Here on teh Canadian Discovery channel, Jay Ingram has been doing a series with a physics prof in order to understand how it is that the Shaolin do what they do.
How it works is, they show one of the many feats that are shown by the Shaolin and then head back to the lab for a demonstration on how it worked from a physics perspective.
The neat thing is that these guys give the Shaolin their props for some of these feats, but at the same time show that it is often times simple physics that judges the outcome.
Anyway, I’ve caught about 5 or 6 of these shows now and find them to be quite interesting. Anyone else see them?
Originally posted by OdderMensch the best part was when they brought up a dozen people from the adiance and tryed to get them o do a simple long-fist manuver
I’d love to see it. Is it included in one of the video clips on the website?
Zim- yup, that’s the place!
They have episode 1-3 of the Shaolin there.
Todays show covered rock breaking. It talked about how the Shaolin would have very hard hands from their training, but at the same time there are properties of the rocks they use and the angle at which they are struck which shows the ol cause and effect in action.
it’s good stuff.
That site has tons of great stuff to by the way. If one is a bit of a science nut.
PS - Merry, the songs of the humpback whale spirits are telling me your cetaceopsychic aura flow is misaligned. I suggest seeing a phlogistonic chiropractor asap.
Well, they’re still using qigong to protect their body from getting hurt. I think the purpose of those shows was to prove the audience that what the monks were doing was nothing supernatural.
Yes, it’s not supernatural, but not just any shmuck off the street can do this stuff, simple physics or not.
If you understand the basics physics stuff, you know that the angles must be correct, timing, all of that has to be good. There is no haphazard way of getting onto a spear and spinning yourself.
It would be foolish to try it without understanding completely what is involved. The potential for getting hurt is pretty good without correct training. Tricks or not.
Originally posted by Sho Well, they’re still using qigong to protect their body from getting hurt.
This wasn’t the conclusion made in the show. Do you disagree with it?
Originally posted by Kung Lek If you understand the basics physics stuff, you know that the angles must be correct, timing, all of that has to be good… The potential for getting hurt is pretty good without correct training.
For sure. But “correct training” does not “qigong” or “martial art” make. There’s an awful lot of training involved in David Copperfield’s show as well, but no one thinks it has anything to do with qigong or martial arts.
Well, they’re still using qigong to protect their body from getting hurt.
Technically, they are benefitting from the effects of qigong practice actually imo.
I.E The maintainance of proper balance and breathing, the direction of muscle tension, the location of muscle tension, and an awareness of the object they are working with, in one case, a spear.
For the bed of nails trick, I would say this one is a novice level thing and actually requires no skill to do except for the strength to hold weight on top of you.
For breaking demonstration and having pressure applied to your throat, sternum, head etc, you would need some training in qigong breathing techniques.
Well, you’ve admitted the bed of nails thing could be done without training. And since the iron tongue demo was “one-up’d” by the physicist, I think we can agree to exclude that as something requiring qigong as well.
Both the iron head and the pole breaking demos relied entirely on the principles of a lever, as demonstrated in the “sweet spot” video. Do they require training? Sure; the iron head one requires you to push rather than strike the concrete to avoid jarring your brain and/or neck. The pole breaking requires to you reliably hit in the right spot. Neither of these are qigong, nor would take more than a couple days of training to get.
The five spear lift is no more than the bed of nails principle redone. Fewer “nails”, but much wider, and placed better structurally.
The iron palm takes a bit more training, to learn how to strike properly and conditiong your hands. But again, neither of this is qigong; and you can see much more amazing (albeit less dramatically presented) breaking feats on TSN some weekends.
The only two that I found truly remarkably were the two-finger handstand and single halberd. I was also amazed at the physicist’s explanation of the single halberd - but I still wouldn’t try it myself. As for the two-finger handstand, I thought the physicist came up quite short in explaining it. At least the handstand, and possibly the single halberd (I say possibly because I’ve seen stage magicians do it, but I can’t say for sure they didn’t have some kind of armor on) required an awful lot of gong. But qigong? What does it have to do with qigong?
And what does it have to do with martial arts? Everything making these work here are the very things that won’t be present in a martial situation.
The only two that I found truly remarkably were the two-finger handstand and single halberd.
You would then be interested in seeing the materials on Hai Deng.
Do a search on that name. There is some film of him from when he went back to Shaolin.
He had one disciple and was the one who gave back the skill to the Shaolin. Except, his was one finger.
By the way, I would expect that your average joe would not be able to propely do the 5 spear trick without a full and complete understanding.
yes, it’s physics, and the physics of it dictate that there will be x result. That doesn’t mean that everyone is capable of doing the simple physics applied.
