Bobby Gabershek - everthing is Wing Chun

Everything is Wing Chun , even tactical military training including shooting , special forces training ,antiterrorist tactics ect. These words came from one of the most skilled and most knowledgeable martial artist and military instructors of modern times – Bobby Gabersek. Bobby came to Taipei last week to conduct a CQB seminar . We’ve met after he finished teaching for the day and stayed talking and me learning till late night. He brought his vast knowledge and excellent martial /military/combat approach to the group of very good, young Taiwanese combat enthusiasts .

Let’s say couple of words about Bobby’s experience .   

Božidar Bobby Gabershek started his martial career in early 70's with Karate and Jujutsu in which he has black belt and he won several competitions .After completion of University studies he had started his military career where he served in Special Operations Unit, Counter Terrorist Unit, and as Intelligence officer .He achieved military rank - lieutenant . After military service her served in Special Police Unit and Dignitary Protection Unit . Parallel with his military and police career Gabershek constantly improving his martial ,weapon and tactical skills in a large range of  different areas . In 1978 He was one of the first Europeans who studied Chinese martial arts , several years later he became first European who achieved Master level in Traditional Wing Chun Kung Fu style . In 1997 Gabershek moved to Australia .In Australia he started his work on development of new approach to close quarter combat . His work along with work of several other experienced martial artists and military veterans become foundation of modern close quarter combat .

                                       Bobby Gabershek

Today Božidar Bobby Gabershek is Director and Head Instructor of CQB group international . Organization have training centers in Australia , U.S.A. and Thailand . CQB group international offers different kinds of training courses and security

services .

http://www.cqbgroup.co.th/

As a practitioner of traditional Chinese martial arts I have no interest in modern military training , I have experienced war in its worst and I had enough of that for  life. On the other hand I was really surprised when Bobby said modern military approach is no different from Wing Chun, a traditional Chinese martial style. At the time when Wing Chun was invented by the members of Cantonese opera trope , it has same purpose as modern CQB approach . Wing Chun can be considered as CQB of it’s time. Same basic principles of efficiency and effectivity applies now as they applied 150 ago. Weapons changed but people , their physical and mental abilities stayed the same . Same rules and same approach to close quarter combat can be applied in any given time with any given weapon.

I have never thought about this subject but it is so obvious that Bobby is right. It is interesting how one traditional martial style started his journey in Foshan 150 years ago , went to Hong Kong where it fell  into a hands of young Serbian military officer who modernized it , made an excellent tool for modern day military and police needs and then returned it to the people who actually invented the art .

Bobby significantly changed my martial arts perspective and the most praised moment was when he called me his student , it is a great honor to be called that from one of the best martial artist of today

                                              Bobby and me 

Drunken kung fu

 “Drunken kung fu” , well known style of fighting among kung fu practitioners and fans of kung fu movies. This method of fighting was allegedly invented by the Shaolin monks in order to protect themselves from bandits when they returned to the monastery drunk at night . Many famous masters and “grandmasters” ffrom Hong Kong taught and still teach “drunken style” . among others Leung Ting is one of the most famous .

The truth is , drunken style was invented in the early 70’s by Shaw brothers studio and actor, filmmaker, choreographer and martial artist Lau Kar Leung .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lau_Kar-leung

Before Bruce Lee’s time kung fu was unknown on the west ,after his untimely death kung fu had an unprecedented expansion, everything and anything that has any connection to kung fu was “swallowed without chewing” in huge quantities. Hong Kong movies were and unfortunately remained the primary source of information about the Far East and kung fu in general. Great number of people, influenced by Bruce Lee movies and later all other movies produced by Hong Kong were rushed to the East, demanding to be taught “kung fu “ they saw in those movies , and they got exactly what they were looking for. Drunken kung fu is the best example of actual impact of the Eastern cinema on Western view of Chinese culture and kung fu history and development . In the absence of real information, people just accepted what ever movie was show in those movies without a bit of a critical thinking and logic. Interesting thing is , Hong Kong movies shaped not only the western view on kung fu but also did that on the east almost as much as it was on the west. 

In one oft the latest interviews Lau Kar Leung told an interesting story about the creation of many kung fu styles . After kung fu craze begun and all traditional stories , legends and styles were “depleted”, under the pressure of great demand for new ideas and stories movie directors started to create purely fictional kunf fu styles with following histories . Many of these fictional styles became so popular that people started to search teachers who could teach them “drunken kung fu” “Golden Feniks” and others. Drunken kung fu became so popular that today can be found in Shaolin monastery practiced by monks.  

  That is the truth about drunken kung fu , it never existed before 1970”s . Monks do not drink , alcohol is forbidden in monasteries . I have never seen drunk Buddhist monk and I know a quite a few . Everybody know how alcohol influence body and mind. Drunk person cannot even walk , fighting and performing complicated body movements which require precise body mechanics , under the influence of alcohol is impossible . Still, many people believe in ancient Shaolin drunken kung fu .

