Quite possibly the deadliest style of martial arts known to man...
Sam Noyoun, Kung Fu Do Grandmaster and registered human weapon introduces you to some of this fighting system's most secret techniques.
Kung Fu Do draws upon modern scientific principles, closely guarded secrets of the traditional asian martial arts, tricks of the oldtime strongmen, and military combatives, to form a complete system which is not only lethal, but also possesses a strong element of performance to instill the fear of the shadowless ninja in its enemies.
The tricks and techniques featured on this website are only the tip of the iceberg... In the Kung Fu Do system, they constitute but a small part of the white sash syllabus.
Kung Fu Do practioners also learn and practice numerous deadly techniques such as: - lightness kung fu: walking on eggs and scaling walls - heaviness kung fu: the immovable arm ; the immovable standing up stance - how to break stones with their bare hands - how to submit and restrain an opponent with one of their finger - how to walk on fire - the infamous 'bed of nails' trick - the death touch: how to pin an opponent to a chair using only one finger - how to bend spears with their throats - how to disappear in a puff of smoke
and many other secret techniques, too d34d1y to even mention...
Sifu Noyoun accepts only very few disciples. He wishes his art to remain a closely-guarded family affair as, he says, "only a chosen few are ready for the devastating power of Kung Fu Do". For the first time only, has he allowed us to reveal some of the system's very basics, and to openly speak about it.
What it looks like! Stretch an arm out, straight and palm down, and get someone to place two fingers on your wrist. Provided they are not much stronger than you, they should not be able to push your arm down...
Now swap positions, and you will easily manage to lower their arm... How is it done? Read on...
How it is done... Simply place them in a position where one of their feet is half-an-inch higher than the other one. By misaligning their hips, you have offset their spine, and their arm will cave in when you push down on it without too much difficulty...
Performed by martial artists, magicians, strongmen and entertainers, this trick is another specialty of the Georgia magnet: how can a frail looking girl outstrength and outwit 6 grown men (or more if you want!).
The set up... A girl faces a column of six or more men. As she braces herself, ready to take the strain of their combined push, her frailty is in sharp contrast to the sheer bulk of the line up... Look more closely however, and you may become aware of a few subtleties: the men usually feature in order of size, with the smallest and weakest pushing directly against the gal. And while each man rests his hands firmly on the shoulders of the one in front -with the first one pushing on the shoulders of the lass facing him- her hands however appear to carelessly rest on his elbows... Will she fly backwards as they start to exert their strength, or will she somehow miraculously manage to counter their best efforts?
How it's done... Two different principles are at work, which will allow her to successfully achieve this impressive effect: - By pushing up on the first man's elbows, our girl is firstly redirecting the force he is exerting up and away from her. This is obviously made easier by the fact he is the weakest of the six... - Secondly, because of inertia, the number of men in the chain does not actually matter: each man absorbs the pressure of the one directly behind him... In this situation, no man can transmit a greater force than the one he can exert himself!
Variation... A common variation of this trick -which is slightly easier to perform- is for the girl to face away from the line of men, with her arms outstretched, and bracing herself against a wall with her hands. Their aim, of course, is to pin her to the wall, but as long as she can resist the force exerted by the first man, inertia will again defeat their best efforts to crumple her... In fact, it is not uncommon even, for the entire line to find itself off balance, and falling to the floor!
Lulu Hurst, the Georgia magnet, used to perform this trick to great effect! Yet, the simplicity of this trick will blow you over: how can a frail looking girl outstrength and outwit a grown man? Quite easily, with her fists of iron...
The set up... Ask the man to make a fist with both his hands (with the thumb inside), then to place one fist above the other as pictured below...
The object of the game... This object of this game is quite simple... Tell the man that no matter how hard he tries to keep his fists together, you will be able to split them with only your index fingers... This is quite easily achieved by striking his left fist with your right index finger, and his right fist with your left index finger... With enough speed and a bit of practice, even a small person can split a strongman's fists with this technique...
Reversal of the roles... Now swap positions: no matter how hard the man tries, he will be unable to split your fists using the technique described previously... What's the secret...?
The secret... The secret is deceiptively simple...
Simply conceal your bottom thumb into your top fist... This will allow your fists to remain together no matter how hard someone strikes them.
