Martial arts -- they're not for everyone.

How often have you heard someone say that? I've not only heard it, I've said it.

David Brooks just wrote one of the best op-ed pieces I've ever read in The New York Times about how to live the best life possible. If you are a martial artist, and a dedicated one, you might see yourself in this wonderful piece.

For those of us who feel compelled to practice these arts long-term, we don't see the strain and the pain of learning as an obstacle.

We are faced with intricate movement that requires us to rewire our brains and bodies.

We are corrected over and over by our teachers.

And when other students who enroll in a martial arts class give up because it's "too difficult," we see that difficulty and pain as a challenge. Do we feel uncoordinated? Yes. Does it discourage us? No, it makes us work harder.

We work to get better, and the better we get, the more we practice. We know we can do better.

We practice and study -- week after week, year after year -- sometimes, the same material.

How many times have I practiced Yilu, the first main form of Chen Taiji? Countless times.

How many times have I practiced the Xingyi Linking form or the Bagua Eight Main Palms form? Countless times.

How many more times will I practice these forms and the various fighting techniques, principles of movement, push hands, and more?

Countless times.

I don't know how the martial arts bug bit you, but when the Kung Fu TV show hit TV in 1972, I was mesmerized. It was as if they reached inside my mind and turned on a neon sign that said, "This is IT!" A few months later, when Bruce Lee hit the screen in the U.S., I had no choice. I had to study.

In September, 2025, I will have been practicing punches and kicks, blocks and deflections, forms and sparring -- for 52 years.

Why did martial arts enrapture me that way, when I have seen dozens and dozens of students say they want to be the best, only to drop out within a few weeks or months?

I've seen students compete in tournaments, not win a trophy, and drop out of martial arts, discouraged, thinking they aren't good enough. They didn't feel the passion.

When some sport or activity like this touches your soul, your failures are not failures. Instead of giving up, you ask yourself, "How can I get better? What can I learn from this?" The failures fuel the fire inside to study and practice further, because when the neon light that says "This is IT!" is turned on, there is no turning it off.

Almost everyone has something out there that strikes a passion in them -- something that will turn on the inner neon sign. For some people it's running, as David Brooks points out. For others it's painting, or playing guitar or the piano. Others play golf or basketball.

Whatever strikes you this way, it's not just a hobby, or a way to make a few bucks. It's a calling.

If you answer a calling, you don't mind feeling clumsy or inadequate, because you are determined to work until you don't feel that way.

So we should cut people some slack if they say they want to learn martial arts but drop out before too long. It just didn't flip the neon sign on in their souls as it did for those of us who have put decades into the arts. And that's okay, because the people who drop out can keep looking for That One Thing they are passionate about.

Meanwhile, we will still practice, practice, over and over again, aiming for something that drives us forward, continuing to reach for that elusive bit of excellence that we know we are capable of attaining. We are determined to do it.

I now realize this is why I continued practicing after losing a lung. I kept learning and practicing after developing atrial fibrillation, and through the other physical insults that aging inevitably brings. I hit the age of 70 and kept practicing and studying. I hit 72 and I am still practing and studying. Why? Because practice brings its own reward.

For we know that when we get into "the zone," when we are putting the body mechanics together and time stands still and the movement flows and we are focused and committed, we are living our best life. 

You don't keep going because it's easy. You keep going because something deep inside you is nourished by the work. It's not always flashy. Sometimes it's frustrating. Sometimes you’re working on a movement or concept for years before it finally clicks. But the joy is in the work—the slow honing of skill, the insight that comes from quiet persistence, the moment when you feel "Oh, I GOT it."

When you start training, you want to earn the ultimate prize - a black belt. Some people earn a black belt and quit, thinking their journey is over. But those who are in it for the long haul see the future widening in front of them, with goals to achieve for a lifetime.

When you find something that fulfills you in the way martial arts fulfill me, it is something you can't stop even if you try. It gives you a sense of purpose -- a way of being in the world.

That’s how I feel about internal martial arts. They align with my love for philosophy, for self-defense, for self-improvement, and for helping others discover their own internal strength. I love the martial aspects. That's why I gave my teaching practice the name Internal Fighting Arts. But it's all one inseparable package. 

