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Martial Arts for Energy Building

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posted on May, 9 2005 @ 10:05 AM
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I am interested in taking up a Internal martial art, and for the expressed purpose of cultivating my skills in using energy and increasing my sensitivity to it, as well as just for relaxation, calmness, physical development and general well being.

However, I am not sure which art I should take up, there are so many to choose from, and it is confounding for me. So, I am hoping others here can help me.

So far I have considered Qi Gong, Falun Dafa and Tai Chi(Taiji) and these are the only ones I know that do this. I would be more interested in the one that facilitates psychic development more. If you have practiced any of these, please do share your experiences and tell me what to expect.

[edit on 9-5-2005 by Indigo_Child]



posted on May, 9 2005 @ 10:27 AM
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Qi Gong is in itself not a martial art, rather it is an element found in most CMA (Chinese martial arts), and even them, depending on the style being trained, it can manifest itself differently in terms of practice and intent.

Falun Dafa, is this related to Falun Gong? I am pretty sure it is not a martial art, rather a practice somewhat like Buddhism? Can anyone clarify?

I would say that Tai Chi would be suitable for your purposes. However, Finding a genuine Tai Chi master who knows the true essence of the style would be extremely difficult to find as they are a rarity. Most people who think they are practicing Tai Chi are only doing the forms, thus degrading it into nothing more than a slow dance (Tai Chi gymnastics, very lame) and most "instructors" teach nothing more than the forms, which by themselves are useless.

I have some knowledge in this type of thing. Feel free to ask more questions, hopefull I can help.

[edit on 9-5-2005 by Pragmatist]



posted on May, 9 2005 @ 11:26 AM
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any martial arts will do fine. thing is...they aren't only ment to build up energy. they also teach you to react instinctively, trusting your reflexes and feelings making it easier to work with energies. you'll become much more efficient with the energy you already posses



posted on May, 9 2005 @ 11:30 AM
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I used to teach Go-Ju-Ru (my son runs the dojo now) but I dont really think that is what you are looking for, its more of a combat form.

I would suggest Tai Chi



posted on May, 9 2005 @ 11:32 AM
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I would have to agree with Pragmatist about Tai Chi. I studied it this summer, while it is a very beautiful "martial art," I found little benefit of the nature you're talking about, other than an increased sense of being "balanced."

I also study Krav Maga currently, while I wouldn't say it builds up your psychic potential, it does increase your energy levels exponentially. It is not necessarily psychic development but your situational awareness develops very quickly, somewhat of a proximity sense for danger and a reflexive attitude towards confronting it. But then again it is considered one of the dirtiest mixed martial arts out there, heavy on the martial, light on the art.



posted on May, 9 2005 @ 11:34 AM
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hear is my 20yrs worth oof experiance advice.
watch a couple of class, what is the instructors goal in teaching, watch the upper level people, is there focus, flow, power in thier techs?...or do they just think there is??

the teacher makes all the difference!! just because one is a martial art instructor does not mean that they can instruct..on either a physical or mental level. just instruct because they want to help but they are not that good at it.

the style does not matter has much as the mental and spiritualness you put into it.

but...akido, tai chi, even wing chung would be good starters...........

[edit on 9-5-2005 by clearmind]



posted on May, 9 2005 @ 11:52 AM
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I would say Tai Chi or Aikido based onwhat you asked.

Although you seem to have fallen into the trap that most westerners fall in to.
We tend to think of Mind, Body. and Spirit as three seperate entities, which is why you would look for a martial art to improve internal energies.

The fact is that Mind, Body and spirit are one, and need to be improved as one. (IMHO)

(I guess it's like doing 100 situps a night and expect to get a sixpack without partaking in any other exercise.)

So ideally you would take up a number of 'Martial Arts', say Tai Chi, Aikido, and one of the more overtly physical forms.

[edit on 9/5/2005 by Nocturne]



posted on May, 9 2005 @ 12:04 PM
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Originally posted by clearmind
the teacher makes all the difference!! just because one is a martial art instructor does not mean that they can instruct..on either a physical or mental level. just instruct because they want to help but they are not that good at it.



This is CRUCIAL.

There are so many McDojos out there with Teachers that arent worthy of the name.

