Styles, Claims, Principles and Why Choose Kungfu

[Bang!]

Plumb Flower Fist? Are you familiar with this guy?

[Mei Hua]

Plumb Flower Fist? Are you familiar with this guy?

Aye, Meihuazhuang or Mei Hua Chuan, I do not know him specifically but I wonder if that isn't the father of Master Wayson Jhonny Tsai, I've spoken with him a number of times and exchanged some info.

[Fist]

I trained for two years in Shaolin, including qin na and qigong as well as cross-training in Hung Gar and Tai Chi. I have continued to practice for about 10 years since, totaling about 12 years of formal+informal practice in Kung Fu.

Shaolin isn't really a style so much as it is an umbrella of most every combat technique imaginable. I will tout it as a "complete" style, but few practitioners attempt to master more than a few elements. For this and other reasons, it often appears to be a striking and trapping game more than anything else. However, to paraphrase Omega, a technique is nothing compared to a well-educated and disciplined fighter.

The Shaolin forms taught me every possible hand position and kick that I will ever need to know from any angle. The qigong training taught me to shrug off injuries much worse than those I have seen others tap out or bow out from. In qin na we learned every single move the Gracies ever used in mma wrestling, as well as all the fancy crap you see in Aikido and older forms of jiujitsu (though I didn't learn it all myself, only having 2 years of formal, mixed training). All manner of takedowns, chokes, passing the guard, holds, locks, bars, G&P, etc. --we did it all in traditional Shaolin qin na class. My sifu taught a boiled down version to law enforcement agencies (still does, I believe, but he moved across the damned country).

I have used it several times in real situations, and have no doubts as to its effectiveness. I didn't think about it when I used it, and did as little as possible for maximum effect, exactly as I was trained.

Well that should answer all the stated questions, but here's the simple version:

Principles: Being a well-rounded individual

Abilities: Having the right technique when it is needed, as well as drastically improved health and mental focus, resilience to pain, mobility, and flexibility

Timeline: Depends on desired results. At least 1-2 years to acquire complete sets of conditioning exercises and several traditional forms with application training (extracting qin na from lyrics, etc.) plus continued training on personal basis (always be prepared to execute a technique, so practice a few every day for the rest of your life). However, effective techniques are learned in the first form, so a good learner can make it work in a month or two.

Nerve: 12 years total of formal training, personal practice, real experience, and research.

[Bang!]

What are the specific principles of your style?

Bearing in mind that tai chi originated as a Taoist concept, it’s good – although not necessarily simple -- to start there. Yin and Yang represent a fundamental duality to pretty much everything. You can divide things into relative properties such as hardness and softness, advancing and retreating. Tai chi (Taiji) was sort of like the moment before the big bang (Wuji). Yin and Yang flow out from it (and back into it). When the mind is still, it’s said to represent that original concept – one without polarities. Heady, no?

Practice of the form is the essence of tai chi. It represents an idealized expression of biomechanics and a gentle form of exercise that is, in my opinion, an important counter-balance to the mental and physical stress that anyone – particularly athletes – undergo in their daily lives.

Push-hands is a series of drills with specific parameters for movement and mechanics, which set the cap on how intensely they are trained. Although the guidelines for mechanics remain in place, options for movement become progressively more open-ended.

If there’s any defining physical movement to tai chi, it’s the concept of following. Once contact is made, one should stick tenaciously to their opponent. The “borrowing” of force is fundamental to this practice; particularly since brute force is considered clumsy. To that end, concentrating on specific techniques is not considered to be productive beyond a beginner level. Instead, one is to become progressively more subtle and sensitive, eventually developing a superb mind-body connection, and using this to merge with opponent’s force.

Nothing static exists in the practice of tai chi. From the opening and closing the hip, to shifting the weight to countering and attacking, nothing is held onto with any tension beyond what is necessary. This allows one to be light and agile, instead of fixated on any particular thing. Bearing specific ill will toward an attacker is an interruption of this, as is any thought that distracts you from what you’re doing as you’re doing it.

What abilities does your style claim to impart?

Mind and body awareness; posture and alignment; balance; relaxation; stress reduction; sensitivity; the ability to merge with an opponent’s movements . . .

What is the average timeline for the development of those abilities?

I would guess that a serious beginner can learn the form in three or four months, learn the basic techniques in another three or four and spend the following six to twelve developing a semblance of softness to the way they move and interact with their opponent. Getting genuinely good is at least a year or two away for most people. I personally believe that most people should really come in with an existing proficiency in sparring if they’re going beyond the health aspects, but that’s me.

Truth be told, tai chi’s perception as a hippy dippy art attracts a large number of people who aren’t really interested in doing anything . . . . difficult per se. The people who go far with it are a small minority.

On what basis are you cheeky enough to be claim enough expertise to speak for your style?

I’m quite close to the Wu Family. Yes, Wu as in Wu Style. I’ve been training in this style of tai chi for close to five years now and would like to think that I’m at least somewhat knowledgable about what we do.

[metarat]

I’ve been training in this style of tai chi for close to five years now and would like to think that I’m at least somewhat knowledgable about what we do.

Whereabouts do you live/train in Wu style TCC, and (as I'm purdy ignorant), what branch of the Wu family is in your area?


---Some few folks in Tucson trained under the late Dr. Wen Zee, Ma Yueh-Liang's student; whom I did not meet or train with.

I began learning the form with some of Dr. Zee's students. Now several of us train several times a year with Yan Yuanhua, a student of the late Qian Chaoqun (sp?), student of Ma.
M. Yan lives in the L.A. area.

[Bang!]

I train in Toronto, Ontario. Ma Yueh Liang was married to Wu Ying Hua, who was my teacher's great aunt (Wu Kung Yi's sister).

Wu Kung Yi -> Wu Tai Kwei -> my teacher.

[metarat]

That is Th3 R34l Wu!

Funny, how many of the folks around here who are setting themselves up as teachers ignore that fact that there are direct descendants of Wu Jian Quan (sp?) living and teaching in N.A. . . . .

[yanjin]

Wing Chun gong fu!
Key principles of Wing Chun include attacking and defending the centerline, simultaneous blocking and striking, economy of motion, and utilizing superior position and technique rather than meeting force against force. In Wing Chun, there are no wasted movements. Wing Chun was developed to allow practitioners to become skilled fighters in the shortest period of time possible.
Wing Chun has 3 empty hand forms, a wooden dummy form, sensitivity drills, and Chi Sao (rolling hands training. Five years of consistent training is generally accepted as the length of time to learn the entire system. The Wing Chun System helps one to develop timing, sensitivity, balance, coordination and relaxation.
Over 12 years experience in Wing Chun.

[Scott Larson]

I train in Toronto, Ontario. Ma Yueh Liang was married to Wu Ying Hua, who was my teacher's great aunt (Wu Kung Yi's sister).

Wu Kung Yi -> Wu Tai Kwei -> my teacher.

Where exactly in Toronto? I don't live far from there, and I would be interested to see the school.

[Bang!]

It's downtown.
http://toronto.wustyle.com/?Learning_Tai_Chi:Curriculum

If you PM me, we can arrange to meet up when you want to come down.