Magic in Kung fu

Shaolin monks perform demonstrations of their skills that seem almost superhuman. The monk breaks a sharpened spear by putting the point in his neck, the other end on the floor and then pushing forward until the shaft snaps. Kung fu master breaks several bricks with bare hands .Other master demonstrates how much he hardened his body ,assistant hits him with a thick wooden board over his back, the master not only can withstand a direct blow in the body but board breaks .Qi master sends his opponents on the floor without even touching them …and so on… there are a lot super power demonstrations in kung fu , some of them really weird and and some really breath taking , but…

Many kung fu styles use exotic training methods that should enormously enhance certain physical and martial characteristics of the practitioner. Most of these training systems have no effect while a small number do really "works" but ... It must be understood that in the past martial arts were just that-fighting systems developed with only one goal, to kill or incapacitate the enemy. Martial arts were developed for professional soldier and accent was on efficiency, everything else was of no importance . The wellbeing of the soldiers then, as it is today was not first priority of the military leaders and combat instructors , it was only important to train soldiers to be effective on the battlefield .

Usually "special" training was concentrated to various methods of strengthening the body. These methods, besides purely physical part of exercising often use various herbal or mineral products which can be taken orally or applied on the skin. We can see today people who possess an amazing skill and powers , people who can withstand a blow that would send average man directly to intensive care but no one ever talks about other side of this ability because nobody praises negative things

What is important to know is this: there is no SYSTEM OF STRENGTHENING THE BODY WHICH DO NOT DAMAGING THE BODY TO VARIOUS DEGREES. We ARE genetically predisposed to function within certain parameters, our body can be conditioned by long-term preparation to function outside the usual parameters, but there is the price it has to be paid . If you want to practice some kind of iron, steel and other "palm" rest assured that by the end of the training your will have deformed hand , damaged joints and when you get older you’ll have to hire someone to feed you because you will not be able to pick up the spoon by yourself. With the strengthening of the body is a similar situation, only more dangerous because it damages the internal organs. Nobody will say that some methods of iron, steel and other "shirt" shorten the life span for a few decades, yes, you read it correctly, a couple of decades. Using all kinds of “traditional “products can also lead to serious health problems. These products generally did not passed any medical tests, and it is unknown what kind of effects they have on the body. Effects on the other hand can be various, from allergies and skin irritations to serious to heart, liver,kidney damage and many others.

Breathing exercises and meditation will not strengthen your body or make you immune to physical trauma . Breathing exercises will help to regulate blood pressure, to stabilize the heart rate, to reduce the effects of chronic diseases, to feel better and healthier, but you will not become a supermen , you will not walk on the walls, fly project the energy through your hands ,if someone believes it this kind of things ,well ,he needs a professional help. Meditation will ,at best,  to take valuable time that you could spend on something useful, at worst case it can cause headaches, insomnia, restlessness, anxiety disorder and in some cases a psychosis.

It is important to note that many of the superhuman kung fu demonstration are nothing more than tricks which can be learned quickly and performed by anyone .

Think carefully before you decide to take any form of exotic training. There are no shortcuts in martial training and there is no magic or superpowers, just hard and often painful work to push physical and mental abilities just a little further.

Wing Chun and real fighting

Everyone involved in martial arts love their styles and are ready to swear that their arts are best and most effective. People involved in Wing Chun , including myself are ready to say the same for their art. If we put emotions aside for the moment and put aside theory of Wing Chun as well, which is really outstanding , the reality is telling us something entirely different about our art. If we look at the results of Wing Chun fighters in professional MMA and Full Contact contests we can conclude that Wing Chun is not the best choice for this type of competition .On amateur competitions Wing Chun fighters have similar “success”. On the other hand, there are martial arts that dominate rings and "cages" and are an essential part of training for all professional fighters .Thai boxing, classic boxing , BJJ and wrestling are basic foundation for training of every professional fighter .These arts proved their efficiency all over the world in all kinds of full contact competitions.

So, why some martial styles can "work" and some , including Wing Chun does not. In my opinion it is the inadequate approach to training and inadequate training its self. While in BJJ ​​and Thai boxing from the start practitioners are “pushed in fire" and after only a few training sessions and only a few learned techniques practitioners immediately apply what they have learned against an opponent who gives all possible resistance , in traditional martial arts training process is usually different . A great amount of time is spent on polishing techniques, we can often see almost mathematical precision in performance which has great visual effect , on the other hand , sparring if there is any , starts quite late .One more thing is very important, competitive oriented sports\ styles  pay great attention to physical preparation, while traditional martial arts training often neglects this aspect at the expense of prefect “techniques” performance, visual the effect and other less important things .

