Ki
TAGS: Asia, China, Culture, Japan, Ki, MARTIAL, Quirky
Exploring a core Asian concept frequently called ki or chi.
Intro
The Japanese word ki is also synonymous with the Chinese word 氣 = chi = qui = qi. The character is composed of 气 = steam rising from 米 = rice. It can be loosely tied to the Sanskrit word karma. I prefer the word ki because of my karate experience and because it has no spelling variations. The word ki is simple but it has broad interpretations, applications, connotations, and history. The concept of ki is a core Asian concept.
Ki is nothing more than vitality. It's that simple. Ki is often wrapped with complicated trappings because human beings are complicated and tend to examine and play with things.
- Four year olds running around have lots of ki. So do most healthy animals.
- When I have a cold, my ki is down. When I'm peaking and I'm in the flow, my ki is way up.
- A good punch has good ki.
- Moving with speed uses ki.
- Moving vigorously, whether calmly or ferociously is moving with ki.
- Natural fighters (people who fight well without training) have good ki.
- When people undergo training, initially they often lose the naturalness of their technique, i.e. they lose ki. Eventually after more training, their techniques become more natural again, i.e. they regain ki.
It is easy to see what ki is. But how do you get it and maintain it? The answers are obvious:
- Breathe
- Have good posture
- Move well
- Exercise
- Eat properly
- Think well
- Feel well
- Socialize
- Be compassionate
- Relax
- Live
- Train
What you do with ki is up to you. I personally am not interested in doing parlor tricks with it. Ki should be a tool to help you conceptualize reality. One of the appeals of ki is that it makes subjective thinking almost tangible.
Related
Feng Shui is interior design and landscaping that utilizes Chinese chi concepts. Just as good form while sitting can develop the chi of an individual, so can a good arrangement of furniture increase the vitality and functionality of a room.
Kime is focused ki. A strike is done with ki and finished with kime. A punch practiced in open air is done with great speed and then stopped very suddenly with sharp muscular contractions throughout the body, as if the entire body struck the blow and not just the arm. It is important to immediately relax and recover after executing a technique with kime, otherwise you are immobilized and open to a counter attack. Kime techniques are done for several reasons:
- Power. As mentioned, kime will have your blow strike with your entire body instead of just part of your body. Your body will also be firmly braced against the ground.
- Impact simulation. When you hit something, the resistance met sends a great shock through your body. Your body must be ready to receive this shock.
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Control.
- Place your kime point outside of your opponent's flesh during practice if you do not want to hit them but you want to go at near top speed. Doing that takes some practice.
- If you do want to injure your opponent, the place the kime point inside your opponent's flesh or through it.
- In addition to controlling whether you hit your opponent or not, control allows you to target the right target on your opponent. EG: Is your target the chest or the solar plexus?
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Some techniques cannot be done with kime but they should still be done with ki. These techniques include:
- Thrown techniques or techniques with a follow through. EG: You cannot easily pull back an axe kick --where the foot goes up and the heel drops straight down-- once it is coming down. You are relying more on momentum then on body tension.
- In the air techniques. EG: After jumping, you may try to tense your body during a blow executed while you are in mid air, but you will not be able to brace against the ground.
[Discuss li]
2007-11-03 22:43:41Z