Invincible kung fu, does it exist? Is it really a thing? Do internal martial artists really think they are invulnerable?
This is a response to a comment on the first of the Annoyed by things in martial arts video series. Thank you to Baguatraining for the comment.
Invincible Kung fu certainly exists in the imagination of some practitioners. It is safe there, and in the schools that are founded on such ideas, the practices do little to test the imagination.
For everyone, it is very tempting to believe that you are better than you actually are. Famously, most drivers believe they are in the top 50% of driving skill (88% of American drivers and 77% of Swedish divers apparently).
How those beliefs can start
If you move with good structure and alignment technique can feel effortless. With consistent practice and good tuition it is not so hard to develop such alignment. Things begin to look magic. Unfortunately, the ease starts to fall away when partners resist or even fight back.
In the post below all my techniques work like a charm. In part because are good, simple and applicable techniques. Done to completion they can really damage a body. But…. and it’s a big but, Erwan is not fighting back. It is very tempting to stay in that comforting cooperative setting and believe that is all there is.
Post: Bagua applications you can really use
Yes, they do believe it
The beliefs about invulnerability and invincibility become evident when practitioners offer or take challenges that they do not have the skill to meet. Then they criticise practitioners for being hit or beaten – the implication being that in their school, superior training would lead to a totally different result.
You can find plenty of videos internal martial artists who have belief in their skills that does not match reality. The internet is full of discussion of such videos in which the beaten master/practitioner is critiqued as not doing real insert name of style.
Site changes
By the way, you may have noticed that the site has changed/is changing. Somebody hacked recently and it has prompted a total rebuild. Hope you like it…your feedback is welcome.
Over time I will bring back some of the old articles…
Want to start learning Gao style Bagua today? Do you want to join a community to keep things honest and share knowledge? Here is your link. (zero risk for you, if you are not learning I’ll refund your fees ).