I will try to analyze some of the mistakes in Wig Chun training

1.      Proper understanding. At the beginning, the most important thing is to fully and properly understand the concepts and principles of the art .Level of understanding will determine the method and approach to training. It is important to realize that Wing Chun is a system that offers general principles of fighting rather than a fixed set of techniques that cannot be changed. Wing Chun is a system that suppose to adapt to each practitioner's needs and psycho-physical predispositions .This way a practitioner will have an opportunity to improve all aspects of his art .It is equally important to understand practitioner’s needs and goals and adjust training system to that needs and goals. Self defense , sport and competition ,health reasons …ect, suppose to have different approach in teaching and training .Clear understanding of individual’s  needs and goals should come from both sides , instructor’s and student’s side. In order to be achieved , goals should be clearly set up , individual must have a clear picture of he or she wants to achieve , when that is clear instructor will have a clear picture of the training process and adjust training system to for that specific goals

2.      Dead drills. "Wing Chun has a large number of exercises called "dead drills" .Tan sao drill, drill Pak Sao, Bong sao drill and all others derived from Chi Sao are necessary and very important for beginners.  Through these drills practitioners learn the proper mechanics and execution of the basic moves . Despite of a widespread belief these drills do not develop the reflex response to the attack in a combat situation. The sole purpose of these exercises is to help a beginner to correct his execution of basic techniques by sensing an incoming energy . While these drills are very important for beginners ,once mastered these drills should be practiced only occasionally .This type of drills are just a tool that helps beginners learn proper mechanics of certain movements, nothing more than that .It is wrong to believe that these drills directly prepare practitioners for real combat conditions and represent some kind of reflex training .Often practitioners spend too much time perfecting these exercises and over time they become more relaxed and confident in their execution but even a light sparring quickly show that "dead drills" are not preparation for real fighting .It is very important to use ‘Dead drills “ properly because they are very important training tool  that introduces beginners to the world of martial arts. Bad habits acquired during this part of training can cause a lot of trouble for the practitioner. Here are some important points  

-Dead drills are not sparring nor reflex training ,they are basic tool in developing necessary physical attributes for fighting

-Proper stance and body position .If stance and body position are not correct, body structure necessary for successful fighting ,will be ruined. Especially dangerous is losing of balance as a direct consequence of bad body structure ,and as we all know, without a good balance there is no good fighter.

- Improper distance between practitioners .This is the most common and dangerous mistake that occurs in these drills is improper distance. Techniques are performed from a "safe" distance, ie the distance from which training partners can reach each other . This is wrong for several reasons .Practitioners will develop wrong mechanics of blocks because they are intercepting punches with insufficient force because they already lost most of their energy , under a wrong angle. Awareness that punches cannot hurt develop wrong mental state and practitioners are too relaxed which is not a proper response to adrenaline rush that happens during combat .

- Insufficient strength. These drills, after a certain initial period where basic mechanics of movement are acquired, must be done with full power. If drills are not practiced with a full power practitioners will have the same problem as it was described in the first example .

-Wrong footwork.  In the beginning “dead drills” are static , without footwork .After some time these drill should be exercised with footwork . Often too much attention is on "arms" ,on the proper performance  of the upper body but not enough attention on footwork. Again wrong habits will cause trouble in a later pat of training process , especially sparring . Wing Chun footwork is designed to maintain balance and structure and helps us to preserve the integrity of the area that we cover. Wrong footwork "opens" the practitioner to attacks and damaging the balance and structure.

These are the most important aspects of the "dead" reels that should be paid attention to as well as the fact that you should be aware of the true role of these drills in this sense to practice them.

3.       Wing Chun techniques “ . In my opinion Wing Chun “techniques” are THE WORST thing in Wing Chun and in many traditional arts as well. When I say " technique " I mean premeditated set of movements-blocks, strikes, throws.. – as an answer to a certain type of attack with the help and assistance of partner who carry out the attack . The problem with this is that training partner "freezes" and wait for "technique" to be executed without any resistance .This way it is possible to perform the most complex sets of movements, unfortunately, without any support in the reality. Often we can see two, three or more blocks applied on one strike ,or endless set of blocks to an endless set of attacks . Often , this is a primary way of practice is some styles and instead of sparring , people practice “techniques” . Even practiced with full strength “techniques” are nothing more than choreography ,something that looks nice but it has no martial value . I do not understand people who believe in ”techniques”, not that is not possible to apply more than one block to one attack and it is not possible to endlessly block series of attacks but it is impossible to memorize a set of movement as an answer to an attack .  