Shaolin between myth and realty

I believe there is no martial artist today who haven’t heard about Shaolin monastery.

Frequent topic of martial arts films, source and subject of many legends, a place that many kung fu styles consider as their place of origin , Shaolin has a special place, not only in the kung fu, but among everyone who are involved in martial arts. Before I start I want to sat this article is based on research of one of the most important kung fu masters of the modern era, unfortunately almost unknown in the West, Tang Hao. This remarkable man was first who laid the foundations of modern, scientific approach in kung fu training back in the early 20 th century. He laid the foundations of modern MMA, he was one of the first who incorporated western boxing in his personal training as well as in the training of the Chinese army. He fought against  superstition, advocated training based on constant sparring and exchange with other styles. He was the first person who conducted real historical and archaeological research under the the criteria of modern science ,exploring origin of the various kung fu styles. He tirelessly worked to break the misconceptions and myths. He developed bayonet training for the Chinese army . This remarkable man and a remarkable master devoted his entire life to promotion and modernization of kung fu

Let’s now go back to Shaolin monastery. The legend, more or less known to everyone states that Iin 495 AD, the Indian monk Ba Tuo, came to China teaching a form of Buddhism known as Xiao Sheng Buddhism. He was given land at the foot of Shaoshi mountain by Emperor Shao Wen and founded the Shaolin Temple on this land. Some years later the third son of an Indian king left his homeland and journeyed  from South India to China. Eventually arriving near the famous Shaolin temple, it is said he sat in meditation facing a wall for nine years. Suitably impressed with his great spiritual power and discipline, the monks at the temple asked him to teach them his methods for gaining enlightenment. He began to teach them the Chan (later Zen) method of seated meditationin 526 CE. Upon gaining entrance to Shaolin, Bodhidharma observed that the monks were weak and could not complete the demanding meditation routines that they should have been practicing. Like himself, the monks often fell asleep while meditating due to fatigue, and for this reason, could not achieve inner peace. Bodhidharma created an exercise program for the monks that strengthened their bodies and could be used in self-defense. Bodhidharma's primary concern was to make the monks physically strong enough to withstand both ,their isolated lifestyle and the deceptively demanding training that meditation requires. Nonetheless, the techniques he taught also served as an efficient fighting system, which evolved into the Shaolin kung fu. Bodhidharma taught, however, that martial arts should never be used to hurt or injure needlessly. In fact, it is one of the oldest Shaolin axioms that 'one who engages in combat has already lost the battle.'In time Shaolin became a place of martial arts research and development. During the time of Mongolian occupation Shaolin became a center of resistance and was destroyed by the ruling Ching dynasty. Shaolin monls fought bravely but most of them were killed, few of them survived spreading Shaolin kung fu all over China.

More than 95 percent of the story is pure fiction. Apart from the fact that Bodidharma maybe existed ( there are no evidence to support his existence)

and maybe lived for some time in the monastery (latest research question this seriously) everything else simly is not true .Tang Hao dedicated an entire book in which point by point he disassembled the legend of Shaolin and presents valid historical data based on the material evidence and written sources.

Research conducted by Tang Hao and later by historians of PRC indicate that the legend of Shaolin has its roots in two pieces of popular literature from the early 20 th century .First work is popular novel 'Travels of Lao Can', written in the period 1904 to  1907. The second,which completed the story of Bodidharma is 'Secrets of Shaolin boxing' published if 1915. Before these books there is no evidence that the legend of Bodidharma and Shaolin existed in any form. The story was not a part of an oral tradition, nor is there any material nor written evidence , simply , before these two books there is no trace of Bodidharma and Shaolin in any form. Although the story these books was proven as false back in the days when they were published , they became so popular that the story eventually entered in history books and light entertainment story has become a historical fact.

This does not mean that there was no training in the monastery. There are clear historical references that indicate the monks were invited Chinese emperors to participate in military campaigns .This not unusual because the Buddhist monasteries were the owners of large estates, in Taiwan this is still the case today. As the feudal lords , monasteries had private armies or militias that were used for defense of their land and other economic and political interests. These private armies are being called on military campaigns as well as all other feudal conscripts at the time.

Despite of the wide spread opinion,( thanks to the Hong Kong kung fu movies and TV shows), Shaolin was not a place of martial arts research and development. What actually happened was that the monks brought the monastery whatever skills they have picked up ,mostly during the military training. No special training, development of new styles, research and all those things discussed in the legends did not happened. What monks really trained and what their lives depended on was classic infantry training usual for that time. So, the monks were practicing fighting and maneuvering in organized groups, trained with weapon , shields etc.. This was vital for the defense of the temple and its estate as crucial to the survival of the monks.

Bruce Lee between mith and reality

I have hesitated for a long time to say anything about this topic, well aware of the fact that Bruce Lee is an idol for a great number of people and any comment which would spoil the picture of unbeatable , supreme kung fu master and martial arts genius will provoke many negative comments toward me . At the end , I think the facts , the truth is more important than someone’s infantile worship of the late actor.

