There are two types of Chi Kung, or Chi Gung (pronounced Chi Gong). The breathing exercises taught for health, medical, and clinical use is called Lin Chuang Chi Kung. The proper breathing and special postures and movements, such as Tai Chi Chuan develop the internal energy called "Chi" (pronounced Ji). The five elements are the basic exercises for developing this internal energy, which is so often overlooked by students who are looking for more than there actually is. Chi is no mystery, however, without this life force moving in the human body one can became sick or even die. A dangerously high fever is an example of too much "Yang" chi, or energy, which can kill. A perfect balance of the yin and yang energy is desired for optimum health.

Wu Su Chi Kung, or Martial Arts Chi Kung, consists of feats of strength such as breaking of objects, i.e. bricks boards etc. But this type is very dangerous and calls for a highly skilled Master of Chi Kung to teach it properly, as death can result from haphazard training.

Nei Gong, or Internal Power, is the development of the inner muscles and organs. The purpose of nei gong training is to relax while not using muscles, this is usually done in a subconscious manner, which can be static, repetitious, or both. The eight mother palms of Ba Gua are an example of nei gong and can be found in the postures that twist in place while walking the circle and holding the postures.

Shen Gong is the mentality or "spirit" attitude, or outlook of a practitioner. Shen gong is usually done two ways, standing and sitting. It can be done lying down or walking too. The benefits are better eyesight due to the specific exercises and the ability to project the energy out of the body, because of the fact that the eyes direct the chi.

Ling Kong Jing. Ling is the spirit of being that acts upon others. Kong Jing is the empty force that can be projected out of the body to heal or harm.

Wu Wei means to do nothing. It is passiveness, quietism, and non-interference. This is a preparation posture that precedes the wu chi posture or natural stance (horse).

There are two types or methods of the true authentic iron palm. One method is called "external- gong"; it uses muscle and brute force to accomplish the feats of strength, such as breaking stacks of bricks, boards etc. The other method is called "internal" and uses no external force or power to accomplish its feats of strength. The internal method is what we teach. The internal or "nei chia" method is classified as a "soft" gong. It uses the Chi Gung as its base, but also uses Tai Chi Chuan, considered the "queen of internal methods in China" for soft fist arts of self-defense and is consistent for the promotion of health and prevention of disease. The external, or hard practitioner's use beating of the hands on hard objects, can disrupt the flow of blood to the organs due to the fact that each finger has a meridian that corresponds to an organ i.e.. The heart, small intestines, triple heater, pericardium, large intestines and the lungs. These are all located on the hand. Any damage done to these meridians, or freeways, or paths, can cause arthritis, bone cancer, blood clots and even death.  Whereas the internal method is not only a much safer method, it is the highest level method as taught in the Buddhist and Taoist monasteries in China. The monks always safeguarded these "Yin" or internal methods, so that the general population would not have access to them and not become a society of killers. However, the external method is much more simple to learn, and although it is more painful, it became popular with the common folk.

The internal iron palm is not without danger; as the exact methods must be employed or bad habits can result or even cause internal damage to the organs. Both internal and external methods are very dangerous. One of the easiest methods to learn is the Taoist Wu Dang Pai method of iron palm. It  was used by the Shao Lin Buddhists as well. It is called the sand palm level of "earth".  The purpose of the "yang" herbs is to heat the hands externally, while the "chi" cooks the hands internally. A silk handkerchief, or painters mask in modern times, is used to prevent the irritation of the mucous membranes of the nose and the throat. Medically, what happens to the hands and the body is a process called tempering. The bone marrow "sweats" and cools repeatedly. The result is that the bones become as resilient as steel.

The most important ingredient is called in Chinese "ma bu shi", or horse riding posture, or stance. Without the correct horse stance, you will be wasting your time and possibly cause internal damage to your organs. It is essential to have the proper width, height; depth and "buckle" as well, as the coccyx must be pushed in and up to obtain the chi. The time of day and night is also critical for training. The recommended times are 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. or the evening time is 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The short course is three months and just short of 20,000 repetitions. The most important "restriction" during the first six weeks of the course is the abstinence from sexual intercourse, as this will cause obstruction with the sexual energy of the body due to the sexual energy being used in the horse stance and the internal method itself. Yellow vegetables should be avoided such as corn, due to the sugars in some of these yellow vegetables. Also absolutely no processed sugar can be consumed. However, after the first six weeks the body has made its initial transformation and the restrictions no longer apply. The breathing is another important factor that can not be underestimated. The breath must coincide with the body and the penetration of the palms all simultaneously; otherwise-internal damage can result from improper breathing.

Lastly, this first level is an important one, as it sets in motion the proper results to be able to do the next four levels or "elements". This first level is earth, used for balance and strength, especially to the small joints of the hands that are weaker by nature. Overall, the first course may be done for six months to three years.   Most masters did not trust all of their students, so as a result, only a select few closed-door disciples would receive the entire knowledge of their master's teachings, and especially in the invincible iron palm.  This was originally reserved for "revenge", if for example someone killed your brother, you might be obligated to learn the iron palm in order to get revenge on the killer. This was especially true in old China.

The following areas of the body should have mild perspiration to have "opened" the Jen and the Du meridians of the Yang and Yin channels. (Conception and Governor vessels) the forehead, nape of the neck, chang jiang point, lao gong point, "tan jung point" tan tian area and yung churn, or bubbling well points on the bottom of the foot. If these areas do not have even a mild warmth or sweat, then the meridians are blocked and must be "opened" by a qualified master or chi gong instructor, or else the training is in vain. Another possibility is that the individual is "cheating" and not doing the horse stance properly and this will cause an imbalance too and must be corrected by a qualified teacher.

This particular method described is a secret Taoist method called Wu Hsing, or five elements method of iron palm. There are also aspects of "Dian Hsueh", or Dim Mak involved in this kind of iron palm, as the strikes are designed to penetrate the organs and not the outer body. For this reason advanced levels teach "zero" distance strikes, at the "water" level, or fifth level. There are also official grades or ranks called "Dengs" in this system. The first five levels are deng ranks and all are considered amateur ranks. Then there are ten-degree ranks called "Duans" for the complete system.  The Iron Palm Society offers a video course on the subject for those who desire to purchase the different levels of the iron palm skill. For the information concerning these videos, please contact the address below. As mail order recipients will most likely never be seen, one can understand that it is based on trust, when it comes to the completion of the course and the time for the issuing of the deng rank certificates. But I believe that if you are going to "cheat" just to get the certificate, then you are only cheating yourself. That can be dangerous, because if you fool around, like master Wong used to say, then that is going to be of no use to you if, and when, you really need this skill. And we hope that one never has to use the true iron palm on another human being unless it is a matter of self-defense or a life-threatening situation. Master Ku Yu Cheong could break a stack of 12 bricks with one slap and he also killed a horse once with this invincible Iron Palm Skill.  However the chi created during these exercises is a tool, and can be used for medical or martial purposes.  For those who are familiar with acupressure and chi gung, this art can be used for healing as well. Due to the nature of this training, an application along with a background check must be completed before a student is allowed to purchase this course.