4.      Chi sao besides wooden dummy is a "trade mark" Wing Chun. What is the purpose of Chi Sao? Main purpose of chi sao is to help in development of a proper body structures . Unfortunately the concept of wing chun structure is unknown to many, hence many have wrong ideas about what chi sao is and how to practice it . In short, the proper structure helps deal with incoming force under different angles, allows us to control the opponent who is stronger than us, to  redirect or absorb great amount of force without losing the balance or give up the position\space we control .Chi sao is just an exercise that allows to develop proper body structure without exposing the body to stress of constant hitting .Chi sao teaches us what to do and how to react from the moment of ​​contact, and how to deal with the upcoming force. Also, chi sao teaches us how to cover and control the space in front of us. Despite of common believe , chi sao does  not develop contact reflexes and "finding holes in opponent's defense". It s very easy to prove this , to prove that chi sao does not develop “contact reflexes” whatever that means and cannot help anyone to find “holes in his opponent's defense" . I suggest a visit to a boxing club .First , ask a boxer to practice chi sao , I believe wing chun practitioner will have no problem to defeat a boxer , because boxing does ton have a chi sao practice . After that wing chun practitioner should try to fight with a boxer for a round or two , if “contact reflex” theory is correct , boxer should be defeated just as easily as it was in chi sao session, if that does not happened then “contact reflex”\ "finding holes in opponent's defense" theory is not correct .Chi sao is not sparring , it is not fighting , does not prepare directly for fighting it is a drill that develops a necessary skills and attributes which will be ,through future training, used to make a complete set of skill necessary for fighting . If there is no sparring and|or real fighting experience , chi sao will not make anyone a fighter. Chi sao is not substitution for sparring ,and it is not a magical tool that makes good fighters , it is just a training tool ,a drill and not the most important one .

5.      Physical conditioning is probably the most neglected aspect in traditional martial arts. Physical conditioning does not mean just the cardio workout but also the strength training and preparation of the body to endure the pain and shock caused by physical trauma .This is a crucial point for successful practice of martial arts and sports. Without physical strength and ability to endure the pain and shock during the fight everything else is meaningless , all sparring, chi sao, drills ect.

6.      –Sparring is the most important part of martial arts training, often totally neglected . Sparring should start at the very beginning of the training process , as soon as practitioner learn couple of basics movements he should practice to apply with a full force with noncomplying opponent , under a stress of possibility to be injured ( punched , kicked , thrown …) . There is only one way to learn how to fight and that is actual fight , there is no other way , just like swimming  , you have to go into the water to learn how to swim there is no other way . While in the early stages of training sparring should be controlled and it shouldn’t be main part of training ,in the later stages of practice, when practitioner already mastered technical part of the art and is physically prepared , sparring should be main part of the practice .

7.      Situational training is crucial in self-defense practice. This system of training should bring the practitioner as close as possible to the real self-defense situation, to raise adrenalin to the level equal to adrenalin level in a real attack. This way, practitioner will build proper physical and psychological response to stress in a self –defense situation and will have a real sense of his abilities. To be able to defend means to be able to control adrenalin pump with all its effects in the body and mind, to be able to use it and turn it against the attacker. 

The essence of kung fu

In their several thousand years long history Chinese met all possible forms of human suffering. Chinese culture in its essence contains every possible human experience .A product of that enormous experience, an answer to every possible challenge , known and yet undiscovered is a practice of self development called Kung fu.

Kung fu is a word that explains a skill gained through long term practice and experience and this term is not exclusively connected to martial arts .Kung fu is a  constant effort on a path of improvement , work that never stops and never ends , and this is valid for any given human activity .Kung fu is a process of learning , something connected to the present and turned to the future. Past knowledge and skills are finished , formed and shaped categories and cannot be considered as kung fu .Finished , completely learned, finalized, non progressive , static kung fu stops to be…kung fu.      

Not every work can be considered kung fu . Only those activities that bring joy and general progress and improvement of personality and character can be called kung fu. Kung fu starts with a conscious effort to acquire specific skills and knowledge. Through constant effort, personal sacrifice, concentrated hard work, aspiration toward perfection activity is transformed and become effortless , from physical and psychological point of view. Through practice, hard work is transformed in effortless action. Kung fu is not only a physical practice as it is not purely intellectual. Kung fu is happening somewhere in between, although it is difficult to define that 'between' that happens by itself, everyone has a specific, somewhat different feeling when that happens and it is a matter of a personal experience. After a long term practice, physical movement and mental effort get close to one another and the boundaries between them are slowly loosening. Kung fu exist in the undefined area of mind-physical synergy where practitioner achieves more than through pure physical or pure intellectual effort. Kung fu grows and develops between body, mind and spirit until they eventually unite in order to continue to grow together. Then, everything happens spontaneously, there is only awareness of what is happening, but there is no conscious effort. From this point kung fu stops to be something separated from the person, stops to be and activity , stops to be a way of life , it becomes a life its self , involved in every movement , thought , becomes a part of every conscious and unconscious action. Eventually the difference between a person and kung fu ceases to exist , kung fu is an expression of the person and the person becomes representation of kung fu

Kung fu training in the past

I have started my martial arts journey with Judo and Karate, I simply visited a club and asked the instructor how much is the class fee and when can I start . That was usual procedure at the time, just visit the club , watch the training session and if you like it simply ask to join .I have started to practice kung fu pretty much the same as I did Jud and Karate , I have visited the club , asked what I wanted to know and simply joined the club. That was 25 years ago . People join martial clubs the same way today as I did so many years back , everything is open and public , there is no unanswered questions and everyone can practice martial arts .