When people ask how I’ve stuck with it for nearly 52 years, the answer is simple: Once I discovered it, I couldn’t not do it.

It’s not just something I do. It’s part of who I am.

When you find That One Thing that turns on the neon light of your passion -- that takes you down the long path -- you wouldn’t trade it for anything. I hope you find it.

---by Ken Gullette

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I'm in my early 70s and I don't take pain medication -- no Tylenol, no ibuprofen. Even though I've practiced martial arts for 51 years, I have no pain in my day-to-day activities.

But three weeks ago, I suffered a painful glute injury. It was a real pain in the butt, and I don't even think I did it the fun way.

I'm not sure how I did it. But pivoting my leg or bending over to reach something or tie my shoes sent me into spasms of agony.

And sneezing! Don't even get me started. The human body is so connected internally, a sneeze would cause me to convulse in the upper body, the fascia would pull and the chain reaction down my body made me nearly cry out. Nancy was alarmed.

That Wednesday, I taught two live Taiji classes online -- carefully teaching some silk-reeling exercises and looking at body mechanics.

Somehow, I was compensating for my strained glute so much, I injured my right groin along the inguinal ligament. That added insult to injury and I was a hurtin' puppy.

Then I decided to do something I don't do very often.

I rested for two weeks.

This is not something I'm accustomed to doing. Even when I fractured and dislocated my left shoulder in 2001, while diving for a ground ball playing softball, I only missed one class. I taught with one arm for weeks, while my left arm was in an immobilizer.

They actually do make a butt and groin stabilizer. I might have worn it a couple of weeks ago if I knew they existed.

Instead, I rested. I didn't take any classes, didn't teach any, and didn't practice. It was not easy.  

This week, I am back in action. The pain is gone, just a memory. I'm teaching and practicing again. 

A lot of us try to be macho when we injure ourselves, or when we get sick. "Walk it off" is a saying that cracks me up. You lost a leg? Walk it off. Bleeding to death? Walk it off. You got hurt? Keep practicing.

As we grow older, if we are lucky, we get a little smarter. So when I am sick or injured, I give my body time to heal. If I can force myself to do that -- and it isn't easy -- I find that I'm able to return to full practice a lot sooner than if I continue aggravating the illness or injury.

Returning to full practice feels very good.

So the next time you aren't feeling well, or injure yourself, try to remember this. Cut yourself some slack. You don't have to prove how tough you are. Take it easy until you feel better. Then get back to work, you slacker.

-- by Ken Gullette

Shifu Lindsay Lambert is the owner and head instructor at Wu Dao Kung Fu & Tai Chi in Watertown, Massachusetts, in the greater Boston area. She is a dedicated martial artist and has won some Shuai Jiao (Chinese wrestling) championships. 

I talked with her last week about her career in martial arts, her approach to Shuai Jiao and other issues, including any obstacles she faces being a female martial arts instructor. This is the 78th edition of my Internal Fighting Arts podcast. Listen here or download the podcast to your computer. You can also find it on Spotify, Google Play and other podcast distributors.

In the November, 2003 edition of Inside Kung-Fu magazine, my challenge to so-called "chi masters" was published -- 21 years ago. That's when I began offering $5,000 to any chi "master" who could knock me down without touching me. 

The challenge was triggered by an article in the August, 2003 issue showing an alleged Tai Chi "master" knocking his student down without touching him. The headline on the magazine's cover said: "No-Touch Chi Force: Is it For Real?" And, of course, the article, written by a student of the "master," said yes, it is real.

The teacher was Henry Wang, and the article was written by his student Peter Uhlmann, a psychiatrist from British Columbia. The article describes how Henry Wang learned over time how to "interrupt" the chi of an attacker. Some of Wang's students quit over this nonsense. I consider them the students with integrity. 

Here are three photos from the Inside Kung-Fu article showing Henry Wang knocking down his student.

Here is the letter I wrote that was published in the November, 2003 issue:

Headline: He'll Pay $5,000 For Proof!

