Lessons from a Sifu at Large

The Ten Killing Hands

The Ten Killing Hands is another subject regarded as secret by some of the schools of Hung Gar. One thing to keep in mind in Hung Gar, there are a lot of things which people simply classify as secret material because of their own lack of knowledge on the subject. Everyone in Hung Gar has heard of the Ten Killing Hands, the Twelve Bridges, and the Iron Thread (just to name a few of the so called secrets). However, not everyone understands them, and so they call it a secret. I remember listening in astonishment to a so called Hung Gar instructor in Austin Texas as he told his students that “Iron Thread is just Gung Ji done with power.” Nothing could be further from the truth, as will be plain when I detail Iron Thread form later on.

The Ten Killing hands were so named by Wong Fei Hung, according to my information. The name implies deadly techniques, and properly done, these techniques are just that! Below, I will detail the Ten Killing Hands, as well as their proper uses. Please keep in mind, these techniques are very dangerous, and even using them in jest can result in serious injury or death.

What is listed below is one school of thought on the Ten Killing Hands. One lineage, the Chiu Wai lineage, teaches the Ten Killing hands as a training set, or a form. And one must also note before continuing; this is not the only list of the Ten Killing Hands. Some schools use a different list, and other schools have the same list of names for the movements, but identify the movement differently. Other schools will not even tell a non student if they even have a list of Ten Killing hands. So, for what it is worth, what follows is A list (as opposed to THE list) of the Ten Killing hands used by some schools. 

Wake the Sleeping Crane. This technique may have been a killing technique in the days before antibiotics, but done properly, this technique will still end any fight. The target for the technique is the eye, and the weapon is the fingertips, with the hand in the position of the Crane Beak. The non striking hand will block an incoming attack through redirection. In a relaxed motion, the attacking hand will whip into the eye of your opponent. The intent will be to rupture the eyeball itself. The whipping force which must be used to make this effective will be generated by the waist, and is a product of much training. Whipping force will not be learned overnight. However, it is worth the time and effort to learn. Once learned, this technique can come out of nowhere, and end the fight in an instant. The arm and fingers must remain relaxed until the absolute moment of impact with the target.

Fierce Tiger Descends the Mountain. This is a powerful technique. I have heard of schools which use this technique as an attack to the elbow. I am not 100% sure how they use it against the elbow, and they are not willing to teach it to me, as they regard it as a secret. I will detail how I use it.

The hand which ends in the bottom position is the first to make contact with the opponent. In the ideal execution, the primary contact and will make contact with the opponent’s arm, just slightly above the elbow. This placement is very important. If the initial contact is below the elbow, you sacrifice a large measure of control over your opponent. By making initial contact above the elbow, you have to use very little effort to turn your opponent’s body. The second hand to make contact should be used in a violent strike, and the exact target will vary. Primarily, I like to strike the point where the neck connects to the head. Anywhere on this point (it doesn’t matter how far you turn them with the initial contact if your intended target is a circle going all the way around the neck). Sink on the initial contact, rise on the strike. The strike will be followed with a downward ripping motion.

Lead the Horse to Stables. Most of my practice with this technique has to do with redirecting an attacker’s arm. This is the obvious application, and many people stop there. However, this same simple looking technique can be also used to snap the arm. Sink in your stance, and twist from the waist. This technique does not require a big modification to change from a simply redirection into a breaking technique. In fact, it only requires a change of intent, from control to destroy. The same motion which can pull an arm to the side can also pull an opponent in close, elbow against the ribcage and snap. This is a very destructive technique, and when practicing with a partner, your focus should be on getting into the proper positioning for the application. Save your full power for the training equipment.

Monkey Steals a Peach. In my school, we do not call this “monkey steals a peach”, but I teach this technique as a very powerful method of destruction when used properly against an arm. To execute this properly, you must grab and twist. If you are not physically strong you will need to be sure that you use gross body movement to make up for it. Whether strong or not, turning the body into this grab/lock/strike will be necessary for it to be effective. While this does not look like a fatal technique, if the striking hand were to contact the chin, and force it in the opposite direction of your pull, the neck can be broken.

Tiger Catches the Lamb. This technique is a very powerful striking technique with a few possible applications. Used in one manner, the low hand is redirecting an incoming attack and the striking hand attacks the opponent’s face. Used in another manner, you will be striking the face and groin of the opponent simultaneously. In the old superstitious days of Chinese martial arts, a strike to the groin and face at the same time was considered to be deadly.