This should only be performed once though, as it largely relies on the element of novelty and surprise... Repeating the trick will most likely end up revealing the secret.
Yet another trick of the strongman... Lifting someone over your head with only one hand (and a little deception) is actually quite easy if you know the proper technique... You can even lift an heavy man without too much difficulty using this method... Let's see a video example:
setting it up - part 1 Remove your belt... make sure to use a strong leather belt for this trick. The buckle in particular needs to be able to withstand a fair amount of weight.
setting it up - part 2 Fasten the belt under your assistant's armpits, making sure it is tight, yet comfortable...
The lift... Get you assistant to climb up on a chair.
Keeping a straight arm at all times, turn your back to them and grab hold of the belt. Straighten your legs whilst keeping your back straight.
CAUTION: Using improper lifting technique could damage your back, or dislocate your shoulder... Make sure your entire body is in a straight line, and that your legs do all the lifting.
Why it works Whilst it might look like you are holding the person above your head with one arm, your shoulders are taking most of the weight, and the lifting and carrying is done solely with your legs.
Using this method, you can easily lift a corpulent man!
The set up - part 1 Ask your victim to bring their two hands together, fingertip against fingertip, then get them to bend the middle fingers of each hand towards the palm.
The set up - part 2 Next place a coin between the tips of their ring fingers, and hold their ring fingers (and the coin) with your fingertips.
The challenge... While keeping this position, ask them to successively separate the tips of their thumbs, index fingers, and pinkies... They should manage this fairly easily.
The bet... Now bet them they can't separate the tips of their ring fingers, enough to drop the coin... If they still feel confident they can, let go of their ring fingers and watch them struggle... They will get the feeling their ring fingers are locked or glued together...
Why is it so? The muscles of the ring fingers are the least developped of all of the 5 digits. Our use of the ring finger is largely dependant on the two fingers on either side of it.
A few people do occaionally manage to separate their ring fingers however... to make the challenge harder for them, ask them to attempt it while holding a tennis ball between the palm of their hands
Can you make an object move without touching it? How strong is your chi? This simple device is said to offer some answers...
The Psi wheel (also known as Chi wheel or Gonzo wheel) is a small pyramid-shaped piece of paper or foil, balanced on top of a low-friction pivot such as the tip of a needle. It is commonly used to attempt to demonstrate and develop psychokinetic powers (i.e. telekinesis). Psi wheels are also said to provide a measure of the strength of one's chi, or vitality. The beauty of a Psi wheel resides in its simplicity, and the ease with which one can seemingly get fast results from it.
In the short video below, I will show you how to build a Psi wheel, and how to make it spin.
Psychic powers and telekinesis Here's a quick tutorial I have thrown together (based a method which sevral people have found to be sucessful) on how to make your Psi wheel spin through your psychokinetic powers:
1. Our first step is going to involve making a Psi ball, which we will hold in our cupped hands, and subsequently use to spin the wheel. This involves some visualization.
Sitting in front of the Psi wheel, but not focusing on it at the moment, we're going to start drawing energy from the nearest available source: the earth.
Let's visualize drawing energy from the core of the earth, through our feet. Picture this stream of energy flowing from the deepest part of the earth, and rising as a torrent of fire to your feet. Picture yourself drawing this energy through your feet until it rises through your legs, abdomen and torso, and finally separating into two streams flowing down through each arm.
Visualize this stream of energy still flowing through each arm, twisting and meandering like a great torrent of flames, until it reaches your cupped hands, where it is gathered in a ball.
As you keep visualizing the earth's energy being drawn through your body, the Psi ball in your hands will be slowly growing. Keep going until it reaches the size of a football, and you can feel it's size, weight and texture in your hands.
You have your first Psi ball!
2. Now, still holding this ball of energy through your hands, bring it to the Psi wheel so that it would envelop the device, the foil pyramid sitting in the center. Keep visualizing this ball of energy still flowing through your hands and now starting to spin, and starting to make the Psi wheel spin with it. Through visualization, you can also reverse the direction of the flow, and make the wheel spin the other way.
You have now just mastered basic telekinesis! Harness the power of chi (qi) Chi (also spelled ch'i or qi) is a vital concept of chinese culture. The term, meaning 'life force', or 'breath', is said to be a form of energy (though it cannot be measured directly) which flows through every living being and organism, and can be harnessed in the human body at a point in the lower abdomen called 'tan t'ien'.
