THE DEADLY TECHNIQUES OF YIN-YANG KICKS
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Category Archives: Shaolin
A CAPABLE CHALLENGER FOR THE TIGER
(reproduced from http://shaolin.org/general/legends-of-southern-shaolin/legends05.html)
Lei-tai, picture taken from http://www.wutai.co.uk/masterssj/
That night a lot of people gathered at Guangdong Association. Everyone agreed that there would be no end if Looi Hoong was not killed on the lei-tai.
After a while, the director of the association, Chan Yuk Shi, said, “It is reasonable what everyone has said. But Looi Hoong’s kungfu is extraordinary. He is not known as Tiger Looi for no reasons. Seeing today’s matches, one can tell his valour. If we go to the lei-tai tomorrow without a high level challenger, it won’t be helpful. Hence, from what you have heard of capable persons, please inform me.”
Everyone was silent and started thinking. Then someone stood forward and said, “I propose a person. With his kungfu, killing Looi Hoong is more than sufficient.”
Chan Yuk Shi immediately asked who this capable person was.
The person replied, “He is Wang Chen Thong. His livelihood is fist and staff. His kungfu is excellent. Once, he hit a wall, and caused a big hole. I propose him. I am sure he won’t disappoint us.”
Chen Yuk Shi was very happy. Immediately he dispatched some persons with gifts to invite Wang Chen Thong.
After about two hours, Wang Chen Thong arrived. Everyone had a good look at him. He was like a Vajra King. His eyes shone like comets. The white and black of his eyes were well differentiated. Everyone venerated him respectfully, and went forward to greet him.
After the preliminaries, Chan Yuk Shi announced.
“Tonight, we specially invite Sifu Wang Chen Thong here, and our invitation shows that we admire and respect you extremely. Nevertheless, we have an intention. Without me saying, I believe sifu knows it. Looi Hoong, based on raw courage, insults all Cantonese people to this time. As long as anyone is a Cantonese person, he suffers great hurt, and view it as a great insult.
(Although Chan Yuk Shi did not learn kungfu, he addressed Wang Chen Thong as “Sifu Wang” out of courtesy.)
“Sifu Wang is also Cantonese. What you feel is like what we feel. But we are all traders. We don’t have the strength ‘to lift up an iron cockerel’ (which means ‘to have any noticeable strength’). Hence, after thorough discussion, we intend to invite glorious masters to avenge the dead, and remove the big insult on Guangdong.
“Everyone admires the miraculous valiance of Sifu Wang, and regards Sifu Wang as unparallel in the world. Hence, without intruding, we hope Sifu Wang can help us, to erase the insult of over thousands and millions of Cantonese people. We wonder what is Sifu Wang’s view?”
Wang Chen Thong laughingly replied in a clear, loud voice.
“This is a small matter. You need not be so full of courtesy. I don’t mean to be boastful, but even if my students come out, it is more than sufficient. Tomorrow, I shall represent all of you to kill this disgrace of martial circles.”
Everyone was jumping with joy. Chan Yuk Shi ordered a sumptuous dinner in honour of Wang Chen Thong. He personally toasted for Wang Chen Thong’s success.
After a few rounds of toasts, Wang Chen Thong loudly proclaimed, “Tomorrow I shall certainly kill Looi Hoong on the lei-tai to thank the feeling of our clansmen.”
Wong Kiew Kit,
8th January 2018, Sungai Petani
LINKS
Overview
LEI-TAI MATCH BETWEEN LOOI HOONG AND LI FOONG SAN
(reproduced from http://shaolin.org/general/legends-of-southern-shaolin/legends04.html)
Fierce Tiger Crouches on Ground
While the crowd was quiet, another person flow up the stage like a big bird. The crowd noticed that he was a kungfu master from Canton named Li Foong San. The spectators cheered.
After registering his name in the register of the lei-tai, Li Foong San said to Looi Hoong.
“Today I come up the stage to take up your challenge is not because of the rewards, and also not because I want to avenge the dead. But I saw your cruelty and could not tolerate. I am sure you know that setting up the lei-tai is to meet capable persons of the world, and not use this excuse to kill people. Even when your art is better than other people’s, and really you are no-double in the world, you should appreciate heaven’s love for life. Against those weaker than you, just defeating them will do.
“Why must you kill him? Now he is dead, do you add any flesh to your body? Thinking of your intention, you are like an animal in human’s clothing. Today I come on stage is to employ my skills to consulate the ghost of the dead.”