Double Down Backfist. This technique should be thought of as twin hammers falling upon your opponent. Your force should be very strong. Your target can vary greatly; face, jaw, collarbones, temple and neck. Used with great power, this technique is very destructive.

You should rise in preparation to the attack, and fall violently into the strike itself.

Some schools teach a specific distance which the fists should be kept during the movement, but I teach that this must follow the needs of your target area. Obviously, if you will be targeting the face, the fists should be closer together than if you were targeting the collarbones. Use your head.

Tiger and Leopard Fist. This technique gets distorted beyond all reason when people start to talk about its application.

In my school, this one is taught with one application as its main purpose. There are two portions to this movement. The first portion is a double tiger claw strike. This is then followed by a retreat into the position shown in the drawing. After the withdrawal, you will step once again into the bow and execute twin leopard paw strikes. The Tiger portion is taught as a strike unto itself. The withdrawal is an escape from an attempted grab/lock/control attempt from the opponent. The leopard strike is aimed at the throat with the intent of ending the life of the opponent. Once you crush the trachea, unless there is a trained medical professional on the scene when it happens, the opponent is very likely to die within minutes.

Fist to Pierce Heaven. This is, put plainly, an uppercut punch. Although the drawing shows the technique up at eye level, anyone who has ever trained with a living person can tell you that such a punch is not possible. The actual target is going to the ribs. I feel that the drawing is depicting intent. If your intent is to punch to eye level, when the fist makes contact with the ribs, the ribs will be broken. In Fu Hok, this technique is repeated in rapid succession. Once the ribs are broken the successive punches are going to drive bone shards into vital organs, resulting in possible death.

Double Flying Butterfly. There is more than one school of thought on this technique. I will only detail the two uses that are the focus of my teaching.

In one application of this technique, picture the opponent attempting a high kicking technique. You drop down low, using the blocking arm to keep the kick above your head, you will punch the groin. There are schools which teach nearby targets other than the groin, but why go for the burger when the steak is right there?

The second application is against an arm strike, and instead of the groin, you will strike the armpit. Because of the artery structure in the area, death is very possible from a hard strike here.

Pushing and Breaking. The technique shown in the drawing is actually closer to my version of Monkey Steals a Peach, but names are irrelevant. This is a very powerful and destructive technique.

The lower hand is engaged in blocking and redirecting an incoming attack. The upper hand is striking the face or throat. If the hand contacts the face, the fingers will find and gouge the eyes. If the hand finds the throat, then the intent changes from gouging to sealing off the breath.

None of these techniques should be taken lightly, as all are capable of very serious, irreversible, and potentially fatal damage to your opponent. This cannot be stressed enough. When training with a partner, practice for proper placement and speed. Save the power for the heavy bag and training dummy. 

6

Four Fingers Support Heaven

From the previous position, the elbows will sharply drop down, and the hands will assume the position as shown in the drawing. There are some schools which do not drop the elbow down as shown here, but will instead drop only the wrist. This method will weaken any application of the technique. The dropping of the elbow is essential in this one.

It is taught in some Hung Gar schools that this is the method needed to bring strength to the fingertips.

It should be obvious that the sinking elbows have an offensive application.

5

Three extensions Piercing Lance Hand

In my school, from the previous posture, the wrists will be crossed, brought down in the front of the body, and in a graceful circular manner, the hands will trace the bottom half of a circle while inhaling, before ending up at the shoulders. Here, the hands will form the one finger bridge position, and with dynamic tension, be pressed out to the sides three times. In the one finger bridge hand position, the index finger is pointed toward the sky, while the remaining fingers are curled into the tiger’s claw position. The thumb should not be squeezed directly against the hand. It is this type of movement which causes some to say that Gung Ji training will harden the arms without using any striking training, such as Sam Sing. I trained Gung Ji before I ever learned any Sam Sing, and Sam Sing never bothered me that much, so the stress on the tendons and the muscular tension may affect the forearms in this manner. It is a fact that without a toughening of the forearms, the trainee will never be able to effectively apply his Hung Gar training. 