In the past , in the 19^th century and before kung fu was practiced very differently .All kung fu was practiced behind “close doors”. Martial clubs in a way we know them today didn’t exist, student couldn’t freely enter the school and ask how much is the class fee, outsiders couldn’t come and observe the training. During the Ching dynasty period if someone wanted to learn kung fu he needed and intermediator, a person who had certain influence on martial teacher and who will give some guarantees about potential student’s character . Often, martial styles were reserved only for family or clan members. If we understand social and financial value of kung fu in that period this has perfect sense. At the time people didn’t practice martial arts for sports or fun , martial arts practice had practical value . Kung fu was considered as manual trade, like carpentry or blacksmithing and that trade had certain financial value Kung fu practitioners find jobs in military , police or private security. Kung was an occupation and people kept its secret for practical reasons. Nobody wanted to make himself a competition neither to introduce potential enemies with the whole repertoire of techniques and strategies and let them develop counter techniques .  

Even today , many teacher on Taiwan keep their arts behind “close doors’ and never show anything in public . Many others have divided their art on public and “close door” part where public part in just for show , without any real martial value while ‘close door” part is a “real thing”.

From today’s point of view training during the Ching dynasty period was extremely cruel. Basic conditioning was practiced even beyond student’s physical capabilities .

.Sparing ( read fighting with almost no rules) was part of everyday practice .It was forbidden for students to ask questions and teachers didn’t explain anything, a movement would be shown once or twice and students would memorize it and then practice it fanatically. Some systems put the accent on special techniques of body conditioning by hard physical practice and using some mineral and herbal products . The truth is , many people died and even more significantly shortened their life span as a direct consequence of this kind of practice .

Empty hand practice became primary practice in the second part of the 19^th century when fire arms replaced old weaponry , before that time weapon training was primary practice in kung fu schools while empty hand practice was additional practice or even a beginner’s level used to prepare student for serious weapon training .

Wudang -between myth and reality

For centuries Wudang Mountains were and still are one of the most significant Taoist centers in China. First temples were built during the Tang dynasty (618-907) , unfortunately , buildings from this particular period didn’t survive . Further structures were added during the Song and Yuan dynasties, while the largest complex on the mountain was built during the Ming Dynasty. During the Ching dynasty period most of the buildings were rebuild and a lot of them extended.

Wudang Mountain is considered as a center of “internal” or “soft” martial arts .Tai Chi Chuan , Ba Gua and Hsing Yi , to mention just the most famous ones are “trade mark” of Wudang  ,Taoist martial arts . Most of the people, taking creation myths as an actual history , believe these martial styles are founded on Wudang . Popular story about Wudang Mountain have a lot of similarities with Shaolin story . In short, Toist immortal,,Chng San Feng lived in a monastery complex and created a set of exercises in order to achieve eternal life , today known as Qigong and he also created first “internal” martial art – Tai Chi Chuan .

Just like the Shaolin legend , this story is completely false with one exception , Taoist do practice Qigong .First , It is impossible to prove that Chan San Feng really existed and second , histories of Tai Chi , Ba Gua and Hsig Yi are very well known and documented . All these arts were created somewhere in the second part of the 19 century . Tai Chi was created in Chen village , Ba Gua is a creation of Dong Hai Chuan and creator of Hsing Yi was Ji Longfeng .

Before we continue I have to say couple of words about one very important person who influenced modern martial arts greatly . Sun Lu Tang is the most significant martial arts author and theorist ever . He was born in such a poor family that he tried to commit a suicide while he was a child .Later , he mastered Tai Chi , Ba Gua and Hisng Yi and also gained  the highest possible education . Sun Lu Tang was very well respected and feared because of his martial abilities and he was a talented writer .

Through his most important books he shaped the way how people perceive “internal” martial arts today .Today , Tai Chi practitioners will quote Sun Lu tang when they say their art is a way to preserve health by harmonizing and aligning internal body energy with energy of the universe . Ba Gua practitioners will say their forms are physical embodiment of I Ching not knowing these words are taken from Sun Lu Tang’s books , Hisiing Yi practitioners will say their five forms interacts like five basic elements of Taoist cosmology not knowing they are parroting Sun Lu Tang . 

