Ki is Extended.

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[tedehara]

From Training > Presence Attack Thread
Extended sounds like you are done not doing...

I prefer something that gives the impression that the process is ongoing.

not past tense but a state of being in the this moment NOW.

:cool:
Ki is Extended. Another way to phrase this is Ki is already and always extended.

When you normally show beginners unbendable arm, you might use the illusion of having water run through their arms and out their finger tips. This imagery of extending or doing something works well for people who need to get the feeling of ki extension. However this becomes a hindrance when you take the more advanced ki tests.

When someone is extending ki towards you, you should already be extending ki. You aren't doing anything special. So to pass an advanced test, you need to do nothing. As Dr. Who would say,"It has to be the right kind of nothing."

This is why Ki Society HQ. (KNK) put an addendum to the basic principle, "Extend Ki." and added,"Ki is Extended." This says you need to be in a certain psychological/physiological state, rather than trying to do something when you're tested. When you say, "Extend Ki" or "Ki is Extending," you're telling the person to "do something" i.e. Extend Ki.

If people are alive, they're extending ki. They may be doing a good or bad job of it, but they are extending 24 x 7. The reason they're doing a poor job of it is because they get in the way of themselves. My understanding is that this is a recent concept from KNK. Your ego gets in the way from letting you have the best possible ki extension by telling you to "do something".

If you give an unbendable arm test to someone on both arms, by having a tester on each arm, they usually fail. What happens is the person's mind switches back and forth from one arm to the other, trying to extend ki. However if you tell them to raise their arms, relax and keep one point, they generally pass with no problem. So they don't have to "do" anything to pass the more advanced test.

I just wish I could do all this stuff as easy as I write about it.
:D

[nmrmak]

I am just a beginner in the ki field, but i did grasp the feeling of it very quickly, and can do many ki tests with ease. I do it like this: relax (for example my arm), and just concentrate on it not bending. So i'm not clenching my whole arm, nor am i using excess force and straightening it. All i do is keep it from bending, and nothing more than that. I had a friend touch my biceps at that time, only to find it completely relaxed.

My philosophy (just my opinion) is that you should not use any additional force. You just have to counter the force that your friend gives you. Well, not counter it, rather dissipate it. Same goes for the unbreakable circle (the thing with your fingers). If your fingers are clenched even befor your partner tries to pull them apart, you probably will not succeed (spelling?). Relax, and extend your ki only as much as you have to.

[kironin]

So to pass an advanced test, you need to do nothing. As Dr. Who would say,"It has to be the right kind of nothing."


hence, the phrase, "ki is extending" :D

nuances of language


I just wish I could do all this stuff as easy as I write about it.
:D


I forget. Did I email your group about Kashiwaya Sensei's Ki Society Instructors Intensive (http://www.houstonkiaikido.org/intensive.htm) that my group is hosting in Houston in February ?

[tedehara]

mnrmak Had a dojo mate who used to say the unbreakable circle with your fingers was like playing with Krazy Glue. Suddenly you find your finger tips stuck to each other.
...I forget. Did I email your group about Kashiwaya Sensei's Ki Society Instructors Intensive (http://www.houstonkiaikido.org/intensive.htm) that my group is hosting in Houston in February ?Yes you did. Thank you.

[Abasan]

I can do unbendable arm easy, even with my fingers being grabbed. I can also do unliftable body. But I can't for the life of me do unbendable body and unbreakable fingers... any ideas how I can improve this two exercises?

I've tried to imagine myself like a plank, but my torso sags anyway for the former.

I've tried to think of my fingers as a complete circle, but ppl can pull it apart anyway.

[tedehara]

I can do unbendable arm easy, even with my fingers being grabbed. I can also do unliftable body. But I can't for the life of me do unbendable body and unbreakable fingers... any ideas how I can improve this two exercises?

I've tried to imagine myself like a plank, but my torso sags anyway for the former.

I've tried to think of my fingers as a complete circle, but ppl can pull it apart anyway.If you try and think of yourself as a plank, you're generally tensing up. Just go with the feeling that you have when you do unliftable body. Just relax and keep one point. When your friends try and lift from your feet and your shoulders, you shouldn't sag in the middle.

When you touch your finger tips and form a circle, try and think of energy going around. The tough part is when people try and pull your fingers apart. The tendency is to fight back. The only way to overcome this is to relax and do nothing (i.e. don't try to fight back and tense your fingers). This is real difficult, so don't get discouraged.

If this were all easy to do, we wouldn't need to practice.
;)