4

Reverse hand whip fist to shoulder

Once the arms have reached about 90% of full extension, pause, turn the hands palm up, and curl in the fingers to form a tight fist. In a rapid motion, snap the hands up and back down, much like performing a double downward back fist strike. Imagine someone holding your wrists, and as you pull upward, they would instinctively resist, and pull down. In your change of direction, their momentum is added to yours, increasing the speed of this strike. This image is not being put forward as a final analysis, but rather a mental image for what the movement looks like as performed in my school. The idea behind the technique is to escape a grabbing technique, such as a bear hug or frontal choke. Do not let the elbows swing out to the sides, keep them in.  

3

Whip up to the mid-chest and slash out

3

Whip up to the mid-chest and slash out

Once the hands reach the proper level, the open palms will snap into position with the palm heel pointing away from the chest. One should feel the bones of the wrist lock into position at the completion of this movement. Don’t try to be “sport karate” with the hand shape; the fingers should be together. It has been noted that the old name for this movement was “Double Cutting Swords Bridge”. The shoulders should still be pressed downward. The movement can be compared to pushing a stalled car. You will need to push very hard at first, and the movement will be slow, but with momentum, the push does not need to be so hard, and the car will start to move faster. Exhale through this entire movement. In my school, the students are taught to allow the torso to concave slightly as they exhale and perform this movement. This should not be an exaggerated movement, but rather a natural movement. Use the image of pushing a stalled car and you will get an idea of what is meant by natural in this movement. 

The birth and evolution of Chinese secret societies is an often discussed, but poorly understood aspect of the history of Hung Gar. Nearly every practitioner of Hung Gar knows that the birth of Hung Gar had some connection to the secret societies, but very little more is said.

Secret societies have existed all over the world. But in China they reached a baffling level of power and influence. One reference sites the beginning of the Christian era in the west as the same time as the beginning of the secret societies in China. These were the Chih Mei (Carnation Eyebrows), so named for their rite of painting their eyebrows with vermillion. The Chih Mei were defeated during the Han era when a commander dressed his soldiers like Chih Mei, painted eyebrows and all, and ambushed the group, killing their leader.

During the time of the decline of Han dynasty, there were other secret societies which were active as well, such as the Tung Ma (Copper Horse) and the T’ieh Ching (Iron Shins).

The Yellow Turbans were a huge group who acted in rebellion in 184 A.C.E. They had a vast number of soldiers which were divided up under thirty-six generals. They swept throughout the northern regions and “subdued the whole north of China”. This was the group who played the largest roll in the downfall of the Han dynasty, and bringing about the start of the Three Kingdoms era.

The Three Kingdoms was an important era in the development of Chinese martial arts, as well as secret society activity. It was during this time when Gwan Yu, Liu Pei, and Chang Fei (who were leaders during this time of rebellion and instability) took an oath to “fight and live and die together”. Similar oaths are taken within the modern Triads.

In a historical romance titled Shi Hu Chuan, a more extensive oath was taken by the 108 rebels. According to the Shi Hu Chuan, the oath was as follows;

“We are one hundred eight persons assembled in this hall, who regard stars as our brothers, and Heaven and Earth as our Father and Mother, and though unlike in features, we are alike in stateliness. We possess one hundred eight hearts, and every heart is spotless. We bind ourselves to share each other’s happiness and bear each other’s burdens. We arrange our names before Heaven, and must not become a laughing-stock for men. The information of one day being found reliable must be acted upon with lifelong courage. Should any of us harbor unkindness in our hearts and sever ourselves from our great cause, or say one thing at home and another abroad; or begin without continuing to the end, may Heaven look down on us as devils by our sides watch us; may knives and swords cut our bodies and thunderbolts blot out every trace of us; may we everlastingly sink into hell and not be reborn as human beings for a myriad ages. May such be the retribution of those of us who break our oath. Let Heaven and all the Gods look down on us as we swear.”

Following the oath, they drank one another’s blood mixed in wine.

It would only be about two hundred years later that another secret society made itself known and felt throughout China, the Bai Lien, or White Lotus Society.

Kublai Kahn crushed opposition within China to establish the first foreign group to rule all of China, the Yuan Dynasty in 1280 A.C.E. By all accounts, Kublai and his successor were both powerful and wise and were able to crush both opposition and rebellion. But with the death of Wu Tsung the empire fell into the hands of much weaker stock, and left China essentially being ruled by ministers and eunuchs. The Chinese people began to stir, and rebellion was coming. One source states that children in Honan and Hubei had been singing a children’s song which had the line, “When stirs the one-eyed man of stone, the dynasty will be overthrown” (or something along these lines). Of course, the Chinese of the time believed strongly in omens and signs. In 1344, in a place called Huang Ling Kang, a stone image of a one-eyed man was found, or may only have been rumored to have been found, but word spread quickly.