Psi wheels are said to provide a measure of the strength of one's qi, and they have sometimes been used in the West by some martial artists to provide a physical manifestation of qi. A version similar to the one we have built is sold commercially as the 'Chi-spinner', a tool said to "help you measure your chi energy level" (http://chi-spinner.com).
Chi cultivation is an essential part, notably, of chinese internal martial arts such as T'ai Chi or Qigong, as it is said to dramatically enhance performance -notably strength, balance, and coordination. The fundamental concepts of these martial arts cannot -obviously- be picked up in a few minutes, but here are a couple of simple exercises used in chi cultivation, illustrated in this short video:
1. Diaphragmatic, or belly breathing: As you inhale, allow your stomach to push-out, thus relaxing your diaphragm, and allowing more air to enter your lungs. When exhaling, allow your stomach to return to its normal position. This method of breathing is said to allow the accumulation of chi energy in the 'tan t'ien', a point an inch and a half below the navel.
2. Taoist breathing: Taoist breathing is the contrary of belly breathing. With each breath, pull in your stomach, while allowing it to return to its normal position when exhaling. This sort of breathing is said to help facilitate moving chi around your body.
3. Embracing the tree: In an upright position with feet shoulder-width apart, allow your knees to drop until they are directly over your feet. Keep your back straight and relaxed. Raise your arms in front of you level with your shoulders, and extend the palms of your hands as if hugging a tree. In this position, use abdominal breathing to accumulate qi in your tan t'ien.
Vitality meter Chi spinners have also found themselves on the market, under a slightly different disguise: the Egely wheel.
The Egely wheel is the brain child of Dr. George Egely ( http://www.egely.hu ), a Hungarian scientist who, after many years of research, developped a version of the wheel featuring a very low-friction pivot.
You can see the mechanism of the Egely wheel, and the way it is used in the video below.
Dr. Egely's research suggests that his wheel gives a good measure of vitality, which he also calls 'life energy', and compares to chi. In short, it gives an indication of a person's health, fatigue, mood, and personality.
The results from his research can no-doubt translate to our Psi wheel:
- 0-2 revolutions per min: Vitality very low, must be improved. - 2-4: Low vitality, worth improving - 4-5: Still under average - 6: average level - 6-12: good healthy level - 13-24: outstanding high level - above 24: exceptional talent (source: http://kirlian.org/interesting/egely/leiras2.htm )
Vitality, according to Dr. Egely, can be increased through: sleep, relaxation exercises, sport, vitamins and trace elements, diet, exposure to sunlight... etc.
Interestingly, the highest score ever on the Egely wheel was reportedly achieved by Erno Rubik, the inventor of the Rubik's cube, with 35 revolutions per minute.
Scientific explanations The short video below details the following processes:
Heat convection The most common scientific explanation for the movement of the Psi wheel involves heat convection: by placing your hands around the wheel, they warm the air surrounding the wheel. This warm air, through convection, rises above the surrounding cold air thus creating a small updraft that sets the wheel in motion. The direction of this motion can then be affected by hand positioning, and the slight off-centering of the paper or foil pyramid. Observation suggests that a temperature difference of at least 10 degrees Celsius (20F) is required between your hands and room temperature for the wheel to turn.
Air currents The extremely low-friction pivot which is formed by the foil pyramid and the needle, means that the Psi wheel can be affected by the slightest air current, from drafts in the room, to your breath and the movement of your hands.
Vibrations Again, the Psi wheel's inherent sensitivity means that vibrations from the surface it rests on can set it in motion.
Static electricity. The above video demonstrates that an object charged with static electricity can easily set the paper wheel in motion.
Better Psi wheel design The standard 'paper pyramid' design of the Psi wheel means that there remains a fair amount of friction between the paper and the needle, thus making it less susceptible to the influence of air currents. While this may sound like good news, the downside is that the Psi wheel often does not yield any great results for the non-gifted! This can be improved by reducing the weight of the paper (i.e. hollowing out the sides).
Tin foil Psi wheels, tend to have less friction, though they are a bit trickier to shape. These are by far my preferred choice.
A Psi wheel which will be particularly sensitive to heat convection can be fashioned by cutting out half of each side of the pyramid, thus forming an helix.