After listening to this elucidation, not only was Looi Hoong not angry but he laughed out loudly.
“You know that lei-tai is the place for fighting, under fists and kicks, why is there mercy? Further, you also know that if I don’t hurt opponents, the opponents will hurt me. If I die under his fist, what would you say? Isn’t it that you will say I don’t know my limit, and openly give my life? Or you may say that my life is like that, and it is not his wrong?”
Li Foong San was surprised and did not know how to reply. Looi Hoong changed his facial feature, and continued.
“Like you without knowledge, don’t try to argue here. As you have come today, I shall act like your ancestors to teach you so that in future you will not blind your heart and blind your eyes.”
Immediately, Looi Hoong shouted, “See my technique!” He moved his right leg forward and used “Two Dragons Fight for Pearl” to attack the opponent’s eyes.
Li Foong San avoided the attack and immediately used “Throw Balls in Waves” to counter attack.
Looi Hoong saw the attack was aimed at his top and middle levels. So he used a bottom level to respond. When the attack was near, he squat down and tried to sweep Li Foong San’s front stance so that the opponent would fall down the lei-tai. This technique was “surprised by gods and feared by ghosts”, and was known as “Reverse Planting of Willows”. (In our school, this pattern is called “Firece Tiger Crouches on Ground”.)
As soon as Looi Hoong squat down, Li Foong San retreated his front stance, and used his hand to sweep at the opponent. If Looi Hoong failed to avoid, his arm would be fractured. In this precarious moment, however, Looi Hoong was not alarmed. He bent his body and changed step, and simultaneously struck out his palm.
Li Foong San was ready. Before the palm strike arrived, he had changed technique. The two combatants, one like wild wind swept leaves, and the other like a fierce tiger jumped across stream, fought on the lei-tai like dusts blown by breeze. It was difficult to explain and difficult to separate them, and they fought for life and death.
The spectators below moaned and sighed. They concluded that unless there was death, it would be difficult to differentiate the higher skills from the lower. The Cantonese groups of people cheered for Li Foong San.
On the lei-tai, the combatants exchanged many tens of encounters. Looi Hoong did not gain any advantage. His nature arose, his intention to kill was born, and he knew that Li Foong San’s kungfu was not ordinary, so he employed his “own door” ultimate technique – yin-yang kick.
This yin-yang kick was dangerous and extra-ordinary, and Looi Hoong “had accumulated essence and arose spirit” to train the ultimate technique for all his life, and had attained success after much “bitter training”. Whenever he met formidable opponents, there was not a single occasion he did not win with this ultimate technique.
Having decided on his intention, Looi Hoong used the tactic of “Majestic Hall Explain Many Things” to confuse Li Foong San’s eyesight. Then he used his ultimate technique of yin-yang kick, raising his leg to kick at his opponent with tremendous internal force.
Li Foong San could not avoid the attack. With a loud noise, like a kite that had snapped its thread, Li Foong San fell from the lei-tai. The Cantonese spectators rushed to save Li Foong San, who vomited blood. But he was dead.
Seeing the horrible death of Li Foong San, every Cantonese wanted to rush up the stage to fight Looi Hoong.
At that time a bell sounded, and Looi Hoong walked to the front of the lei-tai and thanked the spectators with a greeting. His students accompanied him to walk away.
Wong Kiew Kit,
8th January 2018, Sungai Petani
LINKS
Overview
LIFE-DEATH COMBAT ON LEI-TAI
(reproduced from http://shaolin.org/general/legends-of-southern-shaolin/legends03.html)
Singly Chop the Hua Mountain
After defeating Cheng Loon, Looi Hoong or Tiger Looi walked to the front of the lei-tai, or stage for kungfu combat, and said.
“Spectators below the lei-tai, if there are capable persons, please come up for a test.”
From nowhere in the crowd came a loud answer.
“Don’t boast. Today I’ll take your life.” Immediately a figure flew up the stage.
Looi Hoong replied angrily, “Who are you? Why don’t you have some manners? Even when coming up a lei-tai for combat, there should be courtesy first, then martial art. Now you open your mouth to want my life, as if my life is so easy for you to take. Quickly tell us your name. I don’t strike the nameless.”
The man laughed loudly. “Open your eyes to see carefully. Your lord is a well known kungfu master in all areas of Suzhow and Hangzhou named Cheong Xin Harng. My two fists once struck dead two tigers. Look at your body. Is your body comparable to two tigers?”
Looi Hoong smirked coldly. “Who saw you killed two tigers with your two fists. With your two fists you can only tear two paper tigers.”
