The Kung Fu Fire Triangle

Anyone who has sat through a fire safety course will be familiar with the diagram on the left. Even if you are not, the basic concept that all three elements from the sides of the triangle must be in place for a fire to burn is not hard to grasp. In Kung Fu we have a similiar triangle where all elements must interact to produce the goods. Above and beyond the mere kicks and punches, we must have good Chi or energy. We must have good Shen or mind and lastly good Jing which is hard to translate but roughly means structure or physical body.
Everybody pocesses each of these elements to some degree or other, some people may naturally excel in one particular area forming a kind of isosceles triangle. Kung Fu and Chi Kung training (really the same thing) will help you build your abilities in each element letting your own fire burn.

Look Out for New Logo!

The South London logo has now been reworked so the figure's arm does not cover up any of the Chinese characters! A much better design I think we'll all agree. T-shirts will follow soon...

Chi and Internal Force!?

Reading this month's question and answers (found here), I was pleased by Master Wong's down to earth description of our chi kung. He wrote of the importance of the practical results of correct chi kung. Too many people look for "novel effect" and are often frustrated. However, we would hardly be authentic Shaolin if we didn't believe in the real benefits that our training brings us. In the same Q&A Master Wong also describes "internal force" as part of the essence of kung fu. So what then is chi? What is internal force?

Put simply chi is energy and internal force is that energy applied for combat. Even by those within the internal martial arts (Tai Chi, Bagua, hsing-yi etc) there is much debate over what this chi energy actually is. Some try to use Western concepts like bio-electric energy or the movement of body fluids. Others seem to hide under expressions like, "in the ancient Chinese understanding of the body..." without really committing to their actual belief in the subject.
Where do I stand in the debate? My stance is easy and can be used for many situations in life. Basically, I do the exercises and feel the benefits. Maybe if I didn't get the results it would cause me more concern. Maybe if I wanted the benefits without the patience to do the exercises I would be searching for short cuts and "novel effects"?

What Is It About Wahnam? Part 3: Systematic Learning

"Kungfu is not magic. It is scientific. You cannot expect these sophisticated movements to magically work for you just because you practised them alone on the top of a mountain for 30 years. If students follow the prescribed methodology and practice sufficiently, they will find free sparring a natural progression. They will be able to apply their techniques spontaneously not because kungfu is magic, but because they have practised according to a systematic method."

For this post I thought I've cover Shaolin Wahnam's systematic and well-developed syllabus. I settled down to write and then remembered that someone had done a very good job of it already. Click here to visit Zenergy Arts, the home page of Wahnam USA, and Sifu Anthony Korahais's (pictured above) article on Training Sparring Systematically. The Wahnam USA site contains a great deal of information on a variety topics so have a good explore around the site.

Wahnam film feature !

This short film is the work of Juan Carlos, a film student who use to come to the London classes. Myself and assistant instructor from Brighton, Mark Tranter volunteered to help out. The ideas, story and production are all Juan's. The fighting sequences are a jumble of Shaolin Wahnam Combat Sequences and were roughly put together by Mark and myself on the morning of the shoot. The quality of the uploaded film isn't great and next time we do a film it'll be Mark made to wear the turquoise suit!

What Is It About Wahnam? Part 1: Nothing But Genuine Shaolin

The teachings of Grand Master Wong Kiew Kit are the purest form of Shaolin I have ever come across. An antidote to the acrobatics of modern Wushu, Shaolin Wahnam prides itself on being simple, direct and effective. A principle we can apply to everything we do in life.

Shaolin kung fu dates back hundreds of years and today we can utilise techniques that have stood the test of time. Genuine Shaolin is a complete system incorporating every aspect of combat. We see no reason to include kicks borrowed from tae kwon do, punches from western boxing or locks from Jujitsu.

Likewise, we don't substitute traditional training methods for modern day circuit training or use a japanese style belt system. We remain open-minded in our approach to other martial arts and training methods, but if doing star jumps really made you a better fighter then some monk back in 1423 would have already discovered it.