   The cover of your August 2003 issue asked the question, "No-Touch Chi Force! Is It For Real?" The article answered that question with an unqualified "yes." In fact, the writer, Peter Uhlmann, not only claimed that his "master," Henry Wang, can knock people down without touching them, but Uhlmann also claimed in the article that he can stop other students "in their tracks" using his chi, too.

   And the article dismissed anyone who was not a believer, including some of Wang's own students, who showed tremendous integrity and intelligence by quitting the school over the empty force issue.

   I will give Uhlmann or Wang a check for $5,000 on the spot if either can cause me to wobble, fall back or fall down without touching me by using their chi. I would like to issue this challenge through your publication. You can videotape and photograph the event with witnesses, and publicize the results in your magazine.

   I've studied martial arts for 30 years and the internal arts for 16 years. It is people like this, and articles like this, that continue to drag down tai chi. How could you possibly publish a story written by a "master's" own student making these claims? Why is it that so-called "chi masters" can only perform this stunt on their own students, or on a few people who pay money to attend a seminar or class?

   Isn't anyone in publishing or the internal arts applying critical thinking skills to this issue? Anyone who claims to be able to knock someone down using empty force is either self-deluded or simplying lying to make himself or his teacher look good. Human beings can't do a "no-touch knockdown." It is impossible. Why would you encourage this fantasy?"

   If Uhlmann or Wang can do this to me, I will not only give them $5,000 on the spot, I will also publicize them and become a true believer. I will travel to meet them so that they can perform this demonstration. I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is. It's the only way we can stop this ridiculous empty force lie and bring some dignity back to tai chi and the internal arts.    Ken Gullette, Bettendorf, IA

I never heard a word from Peter Uhlmann or Henry Wang. Peter wrote a very flattering book about Henry, which said Henry could control people without touching them. Henry wrote his own book, which I haven't read yet, about "searching for center," and how he stopped studying the physical force of tai chi and focused on the internal "life force" aspect. In my opinion, what he decided to focus on was the ability to deceive students and earn money from martial arts fantasy. His book is subtitled "A Tai Chi Master's Journey," and the author doesn't call himself Henry Wang. On the book cover it is written by "Master Henry Wang" and a co-author. Insert a deep, skeptical sigh here.

Shame on him, and shame on Peter Uhlmann and all the students who played along. I would hate to be a psychiatrist who is now in his eighties, has battled cancer, and near the end of his life faces the prospect of either reclaiming integrity or leaving a legacy of spreading the type of information that, in my opinion, has damaged the reputation of tai chi. A psychiatrist, of all people. It goes to show that just because you are intelligent and educated does not mean you can't be fooled, or fool yourself. From a psychiatric perspective, I think there are so many layers to this. A student wants to believe his teacher can do miraculous things. A student wants to belong to a group, and invests time and money in his teacher. If he tells people a teacher can do things that are outside the scope of physics and natural laws, there is a direct implication that the student is learning this, too. So the student gets to bask in the glow of this mysterious power.

What Henry Wang claims to do is no different than the "faith healers" in churches who touch someone in the congregation and the entire row of people falls to the floor, shaking and shimmying and twitching with the power of God. The minister, or the chi master, lets the audience know what they are supposed to do, and then the audience does it. If you are in a church and don't react when the faith healer touches you, that means you don't have enough faith. If you are a student of a chi master and you fail to fall down when he wants you to fall down, you make the teacher look bad and you show that you are not "in the know." You risk being booted from the club, and you desperately want to belong.

Over the years, as YouTube was created and gained popularity, it offered many Tai Chi teachers and others like George Dillman an outlet to show off their supernatural chi abilities. 

I challenged a few "masters" over the past 21 years, and NONE OF THEM has accepted my challenge. There is one reason they will only do their stunt on their own students -- because they know it's a crock of malarkey. They should simply invite a local MMA school to test their skills. See if they can knock an MMA fighter down before the MMA fighter can touch him. Or hell, just invite a BJJ guy or a wrestler from a local high school. Bring in a black belt from a local karate school and ask him to take you down. See if you can stop him before he touches you. We all know what would happen, and so do folks like Henry Wang.