Cheong Xin Harng was angry. His fists hit Looi Hoong wildly. Looi Hoong was secretly laughing. Purposely he feigned some weakness to tempt the opponent to hit futilely.
Cheong Xin Harng was not deep in his kungfu, coupled with wanting to win easily. He did not know that Looi Hoong’s movements were meant to trick him, but instead wrongly thought that the opponent’s defence was weak.
So he advanced and came close. Looi Hoong suddenly changed his tactics and used the pattern, “Singly Chop the Hua Mountain” to chop at Cheong Xin Harng’s head.
Cheong Xin Harng could not defend. His head was broken, and his brain splashed out. He fell down dead.
Looi Hoong kicked his carcass down the stage. Full of pride he announced to the spectators, “If there are capable persons, come up on stage. Evening is approaching; we may have to wait for tomorrow.”
Wong Kiew Kit,
8th January 2018, Sungai Petani
LINKS
Overview
KUNGFU MASTERS WERE COURTEOUS EVEN IN DEADLY COMBAT
(reproduced from http://shaolin.org/general/legends-of-southern-shaolin/legends02.html)
Lei-tai, picture taken from http://healthandfitnesshistory.com/ancient-fitness-tools/chinese-lei-tai/
On the first day of the lei-tai combat, or combat without any rules on a raised platform, Pure Ball Gate where the lei tai was held, was full of people. Cantonese people came in groups, all of them were very angry.
The atmosphere was serious. Hundreds of Looi Hoong’s students, all in black kungfu uniform, were in front of the lei-tai. On the left side was erected a colorful tent. Seated in it were a martial official with tens of soldiers observing the crowd.
Suddenly thunderous drums sounded on the lei-tai. Looi Hoong, the Chief Instructor of the army, in black kungfu dress, eyes shinning and radiating an invincible force, walked to the front of the lei-tai and announced.
“I act on the order of the general and set up this lei-tai to meet heroes of the world. Anyone with ability please come up the lei-tai to test me. If he can punch me once, he will be rewarded with a hundred pieces of gold. If he can kick me once, he will be rewarded with two hundred pieces of gold. If he fells me to the floor, not only he will be rewarded with five hundred pieces of gold, he will also be invited to become an instructor in the army.”
When Looi Hoong just completed his speech, a figure from the crowd flew up to the stage. Greeting Looi Hoong, he said.
“I am unable, and my name is Cheng Loon. I know a bit of fist and staff (i.e. kungfu). Today I present my limited kungfu, seek teaching from sifu. Regarding the rewards, they are not my intention.”
Looi Hoong returned the greeting and said, “There is no need for warrior to be modest. As you have come up the lei-tai, please do not hide your strong points. Let me also seek teaching from you.”
“Well said,” came the reply. “Let’s cross hands.”
Looi Hoong employed a poise pattern called “Hungry Tiger Embraces Head”, with his left tiger-claw at eye-level and his right tiger-claw in front of his chest.
Seeing the poise pattern, Cheng Loon said silently to himself, “Today’s match is unlike combat matches at ordinary times. In a lei-tai match, it is death or serious injury. I must be very careful. It is not easy to attack such a poise pattern. I’ll use ‘stick’ hand as a feign.” So Cheng Loon moved in with a ‘stick’ hand to meet the opponent’s front hand to confuse the opponent’s defence.
But Looi Hoong knew kungfu philosophy well. Seeing how his opponent moved in, he knew it was ‘stick’ hand as a feign move. To use ‘stick’ hand successfully, an exponent must be near to the opponent. The strong point of ‘stick’ hand is the edge of the sticking palm. As soon as their hands ‘stick’, the exponent will shoot, or thrust the palm forward. The exponent will change according to how the opponent responds.
The song-formula of ‘stick’ hand is as follows.
Stick hand is near the body,
If empty, enter the gate.
Courage is all over the body,
Marvelous techniques will win.
Looi Hoong was a kungfu expert. As the opponent moved in, he changed into a pattern called “Black Tiger Steals Heart”, changing his right tiger-claw into a fist, and striking the solar plexus of his opponent, fast and ferocious.
Cheng Loon retreated his stance sideways, and struck Looi Hoong’s elbow with a hanging fist, using a pattern called “Side Body Hang Fist”. As the opponent retreated his arm, Cheng Loon would move forward immediately with a cup fist to the opponent’s chin, using the pattern “Big Boss Offers Wine”.