Let's go back to the past in order to clarify some things about Bruce and all that he said and done. After WWII Japan has opened to the world and exported their martial arts, culture, religion ... which became widely practiced in the West, and quite

Well known, well the world knew what Japanese wanted to present to the outside world . On the other hand, China has become completely closed after the Cultural Revolution. Chinese culture is traditionally closed toward foreigners and even in the places like Hong Kong and Taiwan Chinese people did not show any desire to share their culture, customs, martial arts, religion ... with the West.

There were individuals who had brought Chinese martial arts to the USA long before Bruce Lee but no one had such media attention as late Bruce. Little was known and is not a better situation today, about Chinese martial arts, lifestyle, philosophy , ect.

 

That vacuum in information gave Bruce the opportunity that all the treasures of Chinese culture , philosophy, literacy …present as his own .During his short life Bruce said a great amount of vise things , on the other hand , someone who spent some time living among Chinese and reading Chinese classics can easily recognize traditional proverbs and quotations form the classical pieces of Chinese literacy , some translated without changing a some in a little more liberal interpretation.

Bruce was very intelligent and well educated person, he had graduated at UCLA University, he had a gift to explain principles and concepts of his martial approach extremely well but we have to honest and say that most of the things he said about martial philosophy are actually borrowed from traditional Chinese culture and classical literacy .

Many people believe Bruce was the first person who taught kung fu to non Chinese. That is actually far from truth. Many americans during 50’s and 60’s were taught kung fu on Taiwan. The truth is there weren’t many foreigners at east in Bruce Lee’s time and most of them didn’t show any desire to learn martial arts , those who had , they were taught. The only truth is , after Bruce’s death Chinese martial arts reached global popularity.

Let’s go back even further into the past and briefly explain some of the events related to the development of kung fu. First, we do not know how kung fu looked like and how it was practiced before the 19th century. Many styles today claim that they are very old but actually all of them originated in the second half of the 19th century or even in the beginning of the 20^th  century. What we do know is that old styles put emphasis on the weapon training and fighting in the organized groups. When Machus overthroned the Ming dynasty two things happened, first , Manchus forbid practice of martial arts and second, they brought fire arms,. This pushed martial arts underground and over time changed focus and purpose of training . In the second half of 19^th century kung fu became popular among upper social class and focus was on empty hand techniques. It was matter of prestige not a matter of military importance or survival like it was in the past. After Boxer rebellion kung fu finally and completely changed to what we know today. It was not practice as a pure martial, military or survival skill but for self development , health , even religious reasons.

With the beginning of republican period a golden age of kung fu began.  

Republic of China had seen kung fu as a way of improving quality of life of its citizens and for the first time in the history  Chinese martial arts are accessible to all and many public schools where opened at the time. Furthermore, government established Goushu martial academy ,an institutions for the study and promotion of martial arts. In addition to this , government financed s several private associations of which the most famous was Chin Woo. What is completely unknown in the West is an amazing expansion and advancement of the martial styles that happened in this period. Thousands of kung fu manuals were printed at the time and there was serious work at the Goushu academy on improving and development of kung fu. All that work was printed and it was ​​available to a broader audience. Although this work was done by many influential martial artists of the time one name rises above all others.

His name was Tang Hao (1897- 1958). The first man who publicly advocated a scientific approach to training through his book. He advocated emphasis on physical attributes rather than on form, tradition, exotic techniques. He was a representative of daily sparring and controlled fighting as a basis of training. He advocated cooperation among styles and exchange of experiences, techniques, and taining methods. He traveled tirelessly all over China and interviewd and collected knowledge from a great number of kung fu masters. He traveled to Japan to learn Japanese martial arts skills, especially bayonet traaining in which Japanese were famous and later worked on a system of training in t bayonet combat for Chinese army. He studied and practiced Western boxing and inplemnet it in the Chinese army training.

In the early 20-ies of the last century, Chinese fighters have realized the value of Western boxing and many included it in their styles and boxing became the basis of “Sanda” hand techniques . Why is this important ? As we can see all the things attributed to Bruce Lee  were actually were done in China back in early 20th century and the work has been widely available to the Chinese, while on the West it was and still is completely unknown.

Bruce Lee came to the west with something about what west had no idea and he could present that as he wanted, which what he eventually done. None of the concepts and approaches that he represented were not new or unknown in the East, but they were completely new and unknown in the West. Later, after his death fans actually added and attributed to him a lot more than what Bruce Lee didand said during his life.

 Bruce Lee was and still is a legend, it is a fact that will not change, a name that has inspired a huge number of people to study  Chinese martial arts, and certainly his importance lies in the fact that he was the first who had such through media attention. On the other hand we have to be realistic , fair and honest to all those people who decades before Bruce Lee-I laid the foundations of modern martial arts but remain forgotten due to the political changes .. I want to speak on behalf of those forgotten whose names are rarely heard and honored, and praise  their work and lives because they certainly  deserve it..