Finally, in a pinch, the foil wrapper from the inside of a cigarettes pack makes ideal Psi wheel material (the shiny foil part should be on the inside of the pyramid, in contact with the needle, for reduced friction.
The ultimate test Short of suspending the paper pyramid in zero gravity, the following experience should be the ultimate test of your Chi/Psi powers:
The influence of air currents can obviously be dramatically reduced by placing the Psi wheel under a glass bowl.
Contact with the surface on which the Psi wheel rests should be prohibited, in order to rule out the possibility of vibrations affecting it.
Finally, in order to rule out the possibility of other factors affecting the wheel, a second Psi wheel should be placed under the glass... The aim of the experience being to spin the main wheel, without the second (the test one) being affected.
Being able to change the direction of the spin at will would also constitute a sign of a very strong Chi!
one million $ challenge For those of you who have succeeded in the 'ultimate test', it might be worth considering applying for the 'James Randi one million $ challenge', as such a feat would definitely make you eligible.
Here's a few lines of information, copied from the James Randi's Educational Foundation :
"The Foundation is committed to providing reliable information about paranormal claims. It both supports and conducts original research into such claims.
At JREF, we offer a one-million-dollar prize to anyone who can show, under proper observing conditions, evidence of any paranormal, supernatural, or occult power or event. The JREF does not involve itself in the testing procedure, other than helping to design the protocol and approving the conditions under which a test will take place. All tests are designed with the participation and approval of the applicant. In most cases, the applicant will be asked to perform a relatively simple preliminary test of the claim, which if successful, will be followed by the formal test. Preliminary tests are usually conducted by associates of the JREF at the site where the applicant lives. Upon success in the preliminary testing process, the "applicant" becomes a "claimant."
This deadly (well almost) kung fu do technique demonstrates how to break a beer bottle with your bare hands, so that only the bottom of the bottle will pop out. The secret to this trick is all around us, yet you cannot see nor touch it.
Fill bottle with liquid Fill the bottle with water (or any other liquid) up to about two inches from the top of the bottle.
How to hold the bottle... Hold the bottle with your weak hand (in my case, it's my left hand) just under the collar, with your top two fingers... This is to prevent the glass from cutting you in case the entire bottle shatters.
Hit it! Hit the bottle with the fleshy part of your strong hand (the palm). I have also seen it done with elbows by kung fu masters.
Voila! If you hit it hard enough, the bottom of the bottle will pop right off due to the air being trapped and compressed inside the bottle.
Some beer bottles are harder to break than others... start with Becks, then progress to Budweiser. I have seen footage of kung fu masters performing this trick with bottles of wine!
Yet another one of the strongman's classic tricks , this is a variation on the 'iron body'. The effect is perhaps even more striking than the original 'iron body', and eventhough it looks somewhat painful and dangerous, it is actually quite safe, and relatively easy to perform...
Lie in between two chairs, and get an assistant to place a large stone or piece of concrete on top of you... Equip them with a sledgehammer, and ask them to break the stone. Think you couldn't withstand their blows? Think again...
Safety precautions. If your assistant is going to break a stone or or a piece of concrete which they have placed on your chest, make sure to wear safety glasses, as fragments could easily fly into your face. The chairs you are lying on also need to be sturdy enough, so as not to collapse when you are hit. Also, if the stone or block of concrete is heavy (it should be, we will discuss why later), make sure your assistant lift it correctly, so they would not damage their back.
setting it up. Simply lie between the two chairs, maybe using a third chair to support your weight initially.
The effect. Get your assistant to place the block of concrete or the stone on your chest, then to break it with the sledgehammer. It's that simple!
How it works - weight distribution Just as for the original iron body, correct weight distribution is one of the reason you do not double-up and collapse under the weight of the stone... Simply have the stone placed on your chest rather than on your stomach.
How it works - inertia So why are you not getting hurt by the blow of the sledgehammer? One simple reason: inertia.
Do this simple experiment to understand it: - place a small stone in your hand and try to break it with a hammer. - now repeat with as large a stone you can hold in one hand. Which hurt?
The larger the stone or block of concrete placed on your chest, the less you will feel the blow, as it will simply absorb the force of the impact. Do make sure however your assistant does not drive the sledgehammer straight through the stone, and into you. They should only be using enough force to break the stone.
