Ki
The kanji character for ki (“Spirit / feeling / psyche / energy”) is a steaming-hot bowl of rice, with an emphasis on the steam. Ki is a primal feeling of aliveness; the sensation of synergy; the Nietzschean Will to Power -- the aetherial, vital essence of life itself. Ki is also commonly referred to as c’hi, qi, or prana, by energy healers, Traditional Chinese Physicians, and other charlatans.
While this sounds like the Force from Star Wars, there is nothing mystic nor magical about the martial arts There is no one who can shoot fireballs, or cure diseases, or deal no-touch knockouts, or do anything remotely supernatural or superhuman with their ki -- those claims are all confidence tricks designed to exploit the naïve -- and we dare you to prove us wrong. Historically, “ki” was cited as the answer whenever teachers doesn’t know or could not explain the real answer, because of Asian cultural nuance where it is considered unspeakably rude not to answer a question -- even if it meant providing wild speculations. This was especially true in marital arts circles because of:
- A lack of scientific methodology.
- A culture of unquestioning conformity results. Teachers taught, and students listened, with no questioning, which allowed for uncertainty to propagates onto future generations.
- Chinese is particular, is a flowery, poetic language, which really does not specifically address things, impeding concrete discussion.
Ki, though wonderful, is a fairly mundane thing. Ki is simply a by product of coordinating one’s mental focus with optimally efficient biomechanics, resulting in effortless, fluid motion. This is achieved through kokyū, the coordination of breathing and body movement. In general, any time you perform a technique which directs your power (or your limbs) out away from you, you need to slowly exhale, just like in weightlifting. Likewise, you must quickly inhale while re-chambering after a series of techniques.
