Demonstration Tricks

This phenomena occurs when a practitioner tries to demonstrate a concept such as power. When a person demonstrates power in a physical form, i.e. such as a fast punch with dynamic tension at the end, it does not necessarily mean power. It does mean strength and it does have other traits that have meaning but in the sense of the power necessary to stop an adversary - maybe not so much.

When you demonstrate muscular strength, necessary as a novice, you are not demonstrating power. 

Another demonstration is how one "tests" for the power of ki, i.e. having a person hold out there arm straight with locked position while the tori places the palm on their shoulder then places his hands at the juncture of the inside elbow then exerting pressure. The act of preventing the arm from bending is determined to have this power of ki or chi but it actually comes down to physics and the demonstration does not mean one has power. 

There are ways to manipulate our bodies to our advantages and there are ways to manipulate our bodies to give the sense and perception of a certain type of strength. 

If one is testing to determine of the body is adhering to the fundamental principles of martial systems and effectiveness then certain tricks or demonstrations work fine - but are not indicative of any kind of real power. When doing a proper sanchin shime the test are actually determining the alignment and posture, etc. of the body while determining if the proper breathing techniques are applied at the correct stage of the kata, etc. I am not talking about the beating you might see but rather the touch and feel used by sensei to tactually feel out how the body is working in the sanchin kata. 

In the end it comes down to misinterpretations of terms and phrases used to help sensei and senpai to teach a person how to apply principles within a context of physical activities, i.e. basics, drills, kata, etc. 

Last one, a type of push up equipment was created in an attempt to demonstrate and test if one is able to apply principles. It does provide a more direct physical sense whether a person is using correct posture, alignment, etc. but in the end it is more about testing the strength of the hands, wrist and forearm. Now, this is not saying having strength in our hands, wrists and forearms is not important but it is more about strength rather than true application of principles especially when this type of demonstration is limited to a narrow interpretation of principles when a martial artists or a person applying physical self-defense must apply as much of the dynamics of principles  to achieve power and effectiveness. 

Pushups demonstrate upper body strength that is used to support the body but not to provide the power necessary to stop an attack. Holding your arm from bending when pressure is applied is more about showing how the body can resist strength but when a proper application of principles is applied, i.e. taking the pressure and applying it in a direction that compromises the bodies natural protective alignments, etc. will overcome that particular joint. 

To show such things without demonstrating how that same strength can be easily overcome through application of principles is to misdirect and misinterpret the value of those demonstration tricks. 

Be warned and be careful when you receive demonstrations and "proof" that something is ki, strength or mind-state for that will promote a false sense of abilities. Go after any such demonstration and break it down until you compare it to the underlying principles of all martial systems to see if it has any true value or if it is just another demonstration trick. 

If nothing else use the old saying, "buyer beware," and think of this quote: "A systemic flaw in many self-defense systems (particularly for women) is that they provide the student with a sense of having the ability to handle any and all physical threats with physical "fighting" techniques. As a result, this person projects a real sense of confidence and employs boundary setting that actually deters asocial predatory assailants looking for week and submissive victims. The student's fighting ability maybe an illusion, but the ensuing confidence and resulting deterrence is real. " Paradigms of Self-Defense Blogger, Alias "Not Me!"

p.s. if the demonstration cannot be applied to the fight, is it really demonstrating what you think it is demonstrating?