Got Ki?

It goes by different names: Qi, Chi, Ki, perhaps even "the Force." But does it really exist? (I will refer to it as Ki from here on out.)

Many "hard stylists," or physical fighters say no. All that counts is the physical, your strength, your speed, your flexibility, your power. Maybe will power. They would say that it is all a bunch of hocus pocus.

Perhaps. But, personally, I have seen enough to make me believe. I have seen a diminutive Japanese man stand rooted and large, powerful men unable to lift him or budge him. I have seen people shatter things they should not be able to break. I have seen river rocks broken. I have seen monks suspended on the points of four spear. I have seen them push automobiles with a spear, the point at their throats.

Perhaps most importantly, I have tried to pick up a toddler that did not wish to move and was amazed by how difficult it was. The child didn't fight, didn't move, but was clearly "willing" itself to not be moved. I lift weights regularly and can tell you that the child exhibited a "mass" far greater than the 20 pounds it showed on the doctor's scale.

It's either magic or Ki. And, toddlers seem a little old for learning magic.

So, if it does exist, what is it? I will give you my current beliefs. You can take them or leave them.

What separates living creatures from inanimate objects? Well, obviously life, some living energy. One-celled organisms exhibit electrical energy within their one cell. So, is it electrical energy?

Scientists have hooked an array of diagnostic equipment up to people exhibiting remarkable feets and haven't demonstrated any extreme electrical activity.

So much for electricity. Well, plants have life, but don't seem to exhibit electrical activity. So, it must be something else. Something we haven't yet identified.

But, it isn't "The Force" (which is too bad, because that would be kind of cool). Ki does not allow us to pick up objects, levitate, or read minds.

However, it does have tremendous benefit for a warrior. A warrior can tap into it for endurance. A warrior can tap into it for strength. A warrior can tap into it for power.

And a warrior can tap into it for an "edge" which may seem like mind reading. Ki seems to flow between people much like a current. It carries the intention of your opponent before their body moves. A master can almost read their opponents attack before it comes.

This is most readily apparent in kendo. The speed of the strike, the block, and the counterstrike are faster than the eye can see. It truly is amazing to watch. Remarkable.

Is it mind reading? Of course not. But it is the master feeling the intention of their opponent before they actually strike. Slow motion photography shows the master's response coming before it is even clear what strike is coming, at least to the observer!

Another amazing benefit of "attuning" oneself to Ki are the medical and health benefits. There are documented accounts of masters undergoing surgery without anesthesia. There are documented accounts of masters controlling their body heat and not freezing in the ice and snow (I have witnessed SEALs doing this, submerged in a tank of ice water for an hour in a t-shirt and BDU pants).

And, while there do not seem to be documented accounts of it, many masters claim it enables them to prevent sickness. I cannot verify that. But it does seem to lie within the realm of possibility.

It is at least worth consideration.

"Got Ki?"