Introduction to Tai Chi

Tai Chi Chuan (ultimate fist) is now more famous being practiced for health reasons but it has a long history to start with. Tai Chi Chuan focuses on the flow of the Chi and it was believed that Tai Chi Chuan gain tremendous benefits in terms of health or longevity. If you still wonder how Tai Chi Chuan looks like, go to parks in the morning and if you find a group of people moving in a slow motion routine that’s most probably Tai Chi Chuan.

Most modern Tai Chi Chuan styles can trace their development back to the 5 main traditional Tai Chi schools which is Chen, Yang, Hao, Wu and Sun. Most of us might notice that the Symbol for Tai Chi Chuan is the Yin and Yang symbol, but not much know that it is actually a Taoist symbol which represent fast and slow movements.

Speaking of Tai Chi Chuan, the person that we must not ignore is the Taoist Monk Zhang San Feng back in the 12th century. According to what we understood here Zhang San Feng studied Tao Yin which is the breathing exercises and different martial art forms from Shaolin monastery. But the founding of Tai Chi Chuan is also by accident, where Zhang was looking at a dried Calabash, Gourd (Wu Lou) that floats on top of a huge urn that was used to store water, no matter how hard he tried to knock the Wu Lou, it keeps floating up again and again after sinking and there are not much that was listed on this but as per what was told, it attributes to the founding of the basic movement of Tai Chi Chuan.

Some might think that Tai Chi Chuan is always about slow controlled movements and not much have seen the fast moving movements, It happen back in the Ch’ing Dynasty where after Manchurians has invaded the Chinese Empire, The new emperor saw that Tai Chi Chuan is very well spread in the Country and also those who practiced this martial art are in really good health conditions, therefore he demanded to learn Tai Chi Chuan and it’s secret. But due to the grudges that those at Ch’ing Dynasty hold against the Manchurians, the Masters at that time are not keen in teaching the secrets, but by doing so it will mean death. Therefore the fast pace Tai Chi Chuan was omitted and the new Emperor was taught only the slow paced part. And since the slow movement pace of Tai Chi Chuan started growing and was categorized under Neijia (Soft or Internal) Martial Arts.

Tai Chi Chuan trainings consist of the followings:

Weapons: Jian (Straight Sword) , Tao (Broadsword), San (Folding Fan), Kun (Wooden Staff) Qiang (Spear), those not so famous weapons are Da Tao (Big Broadsword), Pu Tao (Sabres), cane, rope-dart, 3 sectional staff, whip and more...

Sparing: 2 Person Tournament, Sashou

Breathing: Nei Kung / Chi Kung

Image taken from : topnews.in

Introduction to White Crane Boxing

There are 2 styles of White Crane Boxing where one is originated from Fujian, southern part of China, known as the Fujian Style of White Crane Boxing, just like Wing Chun, this martial art was founded by Fang Qi Niang, a female martial artist from Fujian. Not like other martial arts where there are focused on all long, medium and close range, this style is designed and focused mostly on close range fighting.

Fang Qi Niang’s Father is a martial artist of the southern martial arts from China, and since young Fang has been studying the martial arts form, it was when Fang saw a crane nearby when she was doing her chores, afraid that the crane might disturb, Fan tries to chase the crane away by using a stick.

No matter how hard she try, she cannot hit the crane, instead the crane counter her attacks. Fang later studied the crane’s movement on dodging and counter attacks and combined with the styles that she has been practicing since young and founded Fujian style White Crane Boxing.

The White Crane Boxing style has a massive influence in other styles of martial arts like the Five Ancestors Fist and Karate that not much of us might know. But if we refer back to the Kata forms like Hakutsuru or Kyusho in Karate, the influence would look quite obvious. It was believed that it was brought into Japan from tea merchants that brought the style in from China to Okinawa.

The original style of White Crane is no longer practiced in modern days like now but it has evolved into 4 main styles over the time, these styles are Sleeping Crane Fist, Crying Crane Fist, Eating Crane Fist and Flying Crane Fist.

Another style of White Crane boxing is originated from Tibet, that was brought into China by Sing Lung, a Tibetan Monk and he taught all his martial art knowledge to two of his main student Wong Lam Hoi and Wang Yan Lam. And the linage was carried down by Wong Lam Hoi.

And Wang Yan Lam who was the eldest of the Ten Tigers of Canton, exchanged knowledge of this White crane style with Master Wong Kei Ying who is the founder of Hong Kuen. and it was later mixed with the Tiger Fist to form Tiger Crane Paired Form Fist and the Five Element techniques.

Tibetan White Crane Boxing was founded by monk Adatou born in 1426 and he was the founder for the Martial Arts called Lion’s Roar. It happened one day during Adatou’s meditation he was distracted when an ape was fighting with a crane when he is in Tibet. And later he founded the style of Tibetan White Crane Boxing and later taught to Monk Sing Lung.

Image taken from: taichikungfulondon.co.uk

Introduction to Shaolin Kung Fu

Most of us have heard of Shaolin Kung Fu, and there are also a lot that has mistaken that there is a typical type of Martial Art by the name of Shaolin Kung Fu. In fact, Shaolin Kung Fu is referring to a vast collection of Martial Arts and served as a base where the modern martial arts evolve from.

There used to be a saying in China back in the ancient days that Martial Arts around the world (the world that it refers to is China only) came from Shaolin. Martial Arts like Wing Chun, Hong Ga are all samples of martial arts that were taught to the Grand Masters from Shaolin.