But Looi Hoong’s eyes were sharp and his movements fast. He drops his elbow to avoid the hanging fist, changing his punch to a tiger-claw, gripping the opponent’s arm and pulling backward, while his front leg blocked the opponent’s front leg to trip the opponent.
Cheng Loon could not avoid this top-bottom attack. He fell forward onto the floor. He clasped his hands in greeting and said.
“Respect and concede defeat. Sifu Looi’s kungfu is extraordinary. Little brother here is no match.”
(“Sifu” means one’s kungfu teacher, but it is frequently used politely for someone whose kungfu is good. “Little brother” refers to the speaker, in this case Cheng Loon.)
Looi Hoong smile gently, returned the greeting and said.
“Warrior’s techniques are also extraordinary. Unfortunately the floor is slippery. It is not because your kungfu is inadequate.”
Wong Kiew Kit,
8th January 2018, Sungai Petani
LINKS
Overview
LEI-TAI, OR STAGE FOR DEADLY KUNGFU COMBAT
(reproduced from http://shaolin.org/general/legends-of-southern-shaolin/legends01.html)
Classical Hangzhou, picture taken from “Things to Do in Hangzhou” in the internet
Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province of China just south of Yangtze Jiang, the longest river of China, was one of the most beautiful cities in the world. West Lake situated in the west of the city is now a world heritage site.
But the Qing general stationed at Hangzhou was in a depressive mood. He received intelligence that most of the rebels who wanted to overthrow the Qing Dynasty were in south China.
Just then someone jumped in from a window. The general was alert, but the next moment he noticed that the intruder was Looi Hoong, the chief kungfu instructor of his army. Looi Hoong was so good in kungfu that people called him Tiger Looi.
Looi Hoong knelt before the general, and said.
“Sir, you have long looked after me very well, and I didn’t know how to repay you. I’ve noticed that you were depressed the last few days. I guess it is because of the rebels. There is much evidence that most of them are located in south China. I have an idea but I don’t know whether you will like it.”
“Please tell me your idea,” the general said.
“I’ll set up a ‘lei-tai’ in Hangzhou. On the lei-tai I’ll hang two huge banners, which read ‘A punch will strike the whole of Guangzhou’ and ‘a leg will kick Suzhou and Hangzhou’. This will make many people angry. Rebels, who practice kungfu, will challenge me. In this way we can find out more about the rebels.”
“This is an excellent idea.”
Suzhou is another beautiful city of China. There is a saying in Chinese that “there is heaven above, and Su and Hang below”.
So soon at the Gate of Pure Ball in busy Hangzhou, a lei-tai or a platform for kungfu combat was erected with the two huge banners easily seen. In a lei-tai match there were no rules and no referee. The combatants fought until one was killed or conceded defeat. Any injuries were due to the inferiority of the combatants’ combat skill, and no legal action would be taken.
Many people of course were angry with the banners. In Cantonese, they read
Kuen ta Kongtoong yi shang
Khuik tek Su Hoong leong chow
In English they mean
A punch strikes the whole province of Guangdong
A leg kicks the two districts of Suzhou and Hangzhou
Accompanying the banner there was a notice which read as follows.
This is an announcement from the General who is stationed in Hangzhou. The chief instructor of our army, Looi Hoong, is excellent in combat and wishes to meet heroes of the world. Hence this lei-tai is erected so as to meet warriors of four directions. Combat on the lei-tai is sure to cause injuries.
Please note the following rules.
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Those in our army are not permitted to take part.
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Those who are monks or nuns are not permitted to take part.
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Women and girls are not permitted to take part.
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Those who take part must not conceal secret weapons.
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Spectators cannot employ secret weapons to help any combatant.
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Combatants must register their names and addresses.
Any injuries or deaths from the combat are due to heaven’s will, and no action will be taken.
There will be rewards. Any combatant who strikes the owner of the lei-tai with a punch will be rewarded with a hundred pieces of gold. Any combatant who kicks the owner of the lei-tai will be rewarded with two hundred pieces of gold. Any combatant who fells the owner of the lei-tai on the floor of the lei-tai will be rewarded with five hundred pieces of gold.
Do not be greedy of the rewards and loose your life. The lei-tai will be on for one hundred days.
Soon the news spread throughout Hangzhou. At Guangdong Association many people gathered to discuss the lei-tai match. Young men were rowdy and angry, and wanted to take up the challenge to restore the reputation of Guangdong.
The director of the association, Chan Yuk Shi, said.