Luckily for us, the bigger the stone placed on your chest is, the more impressive the trick will also look to the audience!
One of the classic tricks of the strongman, I call this one the 'iron body'. The effect is quite striking, eventhough it involves very little else than simple physical and mechanical principles. Lie in between two chairs, and get an assistant to climb on top of you and stay there... Think you couldn't do it? Think again... Here's the video:
Setting it up... Position 2 chairs, facing each other, about 15 inches less than your own height apart. Place a third chair in between, facing at 90 degrees to the other two. Sit on the middle chair, then lie between the two side chairs. get an assistant, or a member of your audience to remove the middle chair (or even, do it yourself, though this will prevent you from getting it well out of the way).
You should be able to hold this position quite comfortably.
Climbing on... When your helper is about to climb on (s/he can either use the spare chair for this, or you can simply offer them a hand), make sure s/he does not place his/her weight directly over the centre of your body. If s/he does, you will double up like a jack-knife.
Weight distribution is the key to this trick: place one of their feet on the centre of your chest, and the other one just above your knees. You should be able to comfortably withstand the weight of a full grown adult doing this.
Climbing on... When your helper is about to climb on (s/he can either use the spare chair for this, or you can simply offer them a hand), make sure s/he does not place his/her weight directly over the centre of your body. If s/he does, you will double up like a jack-knife.
Weight distribution is the key to this trick: place one of their feet on the centre of your chest, and the other one just above your knees. You should be able to comfortably withstand the weight of a full grown adult doing this.
Rolling up a frying pan might seem like an impossible feat of strength. Yet, the trick was commonly performed by strongmen at fairs, at the beginning of the century, along with bending iron bars and pipes, and tearing phonebooks and decks of cards in half. However, the rolling up of a frying pan normally necessitates more strength than tearing a phone book in half or breaking bricks, but technique is important too.
The technique This feat of strength requires a combination of strength and technique (with a good deal of strength, depending on the pan used!). The preferred technique is to grip the top of the pan (with the handle on one side) with the thumbs at the back, and the pan being braced against the thighs. This requires a fair amount of grip, arms, pecs, and abdominal strength..
Make your life easier... Of course, not all pans are equal, and a cheap frying pan (such as the one I purchased for around $4) is much, much easier to roll up than a Teflon one. For the purpose of showing off to your friends however, it looks and sounds almost identical. The question remains: what do you do with your eggs afterwards?
Breaking bricks with your bare hands might seem like an impossible thing to do, yet it actually requires very little strength if the correct technique is used. Such seemingly impossible feats of strength are commonly performed by karatekas and strongmen, but they rely on the laws of physics as much as on brute power. I am demonstrating the very basics of the trick here, which virtually anyone can do...
The set up Lay the brick on its very edges between two other bricks or blocks.
Prior to striking the brick (this can be done with the palm of your hand as in the video, with a fist, with a karate chop, or even with the forearm or elbow for effect) lift it up slightly with your non-striking hand - maybe an inch or so ; less even, if you do not want it to be noticed.
Break it! Release the brick, and strike (or punch, or chop) it simultaneously. Make sure you hit in the middle of the brick, and try to carry the strike through the brick (aim your strike at a point below the brick).
This will feel so easy that the main difficulty of the trick will in fact be to make it look as if it were more difficult than it really is!
Tearing a phonebook in half lengthwise might seem like an impossible feat of strength. Yet, the trick was commonly performed by strongmen at fairs, at the beginning of the century, along with bending iron bars, pipes and pans. However, the ripping of a phonebook actually necessitates little strength if the correct technique is used...
How to hold the phonebook Keep your hands as far apart as possible. Grab the two corners of the book, griping with your ring finger and pinky, and extend your thumbs in the middle The secret... Pinch and squeeze the phonebook between your two index fingers.
the tear... Now pull the corners outwards and downwards, while maintaining the pinch with your index fingers. This will cause the cover to rip first, then each of the pages, one after the other. The hardest part is the initial rip; after that tear in one motion for full effect! Obviously, the thicker the phonebook, the more finger strength the trick requires. However, you can challenge your friends to do this: without the proper technique, it is practically impossible to achieve!
Warning though: there soon won't be any phonebooks left in your house if you enjoy this trick as much as I do. Thank god for the internet!
