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Combat Application of Shaolin Kungfu
A and B observe each other.
A attacks with a right thrust punch.
B avoids the attack by shifting to a Single-Leg Stance and simultanously kicks A's ribs; A avoids the kick by changing into a Unicorm Stance and simultaneously hits B's vital point with a palm strike.
B avoids A's strike and simultaneously counter-attacks with a side-punch to A's ribs.
A hooks away B's punch and simultaneously strikes B's vital pooint behind the ear with a crane-beak.
B turns around to avoid the crane attack and grips its neck, i.e. A's elbow, with a tiger-claw.
B releases the grip with a graceful turn and simultaneously strikes B's temple with his other crane-beak.
Again, B turns around and grips the crane's neck with a tiger-claw.
A releases the grip again and strikes B's kidney with a dragon palm.
B changes into a low Horse-Riding Stance to avoid the palm strike and simultaneously counter-attack with a low punch.
Combat Application of tai chi chuan
A grips B's arm at the wrist and the elbow, making it difficult for B to apply any circular movement to release the grip.
Instead of resisting, B follows A's pulling momentum and moves forward to strike A with his shoulder.
A retreats his front leg to avoid the shoulder strike, and simultaneously counter-attacks with a leopard punch at B's head.
B retreats his front leg and immediately moves his back leg forward, thus avoiding the leopard punch, and simultaneously "floats" the leopard and strikes A's ribs.
A moves away diagonally and guards B's arm
A then turns his body (without moving his feet) and strikes B's ribs with a side-punch; B moves his back leg diagonally forward to avoid the attack.
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Question
I saw at an international competition participants of various styles fight like children. Can kungfu really be used for fighting?
JF, Malaysia.
Answer
Your question touches on the essence of kungfu. Yes, there is no doubt that kungfu, if practised correctly, can be used for fighting. Kungfu that cannot be used for fighting is no longer kungfu; at best it is merely a demonstrative kungfu form.
Nevertheless, today an overwhelming majority of those who say they practise kungfu, in both the East and the West, either fight like children or use karate, taekwondo or kickboxing techniques to fight, but not the kungfu techniques that they may perform beautifully in solo practice. (Please note the point here is not their fighting ability, or whether kungfu is better or worse than other fighting arts, but whether kungfu students use kungfu to fight.)
The reason is simply that, in my opinion, they have never learnt kungfu as a martial art as it was traditionally practised in the past. If you merely learn kungfu form, but have never learnt how to develop force and how to spar, you simply have no force and cannot spar no matter how long you might have trained in kungfu form.
Force training and sparring practice have to be approached methodologically and systematically. Skipping over a rope and lifting weights, prancing about and donning boxing groves are not traditional Shaolin ways to develop force and train sparring. It is only sensible that if one wishes to fight like what a Shaolin exponent would do in the past, he or she must train the way a traditional Shaolin disciple did. But for various reasons, many people lack the knowledge or the patience to do so.
Question
There is something which has bothered me for quite some time. I have observed various types of martial arts. Some include ninjado, northen shaolin boxing, taekwondo and nam wah pai. They seem to lack a certain amount of "essence". Please allow me to explain what I mean. The various martial arts have excellent techniques and if executed properly, could attack with deadly force. They also help a person keep fit and rank among the most physically demanding sports.. However, all these arts failed a 7th dan taekwondo instructor when he needed it most. He was brutally attacked and killed when he was caught in the middle of a gang fight, and he was only a passer-by.
This incident shook my confidence of martial arts. A person who has practised martial arts for more than twenty years cannot even defend himself against a few men with parangs and broken bottles. What is the use of practising martial arts then? Where are the really useful moves when you need them? Where is the true essence of the martial arts we practise?
I understand that you, Grandmaster Wong, have performed incredible feats, as described in your webpage. I cannot but wonder how the most skilled person in Singapore would fare against you. I believe he would not even and remotely close to you.
Grandmaster Wong, my heart is heavy and my soul is weary. I find it hard to go on in the realm of martial arts. Please advise me as I need help.
Lee, Singapore.
Answer
Thanks for your e-mail and the kind words you said about me. The so-called incredible feats I performed can actually be performed by anybody if he knows the training procedure and is prepared to train hard for them. Moreover, although I strongly believe that all those who practice a martial art, any martial art including tai chi chuan, should be able to defend themselves, I am not a formidable fighter, and I have never aimed to be one.
What I really consider incredible about my training is that it has given me good health, much vitality, mental freshness and spiritual joy. For example, I cannot remember when I was last sick, and I could work energetically from 7.00 a.m. till 12.00 midnight without fatigue. What I am really proud is that I have helped many people to share such benefits, including helping many people to be relieved of so-called incurable diseases like asthma, diabetes, heart problems and even cancer.
Your remark really touches on the essence of martial arts. For more than 20 years I have been concerned about the inability of most (so-called) kungfu exponents to fight. I do not demand that they must fight well, but the least is that as they learn kungfu, a martial art, they must be able to put up some form of defense even if they lose badly in a fight. The fact is that most kungfu exponents cannot put up any semblance of defense at all, although they may perform their kungfu patterns or sets beautifully in solo demonstrations or arranged sparring.
