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The Ancient Art of Yellow Bamboo
Yellow Bamboo is a form of white magic/martial art developed in Bali. If you sign up to get the free Yellow Bamboo training video then "you can learn very powerful methods to protect yourself and others. If you watch the videos you will see that it is possible to knock down attackers without touching them. This is a very powerful form of personal development." Annoyed by these extravagant claims (particularly the one about being able to knock down opponents without touching them), some Jiu-Jitsu practitioners decided to challenge the local Yellow Bamboo masters to a test "to prove once and for all that no-touch or Chi knockouts are, and have always been, complete and utter bullshit." These were the guidelines for the test: "The YB practitioner assumes a stance on the sand and is given time to prepare his Chi in accordance with YB practices. The challenger then runs 20 feet across the sand and attacks the YB practitioner. As the challenger is making his run, the YB practitioner has to effectively disable or deflect him using his chi." Needless to say, the Yellow Bamboo people completely failed the test.Listed in chronological order. Newest comments at the end.
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Randi did a few write-ups about that yellow bamboo crap a year or two back. Here's three of the articles in order.
http://www.randi.org/jr/091903.html
http://www.randi.org/jr/100303.html
http://www.randi.org/jr/100303.html
Short synopsis, This took place in Bali, a local sceptic went to check it out and was knocked unconscious during the demonstration. The yellow bamboo people claimed that they won the JREF Million $ challange, but as there had been no agreed upon proticol(spelling?)for the test, they couldn't claim the prize. Just as well because the sceptic was more than likely shocked by a tazer or stungun during the test. Yellow Bamboozled, eh?
Posted by JoeSixpack on Fri Feb 18, 2005 at 04:33 PM
http://www.randi.org/jr/091903.html
http://www.randi.org/jr/100303.html
http://www.randi.org/jr/100303.html
Short synopsis, This took place in Bali, a local sceptic went to check it out and was knocked unconscious during the demonstration. The yellow bamboo people claimed that they won the JREF Million $ challange, but as there had been no agreed upon proticol(spelling?)for the test, they couldn't claim the prize. Just as well because the sceptic was more than likely shocked by a tazer or stungun during the test. Yellow Bamboozled, eh?
It's not that I don't believe it's possible that there are martial artists out there who have discovered truly wondrous and mystical ways to harness internal energy for magic-like effects. It's a big world, I've seen some weird stuff, so maybe.
It's just that I feel absolutely certain that people who had such knowledge would not offer it via a free training video.
Posted by Barghest on Fri Feb 18, 2005 at 06:19 PM
It's just that I feel absolutely certain that people who had such knowledge would not offer it via a free training video.
The video of the encounter is quite amusing!
Posted by Glamcat on Fri Feb 18, 2005 at 07:28 PM
As someone who's seen Jujitsu in action (Dad's an old-school, third-degree blackbelt), I gotta say.. they were taking it easy on the guy. Even the one that got wrestled and pinned until release. Between the hokey stance and whatnot, those guys could've been laid out by a yellow belt.
Posted by Bobcat in Californian Wierdo on Fri Feb 18, 2005 at 11:36 PM
You beat me to the Randi links, Joe Sixpack. Damn.
Posted by Cranky Media Guy on Sat Feb 19, 2005 at 01:37 AM
Barghest said:
"It's not that I don't believe it's possible that there are martial artists out there who have discovered truly wondrous and mystical ways to harness internal energy for magic-like effects. It's a big world, I've seen some weird stuff, so maybe."
Well, if stuff like that exists, why can't anyone prove it in a scientifically-controlled test?
Posted by Cranky Media Guy on Sat Feb 19, 2005 at 01:38 AM
"It's not that I don't believe it's possible that there are martial artists out there who have discovered truly wondrous and mystical ways to harness internal energy for magic-like effects. It's a big world, I've seen some weird stuff, so maybe."
Well, if stuff like that exists, why can't anyone prove it in a scientifically-controlled test?
Is that video for real?? It looks like some friends hanging out on the beach having fun... And what about the dog? Is his name Chi? Maybe it's just me, but I'm missing something here...
Posted by corax in Lisbon - Portugal on Sat Feb 19, 2005 at 03:05 AM
I have to say I was a little disappointed by the video- if some guy threatened to knock me out without contact and i managed to actually get to him, i'd make sure he'd remember it.
I practise judo though, not jiu-jitsu
Posted by Nick in Merrie Olde Englande on Sat Feb 19, 2005 at 03:40 AM
I practise judo though, not jiu-jitsu
Somebody says they can knock me down without touching me (and without throwing or shooting anything at me); they've got a pretty heavy burden of proof to clear before I'm going to believe them.
Posted by Big Gary C in Dallas, Texas on Sat Feb 19, 2005 at 09:50 AM
Uh, Joe Sixpack, unless my glasses are messing up my eyesight something bad, the last two links you reference are the same. All three are the same out to the jr/ but the first is 091903 and the next two are 100303 after that.
