Kung Fu body conditioning and demonstrations of extraordinary martial skills

Magic in Kung Fu: Skill, Conditioning, Tricks and Supernatural Claims

Shaolin monks and other Kung Fu practitioners sometimes perform demonstrations that seem almost superhuman.

A practitioner places the point of a spear against his throat, leans forward and continues until the shaft bends or breaks.

Another breaks bricks with his bare hand.

Someone allows an assistant to smash a thick wooden board across his back.

Others bend metal objects, lie on beds of nails or demonstrate apparently extraordinary resistance to pain.

And then there are even more remarkable claims: masters who supposedly knock people down without touching them, project Qi across a room or use some invisible force against an opponent.

All of these things are frequently placed under the same vague category of “Kung Fu powers.”

They shouldn't be.

Some demonstrations involve genuine physical abilities developed through years of specialized training.

Some involve conditioning combined with a good understanding of physics.

Some are performance tricks.

Some demonstrate a real ability but encourage an exaggerated explanation of what that ability means.

And some supposedly supernatural abilities have never been convincingly demonstrated under controlled conditions.

Understanding these differences doesn't make Kung Fu less interesting.

It makes it considerably more interesting.

Over conditioned hands damage

xtraordinary Does Not Mean Supernatural

The human body is capable of remarkable adaptation.

Gymnasts, weightlifters, boxers, wrestlers and other highly trained athletes routinely perform things that would be impossible for an average untrained person.

Martial artists are no different.

Years of specialized training can produce substantial changes in strength, coordination, balance, timing, movement efficiency and tolerance to physical stress.

So when we see an unusual Kung Fu demonstration, the first question shouldn't be:

“Is this Qi?”

It should be:

“What exactly is happening?”

Before inventing an extraordinary explanation, we should first examine ordinary possibilities.

Breaking Bricks Is Real — But So Is Physics

Breaking bricks, tiles and wooden boards is probably the most familiar martial-arts demonstration.

There is genuine skill involved.

The practitioner needs sufficient force, appropriate body structure, accuracy and commitment.

But the object itself is equally important.

Different materials have different mechanical properties.

Thickness matters.

Orientation matters.

The distance between the supports matters.

Spacers between bricks or tiles matter.

The direction of the grain in wooden boards matters.

The point of impact matters.

A breaking demonstration therefore doesn't necessarily tell us how much damage that person could inflict on another human being.

It tells us that the practitioner can break that particular material under those particular conditions.

That can still require considerable skill.

We simply don't need a supernatural explanation for it.

The Spear Against the Throat

One of the most spectacular demonstrations involves placing a spear point against the throat and pushing forward until the shaft bends or eventually breaks.

At first sight, it appears that the practitioner has somehow made his throat resistant to a spear.

But look more carefully at what is actually being demonstrated.

The force is applied progressively.

The practitioner controls his body position.

The angle is controlled.

The location of the spear point is carefully selected.

The shaft itself bends under compression.

Body alignment and distribution of force are important.

None of this means that the demonstration is necessarily fake.

The ability itself may be completely genuine.

But there is an enormous difference between gradually applying force under controlled conditions and an opponent suddenly thrusting a spear into your neck.

This distinction is fundamental:

A controlled demonstration is not the same thing as an uncontrolled attack.

A genuine demonstration can therefore produce a false conclusion if we misunderstand what it actually proves.

Traditional Body Conditioning

Chinese martial arts contain numerous specialized conditioning systems usually translated into English with names such as Iron Palm, Iron Shirt and similar terms.

Methods vary enormously.

Some involve progressively striking bags or other surfaces.

Some condition particular parts of the hands or arms.

Others involve partner striking, resistance exercises or repetitive physical stress intended to produce particular adaptations.

There is nothing supernatural about the basic principle.

Human tissues respond to mechanical loading.

Muscles become stronger.

Bones remodel in response to appropriate loading.

Connective tissues adapt.

The nervous system becomes more efficient at particular movements.

People can also become accustomed to certain kinds of discomfort.

But there is an important word in all of this:

appropriate.

Adaptation and injury are not the same thing.

Hard Training Is Not the Problem

When I originally wrote this article, I made the argument too broadly.

I essentially suggested that extremely hard physical training necessarily shortens life.

