"No-contact fighting": what is REALLY going on?

[DdlR]

First up, this thread takes for granted that it it physically impossible to move an object/opponent through telekinesis, psychokinesis, magic, the Force, etc.

That out of the way, I'm very interested in discussing the technicalities of this sort of thing:

YouTube - AIKIDO - the only and real one

What is actually going on, both psychologically and physically? Why do the "attackers" keep falling down?

I have several theories but I'd like to hear from others to get the ball rolling.

[Yoj]

He's hitting them with some infrasonic cheese balls ,LOL

[PointyShinyBurn]

Why do the "attackers" keep falling down?

Same reason these people are acting like they're in a horse race:
YouTube - Hypnosis-Horse Race! Hesteløp under hypnoseshow med Henry Leander Andersen

Social compliance, no more complicated than that.

[Tom .C]

I have seen Systeme vids with similar reactions so I really would like to know what your ideas are.

[DdlR]

He's hitting them with some infrasonic cheese balls ,LOL

LOL, yeah, let's get past that.

[DCS]

I foresee a thread full of awesomeness and attractiveness

Free of charge, of course.

[Yoj]

OK, seriously, that's Ueshiba, they are his japanese followers, they would be very stupid to be so disrespectful as to not fall over.

[DdlR]

Same reason these people are acting like they're in a horse race:
YouTube - Hypnosis-Horse Race! Hesteløp under hypnoseshow med Henry Leander Andersen

Social compliance, no more complicated than that.

I think that's a big part of it; likewise:

YouTube - Benny Hinn: Let the Bodies Hit the Floor

[DdlR]

I have seen Systeme vids with similar reactions so I really would like to know what your ideas are.

No problem, but for the record, this isn't style vs. style; I'm interested in the mind-and-muscle phenomenon itself, especially as it manifests in "internal" MAs, but also in hypnosis demos, faith healing, (rarely) in competitive sports, etc.

One guy gestures, the other guy acts like he's been hit or thrown; why?

[DdlR]

OK, seriously, that's Ueshiba, they are his japanese followers, they would be very stupid to be so disrespectful as to not fall over.

Social compliance FTW?

[It is Fake]

Approval and a weird sense of respect. I remember letting the head instructor, before I quit, use pressure points.

When I quit I realized yeah they hurt but, not to the over exaggerated demonstrative actions I and other pull.

[Yoj]

Social compliance FTW?

Kind of, you make the old man look like an idiot and you are not going to be popular, so they conform.

[DdlR]

Approval and a weird sense of respect. I remember letting the head instructor, before I quit, use pressure points.

When I quit I realized yeah they hurt but, not to the over exaggerated demonstrative actions I and other pull.

Before you quit, were you seriously aware of "selling" the pressure point techniques?

I remember doing a TKD/HKD demo. when I was a teenager. It was a choreographed display for a street festival or something. My role was to grab the instructor (who really was a skilled fighter) from behind and get shoulder-thrown. He screwed up the timing and I recall deliberately throwing myself over his shoulder. It was a split-second decision, IIRC based partly on not wanting my teacher to look foolish and partly on the muscle-memory of being thrown as we'd rehearsed the demo.

Edited to add: the fact that I had a predetermined role to play, as "the attacker/bad guy", may have been very significant.

[Tom .C]

No problem, but for the record, this isn't style vs. style; I'm interested in the mind-and-muscle phenomenon itself, especially as it manifests in "internal" MAs, but also in hypnosis demos, faith healing, (rarely) in competitive sports, etc.

One guy gestures, the other guy acts like he's been hit or thrown; why?

I didn't mean it like that. I was hoping to hear your ideas about something that seems to be an occurence both styles. Any insight you could give is appreciated. I have seen things and would like to understand them, even if it is parlor tricks, magic, hypnosis, or strange gravitational fields adjacent to wise masters.

[DdlR]

Kind of, you make the old man look like an idiot and you are not going to be popular, so they conform.

I think that's part of it, but also that the conditioning goes deeper than that, into things like muscle memory. I also think that Ueshiba was really good at what he did, both physically and psychologically (note, that doesn't mean that he could do this against someone who hadn't been conditioned, but likewise, I don't think that was what this type of training was for.)