“It is commendable that so many people want to restore the reputation of Guangdong. But Looi Hoong’s kungfu is very good. He is the chief instructor of the army. Hence, he is supported by the government. Even if we win at the lei-tai, the army will go after us. We are all businessmen. We cannot match the government. If unfortunately some of our challengers are defeated, fists and kicks have no mercy, they just submit their lives. You are all wise people. Please think carefully before taking any action.”
However, a young man spoke loudly.
“I am afraid of his cockerel. Looi Hoong has said that his one fist punches the whole of Guangdong. How many people are there in Guangdong? More than thousands and millions. He insults our ancestors. We still have to think carefully? Director Chan, you are a man from Guangdong. Why do you look at our own people like women and children? Now in this case, if we cannot restore the reputation of Guangdong, we may as well burn the association. We do not want other people to laugh at Guangdong Association.”
The crowd then became rowdy and noisy. Seeing this, Chan Yuk Shi could just shake his head and said nothing.
Wong Kiew Kit,
8th January 2018, Sungai Petani
LINKS
Overview
LEGENDS OF SOUTHERN SHAOLIN — OVERVIEW
(reproduced from http://shaolin.org/general/legends-of-southern-shaolin/overview.html)
The modern Southern Shaolin Monastery, picture taken from Google
The following legends, which are based on historical facts, are translated from the book, “Legends from Southern Shaolin” 南少林傳奇, written by Chiew Sek (Cantonese Chinese) in 1993, which Grandmaster Wong bought more than 20 years ago in 1995.
There are some differences between the legends here and those that Grandmaster Wong heard from his father more than 70 years ago in the late 1940s from a Chinese magazine entitled “Legends from Kungfu Knights” 武俠小說王. In reproducing the legends here, Grandmaster Wong made some modifications according to what kungfu masters knew. Some Chinese terms are in figurative language, and their meanings are explained in parenthesis, thus adding to the fun and beauty of the language.
These legends happened after the first burning of the first southern Shaolin Monastery at the City of Quanzhou in Fujian Province, where our patriarch, the Venerable Jiang Nan, escaped. Little is known of the Venerable Jiang Nan because he ran out of China, thus missing the legends that many kungfu exponents were fond of, and passed the Shaolin arts to Sifu Yang Fatt Khuen, who then passed to Sifu Ho Fatt Nam. Grandmaster Wong learned from Sifu Ho Fatt Nam in the 1970s.
Another of our patriarch, the Venerable Chi Seen, also escaped from the first burning of the southern Shaolin Monastery at Quanzhou. He established a second southern Shaolin Monastery on Jiu Lian shan, or the Nine-Lotus Mountain, also in Fujian Province. These legends, which were popular among many Chinese-reading public who were interested in kungfu, occurred after the first burning of the southern Shaolin Monastery at Quanzhou and before the second burning of the southern Shaolin Monastery on the Nine-Lotus Mountain by the Qing army led by Pak Mei.
The northern Shaolin Monastery at Henan was still intact. It was razed to the ground by warlords in 1927, and its burning had nothing to do with kungfu. Before that, an emperor of the Ming Dynasty, which preceded the Qing Dynasty, moved the imperial status of the Shaolin Monastery from Henan to Quanzhou.
These legends from Southern Shaolin were well known among kungfu exponents, especially old masters, of the 20th century. It is highly recommended that our Shaolin Wahnam family members also know of these legends.
Wong Kiew Kit,
8th January 2018, Sungai Petani
Fong Sai Yuk Fighting on Lei-Tai
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Lei-Tai, or Stage for Deadly Kungfu Combat
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Kungfu Masters were Courteous Even in Deadly Combat
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Life-Death Combat on Lei-Tai
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Lei-Tai Match between Looi Hoong and Li Foong San
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A Capable Challenger for the Tiger
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The Deadly Techniques of Yin-Yang Kicks
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If it was Not Rare, it must be Something Odd
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Fong Sai Yuk Broke Out from his Room
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Fong Sai Yuk Killing Tiger Looi
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A Lei-Tai Challenge from a Young Woman
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Excellent Kungfu in Combat
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Duel After Duel, When Will this End?
