Check out this video on the latest incarnation of kung fu for real fighting in China’s military today.
For five thousand years, China has developed myriad styles of Shaolin kung fu, WuDang internal systems, modern wu shu and sanda. And now? This is how China streamlined their vast array of fighting techniques for modern soldiers?
Damn! Looks a lot like MMA, krav maga, JKD and plain old kick boxing/ grappling.
This raises questions:
Where are the classical horse and bow and arrow stances that characterize Shaolin kung fu forms that Jet Li displays when dispatching attackers?
Where are the tiger claws, snake strikes, crane beaks that characterize deadly kung fu techniques we’ve seen in Shaolin movies?
And where are the deadly internal open hand and cotton palm strikes of taiji, ba gua or xingyi?
Interesting. Bruce Lee predicted that martial arts would evolve into a universal style; that’s why these moves, despite stylistic and biomechanical variations, are similar to karate, tae kwon do, MMA, krav maga, and savate. Notice the incorporation of western boxing, jkd lead straight punch, bent phasic stance and boxing footwork. Although there may be bio-mechanical and stylistic differences, the front, side, round kick, joint locks, trips and throws seem pretty standard.
These Chinese military hand-to-hand techniques are core kick boxing/grappling movements distilled for practical combat. Simple, practical and effective. It works. Absolutely. It is designed for soldiers - not necessarily martial artists - who have to learn to fight fast and effectively. The secret tradition and stylistic purity is overshadowed by modern martial arts. Is traditional kung fu obsolete?
For martial artists whose path goes deeper and goes beyond fighting, this is the core kick boxing/grappling stage that is the foundation of realistic fighting.
But, from the traditional perspective of those on the life long martial path, it is regarded as low level kung fu. Animal techniques and internal open hand moves are too sophisticated and subtle to learn in a short period of time.
Evolving Martial Artists are students of comparative combat. While grounded in real fighting, they are open to exploring advanced strategies and techniques and go beyond by exploring forms, meditation, healing and health, the depth of the martial way as developed by the Shaolin monks and WuDang priests.
Although this is a long video piece, save it and study it over time. It’s a treasure for martial art scholars and those interested in the historical development of fighting.
What do you think?
Keep practicing,
Lawrence Tan
(Source: tandao.com)
Everyone has the right to protect him or herself against violent aggression. My issue is not whether we have the right to defend ourselves, but what is the responsible use of force in the name of self-defense? I wouldn’t use a deadly tiger claw against an aggressive street punk or obnoxious drunk. There are painful moves that can end hostility without inflicting permanent damage. But when one is fearful of one’s life - that’s different.
Traditional masters, steeped in the spiritual and moral roots of Confucian pacifism, Daoist and Buddhist compassion, understood that the young warrior could become an unwitting victim of unforeseen consequences from the indiscriminate expression of their lethal power for self defense. The spiritual philosophy and martial ethics (wude) once inextricably bound to the Chinese kung fu tradition are no longer essential to modern martial athletes concerned with reality combat on the street or ring.
Today’s warrior arts are divorced from both the martial scholar’s intellectual understanding of the deeper personal, legal and social implications and the martial monk’s moral conscience, sensitive to the intricate web of consequences born of using force. After all, there are countless cases where martial artists have won the street altercations only to lose in court - incarceration or fines to the injured attacker - for employing excessive force. Go figure.
Practicing effective techniques against an attacker in realistic street scenarios is the warrior part of our self-defense education. Violence - even for defense - breeds unpredictable karma. Who is the victor and who is the victim? Therefore to fully prepare for self-defense, we should also ask ourselves relevant questions on the consequences of our actions before we ever have to use our skills.
Evolving Martial Artists - warrior/scholar/monk - reflect on the legal, moral and social consequences of unleashing martial power in the name of self-defense. Forewarned is being forearmed…
What are some specific questions you think we should consider? Tell us.
Keep practicing,
Lawrence Tan
Myth and Reality
Toni and I watched a documentary on Marco Polo, the famed Venetian explorer whose chronicles of his journey to China has fascinated readers for centuries. He purportedly introduced pasta and ice cream to Italy from China. We were surprised to learn that although Marco Polo did exist, most of his romantic tale that tells of how he introduced east to west is myth. Who knew? But, the story still inspires.
This reminds me of historical myths that may have inspired us to take up martial arts in the first place. Samurai and knights, both with codes of bushido and chivalry, evoke a romantic martial ideal. Glorified tales of the noble warrior usually obscures or distorts the scholar’s historical reality. We martial artists are more apt to conjure up images of Jedi fighting destroying the dark empire rather than the cruelty and horrors committed by real life warriors in the name of the emperor, God and nation.
For this reason, ancient Chinese masters, enlightened to the total expression of martial power, infused the martial way with compassion and humanistic values of Buddhism and Daoism to temper the martial way. We abhor violence. But when push comes to shove, we have developed the mental, physical and emotional powers to protect ourselves.
Evolving Martial Artists aware of the conflict between the monk’s spiritual ideals and the warrior’s reality of violence, cultivate Mindful Balance.
Keep practicing,
Lawrence Tan
tandao
This week’s TanDao video, Mystic Dragon, is different. No fighting application. It’s a lyrical piece on the symbolic meaning of the ancient Chinese dragon. I am doing a free flow internal dragon form (inspired by bagua and taiji) not a prearranged kata. I am moving spontaneously, intuitively allowing the dragon spirit to express itself through me. It is my zen moment.
We realize street warriors may be turned off by the “flowing silk robe” and music. And those looking for kick ass techniques, will stop watching and relegate this as traditional fancy stuff that Bruce Lee derided.
Perhaps Evolving Martial Artists, already skilled fighters, will appreciate the aesthetics of these Chinese internal movements. This is an art after all. And maybe the metaphysical metaphor may resonate. But the street fighter will say: hell, nobody fights like that.
But it’s all there. To the initiated, the science behind these dragon motions encodes joint locks, deadly strikes, grabs, throws and trips that will augment even the toughest mixed martial artists techniques. But it’s all hidden.
What do you think? Are these stylized dragon motions antiquated? Does it have any relevance in the age of mma and jkd? Or, perhaps, the Little Dragon just never grasped the deeper meaning of the internal dragon?
In our future TanDao Mystic Dragon videos we will return to the practical application of lethal dragon techniques.
If you are intrigued or interested in discovering modern fighting in the dragon join us. And share our posts and videos with your friends. Tell us what you like or dislike.
Keep practicing and exploring,
Lawrence Tan
