Like many people I have attended numerous workshops and seminars where imported gurus and masters have demonstrated amazing skill and ability, usually effortlessly moving much bigger, stronger partners or remaining still despite the effort of much bigger, stronger partners, this is usually described as a demonstration of the use of Chi, Mind Force or in Wing Chun Nim Lik, and like others I have been quite amazed and impressed by these demonstrations.
I am now at a skill level were I myself can perform these type of demonstrations, the thing is I am from that section of the martial arts community that does not believe in Chi, Mind Force or Nim Lik.
It has been pointed out to me that what I think is quite irrelevant because I am clearly using Nim Lik and that itself is proof of its existence.
It is difficult to intelligently argue against this position, so I no longer do, I accept it for what it is and instead I concern myself with its usefulness, its practicality.
This argument is still difficult to prosecute, so instead I look for its presence in sports.
In sports even the smallest advantage is pursued like the Holy Grail, to the extent that some sportsmen will risk a life time ban by taking drugs that really only help them train harder and hurt more in the hope of developing a better body, once this is done they still need to put in a metric shit tonne of work on the skill and ability of their chosen sport.
And then go out and win against someone just like them that really, really does not want to loose.
I have had people point to the emergence of China as an olympic powerhouse making vague suggestions about Chi training, but if you dig down a little it soon becomes clear that China’s progress is due more to the employment of western methodologies and use of western coaches than any traditional Chinese means of training.
If Chi, Mind Force or Nim Lik was a genuine way of enhancing performance someone somewhere in some sport or another would be using it, once they began winning and word got out about their method, and it surely would get out, everyone would be using it, so where is it?
What present day gladiator of the U.F.C even uses Kung Fu let alone some esoteric practice from Kung Fu?
Just for arguments sake let’s all decide that Chi or Mind Force or Nim Lim really does exist, by its strikingly obvious absence from professional sport I think it is fair to conclude that it does not work well enough in any way to justify the time spent trying to realise it.
Wing Chun Sydney, Australia 