How do martial artists break the pile of bricks?

[LordShiva]

Originally posted by Etchy

Mysticism

Come on guys it's not like I was talking about spiritual energy or some bull****, just that it would be very hard to achieve with the average western understanding of body motion.

Etchy is a hippy.

[Grandpa Troll]

For informational purposes only, check This article out

Gramps trying to be helpful in 07

[Datajack Franit]

Originally posted by Eli
Mysticism.

Monotheism

[Underseer]

I was watching a documentary on Discovery (yeah, I know, that makes the information suspect) and according to them a big part of it is hitting the object exactly perpendicular, which is a lot harder than it sounds.

They had two demonstrators working on blocks of wood. One lost his confidence for some reason and got really frustrated as he pounded again and again with no result. It wasn't until he calmed himself back down that he was able to do it. If I remember correctly, the film showed that his fist/wrist was marginally off from perpendicular on his failures.

[Underseer]

Originally posted by Ecthy

Mysticism

Come on guys it's not like I was talking about spiritual energy or some bull****, just that it would be very hard to achieve with the average western understanding of body motion.

Uhm, Chi is about "spiritual energy" and such mumbo-jumbo. Most martial arts are full of supernatural nonsense, which makes sense given that these (however incredible) techniques were developed in the absence of the scientific method, and those teaching it had to come up with some sort of explanation for their students.

Just because their explanation produces a desired result doesn't make it factually correct. For example, the nonsensical "energy flows" acupuncturists talked about allowed them to remove pain without understanding that what they were really doing was manipulating nerves and nerve endings.

[Elok]

Ah, Underseer-grasshopper, you are truly wise. It is not enough to break a brick, as these neophytes have done. A true master will instead sh!t a brick, like you are doing.

[Grandpa Troll]

Originally posted by Underseer


Most martial arts are full of supernatural nonsense, which makes sense given that these (however incredible) techniques were developed in the absence of the scientific method, and those teaching it had to come up with some sort of explanation for their students.

Quantify your answer please. I am all ears, cant wait to hear this one.......

[Ecthy]

Originally posted by Underseer
Uhm, Chi is about "spiritual energy" and such mumbo-jumbo. Most martial arts are full of supernatural nonsense, which makes sense given that these (however incredible) techniques were developed in the absence of the scientific method, and those teaching it had to come up with some sort of explanation for their students.

If it leads to focus it is alright.

"Mumbo-jumbo"

[Lazerus]

You can actually harden (well increase density) your bone structure through repeated punishment, definately makes breaking stuff easier then as you've got more mass in the equation.

[Underseer]

Originally posted by Grandpa Troll


Quantify your answer please. I am all ears, cant wait to hear this one.......

Sure. For instance, Chi was mentioned in this very thread.

Here is the wikipedia entry on Chi:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qi

Qi, also commonly spelled ch'i (in Wade-Giles romanization) or ki (in romanized Japanese), is a fundamental concept of traditional Chinese culture. Qi is believed to be part of everything that exists, as in “life force” or “spiritual energy,” It is most often translated as “energy flow,” or literally as “air” or “breath” (for example, a term meaning “weather” is tiānqì, or the “breath of heaven”). It is pronounced something like "chee" in Mandarin Chinese but the tongue position is different. (See Mediaifficult Sounds.GIF.)

The same spiritual mumo-jumbo shows up in Japanese martial arts as "ki" but it's the same hogwash.

Remember, you have to shout in order to focus your magical spirit energy.

[Underseer]

Originally posted by Ecthy


If it leads to focus it is alright.

"Mumbo-jumbo"

There are people who claim to be able to knock people unconscious without touching them or harden their skin against blades all thanks to the magic spirit energy that flows through you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-x4iJM2aU4

[Zkribbler]

To understand how martial artists break the pile of bricks, you have to understand the difference between tensil strength and compression strength.

Bricks have real good compression strength, which means you can stack them on top of each other to make buildings and such. However, their tensil (holding together) strength is much less. That's why those bricks to be broken are always placed between two uprights. The martial artist is trying to break them apart, not to smash them.

There's also a lot of training of the hand, so that it can withstand its impact with the pile of bricks.

And its also technique -- hitting the brick with the smallest amount of area contact to focus the blow; and hitting it with high speed, maximizing the momentum of the blow (m x v).

[Hercules]

Originally posted by Zkribbler
To understand how martial artists break the pile of bricks, you have to understand the difference between tensil strength and compression strength.

Bricks have real good compression strength, which means you can stack them on top of each other to make buildings and such. However, their tensil (holding together) strength is much less. That's why those bricks to be broken are always placed between two uprights. The martial artist is trying to break them apart, not to smash them.

There's also a lot of training of the hand, so that it can withstand its impact with the pile of bricks.

And its also technique -- hitting the brick with the smallest amount of area contact to focus the blow; and hitting it with high speed, maximizing the momentum of the blow (m x v).

Exactly.

And my New Year resolution is to increase my bone structure.

[Hercules]

Originally posted by Underseer


There are people who claim to be able to knock people unconscious without touching them or harden their skin against blades all thanks to the magic spirit energy that flows through you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-x4iJM2aU4

The Youtube ref and beyond is fascinating. Whata creepcon..

[Grandpa Troll]

Originally posted by Underseer


Sure. For instance, Chi was mentioned in this very thread.

Here is the wikipedia entry on Chi:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qi

The same spiritual mumo-jumbo shows up in Japanese martial arts as "ki" but it's the same hogwash.

Remember, you have to shout in order to focus your magical spirit energy.

Well, let me enlighten you grasshopper.


Harnessing energy is merely learning how to focus ones deployment of such.

Ki or Ki-Hap is the expenditure of ones air or total energy of air mass released upon the point of impact. If you have ever seen a display of Hyung (Korean) which if forms or patterns or Kata (Japanese) a Ki-Hap is used at certain point of devastating delivery.


I would say you would surely feel this so called, how did you put it "Hog wash" or mumbo jumbo with excruciating pain and possibly disengagement from normal operating position if you were ever the recepient of a blow delivered by an expert.

I feel you are trolling because anyone with first hand knowledge knows as you excel in degrees of proficiency its the technique being honed that seperates a novice from a pro.

Honestly, true martial artists or practioners are the hardess people in the world to get to "fight" because they have confidence of how to handle themselves and with minimal exertion can take out the normal individual.

Gramps

Here in 1985 in Pittsburgh PA I had the privelge of attending 2 U S Open Tae Kwon Do Championships. I won both in Super Heavy Weight Fighting and one in Forms (Hyungs). I am pictured with 4 time World Tae Kwon Do Champion Master Kong Bo Young. I dare say before you could say Mumbo Jumbo he would show a crucial difference between "Myth" and Reality.

Gramps