The large and powerful White Lotus Society was stirred into action. The leader declared the “advent of the Mayitreya” (the Buddhist Messiah). The soldiers of the White Lotus Society wore red turbans as their distinguishing mark. The White Lotus started the rebellion in the hopes of restoring the Song Dynasty. But in the end another group established their own dynasty.

The rebellion grew, and as it did other groups sprouted. Among the groups that did were the followers of Chu Yuan Chang. Chu was recognized as being very gifted in war craft and government (much more so than any of his rivals). In the end it was Chu who ascended to the throne, and became Hung Wu, the first Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

The intrigues and usurpations of the various dynasties are well documented in the previous section, so only a passing reference to some of the major event to tie into the Secret Societies timeline will be made.

The White Lotus Society did not really do much for quite some time after failing to achieve their goal of reaching the throne. After about 250 years of luxury, the Ming were becoming weak and lazy. Again, the country was essentially being ruled by eunuchs. Through misrule, and many natural disasters, discontent was rampant. It was in the reign of the Ming Emperor Tien Ki that one of the many rebels, Su Hung U, sought and gained the aid of the White Lotus Society. Su had actually made it so close that he had proclaimed himself Emperor when he was defeated and killed in battle. The White Lotus Society seems to have lost heart at this time and fell into the background.

Although there were other revolts and uprisings, the White Lotus Society seems to have been relatively quiet throughout most of them, until around 1761, when the Emperor Kien Lung began to issue edicts outlawing the White Lotus Society. There were edicts issued against other secret societies as well, including the Ming Tsuen (Illustrious Worthies), and the Bai Yuen (White Cloud). It was in 1775 when the leader of the White Lotus Society, Liu Sung, was banished from Anhwei after sending people to the area performing magic and “healing the sick” in an attempt to gain followers and support in the western regions of China. Many people were joining and the society was rapidly growing until 1794 when it felt the time was right for rebellion. This rebellion was a stain on the otherwise bright reign of Kien Lung.

The White Lotus Society set up a youth named Wang Fa Cheng, declaring him to be a member of the Chu family, and a descendent of the Ming Emperors. Liu Chi Hieh claimed that when Wang was but a child, he hid him outside of China to keep him safe.

This rebellion grew rapidly under the leadership of Liu Chi Hieh, among other leaders. One of these leaders was a woman of the family name Wang. Eventually there were around 100,000 armed rebels. The Imperial soldiers were equal in number, and through the vast territories of China each side was able to claim some varying degrees of success. There were points where it would look as if the rebels would win the throne, and then at some twist of fate, the imperialists would turn and crush them. The war dragged on like this for six years when Liu was captured. This should have ended the war, but as soon as one leader was captured or killed, another would rise up in his place. Too, when the Imperial troops could claim victory in one place, the rebels would rise up in another.

By the end, the war had lasted over ten years, and tens of thousands of Chinese lay dead.

Wang Fa Cheng never was the rightful heir to the throne of the Ming Dynasty. He was a pretender who was little more than a puppet being used by the White Lotus Society. Nothing is known of his end. He simply and quietly disappeared.

There was another failed insurrection in 1814 which was credited to the White Lotus Society, but was probably the work of a different group (some give the credit to “The Three Incense Sticks”, “The Eight Trigrams”, or the “Rationalists Society”). Most likely would be the Eight Trigrams Society, as the person sited as the leader of this failed attempt (which actually took place within the walls of the Imperial Palace) was Lin Ching, who was a leader of the Eight Trigrams in Fukien. This insurrection was actually planned by Li Wan Cheng and Lin Ching. These two claimed to be able to read the future through astrology. Through bribery, they were able to place some of their own operative within the walls of the palace. The operatives were to allow the rebels into the walls of the palace, and the coconspirators were to identify one another by wearing a white handkerchief on their head.

However, once the attack began, it all started so easily, that once inside the palace, the rebels were at a loss as to what they should do. This allowed the Imperial Guards who had remained loyal to regroup and hold off the rebels until assistance arrived.

