Here is a gem from Black Belt Magazines July 2008 issue.
Enjoy.
Originally Printed in Black Belt Magazine July 2008 Vol. 46 No. 7
CAN'T TOUCH THIS.
An Insiders Look at Karate's Controversial No-Touch Knockout.
by Chris Thomas
In the Martial Arts World , perhaps nothing is as mysterious -and as controversial-as the no-touch knockout. Its's the subject of numerous historical accounts of martial artists affecting other people while making no physical contact whatsoever. The Chinese call it ling kong jing, which translates as "empty force", and the Japanese refer to it as toate-jitsu, which menas "fighting method of striking from a distance"; both offer insight into its nature and functionality.
Historical accounts of the no-touch knockout abound. Aikido founder Morihei Uyeshiba was reported to have had the ability to throw students without making contact. In Karate-Do:My Way of Life, Gichin Funakoshi wrote that an important karate figure named Bushi Matsumura once immobilized a challenger "by the intangible force that flashed from his eyes"
Many modern marial artists received their first exposure to the technique from Healing and the Mind, a 1993 PBS documentary hosted by Bill Moyers. In it Kung Fu Master Shi Ming repelled students without making physical contact with them. Some shotokan practitioners know of the toate-jitsu because of demonstartions conducted by Mitsuke Harada, and practioners of the Russian art of Systema have observed similar demos by Vladimir Vasiliev and Mikhail Ryabko.
My first direct experience with the no-touch knockout came in the early 1990's courtesy of a Chinese practioner of ling kong jong. Hed had me point an unloaded handgun at him. Then after about 15 seconds, my arm moved-seemingly on its own-until the gun was pointing away from his body. I found it a very interesting experience, but I remained an honest skeptic-which meant that I wasn't convinced but wouldn't dismiss it out of hand.
The toate-jitsu was added to the curriculum of George Dillman's karate organization in 1997 when a seventh degree black belt demonstrated a knockout in which he merely placed his hands on two pressure points. Within five years of that event, many within the Dillman group werer performing various examples of such techniques, including knockouts that required no physical contact.
I always maintained a certain amount of quiet skepticism, never quite ruling out "cooperatrive uke syndrome". Uke is the Japanese term for the volunteer who receives the martial artists technique; cooperative-uke syndrome describes situations in which the volunteer actually facilitates the execution of the technique because he wants the martial artist to succeed. It wasn't until I attended a Dillman seminar in Indianapolis that I became convinced that that wasn't happening.
At the seminar, one of my colleagues , holding a wooden cane in his hand stood at least fifteen feet from a volunteer. He announced that he was going to aim his intenal energy (ki or chi) at the mans head and push him backwards. But instead of being pushed, the man stiffened like a board and fell over. Those nearby rushed forward catching him just in time. With considerable difficulty, they placed him in a cross leged sitting position, the posture normally used while reviving someone whos' been subjected to a pressure point knockout. I was close enough to observe that the man was unconcious.
What was noteworthy was that my colleague had said that he was only going to push the man over. Usually, a no-touch knockout is preceded by an announcement of intent, which alwasy raises questions-valid or otherwise-about the power of suggestion and the expectations of the uke. But it seemed that in this instance, the misrepresentation of intent would have significantly reduced such an influence.
However, it was what happened next that really startled me. When the volunteer was finally revived, he looked up at my colleague and hissed angrily "Don't you ever do that to me again!" It was that reaction-that intensity of emotion-that removed any lingering doubts that I had. Toate-jitsu, I concluded, isn't just a legend of the martial arts; its for real.
As I tried to acquire the skill myself, I experienced mixed , but generalyy unsatisfying results. I was able to move people a bit but couldn't achieve a knockout. That changed on the last day of a three-day training camp. I was tired from having spent so much time teaching, I had a headache and wasnt in a good mood. that's when a thought hit me-a method, a technique, a sense of how it was to be done. (Theres an intuitive element in toate-jitsu)
So I asked a colleague to allow me to try a no-touch knockout on him. He agreed and took up a position about six feet away. Almost immeadiately after I began, he fell forward, and I rushed to catch him before his dead weight hit the floor. He was a big guy so it was a struggle to get him seated and positioned for revival. And oh yeah, ...He stopped breathing.
