Pin through glass.

J

johngalt

Joined
Feb 27, 2006
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I was watching a travel show on Beijing the other day and watched a Shoalin monk throw a pin through a plate of glass, popping a balloon behind it. I was just wondering if anyone had ever tried doing something similar to this. It was pretty impressive. The hole left by the pin looked like a BB hat hit the glass.
I'll try to find a video clip of this, but I haven't been able to find one yet.
 
I would say... expect "magic."

That is, if you can't do it, there's either something about the glass, the balloon, or the "throw" that doesn't add up.
 
Well, that's partly it.

The other part is that this might, indeed, be related to a "Shaolin monk" doing the feat.

To me, this is equivalent to saying a "member of the Blue Man Group" can do it, given that the monks are effectively an entertainment venue courtesy of the Ministry of Tourism or something.
 
I remember seeing something like this a few years back. Although he wasn't a monk, but some "assassin" as they labeled him. He would also throw needles through plywood, sheetrock and pop balloons from many feet away. Kinda cool, but I was skeptical.

Here's the only thing I found doing a quick search. http://www.ripleys.com/core/answers/?p=327
 
the needles are not sewing needles, they are larger. The needle throwing I saw on Ripleys looked pretty credible.
 
Watchful said:
I would say... expect "magic."

That is, if you can't do it, there's either something about the glass, the balloon, or the "throw" that doesn't add up.
Click to expand...
So, let me get this right, I don't want to jump to a conclusion, it can't be done, is that what you are saying?
 
johngalt said:
So, let me get this right, I don't want to jump to a conclusion, it can't be done, is that what you are saying?
Click to expand...

Well, it's being done, apparently--the question is how exactly. My comment is that if you, or me, or any other reader can't replicate the throw and reproduce the same results, then there's something fishy going on.

Take a common knife throw: you can see someone throw a knife into a target and think "I could do that." And I'm guessing I'm right, because at some point that did happen to you, or you might not be here now! :)

But if you see something and think, "How the heck is that possible," then the odds are quite high that you're being tricked. Consider the guy who throws knives at the lady on a rotating target while blind-folded. That's not something a real knife thrower can do...and indeed, there's a trick involved.

There may be very little to the trick, in reality. Sometimes, it's the folks who record the sequence who do fancy stuff with editing. Sometimes it's a simple thing that's exaggerated beyond belief. Other times, sadly, it's trickery intended to fool the public.
 
I saw this being done live when the Shaolin Monks toured Australia.

The theory behind it is that the Needle(not a common sewing needle) is thrown using Chi energy(natural kinetic energy that can be harnessed using martial arts disciplines) to create a greater force than if just thrown by your "average Joe".

Now having studied martial arts for many years I have seen some pretty amazing things when such energy is focused and used, this does not mean that even I wasn't skeptical but I cant discount this as pure fiction either.

I do believe that such a thing is possible by someone who is disciplined enough to train to focus such energies for 12+ hours 7 days a week. I guess this would be true of Shaolin Monks as this is more than a training discipline to them it is a lifestyle.

As to how much "theatrics" are involved I couldn't say, but I do believe it is possible.

Thats just my take on it anyways? :confused:
 
Well if is chi, there's a million dollar prize awaiting them. All they need to do is perform it before a testing board.
 
The only way I could see that working is if somehow the needle vibrated at a frequency that caused localized liquefaction of the glass which would allow the needleto pass through it.

Otherwise if you could do it it would be pretty neat, drive by window needling. You could probably do much much more.
 
I doubt a needle would have enough mass/momentum to pierce through glass if thrown by a human hand. Of course, glass is also not going to be "pierced" without shattering unless the needle was moving at very high velocity. I doubt a human could throw a bullet slug fast enough to bust through glass without shattering it. Mythbusters to the rescue?
 
A poor quality video from youtube, there are probably more this was the first I came up with. http://youtube.com/watch?v=Soq8S7ZvpCA

There was some talk about this about a year ago, this was the pic that usually came with the articles:
needlekungfu0un8.jpg
 
I remember reading about this some years back in Kung Fu magazine. (Published by Gene Ching www.kungfumagazine.com).They showed several pics and interviewed someguys in China that could do it. But none of them claimed to be either monksor assassins.

They said that it was alot of fun to compete with each other but that it had no practical application because A)you had to be so close to the target and B) even the guys who can do it on a regular basis can`t do it reliably enough to make it a high percentage weapon.

It did say they used a slightly heavier than normal needle, but the whole trick was getting the needle to hit perfectly straight on so all of the force was concentrated in one area,otherwise it bounces off. And just like the first poster said, the glass on the back side breaks out like it was hitwith a BB. It leaves a cone shaped wholeon the other side

Alll they guys that could do it said they did lots of meditation and Chi kung, but they also did lots of hard physical training to be able to do it. And all agreed the only real value the inrease it gave them in punching speed. I think if you`re close enough to throw a sewingneedle affectively, you`re close enough for a big punch. Still pretty cool though.
 
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