Twenty-one years later, the $5,000 Chi Challenge is still in place. I should raise it to $10,000. I don't think anyone is likely to step up and try to claim it. And that is a pity. If they truly had these abilities, it would be the easiest $5,000 (or $10,000) they ever made. Shame on them all, and shame on the students who play along.

--by Ken Gullette

Hai Yang has become well known among internal martial artists because of his scholarly and educational YouTube videos. He is the guest on the 10th anniversary of my Internal Fighting Arts podcast.

The first podcast, an interview with Michael Chritton, went online on December 2, 2014. 

In the latest podcast, Hai Yang talks about growing up in Tianjin, China, which was a hotbed of martial arts activity and the home of many internal arts masters. He also talks about training starting at age eight, and why he is working to pass along the Hue Dian style of Xingyiquan to future generations.

You can listen here, on the player below, or download the podcast to your computer. You can also listen through Spotify and other podcast distributors. Enjoy!

I see it in maybe a majority of Tai Chi performances, even by people who are called "master."

At the very beginning of the form, they lose their balance, they throw off their center, by shifting their hips to the right as their left leg steps out to the left.

The purpose of Tai Chi is to maintain your balance and center at all times, both physically and mentally. When a teacher is instructing a student, he first teaches the movements, then he or she should coach students when they are not in alignment. Take a look at this video, then look at your own opening movement. Watch yourself in a mirror, then record a video. Then watch your teacher, and if he is making this mistake, give him a roundhouse kick to the head.

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I sat down at my computer on October 15, 2006 to create a blog about the internal arts of Taijiquan, Xingyiquan Baguazhang, Qigong, and philosophy. Today, my Internal Fighting Arts blog is old enough to vote -- 18 years old -- legally an adult. 

I am writing this at home after spending the past two nights at a hospital across the river in Davenport, Iowa. My oxygen levels suddenly crashed on Saturday morning, leaving me gasping for each breath like a catfish that has been thrown into a boat. Between gasps, I told Nancy, "I'm in trouble." Off to the hospital we went. Apparently, chest congestion last week triggered deep coughing for days, and finally the lungs said, "We're dealing with this by throwing a severe asthma tantrum." 

What a journey the past 18 years has been in my life, going from a strong 53-year-old to a 71-year-old martial artist who is still studying, practicing, learning and teaching, but not physically as strong as I was the day this blog was born, and with fewer lungs.

If you scroll back through the archives, you'll see some useful and educational posts. Along the way, I have shared my philosophy of life, and many people have read the posts as I have gone through my health struggles and test what aging does to a guy with a warrior spirit. When you are young and healthy, you assume you will always be that way. But life teaches us one thing -- always expect the unexpected, and try to remain centered when the unexpected happens. It is not an easy thing to do, but when a blog turns 18 years old, another lesson is involved. That lesson is the value of persistence. Those two concepts -- persisting through the unexpected, is the key of life and the key to making progress in martial arts.

On the day this blog was born, I had a bricks-and-mortar school. Four years later, I began teaching online, at a time when a lot of Taiji folks said, "You can't teach that way." But I eventually created nearly one thousand video lessons, taking students step-by-step from basic to more advanced learning in the internal arts.

Then 2020 came along and Covid gave everyone a lesson in the unexpected. Suddenly, everyone learned that actually, you can teach online, and you can learn online, especially when you include live Zoom classes that enable you to see and coach your students. The main thing that's missing is the hands-on element, and the ability to do applications together, push hands, sparring, etc. That's very important, but you can still learn, and you can improve your internal mechanics.

In 2014, I launched my Internal Fighting Arts podcast, interviewing great English-speaking martial arts instructors. My aim was to promote good teachers, help them receive publicity, and also to further my own reputation as a provider of good information. It has been downloaded or listened to nearly 700,000 times. And I'm very proud that it inspired several other internal arts teachers to do their own podcasts.