When all was said and done, he was fine. But that was only after Dillman got his lungs working again and after I did fifteen or twenty minutes of energy restoration. Later my uke admitted that he'd actually been trying to thwart my technique by using tongue and toe placement. I found that interesting because it meant that his mental intention was specifically uncooperative.
As I reflected on the experience, I realized that the no-touch knockout I used depended on my willingness to act without regard for the consequences of my partner. In other words, it required a certain level of ruthlessness. It was possible for me to do it that day because I was in a bad mood and didn't care. I have, however, found myself unwilling to act in the same way again. And this points me to one of the unresolved questions surrounding toate-jitsu: safety.
For more than two decades, Dillman and the members of his association have performed pressure point knockouts. We have all received them, we have all performed them and all our experiences have shown that we can safely practice them. Furthermore we have discovered that friendly training can actually have a therapeutic benefit, similar to that of shiatsu, or tuina.
However, the safety of no-touch methods is not so certain. Many people who've received no-touch knockouts have reported that it is extremely unpleasant. After-effects include, dizziness, weakness, disorientation, nausea, and respiratory failure. Some have reported feeling "energetically messed-up" for several days. Performers of toate-jitsu also report side effects on occasion, describing themselves as exhausted and depleted after knocking someone out.
However toate-jitus doesn't necessarily produce such severe outcomes. Some of my colleagues perform knockouts that result in a state of unconciousness more like sleep, with the uke waking up feeling good, even refreshed. From this, I've concluded that there are at least two categories of no-touch techniques, which can be distinguished by their effect on the recipient. This observation underscores the importance of keeping safety, morality, and propriety in mind at all times.
At this point, I'd like to stress that I'm not very proficient at toate-jitsu. So when I do a no-touch technique, its nothing but a ridiculous party trick, a fact pressed home while I was taking photos for this essay. I squared off in front of my uke, and after I stood there for a ridiculously long time, (from the perspective of a real fight) trying to connect to his energy, he started to lose conciousness.
Did I mention that I am not very good at toate-jitsu? I inteneded to make him fall forward so I could catch him. Instead he fell back towards the photo lights. So rather than a dramatic shot of him falling into my arms, you see a sequence of me running to catch him before he crashed into something. On the plus side, he said the experience of receiving my no-touch technique was pleasant, like nodding off to sleep, and free of side effects.
Of course, the artificiallity of my performance reveals a common criticism of toate-jitsu. It may work in a demonstartion, some say, but it couldn't possibly be of value in combat because it takes to long. However, I'd like to mention that , while I'm not proficient with no-touch techniques, I have colleagues who can cause knockouts almost instantaneously. More important, even a less dramatic form of toate-jitsu can have startegic benefits.
For example, I used a subtle form of the no touch technique to diminish anger and diffuse a potentially violent situation.
I should probably respond to dismissals of so called-skeptics and debunkers. They love to say things like "I saw someone try it, and he couldn't do it." Or. "I let someone try it on me, and it didnt work." So what? For a debunker to prove such a thing is impossible, he must prove that it can never be done. On the other hand, for us to prove that toate-jitsu is possible, we need only to do it once and reproduce it a second time. Because we've accomplished that, the real questions are, "What is the mechanism behind the phenomenon?" and "What are the practical values and limitations of the method?"
With regard to the first question, we don't know what actually happens when a no-touch knockout is performed. We're not suggesting toate-jitsu is supernatural or paranormal. On the contrary, we believe it's an entirely natural event. Currently we operate with a paradigm that says conciousness can manipulate energy both in robust ways ( such as physical movement) and in subtle ways (ki projection). But that could be entirely wrong.
Some Chinese researchers have reported infrasonic noise emanating from the hands of chi-kung masters. Because sound is known to have the capacity to affect , even disrupt, the human nervous sysytem, that could be the force at work. The fact that we don't understand how toate-jitsu works, however, has nothing to do with whether or not it does.