In all of their planning, the rebels overlooked or were unaware that the emperor would not be in the palace on the day of the attack. However, the son of the Emperor, who was to become Emperor Tao Kwang, led the charge in defeating the rebels. There is a story that he even loaded his own musket, tearing a silver button from his jacket and ramming it into the barrel in place of a bullet (there were widespread beliefs that some people were immune to bullets through the use of magic amulets, but very few people would think to keep a magic amulet against buttons).

Lin Ching was not present for the attack. He was sent a false message that the attack had been successful, and made his way to the Palace, where he found out he was tricked, and then he was promptly executed.

The coconspirator Li Wan Ching was captured, and his feet were cut off. In a violent response, nearly three thousand members of the society attacked and killed the official responsible for the act.

General Yang Yu Chun was called in, and crushed the rebellion, beheading nearly two hundred rebels. In a short time, he instilled such fear in the rebels that upon sight of him, many would drop their arms and run. In short order he reclaimed Tao Kan and burned ten thousand rebels to death.

All that has been stated above is indicative of the typical behavior of the Chinese secret societies. It was this type of activity which prompted such harsh reactions from the Chinese dynastic governments.

The story goes as follows; the monks from the Shaolin monastery had done some service for the Emperor Kanghi. There had been an invasion from the state of Silu. The Imperial troops had been unsuccessful, but the monks from the southern Shaolin were successful. The monks were rewarded for their aid, but as is a running theme in Chinese history, the Emperor became fearful of such powerful fighters in one place. He had his troops surround and burn the monastery at night. Only five escaped, and within the Chinese secret societies, these five are known as the Five Ancestors. Eventually, the five who escaped met Chen Chin Nan, a former minister who had been dismissed. It was Chen who proposed the formation of the Tien Ti Hui, the Heaven and Earth Association. The Heaven and Earth Association were also called Hung Family. The character used by this Hung Family is the same as the one used in Hung Gar kung fu (洪). There are those who state that the Hung Family was not established until 1749. Regardless, all agree that the beginning was caused by the atrocity of destroying the southern Shaolin Temple. That the origin of the Hung Family Triad and the origin of the Hung Fighting system are the same incident give one pause.

It is said that the founder of the Ming Dynasty was raised in a monastery, and the monks there foretold his greatness. So, with this as a traditional belief, it is no wonder that the five monks who escaped the destruction of the temple would work now to overthrow the usurper and restore the dynasty predicted within the walls of the monastery.

It is also said that when escaping from the monastery, the five monks stopped to drink from a stream. There they are said to have found a bowl floating in the stream with the words “overthrow the Qing, Restore the Ming” written on it. They eventually made their way to Guangdong and made their oath in the Red Flower Pavilion. While they were making their oath they felt that because the sky was red (Hung), and because the first Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was named “Hung”, that the heavens were on their side. They then named their society “Hung Mun” (Hung Society).

The rituals which are used by the triads are adapted from various Buddhist and Taoist ceremonies. The ceremonies are commonly used by the Chinese in connection with celebrations, blessings, remembrance, forging allegiance, etc. Modern initiation and promotion ceremonies are less elaborate and very simplified (even makeshift altars are used). Ceremonies, which took days to complete, are now over in less than an hour. Triad poems, once used to identify one’s affiliation and rank, have been simplified and modernized when they are passed through word of mouth from generation to generation. Tony Lee, a retired police agent who spent a career investigating triads was quoted as saying “Generally, a ‘triad expert’ knows more of the history and practices than an active triad member.”  

To truly understand your martial art, you must be able to use it. There are many martial artists who claim a ton of knowledge in their martial art, but if you have no ability in the application of your art, you have no real ability in your art.

There are those, of course, who have never tried to learn how to use their art of choice. Those people cannot be helped until they change their mind. But there are those who study hard in the interest of learning how to apply the techniques of their system, but find that much of the system does not work.

I am going to talk about diagnosing your martial art, whatever your system or style. The reason for doing a diagnostic check of your system is to see what sort of errors may have crept in over time and brought you to your current state of a less than perfect system.

You will first need to let go of your knee jerk reaction of thinking that I am attacking your system. I will do no such thing here. I will not talk about the right way of doing a technique. It does not matter how much your technique looks like the one your instructor taught you if he taught you a broken method.

And I will not blame your instructor. He could well be teaching it exactly as it was taught to him. Over time, every art is weakened You may be doing it right, but right no longer matters, and usually no longer works.

There is a sad fact that in the current world of martial arts, incorrect techniques are being taught to students as the right way to do a technique.

