Which martial art will make you 'as strong as iron' as Kim Dung described?

Readers of Kim Dung's novels are certainly familiar with the magical techniques that protect the body, making it invulnerable to swords and spears.

Many self-proclaimed people have mastered the art of having iron skin and bronze bodies - Photo: XN

Is Kim Dung making this up?

Kim Dung's magical pen paints an extremely rich world of martial arts. And just with the martial arts that train one's body to be strong and tough, his imagination is far beyond that of ordinary people.

In The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, Kim Dung builds the character of the monk Khong Kien as a holy monk who has trained "Diamond Indestructible Body" to the point that no one can invade his body.

In The Legend of the Condor Heroes, Kim Dung describes the couple Tran Huyen Phong - Mai Sieu Phong as "Dong thi" - "Thiet thi". That is, 2 people who have trained their bodies to be as strong as copper and iron, but still have a fatal weakness on their bodies.

Kim Chung Trao in movies - Photo: CN

And in most of Kim Dung's novels, the martial arts masters all have protective magical powers in different forms. From Iron Cloth Shirt to Golden Bell Shield, Iron Head Technique, Iron Sand Palm...

And not only Kim Dung's novel system, traditional martial arts, Chinese kung fu always promote the concept of "iron skin and bronze body".

So what is the reality?

In fact, the concept of “body-protecting divine power” appeared very early in ancient Chinese literature. In the Shaolin Kung Fu manual recorded in the Ming and Qing dynasties, the section “Internal and External Cultivation Methods” describes a group of exercises called “body-protecting power”: the practitioner takes a deep breath, holds the breath in the dantian, and combines it with using a sandbag to hit the body to “clear the meridians, strengthen the bones and replenish the qi”.

During the Qing Dynasty, the book Essentials of Martial Arts (1735) specifically mentioned “Kim Chung Trao” – a technique of regulating breathing combined with internal energy, making blood circulate strongly and muscles tense like steel.

Those descriptions were the foundation for Kim Dung to later exaggerate into miraculous body-protecting techniques in his novels.

There are actually many different forms of “iron body and iron skin” in real life. “Iron Cloth Shirt” is a popular training style in Shaolin, where practitioners are gradually subjected to blows from bamboo sticks, sandbags, and sometimes pebbles.

“Iron Head Technique” trains the head through controlled impact, “Iron Sand Palm” trains the hands by hitting a bucket of iron sand every day.

The Hung Ga school in Guangdong or Wing Chun school also preserves some of these types of exercises, mainly to help practitioners increase their ability to withstand blows, increase their reaction time and have a stable mentality before fighting.

Martial arts researcher Tuong Trong Duc wrote in the Encyclopedia of Chinese Martial Arts (1989): “The Golden Bell Shield is not an immortality technique, but a way to combine qigong with physical stimulation to train the body's reflexes. Practitioners can withstand light blows, but absolutely cannot defend against sharp weapons. Everyone should be careful with the tricks of displaying internal energy and hard energy to protect the body."

From a scientific perspective

From a modern scientific perspective, these “body-protecting miracles” have a certain physiological basis. According to a report by the Beijing Institute of Sports Science (2015), controlled impact training increases bone density in the affected area by about 10–15% after 6 months, and also thickens the subcutaneous connective tissue, contributing to reducing mild mechanical damage.

Muscle contraction reflexes also become more sensitive, similar to the “bracing” technique in bodybuilding – tightening the muscles of the abdomen, chest, and back to protect internal organs when subjected to force. Physiologists call this mechanism “increasing internal body pressure”, helping to reduce soft tissue vibrations when impacted.

Professor Zheng Xin, a sports medicine specialist at Fudan University, explained: “When martial artists take a deep breath and hold their dantian, they are actually creating pressure in their abdomen, stiffening the entire midsection. This is a very natural reflex to protect internal organs, not some miracle.

Many people often show off their iron skin - Photo: XN

However, if breathing is regulated incorrectly or the breath is held for too long, the practitioner can easily suffer from acute hypertension or pneumothorax" - quoted from the Chinese Martial Arts Medicine Journal.

Thus, those who master "body protection skill" actually only reach the level of increased physical endurance, but cannot reach the level of "invulnerability to knives and spears".

In fact, many accidents have occurred. Nam Hoa Nhat Bao (recorded the case of a Guangdong martial artist who had to be hospitalized due to internal bleeding due to excessive practice of “Iron Cloth Shirt”.

Doctors said his liver tissue was damaged by repeated high-intensity blows. The case has caused traditional martial arts practitioners to reexamine the practical value of their ancient techniques.

However, the training value of “iron skin and bronze body” cannot be denied. In addition to improving endurance, breathing exercises help practitioners control heart rate, increase lung capacity, and improve concentration.

Many studies comparing Shaolin martial artists with bodybuilders show that they have faster neuromuscular reflexes and more flexible hand-foot coordination, due to the "bone-striking" process strongly activating sensory nerve receptors.

It is true that through hard training, the tendons and bones become firmer than normal people - Photo: CN

Japanese physiologist Hiroshi Tanaka in a study published in the Asian Journal of Sports Medicine (2021) called it “neural conditioning” – training the nerves to withstand pain stimuli at a higher level while still maintaining control, helping them stay calm during fights.

However, science also emphasizes that the human body has a finite limit. The average thickness of human skin is 2 mm, and no matter how much it is refined, it cannot be turned to iron; muscle tissue and internal organs are still vulnerable to damage if subjected to strong force.

“The difference is that long-term practitioners have developed the ability to react very quickly – they contract their muscles at the right time to cancel out the impulse, creating the feeling of no pain,” Dr. Tanaka explains.

It is the element of “discipline and self-control” that makes the “protective divine powers” ​​a valuable cultural heritage rather than a secret fighting technique.

Jin Yong did not fabricate the story of "a body of bronze and skin of iron", but of course, his writing exaggerated to some extent. This created the basis for the "Shandong martial arts" community to tacitly perform many fraudulent acts, thereby significantly tarnishing traditional Chinese kung fu.

HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/luyen-mon-vo-nao-se-minh-dong-da-sat-nhu-kim-dung-mo-ta-20251006220924462.htm