Check This Out

[Wang Lang]

I just stumbled across this.
You more experienced martial artists might not find it that amazing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45hWbIy5Fkk&NR

[tetsumaru]

that same group had Genki sudo (the best fighter ever) of Pride/K-1 practice beating them. It's in japanese but that doesnt matter.

The school is in michigan (But no where near me closer to chicago). I tried looking up there website but it doesnt seem to be around now....maybe they went belly up after students weren't able to have family after training.

[kunoichi2003]

I wonder what the injury rate of their students are? Still I wish I could take a hit like that and not be injured. How do they do it? anyone know

Kunoichi

[Wu Longxin]

if they can take hits like that while fighting then ill be impressed

[Iron Cross]

B-b-b-b-bullshit!!

I've seen those guys on tv before nothing really impresses me about any of it.

A) They know when and where the strikes are coming
B) all strikes I saw were completely linear I'd like to see someone take a shot to the jaw or a nice running sidekick lol...

Things like this are nothing enw to martial arts many systems have similar techniques. Iron body, golden bell, iron shirt, hard qigong whatever you wanna call it...

To truly test this crap get one to submit to a test in which he would not know where the strike was going to come from or when it was going to happen.. Then you could determine the validity of their claims.. Or even better go to test it out say your gott hit them in the throat and then fka eit and hit him in the nuts or stomach... or hell kick him in the knee. Roll Credits the end....

[tetsumaru]

Did you watch the one with genki sudo? He does combonations on them. Granted they are pre-determined combos but it take some skill to do that. I agree its a side show act but you have to admire their courage and will to train that. Again I agree with you but its not BS. Even your former shifu (SYM) did stuff like this to get the people coming to his school. Are they no different from him?

[Iron Cross]

WEll I can personally atest that Yan Mings iron body is of a similar caliber of bullshit.. There was a film crew there one day filming them break sticks over his various body parts.. A matter of physics mind you... but anyways.. One students was supposed to aim for a certain spot on his stomach but missed and hit him in the ribs cause the wind to get knocked out of him and for him to be really startled. This hit even grew blood.... He seemed to play off the incident and I dont believe that shot was used in the documentary. lol

The stick breaking thing though from a physics stand point relies on 2 things.... 1) torque 2) non elastic properties of the wood...

The wood used is maybe 3-4 feet long with the strike happening near where your swinger is holding the staff. This means there is 2-3 feet of wood above the contact point. This means the weight of the staff acting with the momentum causes the staff to break near instantly on contact. This also has to do with the thickness and type of wood. The wood is maybe a few inches in diameter which makes it seem more impressive but in reality makes the demonstration easier. See the thick wood will not flex as well as a thin piece. Thus it fractures at the point of contact. I would like to see the same demonstration with a thinner piece of wood like one of the staffs used for your typical form. What would happen is on contact the upper portion would jsut flex and the energy of the weight and swing would just be transfered into the arm at the point of contact, where as before the staff broke so much of the energy is lost.

So, back to taking punches. This also is a matter of physics once you break it down. The punches are straight on which takes advantage of compression on the bones. Since our bones are designed to work under compression there is little difficulty pulling this off.

Now, go back to the kicks to the groin. If you notice they always lift their hips a second before impact so the attacker is then hititng bone verse soft round tissue...

Now all this being said.... In order to pull off any of this crap you need to have a deep understanding of mechanics and bdoy alignment as well as conditioning. Shots to the throat are probably the most difficult to pull off but i'd also say the most pointless.. why punch someone in the throat when you can hit them in the face or jaw?

In conclusion no magic energy or super secret mystic training techniques to get you there.. Simple physics and moderate understanding of how the body works.

[tetsumaru]

In regards to your comments on physics: isn't all good chin-na and any martial arts for the matter based on physics? Is physics the magic behind Qi? or is Qi something else? These guys in the video claim their combat-ki can save them from devestating attacks like the ones shown. but I think we can all agree that's only possible in pre-set situations. As for the Throat punches, they aren't pointless but that's an opinion that changes depending on your martial heritage.