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The Invincible Ng Mui
To be Continued
SHAOLIN WAHNAM KUNGFU — COMBAT SEQUENCE 5 “FIERCE TIGER SPEEDS THROUGH VALLEY”
SHAOLIN WAHNAM KUNGFU — COMBAT SEQUENCE 5
“FIERCE TIGER SPEEDS THROUGH VALLEY”
(reproduced from http://www.shaolin.org/review/fierce.html)
Fierce Tiger Speeds Through Valley
Progressing to the Right Leg Mode for Combat
Combat Sequences 1 to 4 which have been posted in previous webpages constitute one stage of combat training, and they form the kungfu set “Black Tiger Steals Heart” in the Shaolin Kungfu programme of our school. The main objective of this stage is to develop fundamental combat skills as follows:
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right timing
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right spacing
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flowing movement and force
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right judgement
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fast decision
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instantaneous change
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footwork adjustment
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safe coverage
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flowing attack
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pressing attack
The first two skills, right timing and right spacing, are the most fundamental. Without them the other skills, as well as all techniques and force, lose their significance. An exponent, for example, may have some fantastic techniques and tremendous force, but if his attack or defence cannot reach its target on time, all his techniques and force are quite useless.
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Poise Patterns |
Fierce Tiger |
All the principles you learn in combat training can be, and should be, transferred to our daily work and play to make our life more rewarding. This is a main reason why we devote our time and effort to kungfu training. The principles of right timing and right spacing are of utmost importance in life. You may be the best computer programmer in the world or have the most advanced marketing skills, but if these skills are not used at the right time and at the right place, they are as good as being useless.
Some people, who may actually have many talents or much knowledge, constantly complain that society or Mother Luck never gives them an opportunity to use their talents and knowledge. What they need is to develop the skills of right timing and right spacing like what we do in our combat training, and transfer these fundamental skills to daily life.
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Single Tiger |
Golden Dragon |
In the previous set of four combat sequences, besides the fundamental skills you also learned the basic techniques for hand attacks and defence. You should practise these four sequences in stages, as follows:
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pre-choice
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self-choice
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end-point continuation
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mid-point continuation
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end-point addition
At the pre-choice stage, the initiator begins with a pre-chosen sequence, and the responder responds accordingly to complete the sequence. At the self-choice stage, the initiator may start with any sequence he likes, but the releasing of control must be gradual so that the responder can respond accordingly too and both partners can complete the sequence smoothly.
At the end-point continuation stage, after completing one sequence the initiator (or sometimes the responder) starts another sequence without retreating to poise patterns. For example, after completing Combat Sequence 1, instead of returning to poise patterns, the initiator continues by repeating Combat Sequence 1 or starting Combat Sequence 2. You should continue to the next sequence at the start of the next sequence, but later you may continue at any suitable point of the next sequence. Hence, at this stage an encounter will consist of five or six exchanges instead of three.
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Fierce Tiger |
Golden Dragon |
At the mid-point continuation stage, either one of the partner may continue with another sequence at the mid-point of the first sequence. For example, you may start with Combat Sequence 2, but at any suitable point during the sequence you or your partner may continue to Combat Sequence 3. You may enter Combat Sequence 3 at its beginning or at any suitable point of Sequence 3. Hence the exchanges are less although this stage is a progression from the previous stage. But later you may have three instead of two sequences in one encounter.
At the end-point addition stage, you or your partner may add a suitable hand-attack pattern and the other person will respond accordingly. The additional attack pattern need not be any of the patterns found in the four sequences, but it must be a hand attack. For example, instead of a level punch of the “Black Tiger”, you may use a palm strike or a phoenix-fist. You are to add only one pattern, and after the respond both will return to poise patterns.
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Precious Duck |
Golden Star |
Once you have practised these four combat sequences well, you can defend against all hand attacks — although at this level the range of techniques is limited. Hence, you will soon find that neither you nor your sparring partner can beat the other. No matter what hand attack or counter- attack one uses, the other can defend against it effectively. None has an advantage over the other because now both have the same level of skills and techniques.
To overcome this impasse, you have to find at least one advantage over your partner (or opponent in real fighting). This can be achieved by either improving your skills or expanding your techniques. In other words, although you and your partner are at the same level of techniques, if you are faster or more powerful than him, you can still beat him. Alternatively, although you and your partner are at the same level of skills, if you can use techniques which he is unfamiliar with, you will also beat him. A main objective of the next set of four combat sequences, Sequences 5 to 8, is to expand your hand techniques.
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Green Dragon |
Poise Patterns |
This sequence, “Fierce Tiger Speeds Through Valley”, introduces the right leg mode in attack. So far, from Combat Sequences 1 to 4 with the exception of the “Precious Duck” pattern, the left leg mode is used. The left leg mode and the right leg mode have their own strong points and weaknesses. Some martial artists, often without their own awareness, favour one mode to the other. Later when you are more skilfull and know more techniques, you can maneuver your opponent to his unaccustomed leg mode, often without him knowing, thus gaining a tactical advantage.