  

From 1915 to 1927 in his five books Sun Lu Tang forever changed the way how people perceive “internal” systems. Before his time not even one martial system had any theory connected to Taoism .  Term “Internal” was his invention .He is also responsible for one more thing , dividing martial style to Wudnag and Shaolin arts . This happened in 1928 on first martial tournament organized by “Goushu” martial academy .  Goushu” martial academy was a government institution for development and research of Chinese martial arts during the republican period . On the first tournament , some martial teachers led by Sun Lu Tang wanted to separate their arts from others so they called their arts “Wudang” styles , while all other styles were called Shaolin styles. Before 1928. this divide  to Shaolin and Wudang arts didn’t exist .

Now back to Wudang . Before 1930”s there is no evidence that any of the “internal” martial styles were practiced on Wudang ,by internal I mean Tai Chi , Ba Guan ad Hsing Yi, and there is good reason for that. In the late 1920’s delegation from Goushu academy traveled to Wudang to learn sword fighting and in exchange they taught Taoist monks their arts .Wudang sword fighting was incorporated in most of the modern  ”internal “ styles as a result of this exchange . It is important to notice that Wudang was famous for its sword fighting techniques but before 1930’ Tai Chi and other “internal” arts were not practiced there .   

Taiwan’s importance in traditional kung fu preservation

Before I start I have to be honest and say I really love this place, Taiwan is closest thing to paradise I have ever seen (despite of occasional racism). What I am going to say is just my opinion and it is valid for me only ,readers may agree or not .

Anyway , Taiwan has specific place in history of Chinese people and specific place in kung fu history and development . There are several  number of aboriginal tribes who live on Taiwan for thousands of years . First settlers from China came in 1100’s on Penghu island but first serious colonization started after fall of Ming dynasty and Koxinga’s war against t Dutch . In 1661 Koxinga took the island from Dutch , he planned to make  Taiwan a base where he will raise an army to overthrone  the Ching  and  return Ming Dyisaty to power . Koxinga died in 1662 and Ching took over the island several decades later . First wave of settlers who came from Fujian province bringing their martial arts were Koxinga’s soldiers. Most of them were pirates or ex Ming officers and soldier , both experienced warriors with great martial skills .After fall of the island in the hands of Manchurians many of these people and their descendants scattered all over the island in order to avoid capture and they preserved their martial arts as a crucial survival tool . Many of these styles died out in China but still exist on Taiwan . Let’s keep in mind that during the Ching’s rule martial arts practice was forbidden in China , it was forbidden on Taiwan as well but government has very weak influence and almost no power outside of the city walls of Tainan where people freely practiced their arts without fear of capture . Over time , many people from Fujian province came to Taiwan and many arts now lost in mainland China are still preserved here . Other big group of people who came to Taiwan are Hakka people from Guandong province . They brought their martial styles but they are still very closed to outsiders do not teach outside their ethnic group so information about their arts are very limited. 

Because of the weak government control Taiwan was a center of antidynastic activities for centuries . First revolutionary groups are formed on Taiwan, some are still active, to mention “Heaven and Earth society “ as one of the most famous . Legend about Southern Shaolin was invented here in Tainan in order to give common origin for various martial and revolutionary sects all over Chine and bring a sense of unity and brotherhood. For centuries Taiwan preserved southern, mostly Fujianese martial styles . There is a large number of White Crane styles today which cannot be found anywhere else as well as other , less known styles like “Golden Eagle” , Wing Chun ( same name as wildly known style from Foshan, but totally different art), some form of Yue Fei boxing  to mention just a few. A large number of styles are still secret and practiced only by family members.  

Just like 400 years before , in 1948 people massively escaped Chine in a search for a refuge , when communists came to power. Same thing happened all over again , but this time refugees were mostly from north of  China . A large number of prominent “soft styles” masters came to Taiwan as well as the masters of Bajiquan , Long Fist , Mantis boxing , Pigua and others. While kung fu practice was strictly forbidden in China it was supported by government on Taiwan . Many people think that Bruce Lee is the most significant person for introducing Chinese martial arts to rest of the world but they are wrong. Decades before Bruce westerners were coming to Taiwan and learned kung fu , “internal” systems mostly . During the time when China was behind the “Iron Curtain” Taiwan was the place where most of the people came to learn kung fu . Many of the Taiwanese instructors traveled over the world spreading Chinese matrial arts and many of them immigrated to the “west” permanently setting up the schools and teaching their arts. Taiwan was and still is primary source for Tai Chi , Ba Gua , Hsing Yi and other “sot “arts and was and still is primary source for large number of White Crane styles as well as Northen Mantis boxing .

