Going back to the roots

Has kung fu in general been taught wrongly for the past 150 years? Sadly, the answer is yes. There are several reasons why highly effective fighting styles became a joke in the world of modern martial arts.

For centuries Chinese people fought among them self and against foreign forces with more or less success, just like any other country on the world. For centuries, technology and fighting strategies and battlefield tactics changed and developed in a direction of more efficient fighting. Development of old fighting systems in China last until the end of Taiping rebellion where those systems were used on large scale for the last time. After the rebellion was crushed, and it was crushed with modern firearms and tropes trained by European and American officers to apply modern fighting tactics, even in close combat they were using bayonets as main weapon for close combat encounters. After Taiping rebellion was over kung fu started to decline and continued so until this day.

Before we discuss the reason for kung fu decline let’s see what does it looked like and how it was trained in the past. How kung fu looked like before Ming dynasty we have simply do not know. We have very rare sources without specifics, mostly just a mention of military fighting arts but without descriptions and details.  For the Ming dynasty period situation is not much better, how martial arts looked like during this period is largely unknown. On the other hand, for the first hand we have some martial manuals survived from this period. These manuals contain fighting techniques of various military weapons. From what we can see fighting techniques were simple, with simple, direct, no nonsense approach to fighting without complicated movements with sole goal to kill or injure opponent enough so cannot continue fighting. Empty hand combat did exist but was not used in military training and was considered completely useless on the battlefield, which is complete truth, and no one pay any attention to these techniques. Training during Ming dynasty was in some sense quite similar to modern military training. Officers had extensive education and fighting training while common tropes had short but efficient training. Common soldiers were retrained before every campaign, for example soldiers were trained extensively in using spears for 100 days. They trained to move and fight in infantry formations, single skills were not important for the outcome of the battle, only how efficient the unit is, although during 100 days period soldiers did train extensively in personal skills as well. Today basic infantry training last from 3 to 6 months for military conscripts.   Officers besides mathematics, astronomy, cartography, military strategy and tactics extensively trained with various weapons. There were several prominent schools for young officers during Ming dynasty where they learned usage of various weapons and archery. Martial schools in today’s sense didn’t exist, nor there were defined martial styles as we know them today. People determined their arts by the name of the teacher and teacher’s teacher. Martial schools were highly personalized and every student was taught to use his abilities to the maximum, which they needed on the battlefield, that is why styles in today’s sense didn’t exist. Fall of the Ming dynasty was caused by unfortunate set of events that ruined economy of the country and  last drop were weather condition that caused famine, people rebelled, administration fell apart and Mongols took over the power.

With the establishment of Ching dynasty not much was changed at first, at least not in a realm of military and fighting arts. Ching kept complete late Ming military formation and didn’t change anything  almost until the end of their rule. 

First significant change in martial arts came with the change of laws who can possess military grade weapons. By the end of the 18^th and beginning of the 19^th century some civilian structures were allowed to possess military grade weapons. Body guards, caravan escort, bounty hunters (known as marshals) were allowed to use long weapons. These occupations were usually family businesses and this led to development of different schools of fighting. We have to have in mind that China was much more wild than “wild west” ever was and these people were forced to use their skills on daily basis. Having efficient fighting technique was essential for these people and they again didn’t waste time on empty hand techniques because those were useless against swords, spears, maces and other weapons. People trained hard and didn’t pay  attention to unimportant things, most of the training was concentrated on developing strength, endurance, speed, reflexes, awareness, and simple but effective combat techniques, much like modern competitive martial sports but much more seriously because they lives depended on their skills. Also we have to have in mind that martial arts in China before 20^th century were marginal activity. Less than one percent of people practiced martial arts in China during Ching dynasty period and this was the time when more people practice kung fu than ever before.

Taiping rebellion happened and showed at the end all the uselessness of old weapons and fighting systems against modern firearms. Swords and spears had no chance against modern guns. Ching dynasty rulers started to modernize their armies and kung fu became obsolete but unlike other parts of the world where fire arms simply erased traditional martial arts from existence, kung fu survived. After Taiping rebellion many things happened on social, economical, political and cultural level. Traditionally closed China started to open to foreign influences. There was a shift in usage and importance of kung fu, instead military fighting art it became social symbol of wealthy people. This is the time when kung fu as we know it today emerged in its recognizable form. First schools stared to open, and accent shifted from weapons fighting to empty hands fighting. Fighting efficacy was not the main focus of training any more. Instructors simply translated weapon fighting techniques into empty hands techniques without much thinking how and whether that will actually work. They started to invent more and more forms, drills and partner exercises in order to keep students interested and engaged as long as possible. Also, kung fu practitioners at end of the Ching dynasty were belonged to wealthy social class and didn’t actually have any need for fighting and that became obvious in their approach to training and we can see that today.

