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 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 with a workout routine that is mostly internal. This means you won’t see me moving fast or in a big way. I move from the inside-out instead of the outside-out.
And doing so gives me an unusual strength, quickness, agility and flexibility. Not to mention POWER.
Truth is I’ve improved the physical while working on the energetic or internal.
Earlier in my life I stopped all the hard-style, hard-core training, mostly physical exercise and replaced it with Chi Kung, most of which was taught to me in China. My only wish it that I made the transition sooner as I’d have endured a lot less pain.
As a result I now 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.
They may hide behind their big muscles and strength and tell you that they have no aches, pains or injuries, but I know better. In private I’ve spoken with many of these strongmen, and they’ve told me about all their injuries that they need to “train around.”
Or they go on periodic bodyweight only routines. Why? In order to heal all the injuries caused by their cro-magnon approach to training.
And they call their method of training smart because it gives them big muscles. Big stiff, inflexible, pain-absorbing, injury-prone muscles.
There’s something wrong with this picture.
The most intelligent way to train is to do so in a way that integrates and harmonizes mind with body – not one that forces mind over body or body over mind.
Personally, I believe that hard-style exercise is good till around the age of 40. And after that, if you don’t heed the message of higher intelligence, you will age faster and become less functional with each passing year.
Why?
Because hard-style 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 and pretend it isn’t so.
Over 25 years ago I used to go train with a former Mr. Universe. He was about my current age at the time.
A great guy but racked with pain from all his heavy training. His elbow joints didn’t lock out when he did bench presses – or any other kind of presses. They wouldn’t even lock when he had no weights in his hands.
He had to stretch his lower back for 30 minutes each morning just so he could destroy it some more.
On the outside he looked fabulous. But his body was more than just a wee-bit fragile.
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. Just ask those who’ve jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge.
Well, I guess you can’t ask them because the water was like concrete when they hit – and they probably aren’t around anymore.
When Nature combines breath (air) with water, something different happens. As we saw with Hurricane Katrina – air and water combined can take out steel bridges.
Just think what obstacles can be removed in your own life by practicing Combat Chi Kung. Come join me and you’ll be a changed person for sure.
Best,
Matt Furey