Taiwan is important for one more thing and that is a price of kung fu classes . China opened in the recent years and many people went there to learn kung fu . Sensing a good business opportunity , people now days charging insane amounts of money for teaching . Hong Kong is no exception and they are doing that for decades . On Taiwan someone can pay classes for several years with same amount of money he would spend for only couple of months in China or Hong Kong .

Beautiful world of kung fu

Taiwan is a modern place where people live pretty much the same as everywhere else in the modern world of 21^st century. People , always in a hurry ,rarely raise their look from smart phones , traffic is always jammed , sidewalks are incredible crowded , school buses full of students trying to break through overcrowded streets …everyone is chasing better  job, more money , material wealth and the prestige that material wealth brings , just like anywhere else on the planet .

Hidden from that modern jungle a parallel world exists . That world , tragically in love with past , without any worries for the future , concentrated to the present , on this moment and on movement , yes movement , because this whole secret world is based on movement .Although residents of this hidden world also use smartphones and wear “jeans” or expensive or less expensive suits, when you know them little better you can see they look totally different from  average person . They look like characters from some old legend about heroes of the past .These people have big, pure heart and they give their entire being to one thing , thing that does not belong to the modern world . In normal world these people are teachers, doctors , judges , bakers, drivers … in this other world they are all equal and all the same.

This world I am talking about is a world of kung fu . There are large number of  different styles and every style is a master piece of human’s body movement based in traditional Chinese medicine and philosophy . Each style is an universe for its self with specific forms , principles , training methods , weapons , philosophy , even poetry .

I have met a lot of kung fu teachers , I have seen a lot , I have worked with many and I am still working with some . What I have learned from all of them is that modesty , respect for others and hard work are foundation of traditional kung fu.I have learned that even if I have 3 lives I will never finish even one style . I have learned that every kung fu style is equally efficient , traditional and original .I have learned a lot and that is nothing compared with what I want to learn. Here at this point lies real true beauty of kung fu , constant learning , discovering new still unexplored aspects of the art , never ending quest for knowledge. Kung fu is a path , a journey that never ends and although I do not know if there is some kind of existence after physical death , if there is I would love to continue my kung fu journey  even then.

The "Qi" question

   Qi is a term wildly used in Chinese culture covering a full range of activities beside martial arts like philosophy , painting , calligraphy , manual trades ,ect. Concept of Qi is difficult to describe and it has a wide variety of meanings which depends of the context and the user's intention . In martial arts there are several ways of using term "Qi" . First and probably most frequent is Qi as a life force . Second can be described as biomechanical efficiency . Third , Qi is used as cover for ignorance and lack of understanding . Last , various combinations of the previous three in  different percentage . It is important to know and understand a context of term Qi used in particular style\school because that establishes a framework within a style is taught and determines a correct path of discussion .

  "Life force" is probably best known definition of Qi which has its foundation in traditional Chinese medicine and philosophy and it is very important part of Chinese culture . While Qi as a "life force" is understandable for Chinese there is a problem to define it in English or other western languages . The problem is not purely linguistic but rather based in cultural and philosophical differences . There are several definitions of Qi including "material force" ,psycho-physiological power associated with blood and breath" , 'vital force" or "impulse of life" . All these definitions are partially correct but non of them even together cover a full meaning of Qi . This simple example shows how different is eastern way of thinking and perceiving realty  from the western way of thinking . While there is a clear distinction between energy and matter , mind and body, physical and metaphysical  in western philosophy and languages , such distinctions are far less concentrated on the east . Problem in definition of Qi is that Qi is not energy nor matter but rather both . It is some form of bioenergy and it has certain qualities . There are more than 40 different forms of Qi in traditional Chinese medicine . In classical Chinese philosophy Qi is a force of the universe which brings life and existence to everything . Qi is what make things like earth or rocks dense and it is what person's thoughts are made of . It is a same force with different qualities in different things .

Qi as a biomechanical efficiency is something  exclusively  found in martial arts . Ability to use body with maximum efficiency with minimum effort is called Qi .Qi used in this context is far less complicated to understand than previous one . It is simple matter of knowing a human body and how to use  it in order to get maximum  power generation and maximal transmission of the force to the target . Qi is a result of proper skeletal alignment which allows to use a human body as integrated unit and to transfer or receive force and proper sequence of muscular contractions and relaxation .Qi viewed in this way is not something separate from the body , an independent force that circulate throughout the body , as it is viewed in the previous "life force" model . It is more like a state of being .Simple fact that this model of Qi can be examined and measured makes it easily    understandable to the western mind .