When we examine our techniques, we must ask ourselves;

• Does it work as expected?
• If it is a block, does it keep you from being hit?
• If it is a strike, does it hurt the opponent?
• If it is a throw, does the opponent fall down?

The real question being asked in all of the above is this – Is it effective?

Martial artists, especially black belts, love to argue. We argue over the minutest details of any and everything we can, all in an effort to establish our intellectual superiority over other black belts. But the truth is simple when it comes to martial arts, it doesn’t matter who is right and wrong in words. It matters who is effective.

So before I get into finding the errors of our systems, I must point out how the errors got there in the first place.

It is human nature to emphasize the things we are good at. Martial artists or not, every single human on the planet does this. When we are speaking of martial arts, one must understand that instructors do not willingly do anything which may undermine their reputation of mastery. So, instead of covering those aspects of the art or application of which they are not masters, the instructor will put more focus on that which they do well. This is precisely why my students are never seen flying through the air, I am not good enough at that to teach it. There are schools that never spar because their instructor has insecurity about that aspect. Other schools don’t do forms. The list goes on and on. You will almost never learn something that your instructor does not do well, without seeking outside instruction.

Because of this, many arts have become decayed through time. Eventually, the actual applications and proper way of doing things becomes obscure at best, forgotten at worst.

Next on the list is the decay brought about through commercialization and sport.

With the start of the commercial martial arts school, there began a competition for students. There are always a finite number of people interested in training in the martial arts. This limited pool of potential customers led to some very questionable practices. Black belt contracts, lower/no testing requirements, “feel good karate” classes, high pressure sales, and other such practices sprouted. Instructors went to opposite extremes in how they promoted students and developed their own instructors. Some groups promoted anyone. Other promoted no one. They each took a strange sort of pride in their practices. The feel good karate is, in my opinion, the worst. They simply tell everyone that they are great. This causes so much deterioration of the martial arts that it cannot even be measured. These untrained, uncorrected people eventually become teachers…

Sport martial arts were, and remain a mixed blessing. The sport karate industry did more to gain interest from the public at large than any other concept brought up. At the same time that it did this wonderful thing, it also misled many people into thinking that this was real fighting. The rules ended up showcasing the flash at the expense of the legitimate aspects.

And, of course, there is the “I did it wrong” mentality. How many times have you blamed yourself for the failure of a technique? You may have done everything EXACTLY as taught, and it fails, so your first reaction is, “what did I do wrong?”

Nothing.

If you did it as taught, you did nothing wrong. The failure occurred in the technique itself. Even if the technique works 70% of the time, that means that 30% of what the opponent tries to do to you will get through your defenses.

And that is simply not good enough.

One huge misconception is the idea that if you learn multiple styles that you will be able to “fix” what is wrong with your current system. But the problem is bigger than your system! The effectiveness of the martial arts have all decayed through time for exactly the same reasons. So, all that you will accomplish in adding a system is adding more holes to fill in your defensive arsenal.

Now it is time to detail what I mean when I use the terms “fundamental” and “basic”.

A fundamental is the idea or concept that your entire system of martial art came from. The basis for all of the techniques and strategies which your art employs are the systems fundamentals. A lot of the martial arts have fundamentals which seem simple when first looked at, but are really profound once understood. For anything to be a fundamental, it must be capable of being displayed in every technique employed in the system.

A basic is an introductory technique. A fundamental is a concept, and a basic is a technique. The basic techniques are usually the first techniques taught. Things get tricky when you have an uneducated instructor. An uneducated instructor will constantly admonish you to “return to the basics”. Really they should be telling you to return to the fundamentals, but their heart is in the right place, even when their vocabulary is not.

Another possible pitfall is when the instructor doesn’t recognize the differences between fundamentals and basics. You will never learn the fundamentals of any martial art without learning the basics of that art. However, many martial artists teach and were taught the basics without ever learning the fundamentals.

Let us take a look at an example. Take a bow and arrow stance (or whatever your system calls it, front stance, forward stance, front forward stance, etc.). The stance itself is a basic. The things that provide the why of the stance are the fundamentals. So, the degree of knee bend your system uses, the weight distribution, the lean of the body, or lack thereof – those are the fundamentals.

The fundamentals were never just something someone decided (like with many of the modern martial arts styles), they were important concepts upon which the system was built. For any of your basics to work, the fundamentals will have to be there!

