What is Classical Kung Fu?

This article is addressed to beginning students and to those interested in enlar ging their knowledge of Kung Fu. The series of questions hopefully will stimulate students to carefully investiga te the schools they intend to join, define classical Kung Fu and help differenti ate between external and internal systems. Some of the concepts are difficult to explain since they are physical as well mental and must be experienced. What is Kung Fu? The literal meaning of Kung Fu is "hard task". In ancient times the monasteries in China were the repositories of knowledge. The hard task was to masterself-def ense, Chinese medicine, philosophy, music, painting and calligraphy. Today most commercial clubs only emphasize self-defense or sporting competitions. In this modern world of specialization it seems unbelievable that one person can master so many diverse disciplines. However, the ancient Chinese philosophers w ere generalists rather than specialists. They discovered that these apparently d iverse disciplines have a common basis, Taoist philosophy. Nevertheless, Kung Fu was considered a lifetime study. What is a Master? A Master is a hereditary title designating a person who knows a whole system. Al though a Master is a highly skilled martial artist, a highly skilled martial is not necessarily a Master. Each classical system has only one Master (sometimes c alled a Grandmaster). When he retires, he appoints a new Master. There are very few Masters alive today. Some of the systems are very old and man y of the techniques and forms have been lost because the Master died before pass ing them on. Sometimes a Master died before designating a successor and many students claimed to be the Master and they alone knew the "true system". Even if a Master was ap pointed, other students claimed to be the Master since their teacher was not ali ve to dispute their claims. How can you tell who is the true Master?" This is difficult especially for a beginning student. These fakes are highly ski lled con artists who prey on students' ignorance and psychological weaknesses. T heir tools are extreme friendliness, excessive praise and flattery, pretending t o care for their students and feeling their pain. They use meaningless Chinese p hrases to make weak, useless techniques seem powerful and exotic. The following criteria can help distinguish a Master from a phoney. In classical Kung Fu the student must imitate the teacher and learn certain form s. Therefore, two "Masters" cannot have very few forms or techniques in common a nd move differently. Sometimes they are movies or videos of the former Master. If a Master's hands do not resemble the former Master hands, for example it looks like he is doing a h ard style when the system is soft, then he must be a fake. The Master appoints a successor who is a highly skilled martial artist. A studen t with knowledge of any martial art would be able to tell if the "Master" had a strong stance etc. A person who looks like a beginner cannot be a Master.

Another trick of "Masters" is to pull out photos of them with their teacher. The se photos were obtained by paying hundreds of dollars to the teacher, pretending that they were a friend of a friend of the teacher or having a friend shoot a p icture at a demonstration or seminar. Many of these photographs do not show the "Master" practicing with his teacher but friendly horseplay. Such photographs ar e then passed off as serious self defense moves. Who can teach a particular system of Kung Fu? Only a student who has the permission of the Master of that system. His school i s usually a branch of Master's school. How many different styles of Kung Fu are there? There are about 300 styles. The styles are based on mammals, birds, insects, myt hical creatures, colors, spirits, philosophies, and combinations of these catego ries. There are also family Kung Fu systems which are passed on to the descendan ts. Is there a grading system in classical Kung Fu? Not usually; however, in some classical schools the students are divided into ca tegories, such as student and disciple. Many commercial schools make up their own ranking system and award different col ored belts or sashes. There are some organizations in China who make up their ow n forms, based on classical forms, and have a belt-ranking system. How can you tell if a Kung Fu system is legitimate? The teacher should be able to trace the Masters back to the founder. Contact the Master of the system to find out if the student has his permission to teach. Sometimes it is difficult to determine if the head of the organization , even if it is large, is a Master. Some systems have their forms recorded in books or videos. For example, the Che n Tai Chi form has been recorded. If a teacher's movements don't resemble the re corded form, he is not a Master. Learn the difference between an external and internal system so you can tell if the teacher is teaching according to the correct principles. If a number of different styles are taught as a single system, be on your guard . This usually indicates that the teacher has never learned a single system thor oughly. Any good system has techniques for dealing with all possible types of attack(sh ort to long range; armed and unarmed). Many times the systems taught are incompa tible (e.g. Shaolin and Tai Chi). They are based on opposing philosophies and mu scle action. Be suspicious if free (uncontrolled) fighting is introduced in a relatively shor t time. If you have not mastered any techniques of the system, what are you doin g? Promotions after a fixed time period are fraudulent. Each person's ability is d ifferent. Weapons should not be taught to beginners. Beginning students do not have a str ong stance, cannot maintain the proper distance from an opponent and cannot tran smit a great deal of power to their hands. All of these skills are required to u se a weapon properly. The student is taught a new technique only when the Master thinks he is ready a nd may be required to practice the same technique for years. Some non-classical systems have rejected classical forms and have combined tech niques from several systems. The rationale is that free fighting is not patterne