Every time when martial instructor cannot explain something because he either do not knot understand or find is hard to articulate it he will use term"Qi" . I have seen so many times that lack of knowledge and understanding  is covered with "Qi" . Sometimes lack of education which leads to inability to verbally explain things is also covered with term "Qi" . There is only one case when "Qi " is used to explain something that cannot be put in words. There are aspects of martial arts that cannot be easily explained- they are subjective feelings , unique and different for every individual

Real kung fu hero

I would like to say couple of words about one of the most influential kung fu practitioners from the early republican period and the greatest martial arts historians of all times . Today forgotten , Tang Hao influenced martial arts greatly and set up the foundation for scientific , fact based approach for both ,martial arts training and martial arts history , even more he was the first voice ,and a loud one , who raised against mystification , paranormal , supernatural and occult in martial arts .
 Tang Hao was born 1887 in Jiangsu province in a poor family. Due to poverty o he had to quit school early and join his parents in everyday hard labor. When he had free time he liked to practice martial arts and more importantly he use every opportunity to educate himself . In his early 20’s he went to Shanghai to make better living.
 His martial studies started with “Six Harmonies Boxing “. Later in life he practiced Chen Tai Chi , Jukendo, Judo and several other kung fu styles. By the time he completed the“Six Harmonies Boxing “ he was already a principal of Shang Gong elementary school and a lawyer . It is unknown how he went from being poor kid who worked in the fields to university diploma and principal’s position.
In 1927 he was arrested for the first time under accusation that he is a communist . Soon he was released due to the intervention of his influential friend . After that he went to Japan and there he learned Japanese bayonet fighting as well as other martial arts. After he returned to China he worked as an editor in publication section of Central Goushu Academy . During his life he visited may kung fu masters and gathered enormous amount of knowledge and experience .
In 1931 , after Japanese occupation of Manchuria Tang Hao organized resistence movement and put all his effort in organizing and training the army . In 1936 with his close friend he developed a new approach for bayonet training and short military saber training .
In 1937, Hao was involved in “Seven Gentleman’s incident” as an attorney for the accused . ( http://wiki.china.org.cn/wiki/index.php/Seven_Gentlemen)
In 1941 , Japanese wanted to arrest Hao , but he escaped and hid in basement of the rice store owned by his martial arts friend. There in a less than two months he wrote a book “Study of a Shaolin Quan Secret Lessons”
After finishing the book he returned home . Shortly after that his wife killed herself and several days later Japanese arrested him. Although he was tortured he didn’t gave Japanese any reason to hold him and he was released after one of his reach friend’s intervention.
After this he left Shanghai and remarried. He kept low profile until the end of WWII when he returned in Shanghai .In 1955 he started to work in “Commission of Sports , where he continued his martial arts research . He died in 1959 .
During his life he wrote several books. Here are some of his titles :
-          Taiji Boxing and Neijia Boxing
-          A study of Shaolin and Wudang
-          Neijia Boxing
-          Wong Wugogng Taiji Linking Saber
-          The lost Old Chinese Sword Method
-          TheQi Fist Classic
-          Esseays of Hsinjen Residnce
-          Series on Qing Dynasty Archery
-          A study of Chinese Sports Illustration
-          A study of Chinese Martial Arts Illustration
-          A study of “Secrets of Shaolin Boxing”
-          A study of Emei School of Boxing
-         
Practicality in training
While he was working as principal of elementary school in Shanghai , Tang Hao taught the students martial arts. He emphasized realistic approach in training . He put accent on basics conditioning and developing necessary physical attributes for fighting .Second part of his training approach was non cooperative sparring. Many people at that time ,.as well as today , searched for some exotic or even esoteric techniques , some tricks and shortcuts. Tang Hao was strongly against that and he spent a lot of time and energy to change the general view and approach to martial arts training. Many things said by Bruce Lee regarding traditional martial arts training were said by Tang Hao half of the century earlier. Hao loved to try every technique in a non controlled fight situation . Everything that does not pass a test of real fight would be excluded from training system. Like Bruce Lee half of the century later Tang Hao was not only supporter of the realty in training he also strongly supported renouncing all unnecessary rituals , fake lineages , esoteric theories , different titles , pseudo religion… Tang Hao saw kung fu exclusively as fighting art , nothing more and nothing less . Everything he said back in his time is still valid today .