These videos and others like them are the magical veil that covers that truth. It's the pretty waitress at a restaurant. While the food might not be good, you keep going back for the view, even if you know there's no chance she'll go out with you. As long as people keep having interest in the martial arts it can continue to grow and evolve. Most (I hope) who have studied for a few years realize the importance of the "side show acts". Yes there is that souring feeling when you look under the veil and see what's really going on. If you can look past that and see all the other great things that martial arts has to offer then you can be content but if you dwell on the absurdity of the claims that some of the so called masters say they have they you sour away and become just like them or go crazy to try the stunts on your own or kill yourself either way someone will learn from it.

words are wordy.

[zachsan]

words are wordy.

Too true, too true.

These tricks can of course all be explained through simple physics. The name of the game is controlling the conditions of the performance to make it seem as if what you're doing is supernatural. There's a reason that you don't see people standing like statues in the UFC, and you don't get scientifically-controlled experiments where people can knock each other down with Qi energy.

[Iron Cross]

Love the analogy of the waitress.. having witnessed friend actually do this it makes perfect sense...

But your both right the situation was under their total control. i saw a show on NGC called Is it Real? A BS master claimed he could knock people down with Qi. His students were falling down with ease and acitng like sick fish. 2 scientists rolled in a looked like it was a struggle for them to keep form laughing.. But this guy was so convinced of his own power. Finally the scientists challenged him to knock them down. They jsut stood there while these idiots waved thier hands around.. Nothing happened. And of course the excuses came next... Well it wouldve work if... it didnt work because... blah blah blah

[tetsumaru]

I saw that show too. LOL its making me laugh thinking about the students falling down and their "sensei" touches them and they are better again. Although what was sad was that some of them were kids and he had them totally brainwashed. He taught Karate too which is weird because I haven't heard of nerve attacks like that in japanese martial arts like i have in chinese. Not to say that it doesnt exist but why would this cracker know it.

[Firbolg]

He taught Karate too which is weird because I haven't heard of nerve attacks like that in japanese martial arts like i have in chinese. Not to say that it doesnt exist but why would this cracker know it.

Actually the BBC did a documentary series (also a book) on martial arts many years ago called 'The Way of the Warrior' and as far as I remember there was one episode featuring a japanese (perhaps okinawan) master doing some kind of punch to the neck which apparently caused the recipient to collapse unconsious.. he would then do something to bring the guy around.. unfortunately the series doesn't seem to be available anywhere these days which is a shame, it was well worth watching. I had the book which is also very good.

[Iron Cross]

You know there is another possibility in all this... That these kinda of abilities actually do exist and there are people in the world that can honestly do them... But then these fakers want the power to but cannot get it so just fake their way through it and claim to have it. So, now people think they are hot shit and flock to their schools...

[Maestro]

in the end, iron body is real. and is a very good tool for a fighter or a "martial artist" in the past there was no difference and someone with skills like iron body would be almost untouchable with h2h combat

of course fighting is fighting so whatever.. im just saying, iron body is real. the main focus of the system of qi gong is to strengthen the vital points of the body, strengthening most of the body against attacks isnt so hard it just takes time.

the monks demos range, some of them are good some are bs. guolin has real good iron body.

the only thing is people get caught up in being able to take hits. really iron body is used for takeing hits that slip in, because anyone whos had alot of exp fighting knows, sometimes you just do get hit and either you dont notice or you do and it hurts.

the train so when shots do slip in they wont phase them or they will recover very quickly.

and of course the offensive apps are obvious

[tetsumaru]

I agree I have no doubt that Iron body is real just these videos from Juko Kai are a little silly.

I have my doubts about goulin but I have never seen him or met him so I'm basing my opinion on gossip (from reliable sources mind you). Have you experienced goulin's iron body maestro, in person?