Now, let us discuss the fundamentals.

One of the wonderful things about where I work is that the bosses know that they are dealing with martial arts instructors of various backgrounds. And while they insist that we teach fundamentals, they do not step in and actually tell us what the fundamentals of our own personal systems are going to be. They give us a list which leads us to find our own fundamentals. The list is as follows:

• Posture
• Lines of Power
• Methods of Generating Power
• Footwork
• Timing
• Focus

Posture is going to be how you hold your body. This will vary from style to style, sometimes only slightly, but at other times the difference will be night and day. Many people may get stuck with the notion that posture has only to do with stances, but this is simply not the case. Posture is everything in how your body is held when executing a given technique. The real test of your martial posture is when your body is in motion.

While I am not going to give you so much that it appears that I am telling you  what posture is correct and which is not, I will state this as a hint to get you thinking – You have, within your system, postures which serve various purposes. Offensive, defensive, postures which aid strategy, and postures which facilitate the various techniques of your system. The posture is not just the position you are in at the end of a technique, but also in how you get there.

Questions to ask yourself:

·        Does my posture allow me to deliver effective strikes into my opponent?

·        Does my posture allow me to receive powerful strikes from my opponent?

·        Is my posture stable? Even when transitioning into the next posture?

·        Does my posture protect my centerline?

·        Does my posture allow me to attack the opponent’s centerline?

Lines of Power are the pathways that your techniques will follow. You should not need to pull the attacking arm or leg back away from the opponent prior to delivering the strike. It should be from wherever your hands or feet are.

There should be, in the interest of effectiveness, one “sweet spot” pathway which the technique will follow on its journey to the opponent. If the technique deviates from this pathway, it is not going to be as effective as it could be.

Methods of Generating Power are going to vary (probably greatly) from system to system. It doesn’t matter which method you use for generating power, as long as you

A.)  Have a method and,

B.)   Know what that method is.

There are a wide range of possible methods, thrust, snap, whip, pivot, turn, sine wave, and the list goes on. You need to know what your system was based on, and then learn how to properly execute that method (in some cases, methods).

Footwork can serve several purposes. The most important from a self defense standpoint is that your footwork is going to be what you need to get you into position to execute your technique in a manner most effective.

Timing is all about being where you need to be when you need to be there. Footwork and timing together will create proper positioning. Without proper positioning, you will probably get hurt when things get bad.

Focus can be mental as well as physical. The mental aspect is going to be found in where is your head during the fight. Are you thinking about yesterday or tomorrow, or are you right here right now? The physical part has to do with the old questions as to where will your technique end? Six inches behind the opponent? On the surface, or just under the surface?

This is not the only list you can find to aid you in your search for the fundamentals of your martial art. This is just one list, but it will give you a great point of departure for your studies, if you don’t have an instructor who teaches fundamentals. 

Two hands make fist and hide at waist

In my school, we leave the hands open as we bend the elbow to raise them up. Keep the shoulders down. At about the level of the armpits, we tilt the hand ending with the palm heel toward the front. In my school, we do not close the hands into fists at any point in this movement, as what is seen in the line drawing. Our hands stay open. However, in speaking with other Hung Gar practitioners, there are a good many stylists (and I must assume lineages as well) which close the hands into fists as shown here.

Regardless of whether or not the hands are closed into fists, one should inhale as the hands are being drawn upward. This movement is a preparatory movement and the beginning of the form. One should still have a calm and relaxed mind.

I am going to begin my detailed “how to” of the first of the three core training sets of the Hung Gar system.

In my previous post, I detailed a little of the history of this set. I will be using the Lam Sai Wing line drawings as a visual aid. The drawings are not perfect and there are many occasions where I will be describing movements not depicted in the drawings. I will, as much as space permits, include pictures of myself performing the differences.

As stated in the previous post, you will not be able to really learn the set from this series of articles. If you are learning from an instructor, this may provide you with a good reference, but please remember to respect your Sifu. If you thought enough to begin training under him, respect his word as the final word on the how to.

Step 1

Close Feet with one Inch Apart

In this moment, you are simply standing in the eyes of anyone watching you. Many schools (mine included) stress this as a very important part of the form. Take a moment and clear your mind. Breathe naturally, and slowly as you prepare for the task ahead. Keep your back straight and your eyes looking to the front. The mind should be calm, and you should take at least three slow breaths. For those of you into the more esoteric aspects of the art, then the following will apply to you. Sink the Qi to the Dan Tien (an area about one inch below the navel), and inward to the center of your body’s core. From the Dan Tien, your Qi will travel outward to the four limbs.

