While “Jyuuken” may not actually be a real form of martial arts, at least to my knowledge, it seems to be a very popular form of fictional fighting style heavily based upon kung-fu/Kenpo and the principles of Chi/Ki energy, which are directly linked to the ancient belief of Chakra.

In many cultures and in some martial arts, it is believed that your power comes from the release/flow of Chi/Ki energy from specific Chakra points in the body. To inhibit the flow of natural Chi/Ki energy in a person is believed to cause dire effects on the physical body, such as aches and pains, depression, or even disease, and paralysis. The opposite holds true if you constantly work to improve the flow of Chi/Ki energy. It is believed that regular practice of Chi/Ki flow sustainment, “can significantly increase the strength, intelligence, and vitality of the practitioner, as well as inuring him/her to all forms of diseases.”

While some claims of the power of Chakra Chi/Ki energy may seem a bit far fetched, many resemblances, in function and location, can be found between the multiple Chakra points, and the human body’s own endocrine system.

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Chances are most of us already know what Yoga is, but some of us might not associate Chakras with Yoga. After all, most Yoga practitioners don’t necessarily wish to embark upon a lifetime journey of discovery and meditation, much like the Yoga practitioners of ancient times. Some claim that through Yoga, one is practicing/improving the flow of natural Chi/Ki energy in their body. Yoga is a form of mediation, controlled breathing, which has been proven to bring about many health benefits for everyone. Yoga is the perfect way to improve the flow of Chi/Ki energy for every day living. But what about for combat?

The great majority of martial arts schools and instructors will begin by teaching the students the fundamentals of their art, beginning with the most basic kicks, punches, and blocks. Soon, the student is ready and can begin learning the first “Kata”, forms, or pattern of that particular style. Many students will forever fail to understand the importance of these forms, and as such, will never accurately perform the techniques to the best of their ability.

The martial arts form, is a form of meditation in which the practitioner fends of many invisible enemies. During this meditative exercise, the body is put under large amounts of stress to maintain perfect balance and form, while effectively committing the techniques of that form to memory. Knowing a technique for combat is never good enough, one must constantly practice that same technique over and over in order for it to be truly committed to muscle memory. In a combat situation, one doesn’t have time to “think” about incoming strikes and “remember” how to block/deflect it. One must simply act on instinct, or rather, let your body take over using the techniques it already knows.

In time, the body grows perfectly accustomed to a particular stance and can effectively maintain its balance, and even shift the flow of power from the core into a single strike. This would be the basis of real Jyuuken, the body’s ability to effectively change the flow of Chi/Ki energy to enhance the offensive and defensive capabilities of a person’s techniques.

The most recent example of the Jyuuken martial arts style in media can be seen in the Japanese series called Jyuuken Sentai GekiRanger. In this series, several Kenpo students trained to use the Kenpo “Beast Fist” style known as Jyuuken, battle their rival school of Rin Jyuuken martial arts who are bent on creating havoc, and using their martial arts skills for personal gain. These Jyuuken users are able to focus their “Geki”, or “Fierce Chi” energy to increase their physical strength, and even manifest protective outer forms resembling the users personal sub-style of Jyuuken. Some, more advanced Jyuuken fighters are even capable of manifesting their Fierce Chi energy into large scale versions of their particular beast-fist sub-style, or even increase their physical size.

Only the most capable and righteous Jyuuken users are able to convert their Geki/Fierce Chi into KaGeki/Extremely Fierce Chi, done so by the extreme desire to protect the weak and uphold their own virtues. KaGeki is more potent, and allows for an amazing increase in strength, speed, and abilities otherwise unattainable.

Some people probably recognize Juken as one of the fighting styles of the popular anime & manga series “Naruto”. In this series, Juken is known as the “Gentle Fist” fighting style, and is meant to deliver 64 strikes onto opponents 8 Chakra gates, thus inhibiting the use of their Chakra energy, and even causing temporary paralysis. Special techniques in the series, called “Jutsu”, are powered up by the user’s Chakra energy; With the Chakra gates temporarily closed by a “Gentle Fist” attack known as “Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms”, the opponent is rendered almost powerless.

So, the question remains to be answered…how does one fight using the fictional Jyuuken martial arts style? To me, the answer is simple. When one learns to fight by amplifying their strength using Chi/Ki energy, one is essentially using the principles of the Jyuuken fighting style. Sure, we might not be able to manifest colorful protective clothing, large scale representations of our animal spirits, or even multiple “shadow clones” of ourselves using Chi/Ki; but with proper training, one can receive a significant boost in strength, speed, and endurance from their Chi/Ki.

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