Shop around and be sure you pick a good one, a bad one not only doesnt teach good form and habits he DOES teach Bad form and habits that could take months or years to "unlearn".



posted on May, 9 2005 @ 12:32 PM
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Originally posted by Amuk

Originally posted by clearmind
the teacher makes all the difference!! just because one is a martial art instructor does not mean that they can instruct..on either a physical or mental level. just instruct because they want to help but they are not that good at it.



This is CRUCIAL.

There are so many McDojos out there with Teachers that arent worthy of the name.

Shop around and be sure you pick a good one, a bad one not only doesnt teach good form and habits he DOES teach Bad form and habits that could take months or years to "unlearn".


Both of you are absolutely right, there are so many cookie-cutter schools (The McDojo phenomenon) run by teachers who are either too inexperienced or are in it for entirely the wrong reasons. This can be devastating and quite dangerous as the students can be lulled into a false sense of security due to their so-called "abilities."



posted on May, 9 2005 @ 12:50 PM
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Depending on where you are located, I would suggest that you get on the internet and look up a school.

There are three orthodox internal fighting arts, Tai Chi Chuan (notice the addition of the word "Chuan" which means fist) which means Grand Ultimate Fist, Xingyi (aka Hsing i) which loosely translates as "Intellectual Fist", and Ba Gua Chang (Eight Trigram Palm). There are various subdivisions of each of these arts. These are the Chinese arts with which I am most familiar for what you are looking for.

Falun Gong is actually for builidng internal strength and not so much a fighting art. I would like to suggest that you consider deeply, taking one of the arts that will develop the mental, physical, and spiritual sides of you. Although, that development may not be in the way that a lot of people think they understand it to be.

If you happen to live in California then you are, as they say, in fat city. If you live in New York, you are still in fat city. If you are elsewhere then I would suggest that you look here:


www.hsing-i.com...


Or you could try posting your question in the "Request a Teacher" section here:

www.emptyflower.com...

If you are not in the US, I still may be able to help you in your quest.

Well qualified instructors are difficult to find (Those that know all the aspects fo the art that you require for total development).

Having something on the order of 40+ years in the arts, I have some contacts that may be able to help you otherwise. Please feel free to IM me if you wish any further assistance from me in your pursuits.

Good luck to you on your journey.


[edit on 9-5-2005 by sigung86]



posted on May, 9 2005 @ 01:01 PM
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I have trained in martial arts since i was 5 years old. I'm now 41 and still continue to train. Its a never ending circle. You are always learning.

The thing i get out of it, is the well being that you learn in controlling not just attack movements, but also the breathing,and using your mind to control specific areas of your body to react when you need it to.

I teach Wado-Ryu , which is an old Okinawan style.
My advice is to try and find a Do-Jo that teaches traditional ways.
There are many out there that do teach, but have cut and manipulated the styles to suit their own needs.

My own instructor taught me from an early age and died a few years ago at the age of 96. I have carried on the teaching practices he taught me. I'm not saying that they are exactly traditional, but compared to other clubs who practice Wado-ryu, the differences stand out a mile.

It will make no difference what style you choose. You will be taught that your mind, body and spirit are one in everything that you learn and do.

Good luck with your quest. If you need any more advice, then U2U me or email me.



posted on May, 9 2005 @ 01:22 PM
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Thanks everyone, you have definitely been very helpful. Thank you for the warnings on choosing schools. Where I am, I am not sure I have not properly researched, but I doubt that I will find a professional teacher, and further I have to consider the expenses of training too. I was going to just choose an art and find the nearest local club that did it. I may not get too much choice to be discriminating.

If I do attend a Tai chi class, how do I know I am being taught the proper art and form? I understand that I could easily end up with someone who teaches me nothing more than some exercises to do. Like Yoga.

Falun Dafa, is a belief system(rather Buddhist) but it does not recognize itself as a religon. What is appealing about Falun Dafa, it deals with psychic development and it's exercises are based on qigong exercises, which from my limited knowledge, is based on energy. A lot of the beliefs like karma, chakras, astral planes, and reincarnation I share already. So I won't have a problem adopting this system. Moreover, it's absolutely free.