In the previous four combat sequences, continuing from one sequence to another was easy when you were executing Sequences 1 and 2, but you probably experienced some difficulty if you were executing Sequences 3 or 4. This was because of your leg mode. After completing Sequences 3 and 4, your right leg was in front, and you might not know how to continue your attack as your attack patterns in the right leg mode were limited.
Now this limitation can readily be overcome. For example, after defending against your partner’s Black Tiger or Green Dragon with your right Single Tiger in Sequences 3 or 4, you can “thread” with your left Golden Dragon and continue with your right Fierce Tiger as in Sequence 5. You will find a lot of attack patterns in the right leg mode in subsequent sequences.
OVERVIEW
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Poise Patterns |
Fierce Tiger |
Single Tiger |
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Golden Dragon |
Fierce Tiger |
Golden Dragon |
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Precious Duck |
Golden Star |
Green Dragon |
Poise Patterns |
HOW TO OVERCOME OR PREVENT OVER-TRAINING
(reproduced from http://shaolin.org/discussion-2/nessa01.html)
A simple chi kung exercise, but performed in a deep chi kung state of mind, can be very powerful
We have become so cost-effective that students and instructors do not have to do their best to practice as I have taught. If they practice daily and attain only 30% of what they attained during the courses I taught them, they would have done well.
This is almost a joke. “Ku lian”, which means “bitter training”, is the hallmark of all kungfu training, including my own kungfu training when I was a student. But now we tell our students, “Don’t worry! Don’t intellectualize! Enjoy your practice! If you just attain 30% you would have done well. If you try to do your best, you will be over-training.”
Hence, it is no surprise that many of our students and some instructors over-train.
What are the signs we can use to say that we over-train?
Over-training is the result of getting more benefits than our physcial body can cope. The signs are unpleasantlness, nausiousness, tiredness, pain and over-cleansing.
Over-cleansing, which is a result of over-training, is a process where we clear away rubbish faster than what our physical body can cope. Rubbish includes bad cells, pain, sickness, negative emotions and perverted views.
The signs of over-cleansing are similar to those of over-training, thus the confusion, such as unpleasantness, nausiousness, tiredness and pain, and may also include rashes, pimples, heavy breadth and body ordour.
The obvious action to overcome or prevent over-training is to slow down the training. Slowing down the training can be achieved in time or intensity.
If a student practices an hour a session, he can slow down by prcticing just 15 minutes a session. If he practices two sessions a day, he can now practice one session a day. If he practices everyday, now he can practice once in two days or three days.
In this connection, it is helpful to remind himself that practicing kungfu or chi kung is to enrich his life and the lives of other people, and never to enslave himself to the art. By reducing the time of his training, he now has more time for other worthy activities, which previously he may mistakenly thought he had no time for, like spending more time with his parents or friends, or just watching clouds passing by in the sky.
As many of our students and instructors enjoy our training, and also our training time is much shorter than what most other practitioners spend in their training, a more suitable alternative is to reduce the intensity of training to overcome or prevent over-training.
To make our training less powerful so that we do not over-train, we do not go too deeply into a chi kung state of mind. Instead of spending a minute, for example, to enter into a chi kung state of mind, we just spend a few seconds.
Or we can just go straight to our exercise without first spending time, even a short one, entering into a chi kung state of mind. Even when we do not purposely enter into a chi kung state of mind, we are still in a chi kung state of mind due to our habit, so we are still practicing genuine chi kung or good kungfu.
I tried this method at a chi kung course in Madrid recently, and it worked very well. All students, including some fresh beginners, enjoyed an energy flow. It was not as powerful as in other courses, but it was still powerful, and more importantly it best suited the needs of the students. The students were still fresh and energetic at the end of the course, not tired and worn out as in some other courses.
For some students and instructors in our school, even not purposely entering into a chi kung state of mind at the start of the exercise may still be too powerful. The next step, in a descending order of steps described here, is to purposely perform the exercise at a physcial level.
This is akin to but not the same as the step described previous to this one. At the previous step, we did not purposely enter into a chi kung state of mind, but might perform the exercise in a chi kung state of mind due to habit.
At this step we purposely do not enter into a chi kung state of mind, and purposely perform our chi kung or kungfu exercise at a form level. This indeed is what most people who practice genuine chi kung and genuine kungfu do.
