First post here, and at least it's something I know a fair bit about.
Martial arts is, in my opinion, one of the most overly mystified legitimate arts around.
The old-fashioned explanation for what this person (whether or not he is a monk is not really decided) is doing is that he focuses his chi so that the spears do not penetrate him.
The real explanation, as I understand it, has already been mentioned. The spears aren't that sharp, he's quite muscled, and the bed-of-nails principle applies.
treble_head
This is partly true. Your body will become more adapated to punishment if it consistently gets it. I don't know if this is primarily mental or physical (physical I would think). However, I hope you're not refering to the myth that some martial artists break and re-set their bones to create stronger bones. This is partially true, in that when a bone is broken the raw calcium creates a stronger than normal bond. However, that bond only covers about 1/8th of an inch (~30 mm). On top of that, in greatly increases the risk of arthritis.
Martial arts is, in my opinion, one of the most overly mystified legitimate arts around.
The old-fashioned explanation for what this person (whether or not he is a monk is not really decided) is doing is that he focuses his chi so that the spears do not penetrate him.
The real explanation, as I understand it, has already been mentioned. The spears aren't that sharp, he's quite muscled, and the bed-of-nails principle applies.
treble_head
This is partly true. Your body will become more adapated to punishment if it consistently gets it. I don't know if this is primarily mental or physical (physical I would think). However, I hope you're not refering to the myth that some martial artists break and re-set their bones to create stronger bones. This is partially true, in that when a bone is broken the raw calcium creates a stronger than normal bond. However, that bond only covers about 1/8th of an inch (~30 mm). On top of that, in greatly increases the risk of arthritis.