With regard to the second question-What are the practical values and limitations? It's been observed that no-touch methods don't work on everyone. Therefore, some argue that they're a waste of time to practice and learn and that attention should be paid to "reliable" methods like punching and kicking. But that isn't that like saying that a screwdriver cannot drive in a nail so you should only have hammers in your tool box?
A better approach is to acknowledge that toate-jitsu can be one of many weapons in a martial artists arsenal. Its useful in some settings and useless in others. In certain situations, it may be the only thing required to achieve victory, and in others, its should be in conjunction with supplemental tactics and strategies-or even ignored altogether. And honestly, I don't consider that a very controversial idea.
Enjoy.
Originally Printed in Black Belt Magazine July 2008 Vol. 46 No. 7
CAN'T TOUCH THIS.
An Insiders Look at Karate's Controversial No-Touch Knockout.
by Chris Thomas
In the Martial Arts World , perhaps nothing is as mysterious -and as controversial-as the no-touch knockout. Its's the subject of numerous historical accounts of martial artists affecting other people while making no physical contact whatsoever. The Chinese call it ling kong jing, which translates as "empty force", and the Japanese refer to it as toate-jitsu, which menas "fighting method of striking from a distance"; both offer insight into its nature and functionality.
Originally posted by oldman34
Originally posted by oldman34
Many modern marial artists received their first exposure to the technique from Healing and the Mind, a 1993 PBS documentary hosted by Bill Moyers. In it Kung Fu Master Shi Ming repelled students without making physical contact with them. Some shotokan practitioners know of the toate-jitsu because of demonstartions conducted by Mitsuke Harada, and practioners of the Russian art of Systema have observed similar demos by Vladimir Vasiliev and Mikhail Ryabko.
Originally posted by oldman34
Originally posted by oldman34
Originally posted by oldman34
I always maintained a certain amount of quiet skepticism, never quite ruling out "cooperatrive uke syndrome". Uke is the Japanese term for the volunteer who receives the martial artists technique; cooperative-uke syndrome describes situations in which the volunteer actually facilitates the execution of the technique because he wants the martial artist to succeed. It wasn't until I attended a Dillman seminar in Indianapolis that I became convinced that that wasn't happening.
Originally posted by oldman34
Originally posted by oldman34
Originally posted by oldman34
Originally posted by oldman34
Originally posted by oldman34
Originally posted by oldman34
Originally posted by oldman34
As I reflected on the experience, I realized that the no-touch knockout I used depended on my willingness to act without regard for the consequences of my partner. In other words, it required a certain level of ruthlessness. It was possible for me to do it that day because I was in a bad mood and didn't care. I have, however, found myself unwilling to act in the same way again. And this points me to one of the unresolved questions surrounding toate-jitsu: safety.
Originally posted by oldman34
Originally posted by oldman34
However, the safety of no-touch methods is not so certain. Many people who've received no-touch knockouts have reported that it is extremely unpleasant. After-effects include, dizziness, weakness, disorientation, nausea, and respiratory failure. Some have reported feeling "energetically messed-up" for several days. Performers of toate-jitsu also report side effects on occasion, describing themselves as exhausted and depleted after knocking someone out.
Originally posted by oldman34
Originally posted by oldman34
At this point, I'd like to stress that I'm not very proficient at toate-jitsu. So when I do a no-touch technique, its nothing but a ridiculous party trick, a fact pressed home while I was taking photos for this essay. I squared off in front of my uke, and after I stood there for a ridiculously long time, (from the perspective of a real fight) trying to connect to his energy, he started to lose conciousness.
Originally posted by oldman34
Originally posted by oldman34
Originally posted by oldman34
Originally posted by oldman34
Originally posted by oldman34
Originally posted by oldman34
Originally posted by oldman34
With regard to the second question-What are the practical values and limitations? It's been observed that no-touch methods don't work on everyone. Therefore, some argue that they're a waste of time to practice and learn and that attention should be paid to "reliable" methods like punching and kicking. But that isn't that like saying that a screwdriver cannot drive in a nail so you should only have hammers in your tool box?
Originally posted by oldman34
Originally posted by oldman34
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