Ken Gullette's Internal Fighting Arts

21 Years Later and No Masters Have Taken Up My Chi Challenge

In November, 2003 -- 21 years ago this month -- Inside Kung-Fu promoted my $5,000 Chi Challenge on the cover of the magazine.

Inside the magazine, they printed my letter. I was fed up with the "chi masters" they put in their pages -- guys like Richard Mooney, who was shown knocking down students without touching them. He was not the only one. Different people showed up in different magazines, eager to show things that can't be done and hopefully get more students to hand over their hard-earned money to "learn the secret of empty force."

It was sheer fantasy they were selling, and it was making Tai Chi look bad. So I wrote this letter, which is on page 10. Here it is, under the headline "He'll Pay $5,000 For Proof!":

     "The cover of your August 2003 issue asked the question, "No-Touch Chi Force! Is It For Real?" The article answered that question with an unqualified "yes." In fact the writer, Peter Uhlmann, not only claimed that his "master," Henry Wang, can knock people down without touching them, but Uhlmann also claimed in the article that he can stop other students "in their tracks" using his chi, too.

     And the article dismissed anyone who was not a believer, including some of Wang's own students, who showed tremendous integrity and intelligence by quitting the school over the empty force issue.

     I will give Uhlmann or Wang a check for $5,000 on the spot if either can cause me to wobble, fall back or fall down without touching me by using their chi. I would like to issue this challenge through your publication. You can videotape and photograph the event with witnesses, and publicize the results in your magazine.

     I've studied martial arts for 30 years and the internal arts for 16 years. It is people like this, and articles like this, that continue to drag down tai chi. How could you possibly publish a story written by a "master's" own student making these claims? Why is it that so-called "chi masters" can only perform this stunt on their own students, or on a few people who pay money to attend a seminar or class?

     Isn't anyone in publishing or the internal arts applying critical thinking skills to this issue? Anyone who claims to be able to knock someone down using empty force is either self-deluded or simply lying to make himself or his teacher look good. Human beings can't do a "no-touch knockdown." It is impossible. Why would you encourage this fantasy?

     If Uhlmann or Wang can do this to me, I will not only give them $5,000 on the spot, I will also publicize them and become a true believer. I will travel to meet them so that they can perform this demonstration. I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is. It's the only way we can stop this ridiculous empty force lie and bring some dignity back to tai chi and the internal arts." -- Ken Gullette, Bettendorf, IA 

 In the now more than two decades since this was printed, I have personally made offers to pay different "masters" to demonstrate on me what they have done in videos. 

None of them have accepted my challenge because of a simple fact: they are taking your money under false pretenses. Now, the internet and YouTube are full of these folks. A student lightly touches them and falls to the ground, or the teacher touches the student and makes him fall without the slightest evidence of force used.

It continues to ruin the image of arts that, if practiced correctly, are powerful martial arts. 

But it's always easier to pretend to have mystical powers than it is to work hard enough to develop martial skill. And to make those claims means you don't really understand the principles that give the internal arts their power. All these "chi masters" understand is that a sucker is born every minute, and they intend to get money from all of them. There is never a shortage.

My $5,000 Chi Challenge still stands. These days, if someone accepted, I would have us both sign agreements to stipulate the amount to be paid, and if I come to you, and you fail, you will also reimburse my travel expenses. If you come to me and succeed, I give you the $5,000 and reimburse you for your travel expenses. 

It could be the easiest $5,000 a chi "master" could ever make. But what I hear in return is....chi crickets.

--by Ken Gullette