The very term of CHI (QI, KI, KHI) energy which is used in martial arts is often presented in a wrong way and is because of that often mystified and connected with something unnatural or, better to say, supernatural. Many books or articles often assign the CHI energy adjectives such as secret, mysterious, unexplored, unexplained, super powerful or even deadly energy.
A logical question arrises. Can we really call something mysterious, unexplored, unexplained or secret in the 21st century? Nowadays, we can say that we know a lot about CHI energy, although not everything.
In order to understand this energy, we first need to have some basic knowledge about energy in general. One learning teaches us how one form of energy can turn into another form and so chemical, electrical, heat, mechanic, radiation and nuclear energy exist.
It is certain that men drain an amount of energy from the Sun, as well as from the environment that they are surrounded by. However, only a billionth of the energy emitted from the Sun reaches the Earth. Solar energy is emitted to the Earth in a form of electromagnetic waves or radiation which includes forms of ultraviolet, infrared, X – ray, gamma and radio waves. Heat radiation is an electromagnetic radiation of the body which exists on a temperature below absolute zero. Such as all matter, the human body radiates electromagnetic radiation, but mainly in the area od infrared radiation. So, if we observe the human body with infrared devices, they need to be sensitive in the area of 7000 to 14000 nm. The total energy by which a man radiates in a day is around 9 mj or around 2000 kcal.
In order to function, a person needs to compensate this lost energy with food. Food is a source of energy which is needed for the human organism – for the muscles to work, the glands to excrete, the nerve and muscle fibers to maintain membrane potential, the cells to build substances and the digestion to absorb food. The basic source of energy in the body is ATP (Adenosine triphosphate). Chemically speaking, it is a molecule made up of adenine, ribose and three phosphatic residues. When the ATP molecule falls apart, one of the phosphatic radicals separates, which is how energy is made. This energy is used by our muscles.