Chi Balls of Fire

Since Taika’s death, the question of whether he believed in Chi, Ki and Traditional Chinese Medicine has come up.  In fact, I get questions about it every month or two.  To answer my perspective on this question I need to give those that don’t personally know me a point of reference of my relationship with Taika, as well as another student I am going to quote. Lisa Ohmes and I were close to Taika.  And when I mean close, I don’t just mean in proximity though that was a domino that led to the closeness we had.  Lisa and I took Taika to the bank, drycleaners, DMV, various stores and anything else you can imagine.  We took him to restaurants and sat and ate with him.  We spent hours with him a week talking, and handling his daily life and business.  We had constant conversations with him in our cars, waiting in line at places, during all sorts of regular weekly situations.  I spent time teaching him to shoot, taking him to a range where we both had memberships, and shooting guns.  All this is in addition to the time we both spent in his basement, back yard, garage and dojo training in RyuTe®.  We would even talk on the phone at times.  We spent hours in hospital waiting rooms, and even more in hospitals as test after test was run in his final years.  We talked in these various manners about RyuTe®, members past and present, his wishes for his art, life in general, the United States, Okinawa, family (real and extended), other styles of ‘martial arts’, and a myriad of topics throughout your standard encyclopedia. Though some will take it that way, the purpose here is NOT to brag.  It is to specify that Lisa and I talked to Taika on a regular basis and for many, many years.  Though we certainly didn’t know everything that was floating around in his head, we accumulated a lot of knowledge about him over the years.  One topic that came up several times for both of us was the topic of chi, ki and the mystical energy that is taught by many in the industry.  Absolutely, without a doubt, Taika did NOT subscribe to this.  He considered it ‘Snake Oil Salesmen” techniques.  He would bring this up as he was frequently asked about it while teaching seminars.  He would talk to me and Lisa at length about how it wasn’t any mystical energy that caused his knockouts.  He was striking specific locations on the body, with specific amounts of penetration, at specific angles and with specific follow through.  I can remember him talking about these others who taught and delved into T.C.M. and other such stuff he called nonsense.  I distinctly remember someone asking him if he struck pericardium this or triple warmer that or stomach this before he made his neck strike leading to a knockout.  He proceeded to knock someone unconscious without touching any other point on their body.  None, nada, nill.  Others would comment over the years on how the Bubishi referred to specific times of the day to attack certain organs.  He would laugh and say, “You think I no knock you out at night?”  Or something to that affect.  I personally witnessed the same nerve techniques equally affective at any time of the day.  From day class, to night class, to afternoons at his house, to early mornings at a seminar.  His favorite phrases for these topics were, “Bullshit” and This Stupid”.  How much did it bug him?  I’ll tell you this and won’t name any names, but there once was a high ranking instructor in our style.  This instructor had a previous background in a heavy CHI touting style.  He was supposed to be teaching RyuTe® but Taika found out he was having his students dwell into chi and showing them things that Taika viewd as ‘parlor tricks’.  Taika disaproved each of these with science.  For those that don’t know, Taika was actually a well-educated man who went to college, yes college, for engineering.  (Another tidbit from a conversation in a car).    When this instructor didn’t stop these shenanigans, he was kicked out of the association.  Yes, booted.  A long time instructor, and very high ranking, who failed to listen to Taika and stop teaching chi/ki.  If that doesn’t tell you how he felt, I should just give up at this point. Taika believed in body mechanics and science.  He believed in being fluid and relaxed.  He believed in directing your KINETIC energy to a target, and redirecting there.  I’ve had people ask me to explain things like the curling hand motions in Shiho happo no Te which they perceive as ‘gathering ki’.  I can assure you that ki gathering is not what Taika was doing.  These small hand motions are easily explained in grab releases and positioning.  Taika would be very unhappy with any of his followers heading down the wrong path, and even more unhappy if they were leading others down it.  Some people will never believe me, no matter how hard I preach from the pulpit.   At least I got it off my chest and my conscious is clear. Di