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Iain Abernethy
Iain Abernethy's picture
Martial magic

I thought some of you may find this interesting. Within the martial arts we do see claims being made of supernatural ability from time to time. There have been claims of no touch knockouts, being able to unbalance people without touching them, being able to sense the enemy’s intention (i.e. mind reading), there have even been claims of levitation or outright flying ability.

I like a clever magic trick as much as anyone else, but when these deceptions (sometimes self-deceptions) are used to mislead people that is obviously not right. Such claims are also damaging to the reputation of the martial arts.

The clip below shows a martial artist making the claim he can move the pages of a phone book without touching them. The demonstration looks convincing enough until a stage magician reveals how the trick is done and puts the claimant to the test. Needless to say, the claimant’s abilities then desert him.

This second video reveals more and also includes a confession that the claims made and “powers” demonstrated were false.

It’s interesting viewing and makes the point that all similar claims should be treated with scepticism and put to an objective test before being accepted.

All the best,

Iain

PS You can also view the same guy on America’s “That’s Incredible” here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sblPQWKHOY