The other day a good friend and long-time practitioner of Combat Conditioning asked my why I’m so big on Chi Kung.
There are many reasons, but perhaps the most sensible and easiest to understand is this: there’s only so much you can do physically before your body breaks down. And when it breaks down – it breaks down HARD.
From the NFL running back to the big league pitcher to the professional boxer, hard-style martial artist, amateur wrestler or weight lifting or dancing enthusiast, there will come a point in time when your body is so racked with pain that only the moronic will continue regardless.
Whether you’re Derek Jeter, Kobe Bryant, Muhammad Ali or Dan Gable – whether or not you’re considered a “god” in your sport or martial art – eventually Nature will force you out of the game.
Before that happens – though – you could add years to your game and quite possibly retire from it relatively unscathed – if you knew and practiced Combat Chi Kung.
Fact: at nearly 51 years of age I can still kick butt in many ways. With very little training I threw a fastball close to 70 mph this past fall. I can still get on the mat and crush – and my skills continue to advance without even working on the physical.
That’s right. I’ve improved the physical while working on the energetic. Earlier in my life I stopped all the hard, mostly physical exercise and replaced it with Chi Kung, most of which was taught to me in China.
As a result I have a body that is loose, quick, powerful and flexible. This is not something most 40+ athletes can say. Many are so stiff they get injured while sleeping or while engaged in pick-up games.
There’s something wrong with this picture.
Personally, I believe that hard style exercise is good till around the age of 40. And after that, if you don’t heed this message, you will age faster and become less functional with each passing year.
Why?
Because the hard exercise depletes your body of energy. You don’t notice it when you’re younger – but at some point it’s pretty obvious. Unless you choose to block reality.
Losing energy and function is not something that happens with Combat Chi Kung. You continue to gain – even in your 50’s, 60’s and beyond.
That’s why I’m so excited about my Combat Chi Kung Seminar. And it’s why I sincerely hope you can make it.
Always remember that water wears away rock. Water is supposedly gentler – but it carries tremendous force. And when you combine breath (air) with water, you can blow down steel bridges, like we saw with Hurricane Katrina.
Best,
Matt Furey