But this is not what most people who say they practice chi kung and kungfu do. They perform genuine chi kung and genuine kungfu forms as gentle physcial exercise and as kungfu gymnastics. That constitutes more than 80% of chi kung and kungfu practitioners. Less than 20% perform genuine chi kung and genuine kungfu but at a form level. That was also what I did when I took more than a year to generate an energy flow or to develop internal force.
When you perform chi kung or kungfu exercise at a form level, you are still performing genuine chi kung and genuine kungfu, and therefore still in a chi kung state of mind — at lease some of the time and not too deeply. Our students and instructors would have no difficulty in understanding what I explain here. But many other people may not understand though they know the dictionary meaning of all the words I have used.
Do you know why? It is because they do not have the experience of what I explain, whereas our students and instructors have. Another way is to say that the problem is due to the limitation of words.
If a practitioner still finds himself over-training even when he performs the art or exercise at the form level, a remedy is to take negative action. He purposely intellectualizes or purposely tenses his muscles — not all the time but some of the time. When he intellectualizes or tenses his muscles, he brings himself out of the chi kung state of mind. When he is not in the chi kung state of mind, he will not get the benefits of chi kung or internal force which causes over-cleansing in kungfu. At the end of his practice, he must have a short remedial exercise to relax his mind and muscles.
Besides reducing the level of training so as not to over-train, which is described above in descending order, one can also spend his excess energy in wholesome activiites. He can performs kungfu sets or combat sequences at a form level. He can also spend his time enjoying with his friends, family or with himself, like hiking, swimming, partying, traveling, socializing, reading and writing. He can also spend his excess energy on his work, like moving goods around in a shop or planning a marketing progreamme for his company.
Deviating is getting harmful effects instead of benefits from one’s training. In a mild form it is not getting the result practicing the art or exercise is meant to give, but not suffering from harmful effects.
An effective way to expand extra energy is to practice combat sequences at a physical level
The above article reproduced from Grandmaster Wong’s long answer on Essence of Spiritual Cultivation: Question-Answer 6 bere is quoted by Sifu Nessa Kahila of Shaolin Wahnam Finland on 26th June 2015 in the thread Over-Training and Over-Cleansing in the Shaolin Wahnam Discussion Forum.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LEARNING AND PRACTICING, INFORMATION AND PERFORMANCE
(reproduced from http://shaolin.org/answers/sp-issues/practicing-performance.html)
One can learn a lot about kungfu by reading good kungfu books
Question
I have recently started to learn kung fu, but I feel sometimes that I am not learning as much as I could. But I have nothing to compare with.
— Edward, UK
Answer by Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit
Some people may think it is a matter of semantics, but actually the difference in the choice of words here is crucial. I clearly remember that in my early days with Sifu Ho Fatt Nam, my sifu told me, “One does not learn kungfu, he practises kungfu.”
That was good advice from a great master. When you learn kungfu, you add techniques, or worse still you add theoretical information. When you practise kungfu, you go over and over again what you already know, without adding something new.
Most people want to learn kungfu; they would be bored practising kungfu. When you learn kungfu, even if you keep on learning for many years, you remain a learner, or at best a scholar. When you practise kungfu, if you keep on practising for many years, you may become a master.
Another crucial difference is that when you learn kungfu, your emphasis is on information, whereas when you practise kungfu, your emphasis is on performance. When your emphasis is on information, you may know a lot about kungfu, such as various techniques to develop internal force and to defend yourself, but still you have no internal force and cannot defend yourself.
Perhaps for this reason, some people cynically say that “those who cannot, teach; those who can, do.” But this cynical statement does not apply to genuine kungfu, because the emphasis is on performance. A good kungfu exponent is one who is healthy and can efficiently defend himself, not one who knows a lot about kungfu information.
This, of course, does not necessarily mean that information is useless in kungfu. Information is very useful, but it should be geared towards practical results.
There are two sets of criteria you can compare your training with. One, you can compare with what kungfu is reputed to produce, such as good health and combat efficiency. Has your training made you healthy and combat efficient?
Of course, you must be fair. You cannot expect to have good results after just a few months of training. But if you have been practising for a few years, and yet you are still sickly and defenceless, you would have wasted your time even though you might have accumulated a lot of kungfu knowledge.
Two, you can compare with the purposes for which you want to practise kungfu. For example, if your purposes are to learn some graceful kungfu movements to loosen your limbs and joints, as well as to demonstrate to friends, you would have achieved your purposes.
Shaolin Wahnam Kuala Lumpur 