What Is It About Wahnam? Part 2: Application

Second on my list, although not reeled off in any particular order, is the application of techniques found within Shaolin Wahnam. When watching Grand Master Wong Kiew Kit sparring I'm always struck by the completeness of his attack. By this I mean that while one hand will strike, the other will be used to 'tame' or tie up the opponents arms. Meanwhile, with good use of stances or leg work, the opponent finds his or her front leg pressed downward making them unable to kick and limiting their choice of movements. Often with just a little more pressure the opponent will we left in a heap on the ground as their legs buckle in beneath them.

It is clear then that there is much more to effective fighting that just being able to throw a punch. We must develop the skills that allow us to control our opponent and set ourselves up for the optimum delivery of our technique. We must guard against the likely counter attacks and be able to follow up with further attacks as we press forward. The skills to do this can not be learnt by beating punch bags but only through systematic partner training, a subject that will be covered in the next post.

Shaolin Wahnam Family Join Wedding Celebrations

7th and 8th of October, members of the worldwide Shaolin Wahnam family gathered for the wedding of Sifu Wong's second daughter Wei Foong to Peter Kow Chee Wooi. Around seventy students travelled from South America, Europe, Australia, Canada, Japan and South East Asia to the two wedding dinners, one in Sungai Petani, the other in Penang. Sifu Wong took the opportunity to teach for the six days leading up to the wedding. Students enjoyed two days of Shaolin Kung Fu, two days of Wahnam Tai Chi and two days of Shaolin Cosmos Chi Kung. Yet another memorable trip to Malaysia!

About Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit

Sifu Wong Kiew Kit is the fourth generation successor from the famous Shaolin Monastery of China, and a grandmaster of Shaolin Kungfu and Chi Kung. He received the "Qigong Master of the Year" award at the Second World Congress on Qigong held in San Francisco in November 1997. He also holds an honours degree in humanities, and is one of very few kungfu and chi kung masters who speaks excellent English. His many books, including "The Art of Chi Kung", "The Art of Shaolin Kung Fu", and "The Complete Book of Tai Chi Chuan", have been highly acclaimed internationally. "The Art of Chi Kung" is a best-seller, reprinted three times within three years, and has been translated into multiple languages.

Sifu Wong, born in 1944, started his life-long training of the Shaolin arts in 1954 when he learned Shaolin Kungfu and lion dance from the famous Shaolin master, Sifu Lai Chin Wah, who was popularly known as Uncle Righteousness. Sifu Wong became his best disciple and helped Uncle Righteousness to teach kungfu. To further his kungfu training, Sifu Wong later learnt from Sifu Ho Fatt Nam, the third generation successor in a line of direct descent from the southern Shaolin Monastery, after its razing by the Manchurian army in China. Sifu Wong also learned Wuzu Kungfu from Sifu Chee Kim Thong, and Wing Choon Kungfu from Sifu Choe Hoong Choy, who were the patriarchs of their respective kungfu styles.

Sifu Wong has taught kungfu and chi kung for more than twenty five years, to more than twenty organizations. Regretting that many masters were withholding "secrets" of kungfu and chi kung with the result that these arts might lose their essence, he founded the Shaolin Wahnam School of kungfu and chi kung in 1982. With the aim of transmitting genuine Shaolin Kungfu, Shaolin Chi Kung and Shaolin philosophy, he named the school after the two teachers who had influenced him most: Sifu Lai Chin Wah and Sifu Ho Fatt Nam. Having won championships himself, Sifu Wong has trained many champions in kungfu (demonstrations as well as all styles sparring) and lion dance competitions, but he has always insisted that while Shaolin Kungfu is an exceedingly effective martial art, its greatness lies in enriching one's daily life and in its ability to cultivate spiritual development.

Sifu Wong is one of very few masters who have generously introduced the once-secret Shaolin Chi Kung to the public, and has helped literally hundreds of people to be relieved of their so-called "incurable" diseases like hypertension, asthma, rheumatism, arthritis, diabetics, migraine headaches, gastritis, gall stones, kidney failure, depression, anxiety and even cancer. Now he has devoted more time to writing and teaching overseas; having successfully taught in Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia, South America and Southeast Asia. He stresses the Shaolin philosophy of sharing goodness with all humanity, and is now dedicated to spreading the wonders and benefits of the Shaolin arts to others, irrespective of race, culture and religion.