That isn't supported by the evidence.

In fact, research examining elite athletes generally finds lower overall mortality than in the general population, although results differ between sports and types of athletes.

The problem therefore isn't simply hard training.

The important question is:

What kind of stress is being imposed on the body, what adaptation does it produce, and what is the long-term cost?

Progressively loading tissues and allowing them to recover can produce useful adaptation.

Repeatedly damaging joints, nerves or other tissues is something different.

Pain is not automatically evidence of progress.

More damage doesn't necessarily produce more ability.

A permanently damaged hand isn't evidence of superior Kung Fu.

It is a damaged hand.

Some Traditional Methods Could Be Dangerous

This doesn't mean that every traditional conditioning system was safe.

Some weren't.

And this is where we shouldn't romanticize historical martial arts.

Certain traditional conditioning practices incorporated herbal, mineral or other preparations applied externally or sometimes taken internally.

The formulas varied enormously.

Some traditional Chinese medicinal preparations historically included substances containing compounds of mercury, arsenic and other potentially toxic materials.

That matters.

Long-term or inappropriate exposure to toxic substances can cause serious health consequences.

Therefore, it is entirely plausible that some historical practitioners damaged their health not simply through physical training but through substances associated with their training or treatment.

However, we have to be precise.

We cannot conclude that every traditional martial liniment was poisonous.

We cannot conclude that every Iron Palm practitioner damaged his health.

And without specific historical evidence, we cannot assign an exact number of years supposedly removed from someone's lifespan.

What we can say is that traditional does not automatically mean safe.

Dit Da Jow and Traditional Remedies

Many martial artists are familiar with preparations generally called dit da jow (跌打酒).

There isn't one universal dit da jow formula.

Different teachers, families and traditions use different ingredients and methods of preparation.

That makes sweeping statements in either direction unreliable.

It would be equally unreasonable to say:

“It is traditional, therefore it works.”

or:

“It is traditional, therefore it is dangerous.”

A preparation has to be judged by what is actually in it.

Some ingredients may have pharmacological effects.

Some may do very little.

Some may cause allergic or dermatological reactions.

Some historical ingredients may be inappropriate or unsafe according to modern toxicological knowledge.

Tradition tells us that something was used.

It doesn't automatically tell us whether it was effective or safe.

Breathing Exercises Are Not Superpowers

Breathing exercises deserve the same careful approach.

In my original article, I treated them too dismissively.

Breathing obviously affects human physiology.

Different breathing patterns can influence heart rate, blood pressure, muscular tension, attention and autonomic activity.

Some controlled breathing practices may therefore have genuine physiological or psychological benefits.

But that doesn't mean breathing exercises make someone immune to physical trauma.

And evidence that breathing influences physiology is not evidence that a practitioner can project a mysterious force from his hands.

This is an important distinction because martial arts discussions frequently jump from:

“This practice has a measurable physiological effect”

to:

“Therefore the traditional supernatural explanation must be correct.”

The second statement doesn't follow from the first.

There is enough interesting physiology in breathing without turning it into magic.

Meditation Is Neither Magic Nor Useless

I would also change what I originally wrote about meditation.

I dismissed it almost completely.

That was too simplistic.

Meditation can be useful for some people, particularly in areas involving attention, stress management and emotional regulation.

At the same time, meditation shouldn't be presented as universally beneficial or completely risk-free.

Adverse effects have been reported, particularly with some intensive practices and in susceptible individuals.

Once again, the reasonable position lies between two extremes.

Meditation isn't a magical path to supernatural martial abilities.

But neither is it necessarily a waste of time.

A practice can have genuine effects without possessing the extraordinary properties attributed to it.

That principle applies to much of traditional martial arts.

Performance Tricks

Some apparently superhuman Kung Fu demonstrations depend heavily on performance techniques.

Understanding this doesn't necessarily mean exposing fraud.

Performance has always been part of martial culture.

Circus performers perform remarkable feats.

Stage magicians perform illusions.

Professional strongmen have historically developed specialized tricks and demonstrations.

Martial artists have also performed for audiences.

There is nothing inherently dishonest about that.

The problem begins when a performance is presented as evidence of something it doesn't actually demonstrate.