Nevertheless, this is a very delicate and sensitive issue. While I feel strongly about it, I have to be extremely careful in my expression because not only I do not want to have kungfu people continuously coming to challenge me to test if I can fight, I do not want to hurt the feelings of kungfu "masters" (many of whom are my friends) whom I know cannot fight.
I wonder whether you have seen any kungfu sparring competitions? They were shameful. Many competitors fought like children; those who could put up some decent fighting, fought with karate, taekwondo or kickboxing techniques. It was more shameful when "masters" employed taekwondo exponents, put on kungfu uniforms and won, and the "masters" claimed them as their own kungfu students.
In tai chi chuan push-hand competitions, although virtually every tai chi chuan master and instructor says that tai chi chuan does not use brute force, virtually every tai chi chuan competitor uses brute force, and clumsily. The use of weight divisions in kungfu (and tai chi chuan) competitions is a tacit admission that weight, size and brute force count. The introduction of wushu, the modern form of demonstrative kungfu popularized by present-day China, quickens the transformation of kungfu from a martial art to a dance.
The undeniable fact is that kungfu, including tai chi chuan, is a martial art, and a very effective one too -- if it is practised as kungfu, and not as kungfu dance. Karate, taekwondo, aikido, judo, boxing and wrestling exponents would be no match against a genuine kungfu exponent. A kungfu exponent would find a Siamese boxer formidable, but if he is prepared to train hard he could beat the latter too.
I must categorically clarify that this statement is not meant to belittle the other arts. In many ways, although I personally do not encourage my children and those who seek my advice to train in these arts, I generally have more respect for exponents of these arts than for those of kungfu. There are a few reasons. For example, these other exponents are true to what they seek, they can defend themselves with their arts, and they are prepared to undergo tough training, whereas those of kungfu do not know what they are doing or are deceiving themselves and others.
For a long time I have wanted to train a team of genuine kungfu fighters who can show the world that kungfu can be used for fighting. It doesn't matter if they lose so long as they use kungfu skills and techniques, and fight honorably. But for various reasons I still have not been able to do so. It is not easy to gather a group of young men (or women) ready to train hard everyday for three years. Secondly, this project will involve much cost.
But probably the most important reason is my scale of priority. Personally, although I have strong sentiments over it, I do not believe that nowadays combat efficiency takes top priority in kungfu training. I do not want to subject my students to training hard for something I do not give top value for. I always want my students to get the best, and the best is good health, vitality, mental freshness, spiritual joy irrespective of religion, and a zest for living. Moreover, I feel the time for me to train a fighting group would be better spent to help patients cured of cancer and heart problems.
It is sad that the taekwondo master you mentioned was brutally killed. It is not easy to fight against a group of armed attackers, but I agree with you that a martial art master who has trained for 20 years should be able to come out alive when attacked by a few armed attackers. Perhaps his death had something to do with his martial art philosophy. Korean and Japanese martial artists generally believe that it is an honour to fight, even to death. If a Japanese master were sparred his life by his attackers, he might even kill himself, not just to escape the shame of defeat but to die in honour for his art.
Chinese martial art philosophy is different. There is nothing honorable about killing oneself or being killed by others. If you cannot fight for your life, you have to run for it. It is not just an honour, but a joy to be alive.
This difference in philosophy can be traced to their different histories. Japanese martial arts were developed by samurais, who were actually cold-blooded assassins, ready to kill or die for their lords. Korean martial arts were developed at a time when the country was oppressed by Japanese colonialists, and Korean masters were ready to die fighting the oppressors. In contrast, Shaolin Kungfu were developed by Buddhist monks whose hallmark was compassion, and tai chi chuan by Taoist priests whose preoccupation was immortality. Both Shaolin and tai chi chuan masters loved life, their own as well as others'.
I wish to share another secret with you. My master Sifu Ho Fatt Nam, who has dedicated his life to helping others, was once attacked by more than 30 armed attackers whose objective was to kill him and his family for reasons I would not disclose here. He fought them off. My master could have killed their leader and some other assassins (which was actually easier and safer than fighting on) but he let them go. This incident, which happened before I met my master, has great significance for me. It confirmed not only that kungfu can be used for fighting, but that Shaolin masters are compassionate, even at times when doing so might risk their own lives.
Strictly speaking, and in my opinion, taekwondo, judo, aikido, karate, boxing and wrestling are martial sports, not martial arts. From the perspective of Shaolin Kungfu, no experienced fighters who have survived numerous fights, would fight the way exponents of these sports would typically do. Kicking high, for example, not only exposes your vital organs to be bashed, it is technically inferior. For instance, high kicks distort good balance and minimize the effective use of other striking parts like the other leg, the two hands, shoulders, hips, etc.
If you have seen a judo match, you would have noticed how long it takes, even for a judo expert, to throw his opponent. If the opponent just jabs two fingers into the expert's eyes, or, less brutally, kicks hard at his shin, he would have foiled the expert's throw. But of course for those who are untrained, or who are trained in kungfu dance, such kicks and throws as well as martial techniques of the other sports would be formidable.
Yet, while genuine kungfu is very effective for fighting, combat efficiency is not its best benefits. We should of course be able to defend ourselves, but if we place undue emphasis on fighting, it would distract us from other more noble aims. |