I will be making an appointment with a local Falun Dafa group to experience what it is like. However, this is not a proper martial art, and it is doubtful that there will be any training. I think they just tell you certain exercises, and give you videos to watch and emulate(for free)

So, in the end I will still need a proper martial arts group. I think I will go for Tai Chi. Interestingly you mentioned Chaun(fist) Does that mean this is a fighting/self defence form of tai chi, striking at certain points in the body of an opponent, to cause great pain. If so, I would probably be more interested in that, than just regular Tai Chi.

I still don't know what to expect in any of these art forms. Is Tai chi where you simply strike a pose and move slowly? What is Akido like? What will I expect in a class.

I've done karate, kickboxing and judo before as a child. I never quite stuck to them. I only did them because of friends, then I stopped going.

I will be researching on the internet on all these forms. Please do share your insights on this.

[edit on 9-5-2005 by Indigo_Child]



posted on May, 9 2005 @ 02:06 PM
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Yeah, location and selection can definitely be hindering factors in choosing a suitable school but try not to let convenience or location dictate where you decide to train, otherwise you may be doing yourself a serious disservice. Do you drive? High quality instruction can defintely be worth any minor inconveninences (of course, this all depends on your individual circumstances). In my own experience, I train about 3-4 times a week and each trip to and from my school takes about between 1 hour to 1/1/2 hours. Of course, it is worth every minute and I have derived so much good out of it. You should always remember that taking up any martial art is a serious investment of your time, money, and effort (assuming you train hard). Thus, you should really evaluate your options and try for the best.

Regarding the authenticity of the forms you may learn, it is hard to say. Maybe some of the more experienced members here may care to comment? However, regarding the quality of the training, I can definitely make some basic assumptions. First, if the instructor instructs exclusively in form, it is useless. Tai Chi Chuan, as well as any other CMA, requires a huge amount of basic stance training that newcomers may often find boring and tedious. Reason for this is that this builds up your foundation and is also a form of qi gong. This foundation is the key to developing any sort of power. I can only imagine that in Tai Chi Chuan's case, this is even more pronounced due to the fact that it is an internal art (meaning internal cultivation of chi that manifests itself in the execution of the technique). Any instructor who merely teaches you how to "strike a pose" should be summarily avoided.

Tai Chi Chuan is defintely a fighting art and is slow only in form. In execution it is fast as any fighting form should be. However, finding an instructor who teaches Tai Chi as it is meant to be would be very difficult.

That Falun Dafa sounds very interesting. Please let us know of your impressions of them.

[edit on 9-5-2005 by Pragmatist]



posted on May, 9 2005 @ 04:22 PM
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Tai chi fist is more simply Tai Chi used in fighting. Where as Tai Chi itself is usual not much of a fighting martial art, similar to Yoga it gives benefits to certain things concerning the spiritual and enrgy-like. Tai Chi is very good for health, and often times practicioners release healing chemicals in their body while practicing tai chi. Artheritis-victims have been cured from the practice of Tai Chi, along with quite a few cancer victims(well not exactly victims, since they were cured). It involves meditation, pranyama breathing, and very slow movements. Tai Chi is actually meant to be practiced in a meditative state. When Tai Chi becomes Tai Chi fist, the fighter(using tai chi fist) fights his opponent remaining calm the entire time. You control your respiration, breathing, and remain calm, while using swift, graceful, yet fast movements in order to dive past your opponents attacks. Instead of blocking kicks and punches you instead, well, im not sure what word would be best, you lightly move the arm out of your way, vs. stopping the hand of your opponent completely. It is more like embracing your opponent and using special attacks that involve hitting nerve areas, without having to exert too much of your Chi. When a Practitioner of Tai Chi fist has a fight, he/she should be as calm and peaceful as when they started.

Qigong as others mentioned above is not exactly a martial art, in fact id go so much as to actually call it a spiritual art. From what i here about Qigong i think you would prefer this the most if your looking for enhancing psychic abilities. But that's my opinion lol, its very similar to Tai Chi in ways, ive heard alot of rumours of Qigong increasing psychic abilities. It has some parts of it that are very similar to Tai Chi as well as yoga. It focuses quite a bit on self healing, energy working, grounding, controlling your chi with pranayama, and meditation. This link has some good information on Qigong i believe. Tai chi however is probably just as good...
www.astralsociety.com...

