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Old 04-26-2006, 07:48 PM   #1
Mike Sigman
Location: Durango, CO
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 4,123
United_States
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Been There, Done That Attitude

(from the "Any Instructors here ever been challenged" thread)
Quote:
Mark Freeman wrote:
I have seen my teacher demonstrate with a large man pushing on his chest while he is sitting on a chair balanced on the rear two legs, demonstration ends when the 'uke' is thrown. I personally can do this but not as well as him (yet).
These are for us, ki development exercises, there are many many seemingly 'not possible' tests of 'strength' that are exercises in mind and body co-ordination. They are as far as I'm concerned no big deal, they are a way to practice co-ordination.
No to single you out, Mark, but your comment reminded me of something that I see a lot of. The coordination to do some of the ki tricks is really not that hard. I think most people can be taught to do some of the basic ones in a few minutes, fifteen minutes at most. At least they can do it so that they understand and feel the principles involved. The general principle of the one you're talking about (and of a lot of the ki demo's) is to source the load-bearing responsibility from the ground, whether it's through a chair, a leg, or whatever has the most direct path to the ground.

The problem with that is that a "been there, done that" attitude is easy to develop and so many people who learn to do a few basic tricks never go any further. They still move with their shoulders and not their middles because they often feel like they got the ki part.... but really they just started. The set of skills based on this "coordination" should be practiced until it becomes the instinctive way of movement. Power store-and-release should be based around this new way of movement. And so on. It shouldn't be some supplemental tricks that you can do on the side, in other words... if that's all it is, it's like someone putting on a gi and thinking they've arrived as a martial artist.

Just my 2 cents.

Mike Sigman
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