The most famous Kung Fu Monk from Shaolin that most Chinese might know is “Dat Mo” or Bodhidharma, It was believed that Martial Arts in China is divided into 2 categories, the External Martial Arts and the Internal Practice (Qi Gong) and most of the credits on the internal practice goes to “Dat Mo”. It was believed that while in his stay in Shaolin Monastery, he has been staring at the wall for 9 years and at the end of the 9th year, a hole was found on the wall that he has been gazing but we cannot find further proof of that. Huiguang and Sengchou in the other hand is credited on the growth of the External Martial Arts, Both of them are Martial Artist before they were ordained in the monastery and they were reported to be the first few monks that is in Martial Arts.

Most of us might think, aren’t monks not suppose to fight? Or aren’t monk suppose to be holy schmoly? This is a misconception of a lot of people, monks learn Martial Arts to defend themselves and they take it as a practice to train endurance, focus and for health purpose. It started even back in Tang Dynasty (618 - 907AD), Monasteries are being attack and robbed from bandits and pirates, pushed around by the governments to seize their lands and so on, and these monks are doing nothing more than just defending their place. Therefore the culture stays with the monastery and it has become a daily routine for the monks in Shaolin to practice Martial Arts.

Image taken from topic.chinaa2z.com

Introduction to Hong Kuen

Most chinese educated friends might know about the name “Wong Fei Hong” but not much might know that Wong Fei Hoong is the most famous practitioner for Hung Kuen Kung Fu.

Hong Kuen is a Chinese Martial arts style from Southern China that was developed from the roots of Shaolin Kung Fu. Hong Kuen was initially developed for military purposes and by focusing on the value of it’s school which includes courage, perseverance, and discipline this value have not waver since then till now.

The Founder, Master Hung Hei Guen who was a tea merchant by trade who was associated as one of the Ten Tigers of Shaolin developed the style throughout his life, but Hong Kuen started to manifest when Master Hung was being an apprentice of the Abbot of Shaolin Monastery. The most famous fist known till now is the tiger and crane fist that represent both hard and soft energy. Where one is focused to attack and the other focus on defend.

Hong Kuen’s stance is based on the 5 basic animals, which most people that is interested in China’s Kung Fu might know about, the styles are dragon that employs powerful punching techniques, snake focuses on speed and attacks on vital areas to take down their opponents, leopard can attack difficult reachable weak points of the body that are hard to reach, tiger and crane which was mention earlier uses the hard and soft energy.

Master Hung had many disciples in this life during the spreading of this martial arts and it spreads widely due to many are trying to rebel during the Ching dynasty in the south part of China. The Legend started when Master Hung had an apprentice by the name of Luk Ah Choi who is a Manchurian based in Guandong, where he refine the style further in reach out to even more practitioner, one of Master Luk’s student Master Wong Kei Ying who is also the father of Master Wong Fei Hong.

Many have said that it was not easy for martial arts to be taught to apprentice during the time of Master Luk, and stories was shared that the masters will be going around together with opera troupes to spread the art. And it was brought to another whole new level when the martial art was passed to both Master Wong Kei Wing and Wong Fei Hong.

Just like Wing Chun, Hong Ka practitioner also practices to use weapons in their practices like Butterfly Knife, Spears, Broad Sword and many other weapons but not all of the branches teaches the same as some are more focus on selected stance or type and the schools up to date is still refining it’s techniques therefore there are also variations like Black Tiger Fist, Taming the Tiger and many more was founded along the way.

Since the founding of Hong Kuen there are also many well known masters and many modified or more refined versions, masters such as Miu Tsui Fa and Fong Sai Yuk are also plays an important role to spread this martial art.

Sorry, as we cannot manage to get a good image for Hong Gar Kuen or Hong Kuen, we have to just pick an image from the net, image taken from wongfeihung.com

Introduction to Wing Chun

Wing Chun or Yong Chun translates to “Forever Spring” is a 2 type Martial Art which has both close-range body combat and armed combat (Butterfly Sword and Long Pole), and the most famous Practitioner in this Martial Art is none other than my idol Mr. Bruce Lee which founded Jeet Kwan Do which compromise a mixture of few martial arts.

Most of the martial arts is named after the style they carry like the art of punch and kick or the art of sword except Wing Chun. Not all are familiar with the name Wing Chun Yim, but she is the Great Grandmaster of Wing Chun, legend says that Master Yim learns about martial arts from a Buddhist nun, Ng Mui from Shaolin due to a challenge from a local warloard and if Master Yim loses the challenge, she will be forced to marry him. And of course she won the challenge, and later she marries Bac-Chou Leung, and Master Leung was Master Yim’s first disciple and Master Leung was the one who named the martial art using his beloved’s wife’s name Wing Chun.

Wing Chun’s style of Martial Art is well known for it’s speed as it’s attack are targeted towards the straightest possible path to hit it’s opponent. I guess that is the same guideline that Jeet Kwan Do follows. I’m not trying to be bias here, but “most” female have less force than male Martial Artist when it comes to attack, therefore Wing Chun which originated from Master Yim focus on perfect timing on both the stance and movement to defeat the opponent rather than using force itself. Therefore Wing Chun is suitable for people who is weaker in strength as muscles and strength are not a requirement in this martial art.

Instead of having a big set of biceps, the art of Wing Chun believes that the winning chances will side the person with a better structure or stance. Wing Chun also trains the practitioner about being aware of their own body movement to maintain body balance so that one can recover quickly after avoiding an attack.

Chi Sao or sticking hands is most seen in Chinese Martial Arts Movies as this practice is used to develop the reflexes in Wing Chun. This practice help the practitioner to understand it’s opponent’s movement and to both attack and counter their opponent’s movement precisely and also to learn how to trap it’s opponent from moving into another attack.

Image taken from: davydoom.com