Do Chinese martial arts *really* have any special health benefits?

[kal]

I grew up on the stories that CMA had all these wonderful health benefits that would keep away disease and ensure longevity. I bought into all the talk of qigong, meditation, marrow washing, and "Taoist alchemy".

Now I'm wondering if any of that is true, or if was all a load of crap from the start. Do any of the CMA actually have any health benefits over and above what you would get from weight training and aerobics and stretching?

How come you get masters of internal arts dying young?

And how come Antonio Graceffo's book "Monk From Brooklyn" revealed that monks at the Shaolin temple looked like crap and old beyone their years. IIRC he wrote about a guy in his twenties that looked like he was 45. Where's all the "longevity" and "immortality" that you hear about?

At the end of the day, do martial artists in China have any longer life expectancy and health in old age than someone in the USA who goes to gym and visits a doctor regularly?

[David Jamieson]

looks like ya already made up your mind there guy.

[WinterPalm]

No. They have no benefits for anything actually. No martial value, no health value, no nothing there.

[TenTigers]

well, yes, and no. Martial Arts training can encompass strength training, flexibility,focus, concentration, challenges the intellect, deep breathing, include nutrition, meditation, etc. All these will if followed on a regular basis, continuously throughout one's life, develop overall health and strengthened immune system, etc.
Of course, if it is done sporadically, and one does not take care of themselves, smokes, eats poorly, has poor sleep habits, etc. it will do nothing.
It is only by developing it as a lifestyle, that it will have the above benefits.

Then again, we all know about those old geezers that smoke a pack a day, eat bacon and cook with lard, and drink a pint of whiskey every day, and live long into their twenties.


jkng, long into their nineties, etc. You also need to take into the effect that stress places upon the body and of course, genetics play a big part as well.

And anytime Shaolin Monks are mentioned, you need to add the BS factor.

[TenTigers]

Also bear in mind, that Martial Arts were not originally developed for health, they were developed for longevity,which in this case means outliving your enemies!;)-meaning, for fighting. The health benefits were realized later and then more techniques and technology was included.
.

[Shaolindynasty]

It's been my experience that CMA promotes health due to the fact that during training you working all three pillars of fitness(strength, endurance and flexibility). Can you get this through other exercise programs? Yes but with CMA you also get the added benefit of learning self defense

[IronWeasel]

Well...after a fight, you get to keep on living.

...And the guy who didn't do his Kung fu...well, not so much.

[IronFist]

And how come Antonio Graceffo's book "Monk From Brooklyn" revealed that monks at the Shaolin temple looked like crap and old beyone their years. IIRC he wrote about a guy in his twenties that looked like he was 45. Where's all the "longevity" and "immortality" that you hear about?

Tell me more about that book and that guy. I've never heard that.

[Mr Punch]

1) There are all kinds of monks.

2) There are all kinds of genes.

3) There are all kinds of practices.

[cjurakpt]

1) There are all kinds of monks.

2) There are all kinds of genes.

3) There are all kinds of practices.

in other words, like anything, it depends...

[B-Rad]

I think it depends a lot on the martial art and how it's taught. Some people just have better training systems than others, or more emphasis on health, and better understanding of health and the body. Chinese martial arts encompasses an extremely large amount of training systems.

[jo]

Folks, there is no mysticism or magic involved.

If you keep active and moving on a regular basis you will live longer.

Just walking for 20 min a day will help one live longer than a couch potato.

Get off your ass and excercise...its that simple.

-jo

[David Jamieson]

exercise, eat right and rest well. drink your water and keep your stress at a low.

these are part of good kungfu and they will extend your life and allow you a quality of life that is better than that of those who do not include the above into their daily living.

[Ray Pina]

Training internal under Master David Bond Chan changed my life remarkably for the better.

I won't talk chi... I'll say I am aware of my body at a level I never thought possible. It's even annoying sometimes. The whole ignorance is bliss thing.

I look much younger than my young 34 years. My master at 65 (last time I saw him), looked a healthy 50, strong, and extremely capable. His masters were training into their 90s.

Could easily be argued genetics. But those that have trained right know better.

[lkfmdc]

2) There are all kinds of genes.



Balsphemy! Heretic!

There is only one GENE and he is Gene Ching... those who do not accept Gene Ching will be forced to have long disussions with HardWork8 and to go out at night with Steeve to his "unusual" dating haunts!

[sanjuro_ronin]

From another thread:

I remember this old man back in the old country, Figueriedo was his name, smoke, drank, ate what he wanted, was an ex-naval fuzileiro (Marine/specal ops), swore like an SOB and screwed like a porn star ( or at least he kept getting caught with married women).
He lived till he was 98 and died in his sleep, natural causes ( probably screwing his old lady), on his 98, 6 months before he died, he swam out in the middle of a storm in the atlantic ocean ( we lived by the beach) and mooned every body on the beach.
Never did a day of qigong and pork was his fav food.
I hate people like that !

[SimonM]

Pork can be a very healthy meat if you cut the fat off and cut down on how much salt you add to it.

[sanjuro_ronin]

Pork can be a very healthy meat if you cut the fat off and cut down on how much salt you add to it.

Guess what he did?
LOL !

[SPJ]

Chinese martial arts and chinese medicine have very close relationships.

1. marrow washing and tendon/ligament exchange exercise. is actually part of wider yogic (yoga) regimes. so if you believe yoga help your health, then so are marrow washing and yi jing jing.

2. Qi gong are breathing exercise. the most popular one being 8 brocades since song dynasty. Song was considered weak in military defense against jin and mongolians. Song was considered to be a country ruled by literary people. so they were weak. 8 brocades were based on theory of chinese medicine. such as lung kidney, 3 burners, -- it also helps your nervous system. It actually would keep you fit and healthy and it also heals chronic diseases. There are plenty of research papers well since Song dynasty.

both 1 and 2 are practiced in Shaolin temple. like every morning supposedly.

CMA also include hard body conditioning such as hitting your self and hitting bags, poles, etc. these hard stuff if not carefully and gradually done, we may wear and tear even damage our joints and body etc

Like any sports, it wears and tears, thus sports injury and sports medicines for any sports.

3. Daoist first and foremost is to persue the elixir of the life or long life. Daoist Qi Gong is different from Shaolin.

If meditate alone, no worries about worldly things, close to nature, seek balance and harmony in life (including your own and others and everything else between the heaven and earth)-- if this is not helping your health and fitness, mmm what else???

:D