I don't think a blog or a podcast should be about me. I see myself as a teacher and a student, and if you see my experience and knowledge through the stories I tell, the philosophy I share, the journey I am taking, and the educational videos and photos I post, my goal is for you to walk away with information you didn't know, or an idea of something to work on in your own training. Perhaps, you'll also see a new way of looking at the world, and a better way of connecting to others.

Last month, I celebrated my 51st anniversary in martial arts. One lesson I have learned in that time is to not wall yourself off and become trapped inside ONE way of doing things. Open yourself up to other information, because it just might be the key to unlock a higher-level gongfu.

And, of course, that thing about being persistent. Keep walking, keep learning and practicing.

There's a third lesson, too. Never check your brains at the door of a martial arts school. Now, more than ever, con artists are flooding the internet and social media with videos showing students hopping and falling at the slightest touch. In reality, it requires real force to deal with a motivated adult who wants to attack you. You can neutralize an opponent's force to put him off-balance, and at that point, it doesn't take as much power to deal with him, but it still takes power and leverage and strength. When you see fake videos by these "masters" whose students hop and drop with a slight touch, please just have pity on their lack of integrity (the teacher and the student) and just scroll on.

Just like in our politics, if you can't tell the difference between the people telling the truth and the people telling you lies, shame on you. The ones telling you the lies have no shame. You have to be able to educate yourself and see through the bullshit. If you can't, no one can help you, and the "no-touch" or "slight touch" knockdown con artists will continue to thrive. The people who want you to believe it's all about mysticism and mysterious energy flow will continue to thrive. They will anyway, I suppose. There are always people willing to pay money to someone who makes them believe they can gain special powers.  

You learn a lot of things by the time you pass the age of 70, but this age thing can play with your head. Within three months, I'll be turning 72. At this point, all the training and learning seems to have new meaning. You start looking down the road and realize there isn't as much time to live as there used to be. I've already been persisting for 15 years with only one lung and with atrial fibrillation. Now, it seems that 80 is not that far away. Should I slow down? Should I ease up a bit more?

Oh, screw it. I have more videos to make, and more books to write. There is more to learn, and even if I can't breathe as well as I did 18 years ago, I'm still learning. And even if I can't do the same things physically that I could do 18 years ago, like doing a flying sidekick against a six-feet-tall opponent, my insights into these arts and the philosophy have grown and developed. I have more to teach. Maybe it's true -- you might lose a bit of strength as you get older, but what you lose in strength you gain in wisdom. You hope. That's one reason I wrote my most recent book, "A Handful of Nothing."

Even if it all ended tomorrow, and I became One with the Tao, I would want you to know that I love you for reading this blog and for caring about the internal arts. 

But it's not going to end tomorrow. I don't think.

It's kind of funny now, but around 2012, my cardiologist said, "Ken, your heart is so weak right now, you could literally drop dead with no warning."

Talk about something that plays with your head. I went home and walked down the hall, looking at photos on the wall and thinking, "Is this the last thing I'm going to see? Am I just going to keel over, lights out, end of story?"

I decided to practice. If everything ended suddenly, I would be the last to know, so I decided not to worry about it.

My heart got stronger again during the next year or two, and here I am. 

And I have to throw out a huge "thank you" to my wife and devoted supporter, Nancy. She has been at my side the entire way. I started the blog three years after we were married. I couldn't have accomplished any of this without her support and encouragement.

So let's keep going and see if this blog can add another 18 years to it's life. I hope you'll stay along for the ride.

If you have any questions about topics you'd like to see me write about, email them to me at [email protected]. 

The most important thing I've learned during the past 51 years, and I've written about it on this blog many times, is this:

Remain centered at all times.

And don't forget to have fun while you're learning, training, practicing, and teaching. 

Happy birthday, Internal Fighting Arts Blog. And many more!

--by Ken Gullette  

51 years ago this evening, I walked into my first martial arts class. I was 20 years old.

The teacher, "Grandmaster" Sin The, led us through high blocks, low blocks, stepping and punching. The room was bursting at the seams with young people inspired by the Bruce Lee craze. In fact, the class spilled outside of the dojo, which had a garage door for the side wall. They opened the door to accomodate all the new students and I stood with a group out in the parking lot.