In my twenty years on active duty I was sent around the world and I always heard of people who could do such amazing things as knock someone out from a distance or pull their testicles into the body cavity to protect them during a fight or whatever, but I could never find anyone who could do it. It was always second or third-hand information. And it was always the same answer when I asked: "Why doesn't this person go public and make a fortune?" "Well, it would be a violation of the spiritual values of the teachings." Going public would be the easiest way to get everyone to follow their teachings as far as I know, wouldn't that be worth it? As of now, I don't believe it but I am willing to change my stance based upon new evidence.
I also, for a project I was doing at the time, investigated the various martial arts available about fifteen years ago or so. Yellow Bamboo was not one I was able to research then, never heard of it until now. Was it so secret then?
Posted by Christopher Cole in Tucson, AZ on Sat Feb 19, 2005 at 02:06 PM
In my twenty years on active duty I was sent around the world and I always heard of people who could do such amazing things as knock someone out from a distance or pull their testicles into the body cavity to protect them during a fight or whatever, but I could never find anyone who could do it. It was always second or third-hand information. And it was always the same answer when I asked: "Why doesn't this person go public and make a fortune?" "Well, it would be a violation of the spiritual values of the teachings." Going public would be the easiest way to get everyone to follow their teachings as far as I know, wouldn't that be worth it? As of now, I don't believe it but I am willing to change my stance based upon new evidence.
I also, for a project I was doing at the time, investigated the various martial arts available about fifteen years ago or so. Yellow Bamboo was not one I was able to research then, never heard of it until now. Was it so secret then?
Big Gary C said:
"Somebody says they can knock me down without touching me (and without throwing or shooting anything at me); they've got a pretty heavy burden of proof to clear before I'm going to believe them."
That is, of course, the only rational position to take on extraordinary claims. When it comes to stuff like that, we should ALL be from Missouri: Show me, mofo!
Posted by crankymediaguy on Sun Feb 20, 2005 at 01:22 AM
"Somebody says they can knock me down without touching me (and without throwing or shooting anything at me); they've got a pretty heavy burden of proof to clear before I'm going to believe them."
That is, of course, the only rational position to take on extraordinary claims. When it comes to stuff like that, we should ALL be from Missouri: Show me, mofo!
In the Randi case, as I recall, the skeptic tried to attack the yellow bambu master but, when he was about to hit him, other guys made him fall attacking from the back, while the yellow bambu master was pretending he was doing some chi projection or whatever. For the guy falling, it seemed like he had been hit by some strange and occult force; from people outside, it was obvious - he was pulled by the master's helpers.
It's a hoax, a trick, a blatant lie.
Posted by Paulo M. in Portugal on Sun Feb 20, 2005 at 11:13 AM
It's a hoax, a trick, a blatant lie.
Speaking as someone who does the 'ancient' art of Tai Chi, that looked rubbish! The YB practicioners look as though all the martial arts they know about is by watching wrestling shows, not even martial arts! I also think I can come up with some better stories about utilising Chi...such as the story about the guy by the name of Yang the Invincible who caught a bird on his hand, and no matter how hard the bird flapped, it couldn't fly away - but that happened 200 years ago.
Posted by Smerk in to mischief on Sun Feb 20, 2005 at 04:51 PM
I think this all comes from being able to cause someone to flinch. If a known expert came at you and was making a move to strike, your body would react by flinching and naturally moving in the direction of the blow in order to roll with the punch. I can imagine a master running up to new students and scaring them to the point of falling down by doing this.
Posted by Oscar on Mon Feb 21, 2005 at 08:52 AM
>>>Well, if stuff like that exists, why can't anyone prove it in a scientifically-controlled test?<<<
Not my point.
Anyway, why should an enlightened master (assuming such a thing exists) give a damn what you thought? If they felt they had something to prove (or worse yet, that it was time to cash in), they couldn't very well be called enlightened.
The point is that yes, I'll keep an open mind about these kinds of things, unless the claimants are making an obvious, crude attempt to cash in on their 'secret knowledge'. As far as I'm concerned, further experimentation isn't required; that's a dealbreaker right there.
It's like, sure, maybe there's a Holy Grail out there somewhere. But if Ron Popeil does an informercial where he's selling holy water from the Grail, by the vial, I don't need any further evidence to call bullshit on him right then. Because by the very nature of the legend, it just wouldn't work that way.
Posted by Barghest on Mon Feb 21, 2005 at 07:21 PM
Not my point.
Anyway, why should an enlightened master (assuming such a thing exists) give a damn what you thought? If they felt they had something to prove (or worse yet, that it was time to cash in), they couldn't very well be called enlightened.
