Amazing Stories

[Andy Murray]

What is the most amazing thing you have seen in the Martial Arts?

Have you seen something that defied explanation?

Have you seen something that has had a life changing effect on you?

Or was it a particular person who amazed you, and if so how?

Positive comments only please!:eek:

[Thomas Vince]

Okay Andy,
I was teaching a private lessons in Morristown New Jersey and we were experimenting with a form that I beleived could generate chi. As we moved through the Kata and I began to turn toward her she began to breath very deeply and although i was not touching (swear to God)she claimed she felt something. When we talked about it later she said very weird, almost magnetic like when the two sides push and pull on each other. She said it flowed right through her, I was projecting somethin but i do not know what it was and although it has been happenning it comes and goes. It's SPOOKY and it makes me nautious.
SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH ---- They'll here us coming!

[wayofthedragon]

WoW, that is amazing:Alien:
I never experienced anything that amazing, but I do like to hear people talk about what they experienced, so, is there anymore:confused:

[yangtaichi]

ok so im not really a muscle head but im not a twig either, im just average build for a 19 year old.

a while back i started reading a lot about aikido and it was really interesting to me. i read about the philosophy and history and old stories about 0~sensei, those are some amazing stories. but this story is about me. i learned the 'unbendable arm' from a book. yeah i know learning with out a teacher is bad. but i was a surprised as anyone that it worked. i still am to this day when it works.

i stand facing a partner in regular triangle stance and place my right wrist on his left shoulder, palm facing his head. both of his hands go on the inside of my elbow, and he bends over using his entire body trying to bend my arm. the goal is to use my hara to extend the ki through my arm thus making it unbendable.

ok so at the gym i cannot lift 100 pounds. i almost die just trying 75 once. i average curling 37 pounds now but this story predates my gym days. i had very little muscle mass on my tricepts, just average un used arms.

ive had college football players, ive had friends do chin ups on my arm, he wieghed in at about 175 pounds. ive had 3 people all pushing and pulling at the same time,

nothing, only once did it not work, but its worked in tougher cases than the one that i lost.

[yangtaichi]

the wierd thing is that i cant feel it. i dont try to resist, when i try to keep my arm straight it wont work. but when i just relax and dont try at all to resist, it works like a charm. it feels funny, like the muscles in my arm being controlled by a remote, the more the other person pulls the more my arm refuses to bend. and im not doing it!!

[David]

And for my next trick, I'll tell you how the unbendable arm works... and you'll never be able to do it again :D It's a simple case of misdirecton. When you tense your arm against being bent the first time, you're likely to be tensing your bicep, the muscle repsonsible for bending your arm... Next, when it gets mystical and you're instructed to 'extend', this triggers you to use your tricep, the actual correct muscle for holding your arm out. This doesn't detract from the apparent ease with which you can resist :).

I was most impressed by a (clothed) demonstration of testicle retraction :eek: and then taking hits and full-on kicks to the groin. This told me that there were some real depths to TCMA and I wanted then to seek them out ever since.

Rgds,
David

[yangtaichi]

yeah i cant really say yay or nay on ki.

i think underneath it all chi and ki are just what we use to explain and even convince our selves that will power and belief can make the body do anything. i do really believe you can do amazing things with your body if you think its possible. ... i doubt the stuff about walking through walls and throwing people without touching them is anywhere near the truth, but its fun to dream :)

but heres the 64$ question; if it works and we call it chi, does that make chi real?

PS david, since i read your explanation i cant turn the arm off!! im typeing this at arms length, it wont bend ive tried everything, tow trucks, joint locks, acupuncture, ... shinai :) send help!!

[yangtaichi]

`nother insight


when i try to keep it solid im using my eyes to know when the person is pushing harder, but when i just focus i allow my body to listen to the movement through the touch and then my body, id whatever can do a much better job than i can to apply the correct amount of pressure, even if said pressure is more than what i should be able to do.

i mean i cant bench press a ford or nothing, but if my body is only limited by my mind and my opponent is limited by his muscles, i have the advantage. ..... oh yeah

any takers on my 64$ question?

thanks

[David]

I accept chi as a working truth and use it as such; all I did was explain the cheapness of the unbendable arm. Hope you can bend your elbows soon...

... say is your nose itching..? :D

Rgds,
David

[yangtaichi]

eh i dont think understanding something cheapens it, just takes away some of the mystical atmosphere, *makes wooshing ghostlike sounds* ooooOOoooOOoooo my arm is unbendable. nah i just think it is.

my nose was itching but i used my knee

[tai-gip]

I look at it that the universe is one big living thing of which we are all a joined part and the chi, ki, raki, call it what you will is this energy that joins us being used in a specific way or being defined to make it easier for us to follow
without some kind of form or guidline we are forced to create or find our own path without guidance and this provides no affirmation to the accuracy of our beliefs which means generaly it turns into a doubt then a disbelief.....
perhaps by relaxing and just being you chose to use energy for just this purpose but another using it could make you move......
Try following the same thought and focus to knock out a candle flame from five feet away ..
Or make something move without touching it perhaps it is the same energy and it is just our intentions that make it or us perform a specific task

i used to meditate with a friend we would take turns facing away from the road while the other faced it and we could "see" the cars on the road going passed (while facing the wrong way with eyes closed) and confirmed it by telling the one watching what colours and the lane they where in...... :)

[tai-gip]

What about you just plain Andy ;)

[Jim]

One word... Midiclorients... :D

[Andy Murray]

Originally posted by tai-gip
What about you just plain Andy ;)

I had a weird kind of 'out of body' experience at a Tournament.

As part of the 60 strong Scottish Squad, we went to a Tournament in Ireland, with teams from all over the world competing in points and Kick Boxing.

I stepped onto the mat for my second points match, and my brain just flashed how the whole fight was going to work out in an instant. it happened that way blow by blow.

It was bizarre, but I'd been doing so much visualisation in the build up to the tournament, I think it relates to that.

After I won the section, I discovered I'd broken two ribs and had to pull out of the Kickboxing section. Again, this was bizarre, not having felt anything until after the matches, but you could put this down to Adrenalin I suppose.

We came back with 55 fighters placed at the peak of SLG.

[tai-gip]

did you decide why it happened like that or take it any further ?

[Andy Murray]

I got too old for competition, it's a young persons game.

I retain a fervent belief in positive visualisation though, and use it in as many aspects of my life as I can.

As an example; I believe this forum will influence more MA people in a positive manner than any other on the net. My belief will make it so!

[tai-gip]

Cool
Did you look into how you knew what was going to happen
or why ...

[Andy Murray]

Originally posted by tai-gip
Cool
Did you look into how you knew what was going to happen
or why ...

No, it wasn't something I was taught.

It wasn't something I set out to learn, it just happened.

Maybe I'd just run through all the possibilities in my mind and dictated events by physical and mental dominance?

I had times when I was pre pubescent, when I would dream of something, and it would happen a few days later, but I'm highly skeptical of such things, in the same way as someone can write Horoscopes and different meanings can be inferred by interpretation.

Like I've said before, the presence of magic, is the absence of rational explanation.

[tai-gip]

ok ok lets not take this any further perhaps it was natural though and we just throw it away as unknow therefore rubbish..
posted to Andy only....... lol:)

[Sonshu]

Up in the lands of the scotts and it was taken by Brian McCarthy an ex Hatsumi student. It was a great seminar and I am (as most people know) very sceptical of anything I dont see done on me.

I was doing a technique and BM came over to help the other guy who was new to be fair and he came in and asked me to do the strike on him, as far as this went all was good I shot my punch in and before I realised what had happened he tied me up in a knot.

This I expected from someone at his level then and mine so no suprise...........but.......... when he struck my forearm on the inside very gently with his fist, I mean this was real gentle just a mere tap. MY WHOLE ARM WENT DEAD TO THE POINT OF NOT BEING ABLE TO LIFT IT TO ANY REAL USE.

This was pretty hard for me to come to terms with as I am a pretty ruff tuff guy. He just looked at the shocked look on my face and when I asked "how did you do that, what have you done" he just said cool as a you like. Somthing you will learn in time.

WOW I WAS STUNNED AND STILL AM TO THIS DAY! - Could be luck I dont know but I also had someone show me how to make a Tai Chi buble which was pretty odd as well - could not throw it at anyone though! :(

[Andy Murray]

Originally posted by Sonshu
when he struck my forearm on the inside very gently with his fist, I mean this was real gentle just a mere tap. MY WHOLE ARM WENT DEAD TO THE POINT OF NOT BEING ABLE TO LIFT IT TO ANY REAL USE.

This was pretty hard for me to come to terms with as I am a pretty ruff tuff guy. He just looked at the shocked look on my face and when I asked "how did you do that, what have you done" he just said cool as a you like. Somthing you will learn in time.



Must be something he learned in a Kata ;)

[Sonshu]

as such

HAVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its drill work mostly with one stance kata and one 5 move kata thats done more with 2 people!!!

Cheers

:Angel:

[Andy Murray]

That confirms it then.

Must have been magic :D

[Sonshu]

Agreed!

:D

[Tosh]

Originally posted by Sonshu
I also had someone show me how to make a Tai Chi buble which was pretty odd as well - could not throw it at anyone though! :(

I could show you how to do a a "Tai Green Curry" bubble and aim it at someone.

The effects are devastating! :D

[Sonshu]

working out this week :( I think I could do a good imitation.

I have had the most lazy week no training or gym all week due to work and 3 junk food meals!!!!!!!!!!!!

And I have a Sombo tournament this weekend!!!!!!!!!

Boy am I gonna die!

[Xia]

I was meditating, for many hours in my class. Then my Sifu, saw my self come into class, which is impossible...even I don't believe it , apparently this has happened a second time in school.

What the **** is going on, my entire class was freaked, anyway I rarely meditate for no more than an hour now...I don't care if you believe it or not, even I don't.

[Sonshu]

To many drugs in the 60's I recon! :D