Ching dynasty finally fell in 1911 and new republican government used kung fu for socio-political project of busting national pride and promoted and supported spreading  kung fu to general population as much as they could. This is the time when, with a support of the government, all mystification and glorification of kung fu emerged. In the early 1920s kung fu was connected to classical Chinese philosophy, religion and “medicine” an in some cases with esoteric arts. For the first time kung fu was explained through classical Taoist theories and instead of fighting art was seen as a way of spiritualty, health and personal growth. While there is nothing wrong with all that and we are fortunate that kung fu outgrew its original purpose it is not fair to consider these systems of exercises as martial art styles, simply put  training does not prepare people for fighting and that became painfully obvious in modern time competitive martial environment. While there were still some people who practiced kung fu seriously and could fight that will soon change.

After civil war in China ended and communists came to power in 1949 first thing they did was to eliminate all those who could pose as a threat to new regime, among all others many kung fu masters were killed in that initial purge and their persecution continued for a long time. Same thing happened in Taiwan, Kuomintang went on a killing spree all over the island killing everyone who could even remotely be a threat to new established republic. Kung fu masters were first among many who were killed at that period. While in China kung fu was for a long time considered backward ,feudal practice and was actually forbidden for decades on Taiwan from the very beginning kung fu was and still is under firm government control. Neither side wanted people who know how to fight and especially teach others how to fight. In China modern Wushu was born as a replacement for traditional kung fu and in Taiwan kung fu, while kept all the content and information, was promoted and practiced as cultural heritage thing , not as a martial art.  Removed from its original purpose and environment kung fu developed in specific direction with no connection to real fighting.  It became burdened with overwhelming theories , unrealistic drills , enormous number of drills, visual impression became more important than anything else. On the other hand it is hard to find kung fu club that seriously work on developing all those traits necessary for real fighting. There is no real ,efficient fighting training like we can see in western boxing or kick boxing. People rely on qi and other mystical forces to develop fighting abilities but from experience we know that is never happen.

Sad truth is, kung fu people for the most part cannot fight, they lose time on training that is everything else but real fighting training. We have prominent teachers that not only never had a fight in their lives, but they are quite proud of that fact. Even more sad is the fact that kung fu in the past invented and used all the modern methods of training used in full contact sports today. For centuries kung fu people had much more serious training than any modern athlete, because no one will kill anyone in a boxing or MMA match but in Ching dynasty China people fought for their lives every day.

If we want kung fu to survive s martial art we have to do everything to regain its fighting relevance. This simply means we have to go back to old ways of training, just like people practiced during Ming and Ching dynasty era, concentrated on one goal only, ability to fight. Of course, I am not saying that kung fu should stop to be everything that it had become in the meantime, because for many people fighting is not important and they find in kung fu much more than just fighting , and that is a great thing. On the other hand if we call something martial art, it suppose to be that- a martial art , system of training that prepare people for fighting.

So how people practiced kung fu during Ching dynasty? First and foremost, people practiced kung fu to acquire necessary skills for the jobs they are doing whether they were body guards, caravan escort, bounty hunters, military, police... Kung Fu was a trade, essential part of their jobs, having sufficient skills ensured stable income. Kung fu was not practiced for fun, personal growth, spirituality reasons or anything like that. These people had to use their kung fu against other people who wanted to kill them. Training was extremely hard, but not as long as today. Instead of decades , people would practice for few years and then go to use those skills. Training was the most part concentrated on developing strength , speed, stamina, reflexes. Initial training was for the most part composed of long runs, staying in low stances for a long period of time, weight lifting ect. When practitioners were strong enough they would learn how to properly execute techniques and after they gain enough skill they would spend almost entire training in sparring. Usually, styles had one form or several short sets of movements but most often no forms at all. Forms are fairly modern invention. Sparring was usually done without protective gear and it was harsh and extremely painful but also very efficient. In old days it was more important to be able to hold a heavy shield and wave a saber or a spear for an hour than to perform technique beautifully and "correctly". Efficiency was put before everything else, simply they had to practice that way or they would be killed.

Of course I do not advocate this kind of training today, because most of the people do not want to be professional fighters or join military special forces but basic principles of the training and focus on the the right goals is what we can do. Instead doing things in a "traditional" way, btw. that tradition is less than 100 years old so it is not really tradition ,we can focus on achieving our goals through practical testing and developing  necessary skills and physical attributes.