Between school, work, writing (how I plan on making a living), and martial arts, I don't have 4 hours to spend driving. I am in no way downplaying the importance of having a qualified instructor, however it is MY pet peeve when someone asks for help, on a forum that is geared toward discussion and help, the answer is "find a qualified instructor". I ask my instructor about everything, but it's nice to get a second opinion, and/or get someone else to elaborate on an idea for the sake of learning or just for discussion. Trust me, if I could, I would spend every minute that I could at my instructor's studio learning.

EDIT: I'm not trying to be a jerk either. It's just that one of the main reasons I rarely post on forums is because of this same situation (even though this particular situation is minor).

There is a really good reason everyone tells you to find an instructor. You can't learn this sort of thing without one. Period.

In that case, if every question asked will be met with the same answer, what's the point of even posting? I might as well go back to my endless cycle of forum lurking.

Can I suggest that maybe it's the way you ask the question. If you give your background and the experiences and instruction that you've had along with why you''re asking the question, then you will find everyone more than helpful.

A stock question "wot is chi" "how do I develop it" etc will only elicit a stock answer.

Dude I've found the guys on this forum to nothing but honest, insightful and imformative. Asking if the human body can store Ki/Qi is like asking if the body can store farts, and the answer will be about as much use to you (its yes btw). Between the guys who have just taken the time to reply to your question, namely Bossman and Kempoman, you have a whole wealth of experience that you will probably not find anywhere else on the web. Google generic questions like yours, find out specifics then ask specific questions. As the good book says, Ask and it shall be given! Plus if you're looking at becoming a writer, Bossman is definately a guy I'd be a bit more respectful too!

No one is here to "teach" anything. This forum is to discuss experiences, training methods and yes, ask questions. What no one here is going to do is try to teach you anything on the internet. This is why the general answer is "find quality instruction".

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Between school, work, writing (how I plan on making a living), and martial arts, I don't have 4 hours to spend driving.

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You act as if no one here works or goes to school. If internal training isn't high enough on your priority list to go out of your way once a week for training you don't need to be studying IMA. If you can't find quality instruction near you and your not willing to travel a little then there is no point because you can't learn this from a book, video or from anything any of us tell you here or on any other forum. If your, not you specifically just people in general, here looking for instruction your in the wrong place.

Steelwater i guess you just haven't looked that hard. I did a quick search and found a few schools teaching tai chi within 30 miles of your town. That's only about a 45-minute drive. There is one place in particular i thought was a bit funny. The Peaceful Dragon Restaurant and Cultural Center in Charlotte, they offer healing, martial arts, gift shop plus brunch, lunch and dinner. This would be a great idea so long as they are legit. I don't have the time to look through the site right now but maybe someone else would like to take a stab at it.


http://www.thepeacefuldragon.com/

So, coming back to your original question....

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...can a human store its Chi? And if this is possible, how would the best way be to releash much Ki in a attack? How can you train it? and so on.

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The body does store "qi", but not in the way your question seems to indicate your line of thinking. The body cannot function without "qi". Some storage of "qi" occurs in the body (bones, muscles, internal organs etc. etc.), but it is only useful from a vital bodily functioning perspective, and of general well-being.

Because "qi" as used by the Chinese to describe certain phenomena is an all inclusive concept, I think we should define specifically what you mean by "qi". What you are asking is can the body "store" qi to be unleashed in a martial context. I think the answer to that is clearly no, not in the way you are suggesting.

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But.. I practice Aikido.. that also stimulates the flow right...?

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Practising "aikido" does not in itself guarantee anything. You will need proper instruction on "how" to do it. My advice is to seek out a qualified internal teacher to help you make the connections. I daresay that most people who profess to teach aikido (myself included) would not know the first thing about how to marshall "qi", let alone how to teach someone else how to do it.

Hey, I'm not the original thread starter. Since he seemed to ask a question and then abandoned the thread, I simply continued to inquire on the subject. Secondly Laf, I don't know what my IP address/hostmask resolves to, but Charlotte is about 3 hours (one way) away from me and the city is GIGANTIC. It'd probably take around 4 hours to get there. Thanks for the link, though. My current instructor teaches some IMA, but he tells me that since it's not his niche, he would rather not try to teach us and misinform us. I can't afford training at two places because I don't have the time or money. So I'm sure you can see why I would try to find alternative resources to learn. My idea is not for someone to explain step by step on what to do, because I do believe that you cannot learn this without direct transmission. My idea is that if someone gives me a simple answer, I can go back to my instructor and inquire on the subject.

Edit: I would never in a million years ask a question like "wot is qi".

hey guys im jsut starting this chi thing with my friend and id appreciate it very much if u could tell me how to do it or w/e and tell em some good(free) sites that explain it