d. By combining the best techniques from several systems it is thought that a su perior system is obtained. However, a good classical system already has most of these techniques. If not, the Master can add these, but never eliminates previou s forms and techniques which characterize the system. What are the difference between a hard (external) and a soft (internal) system? Some of the differences are summarized below. Some external styles may possess some of the characteristics of an internal system. External style Relatively little time is devoted to developing a strong stance as compared to a n internal style which emphasizes relaxation. Straight line force is used in blocking. Sometimes large circular blocks which require a great deal of force are used. Not much attention is paid to developing feeling for interpreting force. Attack and defense depend on fast reflexes, so practioners reach their peak when they are young. Force is opposed by force. Practice sparring, which is not free style, usually consists of a few moves. Techniques rely mainly on external strength. However, inernal power may be emph asized later. Muscles are used inefficiently. Many techniques only use the legs or arms. Freq uently, extraneous muscles are used. A rigid type of force is produced. Internal style Balance and a strong stance are developed through relaxation and proper body al ignment. Small, subtle, circular, efficient movements are used. Sensitivity and relaxation are emphasized. Thus, one's skill can be continually improved, even when one is older. The opponent's force is used against him. Longer two-men sparring forms are practiced. The shorter forms are cyclic and i llustrate that fighting is continuous consisting of countering an attack and cou ntering the counter. Development of internal power is the chief goal. Only necessary muscles are tensed. Power from the body is transferred to the ar ms and legs in a synergistic manner. Relaxation is emphasized. A flowing, smooth force, like a whip, is produced. Qigong is practiced not only for martial applications, but also for health. The above description is an attempt to help beginners distinguish between intern al and external systems. Internal systems are not just Bagua, Hsingyi and Tai Ch i. In fact, some of the so-called practioners of internal systems violate the state d principles and are harder than many hard-stylists. Internal systems are not ju st characterized by claims of chi development, since this is also a part of some external systems. Which is easier to master: an external system or an internal system? Both are difficult to master. It requires more patience to become proficient in an internal system. One must "invest in loss" - that is, be willing to lose contests rather than vio late the principles of the internal system. The cardinal principle is relaxation. It requires years of practice, frequently in slow motion, to become soft (Yin). The body must be changed from concrete to rubber. Often, the student begins to move too rapidly too soon in applications i

n order to generate force (Yang) and make a poorly executed technique work. The result is that the forms and techniques are performed in a hard-style manner. The constant training training necessaryto master an internal system is illustra ted in the following story. A Tai Chi student was determined to defeat his Maste r at push hands. He practised six hours a day for a long time. He met his teache r and engaged in a push hands' contest. The student was easily defeated and complained, "I practised six hours a day!" H is Master responded, "I practice 24 hours a day." The Master's cryptic comment means that he used the principle of his art in perf orming his daily tasks. He tried to interact with people in a way which produced as little tension as possible. The body and mind are intertwined. Any stress in the mind is reflected in muscul ar tension and vice versa. This muscular hardness not only leads to defeat, but is also detrimental to your health. Can one master an internal and external system simultaneously? Not generally, since the muscles are used differently in each system. It isnot t he sequences of movements alone that characterize asytem, but also the way in wh ich they are done. The result of studying both tyoes of systems is usually that neither is performed correctly. In order to punch or kick powerfully must one study soft-style if one is a hardstylist and conversely? Tremendous power can be generated through proper training in either style. Do soft-stylists always block softly? Some soft-stylists generally block softly using redirection; others use both har d and soft blocks. However, the power for a hard block is not generated in a har d style manner. Which style is more suitable for older people? The soft style is more suitable for older people. Some soft-stylists reach thei r peak when they are well over 60. Theoretically, one could improve forever. A soft-stylist mainly depends on relaxation, sensitivity and the ability to turn his opponent's strength against him and not on muscular strength or fast reflex es. The hard style is hard on the body. Hard-stylists usually retire young, like gym nasts, or modify their techniques to resemble a soft style.

Author's Bio: