There is a very strong protective instinct in the works here. The mother does not care what happens to her. This is like the "fighting spirit" that koyo attributes as "ki". There are other factors too, but if everything was so easily explained, everyone would be lifting up cars with adrenaline and ripping out their tendons in doing so. IMHO.
Hmm I have to disagree, desire to do something without the ability to do it is nothing. If the hysterical woman didn't have the adrenaline dump coursing through her body, all you would have is a screaming woman tugging at a car bumper. We aren't talking about Ki as an abstract concept that gives everyone life, we are talking about how a martial artist uses something called Ki to do extra-ordinary feats of strength and pain resistance. Look at the Shaolin Monks and their repertoire of parlor tricks. While very entertaining and certainly requiring skill, most of them can be explained with adrenaline dumps. eg: Smashing wood etc over their body, while it takes high levels of conditioning, adrenaline is well recognised for its analgesic ability.
Yep, it's called hysterical strength, or the berserker switch when applied to aggression. Basically it's a case of protection/aggression over personal welfare. Humans only use a tiny amount of the potential strength they have. Our muscles have the strength of snap our own bones, our bodies have the strength to kill us. That's what's released as you've said, related to both chemicals such as adrenaline and other brain/hormone functions which are less well understood.
I can see where you are coming from. The difference is that you are defining ki as adrenaline and I am saying adrenaline is one of the contributors to ki. Under your definition, then something like breath and will power would be ways to help control adrenaline (ki). So as a martial artist, we would want to control our adrenaline levels. Here is an article about adrenaline dumps that suggest that using breathing can help with adrenaline but there is more to it. I think this supports your way of thinking: http://www.policeone.com/training/articles/1271860-The-adrenaline-dump-Its-more-than-just-breathing/ Basically, primary arousal is performance enhancing, but secondary arousal takes things too far and can be performance reducing. So taking steps to keep adrenaline within the primary arousal stages is desirable. Put it this way, the BJJ instructor I cross-train under, a couple years ago won Grappler's Quest in Vegas (he won his weight class a couple years in a row). In one of his matches, he put an ankle lock on an opponent, the opponent refused to tap out and snap, the ankle was broken. It is known that those kinds of locks are deceptive because there aren't a lot of pain receptors to give warning plus with the effects of adrenaline, the pain is not felt as much. Would you say that the opponent who got his ankle broken had "stronger ki" because he didn't feel enough pain to tap out? This is where "ki" is more than adrenaline to me, it is fighting spirit and more, it is how all the pieces fit together.
I've never heard of "turtle breathing". Considering turtles can go for very long spells while holding their breath I doubt this is what we would want to achieve in martial arts. I've always been taught our breathing should always be even and steady. Never rushed or choppy or shallow. No it doesn't mean that at all. It means you simply didn't perform the technique as efficiently as you could have. This is purely a guess. But I'd say the act exhaling during the application of a technique helps because the diaphragm is constricting. I'd say this makes it easier for the body to twist and turn and possibly aids in certain pushing actions. Resulting in more powerful technique that requires less effort. Yes it is. This is why training involves endless repetition. However to achieve the goal you need to know and understand what it is you're trying to do in the first place.
Interesting article there. To me Ki is separate to fighting spirit, maybe thats the difference (amongst other things) between Hapkido and Aikido's approach to Ki. I think its very possible and have seen examples of people with very powerful techniques, strikes, throws etc they can blend well with an attacker during practice and could be said to have "strong ki" if you want to put it that way BUT when really tested and pushed, don't have the fighting spirit or tenacity that other people might have. Which one would have strong Ki? The powerful striker with less fighting spirit, or the weaker practitioner that constantly gets beaten down but keeps getting back up with more determination? This is where I feel your combining more than one factor into the concept of ki runs into problems.
Well it's possible to learn how to strike hard using nothing more than muscle. Fighting spirit is a state of mind and body.
Well putting it that way, since I think of ki as part of a system (more or less for things I don't quite understand), you could only judge the strength of ki by its effect on others. If the powerful striker demonstrated his/her ability and the enemy decided to back down because of it... that is a demonstration of stronger ki. If the one that keeps getting beaten down and gets back up, tires out the enemy or gains respect or compassion such that the enemy backs down... that is a demonstration of stronger ki. I use the term "stronger" instead of "strong" as it is relative strength. And let's not forget that ki is suppose to be used for healing as well as destruction.
Ki is Life. Your whole Awareness. A dead body has no Life, no Ki. At least that's how I understand it.
Sorry I meant to elaborate on this yesterday but you got me just as I was going to work. Yes, that exactly what we are told Ki is in Hapkido. I actually just sat through a seminar with Ji Han Jae (arguably the founder of modern Hapkido) a few weeks ago as he explained it. Ki is adrenaline and Ki control is developing the ability to control our adrenaline release. And yes, we use breathing exercises etc to try and develop control of our adrenaline eg Tan Jun breathing before classes and Kiyups on strikes etc.
Interesting. So by that definition a proper Pa Kua, Hsing I, or T'ai Chi practitioner would be ki-less,as the aim is to have NO adrenaline.Not to control it,not to squelch it,but simply not to have it arise at all. That's the idea/theory.Not saying the definition Ji Han Jae uses is an incorrect one.I think it's a perfectly correct definition. One of many.
Hmm, sea turtles would hold their breath, but since land turtles live on land, it might be a different kind of breathing.
I would not consider that ki is adrenaline. Considering that ki is a vital energy/life force that permiates all living things ki would also be present in trees, and trees have no adrenaline, at least not that I am aware of...any biology majors out there?
Having never studied any of the Chinese arts, I don't really know much about them specifically. But why would they be Ki-less? Your body produces adrenaline naturally and everyone has it, this theory is about learning to control its release, not stopping its production. I'm a little confused as to what your point is, how would learning a martial art stop production of a natural hormone?