The Greatest Art of All

The article below has been taken from Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit's home page (see the 'links' section).

Shaolin Kungfu is the greatest martial art in the world!
Understandably, exponents of other kungfu styles or martial systems will vehemently oppose this claim, but if they care to read on, are prepared to discard provincial prejudice and reason intellectually, they may even agree. I must clarify that I am far from originating the claim of Shaolin Kungfu as the greatest martial art. A statement to this effect has already been popular in China since the Tang Dynasty more than 1000 years ago!

What criteria should we use to measure the greatness of a martial art? Many people would place combat efficiency as the top priority. In this respect, from the perspective of both practical result as well as theoretical reasoning, Shaolin Kungfu can justifiably claim the top place. The Shaolin school is the single martial art group that has produced the largest number of army generals in Chinese history. Great generals like Yuan Zhong, Yue Fei and Chi Ji Guang, on whom the whole empire depended at their respective times, were Shaolin Kungfu masters.

Since its establishment from the Liang Dynasty, with the exception of the Mongolian and the Manchurian Dynasties, virtually all leading warriors who built or helped the empire founders to build new governments, including the governments of the Kumintang and the Communist in modern time, were trained in the Shaolin tradition. This was related to the Shaolin philosophy of supporting a good government but overthrowing an oppressive one.

The school that has provided the largest group of kungfu masters as well as of kungfu students at any one time during the long history of Chinese martial arts is Shaolin. Considering that one out of four people who existed, lived in China, this claim can reasonably be extended to the world. An overwhelming number of the masters, like Ku Ru Zhang, Huo Yuan Jia, Wang Tze Ping and Wong Fei Hoong, who convincingly defeated foreign masters such as from Japan, Russia and Europe coming to China to test her martial art, were trained in Shaolin Kungfu.

Considering the glorious record of Shaolin Kungfu, may those who practise it today, irrespective of race, culture and religion, even if they cannot emulate a portion of the past masters, do not degrade a great martial art into a dance.

Yet, in line with the Shaolin teaching which actually discourages fighting, although Shaolin disciples will fight well if they must, its claim to greatness can be approached through discursive, non-fighting means. All martial arts may be analyzed through their aspects of form, power, application and philosophy.
From the perspective of form, all the techniques found in all world known martial arts today, such as karate, taekwondo, jujitsu, judo, aikido, Siamese boxing, western boxing, and wrestling, can be found in Shaolin Kungfu! From the perspective of power, the internal force of Shaolin masters, which is not limited by age or physique, is incredible. It is used not just for hurting , but more significantly for healing.

While most other martial arts are principally meant for fighting or as a sport, and sometimes hurting the participants in the training itself but without specifically tending to the injuries, Shaolin Kungfu is a comprehensive programme for physical, emotional, mental and spiritual cultivations, and its benefits enrich our and other people's lives.

A Shaolin disciple, for example, is trained to be courteous and considerate, brave and righteous, assess problems and situations with calmness and clarity, and attend to duties with zest and loyalty. While the philosophy of many martial arts mainly focuses on how to be stoic and hurt the opponent, Shaolin philosophy teaches gentleness and a love for life. The twin pillars of Shaolin philosophy are compassion and wisdom.

The depth of Shaolin wisdom is bewildering, and is hard for some martial artists to comprehend or believe. At the relatively lower mundane level, Shaolin philosophy explains how we are responsible for our own lives, and why the phenomenal world is a creation of mind.

At the highest level in Zen, its wisdom surpasses the intellect, for its accomplishment depends not on verbalization and speculation but on direct experience, and the highest attainment is the direct experience of enlightenment, called variously by different people because of historical, linguistic, cultural and other differences, such as return to God or unity with the Great Void.

It is this spiritual aspect, which transcends all ritualistic religions, that best justifies Shaolin Kungfu as the greatest martial art. You will be in for a surprise if you think that the philosophy of Shaolin spirituality is merely theoretical. All Shaolin philosophy is geared to practical benefits. Spiritual cultivation in the Shaolin teaching may operate at one or more of the following three levels, depending on the student's developmental stage

Leading a morally upright and happy life.
Enjoying heavenly bliss in the after-life.
Attaining enlightenment in Zen.