Iron Shirt

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Iron Shirt is a form of Kung fu exercise also known in Wing Chun as Golden Bell. Some martial arts like Combat Ki are based on the idea that a correctly trained body can withstand more damage than one that is untrained. Iron Shirt is a series of exercises using many stances, herbs, meditation, and body movements to cause the body's natural energy (Chi or Ki) to reinforce its structural strength. In the Shaolin version of Iron Shirt, the practitioner would do things such as laying on a stump or supporting tablets of granite on the chest with the goal of toughening the body. Practitioners believe that Ki flowing through the organs can reinforce these parts of the body to take blows against them. This should not be mistaken for Seneca body hardening techniques: whereas Iron Shirt theoretically can allow the practitioner to take a spear to the chest and break the spear, Seneca techniques were more for taking club blows.

Practitioners of Combat Ki claim they are able to take full blows to sensitive areas like the genitals or throat without suffering major damage from otherwise severely debilitating or even fatal blows.

For Dog Kung Fu, this discipline was used primarily for preventing the chest and arms from breaking when locking on the holds. These were built up differently with other exercises, but still use the same fundamental breathing patterns and stance work as Iron Body.

Demonstrations

http://www.internalkungfu.ca/download8.wmv

[}}}] at YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8wVd__wPsw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iu69sT4KUyQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpNtPEve8y4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOpEBeQDh5E

Sources

Professor Thomas Keen of the Keen's Martial Arts Academy.

http://www.kmaa.info

Professor Rod Sacharnoski of the Juko-ryu Combat-Ki school.

http://www.jukokai.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Apage&file=index&rpage=30

Grandmaster Ashida Kim

Books: Iron Body Ninja, or Secret Ninja Alchemy.

Shaolin Monks

http://www.kungfulibrary.com/shaolin-kung-fu-4.htm

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