believe
in or protect others without yin. Evil cannot be classified that easily. The
belief that darkness is evil is also undeserved, because that would mean at
night, the world is covered in evil. Very odd, since many, including myself,
enjoy the nighttime for it's romantic gleam and mystery. I for one am not afraid
of the dark, especially when there are worst things to fear like taxes. Also, if
Yang represents good and male, does that make woman (Yin) an evil creation? No,
it does not for evil and good cannot be limited to any classification of any
type. They depend on circumstances of events, not systematic definitions.
Here is some more depth on Yin-Yang to help you
understand it's importance-
"The essentials of the yin-yang school are as
follows: the universe is run by a single principle, the Tao, or Great Ultimate
(also known as God or Void). This principle is divided into two opposite
principles, or two principles, which oppose one another in their actions, yin
and yang. All the opposites one perceives in the universe can be reduced to one
of the opposite forces. The yin and yang accomplish changes in the universe
through the five material agents, or wu hsing , which both produce one another
and overcome one another. All change in the universe can be explained by the
workings of yin and yang and the progress of the five material agents as they
either produce one another or overcome one another. Yin-yang and the five agents
are, I need to stress, a universal explanatory principle. All phenomena can be
understood using yin-yang and the five agents: the movements of the stars, the
workings of the body, the nature of foods, the qualities of music, the ethical
qualities of humans, the progress of time, the operations of government, and
even the nature of historical change. All things follow this order so that all
things can be related to one another in some way: one can use the stars to
determine what kind of policy to pursue in government, for instance.
The yin and yang represent all the opposite
principles one finds in the universe. Under yang are the principles of maleness,
the sun, creation, heat, light, Heaven, dominance, and so on, and under yin are
the principles of femaleness, the moon, completion, cold, darkness, material
forms, submission, and so on. Each of these opposites produces the other: Heaven
creates the ideas of things under yang, the earth produces their material forms
under yin, and vice versa; creation occurs under the principle of yang, the
completion of the created thing occurs under yin, and vice versa, and so on.
This production of yin from yang and yang from yin occurs cyclically and
constantly, so that no one principle continually dominates the other or
determines the other. All opposites that one experiences-health and sickness,
wealth and poverty, power and submission-can be explained in reference to the
temporary dominance of one principle over the other. Since no one principle
dominates eternally, that means that all conditions are subject to change into
their opposites.
This cyclical nature of yin and yang, the
opposing forces of change in the universe, mean several things. First, that all
phenomena change into their opposites in an eternal cycle of reversal. Second,
since the one principle produces the other, all phenomena have within them the
seeds of their opposite state, that is, sickness has the seeds of health, health
contains the seeds of sickness, wealth contains the seeds of poverty, etc.
Third, even though an opposite may not be seen to be present, since one
principle produces the other, no phenomenon is completely devoid of its opposite
state. One is never really healthy since health contains the principle of its
opposite, sickness. This is called "presence in absence." Once you have this
principle down, the particular Chinese view as expressed in literature, art, and
history will become immediately evident."
Now, let us look at Ki directly-
Ch'i (Chinese) or Ki (Japanese) is the internal
force in our bodies, the manifestation of our spirit. The source of this power
is the Tan Tien (Chinese) or Hara (Japanese). This Tan Tien is located about 3"
below the navel, and in the center of our bodies. Not so coincidentally this is
also where the center of balance for the average human is. The name comes from
the idea of "center", and represents our center; center of the spirit, soul,
power, and balance. There is a physical center, and a center of balance -- so
describing that as a "spot" Tan Tien) is a convenient construct for
understanding.
While it is convenient to dismiss this
construct, we should not do so too quickly. There is a physical center of
balance -- pretending that it is something more may have its benefits. You may
not believe in an "power" running through your body, or a spirit/soul. You may
not believe in the Tao - the power of nature existing everywhere (westerners
might call this the holy ghost). But always remember that faith healers do help
some people. Placebo's are also very beneficial. Visualization in martial arts
and sports does cause an increase in performance. So think about it before you
dismiss it.