The point is that yes, I'll keep an open mind about these kinds of things, unless the claimants are making an obvious, crude attempt to cash in on their 'secret knowledge'. As far as I'm concerned, further experimentation isn't required; that's a dealbreaker right there.
It's like, sure, maybe there's a Holy Grail out there somewhere. But if Ron Popeil does an informercial where he's selling holy water from the Grail, by the vial, I don't need any further evidence to call bullshit on him right then. Because by the very nature of the legend, it just wouldn't work that way.
The Holy Grail was supposed to be full of Christ's blood, not water. So yes, vials of holy water from the Grail would certainly be fake.
Posted by Big Gary C in Dallas, Texas on Sat Feb 26, 2005 at 02:44 PM
According to Dan Brown, the holy grail is Mary Magdalene or the 'Divine Feminine' or something like that. That's about all I still remember from the Da Vinci Code.
Posted by Alex in San Diego on Sat Feb 26, 2005 at 03:24 PM
The Holy Grail was originally supposed to be the cup used at The Last Supper, where Jesus says that the wine is His blood of the New Covenant. Everything else is a later add-on. Most of the add-ons were pagan stories transfered to the Grail to emphaasize it holy and/or magic qualities, such as the healing power in the Indiana Jones movie The Last Crusade. I presume that somewhere along the line one of the add-ons was that if you poured water into the Grail it became holy and able to work miracles.
Posted by Christopher Cole in Tucson, AZ on Sat Feb 26, 2005 at 04:03 PM
Hi,
Well instead of going around the net and reading people their OPINIONS on this, which didn't help me any further I decided to GO TO BALI and see for myself.
I've been searching for this knowledge for about 10 years and I have found some people who are able to do it, but they either didn't want to teach me or the system took years of heavy practice without certainty if you could achieve anything. So I just couldn't do with just people their comments. And I'm happy I did and I went over there to see for myself. I learned a lot.
And compared to some of the other stuff I saw, man this knocking down means nothing compared to that. Actually in Bali, people find this just as normal as taking a pee. They really don't understand why we westerners make such a big deal from it. THe system has way more to offer than just the knocking down though.
So I think I'm now in a position to answer some of your questions.
1) About the stungun theory:
No way. The 'sceptic' had no signs of the use of such a device on his body or clothes. He also declared that he didn't feel such thing. Trust me if someone uses something like that on you, you feel it.
Ku'un
Yellow Bamboo Teacher Training 10 Day intensive course: October 16-26th 2005
http://www.zensation.info
Posted by Zensation on Fri Sep 02, 2005 at 01:12 AM
Well instead of going around the net and reading people their OPINIONS on this, which didn't help me any further I decided to GO TO BALI and see for myself.
I've been searching for this knowledge for about 10 years and I have found some people who are able to do it, but they either didn't want to teach me or the system took years of heavy practice without certainty if you could achieve anything. So I just couldn't do with just people their comments. And I'm happy I did and I went over there to see for myself. I learned a lot.
And compared to some of the other stuff I saw, man this knocking down means nothing compared to that. Actually in Bali, people find this just as normal as taking a pee. They really don't understand why we westerners make such a big deal from it. THe system has way more to offer than just the knocking down though.
So I think I'm now in a position to answer some of your questions.
1) About the stungun theory:
No way. The 'sceptic' had no signs of the use of such a device on his body or clothes. He also declared that he didn't feel such thing. Trust me if someone uses something like that on you, you feel it.
Ku'un
Yellow Bamboo Teacher Training 10 Day intensive course: October 16-26th 2005
http://www.zensation.info
2) You feel absolutely certain that they would not offer free training videos.
Hmm I don't see the logic of that as I offer a free video myself. But anyway, it is indeed not optimal to train with the videos it makes a huge difference when you get your training in person.
The videos are an attempt at making this knowledge spread through the world and give you an idea of what it looks like though.
3) The video being amuzing: Well I witnessed about 9 knock outs overthere. Including westerners knocking each other down. The people who where knocked down loose total control of their body and fall. You end up with bruises and scars from falling. It ain't funny.
Ku'un
Yellow Bamboo Teacher Training 10 Day intensive course: October 16-26th 2005
http://www.zensation.info
Posted by Zensation on Fri Sep 02, 2005 at 01:13 AM
Hmm I don't see the logic of that as I offer a free video myself. But anyway, it is indeed not optimal to train with the videos it makes a huge difference when you get your training in person.
The videos are an attempt at making this knowledge spread through the world and give you an idea of what it looks like though.
3) The video being amuzing: Well I witnessed about 9 knock outs overthere. Including westerners knocking each other down. The people who where knocked down loose total control of their body and fall. You end up with bruises and scars from falling. It ain't funny.
Ku'un
Yellow Bamboo Teacher Training 10 Day intensive course: October 16-26th 2005
http://www.zensation.info
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