Bruce had died one month before. I was inspired by his beautiful movement. Having defended myself successfully against bullies all my life, at age 20, kung-fu was very appealing. I wanted to learn how to fight better. I just had no idea how long I would keep practicing.

I have learned from several teachers since I left Sin The's school. When I discovered Chen style Taijiquan in 1998, it was what I had been searching for, and I am still studying, practicing, and teaching it.

This week I have practiced with students, I have taken two classes because I'm still studying, I held a live online class, and today I'm doing a private online class with a member of my website. 

Fifty-one years after I began, I still think kung-fu is cool and I want to learn more and keep improving. My goal is to help my students save time. It took me a couple of decades or more to find high-quality instruction. My students get the internal information I wish I had received 51 years ago. 

The real satisfaction of studying martial arts is not in reaching a destination, it's in enjoying every step of the learning process along the path. I'm still enjoying it more than five decades later. 

--by Ken Gullette

I've always been an advocate of an important concept in the internal Chinese martial arts. That concept is simple:

Keep it real.

The first thing you might think of are the fraudulent claims about "qi powers" that some teachers claim to possess. That actually is a bunch of malarkey, but I'm talking about a different issue this time.

I've read it in books. I've heard it said in podcasts. I heard someone say it again just today when I listened to a podcast. You've probably read it or heard it, too. It goes something like this:

"This master (insert the name here) did push hands with a student (or hit the student) and sent him flying back THROUGH THE AIR TEN FEET!"

I have a simple answer for this claim: "No, he didn't."

We need to stop saying it. Why should we stop? Because it isn't true.

We tend to exaggerate. But our martial arts are pretty good. We don't need to exaggerate to make our art, our teacher, or ourselves look good.

Ten feet doesn't sound like much. Hell, I'm six feet tall myself. Ten feet is as tall as a basketball hoop. Measure it out on the floor, then try to generate the force to push a 175-pound person through the air that far.

After 51 years in martial arts (as of next month) I have never seen anyone knocked ten feet through the air. Nobody has ever done it to me, even members of the Chen family. Not even members of the Iowa State Boxing Team.

I have never seen it done, either. Do you have video of someone being knocked back ten feet through the air? I'll save you some time searching through your DVDs and VHS tapes. No, you don't.

Is there a video on YouTube of someone being knocked in the air ten feet back? No, because even the frauds who make their students hop with just a touch don't have the magical power to send their students hopping ten feet back through the air.

Do you see the photo here above? We actually measured out ten feet on the training floor. From the edge of that red section back to the blue mat is ten feet.

The world record for the standing long jump -- jumping for distance from a standing position -- is 12 feet two inches. It takes a lot of exploding energy from a person's legs and body to jump 10 feet from a standing position, or even if they take a running start. When they jump from a standing position, they have to crouch down and explode with every bit of force they can use.

So that brings up a great question about a man who, in push hands or in hitting someone, knocks the person ten feet through the air. Here's the question:

Exactly where is the force being generated, and how is it being used, for someone doing push hands or hitting someone to send an adult man flying through the air ten feet?

What is the technique being used and how much force is being used?

Look at that distance. You think someone could knock a 175-pound man through the air ten feet? You can't even lift an adult with both arms and throw him that far. You can't pick up a 150-pound barbell and throw it that far. How do you expect to hit or push a man and cause him to fly back that far?

You say YOU have done it to someone? You say someone did it to you? You are either deceiving yourself or you are not telling the truth. Okay, I'll be generous. You're simply exaggerating. One of those three things is true. If you say you can do it, show us the video. We will make you famous.

In the meantime, let's stop exaggerating, okay? Nobody you know has knocked an adult human being through the air 10 feet and you haven't, either. Maybe you're using a "guy's measurement," but if you are, I have another news flash for you. What you have down there isn't really six inches, either. Your wife told me.

Don't check your brains at the door of a martial arts school. Don't believe what an instructor tells you on blind faith. And in the way you talk about and practice the internal arts -- keep it real, y'all.

--by Ken Gullette