Your hands should be open with the palms facing your thighs. In my school, we slightly roll the shoulders with the breathing, pulling the shoulders slightly forward and up on the inhale, and back and falling with the exhale. The spine should be straight, and the head held upright. The feet should be in a natural position – do not unnaturally straighten your foot position. The toes will point slightly outward when allowed to remain in the natural position, and your balance will be better.

When trying to decide whether or not to include a series of articles on the forms practiced in Hung Gar, there were many issues to consider. Not the least of which is the simple fact that not all Hung Gar schools practice the same forms. There are some Hung Gar schools which practice more than fifty forms (when weapons are included in the list). Others practice less than ten. One school that I know of has one form requirement to reach instructor rank! In my school, I teach three empty hand forms, and three weapons.

Next on the list of difficulties in making the decision is the fact that, while I have exposure to other methods of doing the forms, I can really only explain what I have learned, not what I have merely seen or read about. So, what I have decided to do is to cover the three forms that I teach. I will use my own explanations for the techniques, and must rely on outside resources for the translation of the names of the techniques. 

I ask the Hung Gar beginner to please remember that the explanations are mine, and should not be mistaken as being the only proper way. Your school may do things differently. There are entire sections where, unless you are from my branch of Hung Gar, your form may not even contain. In some lineages, this set is still practiced as two separate forms.

We will start with Gung Ji Fuk Fu Kuen. In this post I will give the history as best I can. Subsequent posts will detail the how to do it. This is only a reference. It is not really possible to learn the form in this manner.

The Gung Ji Fuk Fu Kuen form, as practiced in my lineage, was developed by Lam Sai Wing. It has it’s roots in the Siu Lum Fuk Fu Kuen form, which was developed and practiced in the Southern Shaolin Temple. Master Lam learned Hung Gar from Wong Fei Hung. And while there is speculation that the Gung Ji Fuk Fu Kuen form was developed by Master Wong, it does not hold up. It is relatively easy to research the curriculum of Wong Fei Hung. Many sources list the early curriculum as follows;

·        Sei Ping Lok Chan Kuen – Four Levels Six Controlling Fist

·        Saam Tzien Kuen – Three Arrow Fist

·        Ye Fu Chat Lam – Night Tiger Comes out of the Forest

·        Seung Lung Kuen – Three Dragons Fist

·        Daan Gung Fuk Fu Kuen – Single Taming Tiger Fist

·        Siu Hung Kuen – Small Hung Fist

·        Lohan Pao Mo Ying Geuk – Lohan Rope No Shadow Kick

·        Lohan Gam Tsien Biu – Lohan Golden Coin Dart Throwing

·        Sei Tzeung Biu Lung Kwan – Four Hexagram Stick

This is reported to be the base of Wong Fei Hung’s training in his early life. Later on, he made his changes to what he taught. This was a much more common practice at this time. In modern martial arts, most instructors would never admit to changing their forms. To do so may lead some to challenge their credibility. But the idea of this time was to change the sets as needed to help people learn the system. In modern martial arts, most students are “form collectors”. The students tend to respect more forms as a sign of knowledge. However, for the serious student, it is much more important to understand the system, and theories which will make the techniques usable. Seen in this light, the exact reproduction of an unchanged form becomes les important.

It is known that in Master Wong’s later years, his curriculum had changed to the following;

·        Daan Gung Kuen – Single Gung Character Fist (Gung is a Chinese Character shaped like the Roman capital letter I)

·        Seung Gung Kuen – Double Gung Character Fist

·        Daan Gung Fuk Fu Kuen – Single Bow Taming the Tiger Fist

·        Seung Gung Fuk Fu Kuen – Double Bow Taming the Tiger Fist

·        Mang Fu Kuen – Fierce Tiger Fist

·        Sei Tzeung Biu Lung Kwan – Four Hexagram Stick

·        Ji Mo Do – Butterfly Knives

·        Mo Ying Geuk – No Shadow Kick

·        Haak Fu Jau – Black Tiger Claw

From this base curriculum, Gung Ji Fuk Fu Kuen was developed. Beginners can easily see where the form is an amalgamation of at least three separate forms.

Next time we will begin to examine the form itself.