Shaolin Kung Fu also has a good tendency to raise spiritual awareness and psychic gifts at times, if it is taught by a teacher who involves alot of meditation. Since Kung fu does and should involve alot of meditation. And kung fu is just plain fun!

Good luck,
Dani


[edit on 9-5-2005 by Vesuvius 13]



posted on May, 10 2005 @ 05:39 PM
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Thanks Vesuvius. The whole idea of being able to fight while remaining absolutely calm conjoured up some very interesting images. I think Tai Chi Chaun is what I will probably go for, provided there are any good teachers locally. I'll do some research on Kung Fu too.

Pragmatist, thanks again. I will all your advice in mind when I go to a class. I will keep you updated on my experiences with Falun Dafa. I called today to make an appointment, but no one answered. I was going to call back, but other things came up. So, another day.



posted on May, 11 2005 @ 12:55 PM
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Take Hung Gar Kung Fu. There system is based alot on the Yang style of Chi Gong. I personally take wing chun Kuen. My sifu told me ultimately what chi kong really is... is the follow of blood through the body... Not mystical. What you want to really work on is explosive power. being able to be light first then go hard. This allows for miniumin amount of strength that needs to be used but allow greater internal damage. if your just looking to relax and feel good and calm. take ying style of tai chi or yoga, they pratice alot of breathing excerises and slow movements. Its actually really good if your older person. But if your looking to be able to generate great force through chi kong take hung gar or wing chun. Payce.



posted on May, 11 2005 @ 01:18 PM
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I would suggest Aikido because I am partial to it. It really is a totally unique martial art unlike anything else. O-sensei [read about him at Wikipedia] was an amazing man. A total hard-arse in his youth and a supple sage in his old age.

Aikido is the greatest martial art because it is a martial paradox. One maintains a martial spirit as an aikidoka but one seeks peaceful resolution even when attacked with deadly intent. I know of no other martial art that gives a person the tools to disarm/incapacitate with so much compassion and concern for life.

Be sure to study under different teachers because Aikido can take the hard "Steven Seagal" form or it can be almost totally spiritual and all about "ki" energy. Find a teacher with whom you have a spiritual connection.

-----------
Here's a great quote from O-sensei:

"The Art of Peace begins with you. Work on yourself and your appointed task in the Art of Peace. Everyone has a spirit that can be refined, a body that can be trained in some manner, a suitable path to follow. You are here for no other purpose than to realize your inner divinity and manifest your innate enlightenment. Foster peace in your own life and then apply the Art to all that you encounter"

...more here: www.cs.ucsd.edu...



[edit on 11-5-2005 by smallpeeps]



posted on May, 18 2005 @ 06:48 AM
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Hey Indigo_Child! Looking for an update on your experiences! What have you found? Where are you studying? What are your current impressions of what you are studying?

More than simply curious, I am truly interested.

Thanks....

Dan



posted on May, 18 2005 @ 07:37 AM
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Originally posted by Pragmatist
I would say that Tai Chi would be suitable for your purposes. However, Finding a genuine Tai Chi master who knows the true essence of the style would be extremely difficult to find as they are a rarity.

I can understand this...Although I don't know if he's a Master of Tai Chi Ch'uan or not, I know that the actor David Carradine is an long-time practitioner of Tai Chi. Of course...Contacting him for potential instruction may prove rather difficult.

Of the modern dojos I've researched, most (in the western world anyway) stress more on physical skill & physical technique than teaching the philosophies that would help you learn how to balance your chi. Of those that offer the proper philosophies, you should look for the styles that teach Taoism (The Chinese philosphies of Yin/Yang) as well as the physical training. Of all of the styles that teach Taoism, Tai Chi is probably the most readily-accessable of styles to learn...Most others being too obscure to be easy to find a Sensei.

Vesuvius13's suggestion of Shou Lin Kung Fu is probably not practical in trying to find...The modern dojos mostly teach only fractions of the whole style because Shou Lin were also priests more than combatants. Since the Shou Lin Temple was destroyed centuries ago, the survivors were widely scattered & it'll be extrememly difficult to find a Master that could still teach it in whole.




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