Breaking a carefully arranged stack of bricks doesn't mean you can break any brick under any circumstances.

Withstanding a controlled strike doesn't make you immune to injury.

Bending a particular object doesn't demonstrate supernatural strength.

And lying on a bed of nails doesn't demonstrate the existence of an invisible protective energy field.

The demonstration may be genuine.

The explanation can still be wrong.

And Then There Is No-Touch Qi

This brings us to one of the most controversial categories of martial-arts demonstrations.

Masters who supposedly knock people down without touching them.

Sometimes students fall dramatically as the teacher gestures toward them.

Sometimes they appear unable to approach him.

Occasionally these demonstrations are explained through Qi or another invisible force.

Unlike philosophical discussions about Qi, this creates a straightforward scientific question.

If somebody claims that he can exert enough physical influence on another human being to move him without physical contact, that is a testable claim.

So test it.

Use people who are not the master's students.

Randomize the conditions.

Remove visual cues where appropriate.

Use independent observers.

Repeat the experiment.

If the effect remains, we have discovered something extremely important.

If the effect disappears when cooperative students are removed, we have also discovered something important.

There is no need for ridicule.

There is also no need for belief.

Test the claim.

Why Do We Want to Believe?

Spectacular demonstrations are powerful because they offer something ordinary training cannot.

Mystery.

Breaking bricks is more exciting than improving footwork for six months.

A spear bending against someone's throat attracts more attention than correct skeletal alignment.

A master apparently throwing students without touching them is more impressive than somebody quietly developing excellent timing over thirty years.

The spectacular demonstration becomes associated with secret knowledge.

Secret knowledge becomes associated with the master.

The master becomes associated with the lineage.

Eventually questioning the demonstration can feel like questioning the entire tradition.

That is where critical thinking becomes especially important.

Questioning an explanation doesn't necessarily mean denying the observed phenomenon.

The phenomenon and its explanation are two different things.

The Experience Is Not the Explanation

This is something that appears repeatedly in traditional martial arts.

A practitioner feels something unusual.

Heat.

Pressure.

Vibration.

Sudden power.

Reduced perception of pain.

A dramatic change in balance or muscular tension.

The experience can be completely real.

But experiencing something doesn't automatically explain why it happened.

This is the same distinction I make when discussing Qi.

The experience is not the explanation of the experience.

We should first establish what happened.

Then investigate how it happened.

Only then should we decide which explanation best fits the evidence.

There Is Enough Wonder Without Magic

Removing supernatural explanations doesn't make Kung Fu less impressive.

For me, it does the opposite.

The human body is already extraordinary.

Decades of training can produce remarkable coordination, strength, timing, balance, movement efficiency and tolerance to physical stress.

Traditional martial artists developed sophisticated methods of physical training long before modern biomechanics, sports medicine and exercise physiology existed.

Some methods worked extremely well.

Some probably did very little.

Some may have caused unnecessary damage.

Some incorporated potentially dangerous substances.

Some became exaggerated through stories.

Some demonstrations depend on clever applications of physics.

And some claims remain unsupported.

That is exactly why these traditions deserve serious investigation.

We don't have to choose between believing everything and dismissing everything.

We can preserve the methods.

We can examine the demonstrations.

We can investigate the physiology.

We can test the claims.

And when the evidence isn't sufficient, we can simply say:

We don't know.

There are no magical shortcuts in martial arts.

There is training.

There is adaptation.

There is skill.

There is physics.

There is psychology.

There are sometimes tricks.

And occasionally there are things we don't yet fully understand.

Finding out which one we are looking at is far more interesting than simply calling it magic.

Sources and Further Reading

Lorge, Peter A. Chinese Martial Arts: From Antiquity to the Twenty-First Century. Cambridge University Press, 2012.

Shahar, Meir. The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, and the Chinese Martial Arts. University of Hawai‘i Press, 2008.

Esherick, Joseph W. The Origins of the Boxer Uprising. University of California Press, 1987.

Cohen, Paul A. History in Three Keys: The Boxers as Event, Experience, and Myth. Columbia University Press, 1997.

Henning, Stanley E. “Chinese Boxing: The Internal Versus External Schools in the Light of History and Theory.” Journal of Asian Martial Arts, Vol. 6, No. 3, 1997