In the case of acupuncture, acupressure,
shiatsu massage, and other oriental medicine, the body is not as broken down
into component parts as much as it is looked at interlocked systems, and
balanced as a whole. In Oriental medicine there are pressure points or trigger
point that stimulate different systems, and by balancing the energies (Yin and
Yang) in these systems you can tune the whole. These energies (Yin and Yang)
collectively are the Ch'i or Ki in our body, and it is this flow of life force
through our body that keeps us healthy. There is another force that runs through
all things in nature (and is nature itself), this is partly an explanation of
the Tao (or Taoism).
Many Asian cultures seem to look at the world
much more holistically than westerners. Things interact as complex systems, and
through understanding the whole, they try to understand the parts. This is why
the Japanese can use a mundane task like archery as a way to understand Zen
Buddhism (and themselves). They are trying to understand things (life) by
grasping the whole. Not fighting to learn, or challenging, sometimes just
existing until understanding comes on its own. We westerners tend to be more
deconstructive -- always trying to break things down into its component parts --
then understanding the parts. Then later we try to look at all those component
parts and see how they relate to the whole (reconstructing). They are different
ways to look at the world. The more I have tried to understand the Oriental
perspectives, the more I have learned about myself. But that sounds suspiciously
oriental in its holistic outlook.
In the oriental medicines, they have designated
systems or organs in our bodies that scientifically don't exist (as defined).
Yet, stimulating these nonexistent organs (systems) gets the desired results
anyway. So while western medicine and science can disprove the existence of
organs like the preheater, etc., manipulating that construct still gets the
desired results in many cases. So surprisingly, even if the construct is wrong
(inaccurate), it does not mean that the results will be wrong. Ancients though
that the sky was painted on, and spinning above us as a ceiling -- yet they
still accurately mapped the constellations and predicted many astrological
events. Even Western medicine also doesn't always agree with itself -- as in
Chiropractors, etc., but their are many that have received the real and physical
benefits of these "charlatans". As time progresses the scientific community is
learning that there are results that can not always be explained. The Chinese
and to a lesser extend the Japanese are a mystical people. Many Orientals have
chosen to define these results with a mystical definition, and though all the
definitions might not be accurate, results are results.
Our entire system of math and science is based
on (or is just a collection of) many HUMAN constructs. Einstein's theory of
relativity or the speed of light is not some immutable law. It is an observation
and construct of man to explain relationships. It may accurately match the
universe we live in (or maybe not) but for now, these constructs (called laws or
theories of science) do help us understand and grasp problems. Even our laws of
science have changed (been revised) as we learned more, so our constructs are
not flawless -- we need to balance skepticism and scientific theory with an
understanding of who and what we are.
The more scientific definition of Ch'i is based
on some interesting facts. We (humans) have an amazingly complex electrochemical
and electromagnetic system in our bodies (nervous system). By training our
brains and bodies to utilize our nervous system and muscles to their full
potential, and using technique, visualization and proper use of energy, we are
able to do incredible feats. Since we don't understand the full effects of this
electrical, chemical or magnetic energy, we don't understand its limitation. So
the feats of Ch'i that are seen as "magic" are not impossible, just not fully
understood. Many Ch'i demonstrations are parlor tricks, but there is a
percentage that is not. Using visualization, timing, coordination, training and
body mechanics, it is quite possible for anyone to hit harder than other
non-martial artist or do other "tricks". For Americans, it is explained best to
us in constructs that we understand (physics, training, timing, visualization) -
The Chinese just describe it as a good use of Ch'i. There are elements to this
"power" that I do not understand -- but understanding it is not necessary for
utilizing it. Just like a complete understanding of astrophysics was not
necessary for ancients to create calendars and predict the seasons, phases of
the moon, or track the planets.
I hope now you can understand the concept of ki
better, now that you have been exposed to the more common knowledge of it. By
knowing the concepts of ki, you can not only perform the exercises more
efficiently, but you can also create your own. For example, by knowing that ki
resides in your abdominal area, you can start your most powerful strikes from
that area, and gain better access to ki. By applying science to that, you also
see that not only are you adding ki, but gravity if you lower your hips and
knees as you strike. You can create a powerful combo of your body mass, gravity,
speed, muscular strength, and ki. Quite a powerful strike indeed. Also, by
knowing vital areas, such as the kidneys or liver, and perform the strike, you
can gain even better results for these areas are less resistant to your energy
and can more efficiently and will create more damage to your opponent.
Constantly learn as much as possible to increase your abilities; for knowledge
is the true power that is the foundation for every act you will every make in
your entire life.