Fake Histories
After fall of the Qing dynasty and establishing of the Republic of China , martial arts started to flourish. Kung fu was viewed as a way to keep nation strong . After centuries of oppression Chinese people finally had a chance to celebrate their own culture. During this period martial artist started to emphasize importance of the linage too much. It was a matter of prestige , a “face” to trace style lineage to some famous ancestor . There is no style today which does not trace its origin deep in the past all the way to some mythical figure. All the “histories” we know today are written during Republican period . Linage wars , very well known in the Wing Chun community even today, caused a lot of problems at the time. Fights between different factions and schools were usual and sometimes with fatal outcome. Major dispute was between “Shaolin” and “Wudang” schools . There was another problem with this fake histories , people took fantasies , Taoist fairytales and Buddhist legends for truth , making a good foundation for all negative things in martial arts mentioned earlier. Tang Hao spent a lot time in exposure of this kind of nonsense. In his book , published in early 20’s “A study of Shaolin and Wudang” Hao proved that Bodhidharma and Zang Sang Feng has nothing to do with martial arts . He debunked Shaolin mith as well as Tai Chi creation story . In 1932 Hao traveled to Chen village along with one of the Chen family members and there he conducted a research , starting with official and unofficial documents and records , examination of tombstones , interviewing the village elders and examining all possible source of information . His research clearly showed that Tai Chi was invention of the Chen family from middle 19th century.  He proved that Shaolin was not some special place for martial arts training and development , simply a monastery where monks practiced whatever art they brought in order to defend them self and the their property . Similar story goes with Wudang and other famous martial arts places in China . Tang Hao was the first serous historian who based his research on scientific method .

This was a short story about , today largely unknown, man who shaped kung fu history in general and put a foundation for ‘modern” approach in practicing martial arts 

Proper attitude and approach to training

 I have visited many kung fu instructors , practiced with many , saw even more and among all these people I've met only a handful of people who understood and practiced kung fu on the right way . I cannot comment things I don't know , but what I know and understand is Wing Chun , at least I believe I do . There are so many different ways to practice any art and all these ways can be correct or incorrect which depends of the context of training its self, needs and desires of the practitioner .There is nothing wrong to practice Wing Chun as a hobby, health supporting activity , self defense ,sport or something else , but… practitioner should set clear goals and then adjust his practice according to what he wants to achieve . I have seen wrong approach in training so many times that I was sincerely surprised when I actually saw couple of people who know and do their stuff correctly. After a long analysis I have come to conclusion that there several major obstacles which prevents correct approach in training.First and maybe most important is intelligence. I deeply believe kung fu is an activity reserved for smart people. Kung fu is a complex activity and requires a fair amount of intelligence to be understood completely and correctly . Education is closely related to intelligence and it is important in process of learning and understanding kung fu principles and strategies and even more important in a process of transmission the art to the next generation . Intelligence and education or the lack of it is a source of all other mistakes in kung fu training .Tradition , precisely  blindly followed tradition can be ,not only an obstacle in training but major problem in survival of the particular style . Kung fu in order to ‘survive ‘ must change over time and adapt to changes in society and give answers to all challenges that might encounter and not only on technical level. “I do this because my teacher taught me , it is only correct , traditional way that could not be changed “ is a way not only to get wrong in training but also to make style inefficient and unfit for practice for most if not all the people . Basic principles of the style are foundation that should be preserved , everything else is changeable and did change over time . Accumulation of knowledge and experience should lead to changes in approach and structure of training and technical foundation of the style as well , If not , all the knowledge and experience collected over time will be lost and style will not be able to adapt and answer to any new , previously unknown problem . This will make practitioners unable to fulfill their goals and achieve higher levels of practice which will eventually lead to disappearance of the style . Like any other human activity , kung fu must grow , change, adapt , gain new knowledge, improve in all ways or die out , that is a natural law of things and nothing is excluded from that law, not even ”traditional” kung fuLack of critical thinking. If lack of intelligence is a father of all mistakes in kung fu , lack of critical thinking is a mother . Great majority of people , out of respect ,tradition, or some other reason never question what they learned and practice . The most obvious example happened after that lunatic attack in Taipei metro. Everyone started to show “knife defense” . Some “great names”, famous instructors demonstrated a lot of “techniques”, in fact they have demonstrated a way to be killed by an attacker. What is really bad , their students praise them for their knowledge and skill never actually asked them self if that is really working , is that a correct response  to real knife attack , never tried to practice under preassure and check for them slefs is that works or not .

Teaching incompetence , all the reasons mentioned above lead to teaching incompetence . Lack of knowledge and understanding , not only the style its self but lack of understanding student’s needs and predisposition will cause uniformed way of knowledge transmission where every student will be taught exactly the same. In kung fu every single student should be taught according to his physical and mental abilities and his goals and needs .
  Wrong training system is directly caused by teaching incompetence. Different people have different need and they cannot be taught identically .Often , wrong training method is chosen and set goals are impossible to  be achieved . The most obvious example is “CHI SAO” . Many people believe that chi sao is some magical tool which will help them to achieve great fighting abilities. In reality , chi sao is structural drill ,not magical tool and if someone wants to learn how to fight , then he must fight , there is no other way