GONG AND ROU

 by Phillip Starr

In Chinese martial arts, especially the neijia (internal styles of taijiquan, xingyiquan, and baguazhang), there are two words that must be fully understood and practiced correctly if one is to ever reach a high level of skill.

Gong (功) means, roughly, achievement, strength, power. It's the same character found in the term “gong-fu.” It DOES NOT infer the use of brute, muscular force. If a strike possesses proper “gong”, it may be said to be powerful, sharp, and strong.

The word Rou (柔) means “soft” but it does not imply a kind of “damp rag” softness. It is not flaccid; it is simply soft, not rigid. This is exactly the same word and character used in Judo, Jujitsu, Goju-ryu Karate, and so on.

Ancient classics tell us that when a strike is executed, the energy must be transmitted outward to express Gong. Until the strike impacts the target, the body and the striking limb must be in the condition of Rou; the body is relaxed and there is no excessive tension anywhere. At the instant of impact, energy is transmitted outward and Gong occurs. It is important that we ALLOW THE IMPACT TO CAUSE THE PHYSICAL CONDITION OF GONG. The instant after impact, the body and limb must become Rou again. This will occur naturally unless we consciously try to stiffen the body at impact or relax it immediately afterwards.

The best analogy is that of swinging a chain. A chain is soft; it can easily be folded up and carried in the hand. As it swings through the air, it remains soft...until it hits something. And it is the MOMENTARY RESISTANCE of the target that causes it to become an iron rod for a micro-second, after which it once again becomes soft. We would say that it is Rou until the instant of impact and the IMPACT CAUSES IT TO BECOME GONG...but only for a micro-second.

Rou is soft, like cotton. But it's also alive, like elastic. It is not flaccid at all, but it has no stiffness in it.

The key to using these two qualities efficiently lies largely in posture and structure/alignment, which involves much more than simply standing straight. Another element is using Gong and Rou at the appropriate times. When a technique is executed, the body must remain in the condition of Rou and the yi (and consequently, the qi) must be extended forward, to the target. Gong occurs naturally when impact is made, but only if the body's structure is correct.

YOU FIGHT EXACTLY AS YOU TRAIN!

 by Phillip Starr

The most renowned Japanese swordsman of all time, Musashi Miyamoto uttered those words and wrote them down for future generations, And even today, our modern combat instructors from Seals to basic infantry training drill sergeants and instructorss at police academies reiterate those very words; “You can only fight the same way you train.”

When beginners practice to defend themselves, their partners should not attack with much force; emphasis must be on correct technique, body shifting, and other fundamental concepts. When they reach the mid-levels, more power is poured into the attacks; I tell their partners to attack and do their best to just touch them or give them a bit of a thump. The counter-strikes must be performed correctly as well, with some measure of power and complete control.

However, advanced-level students (starting at the brown belt level), the attacker's instructions are to knock their partners down. And the counters must carry some measure of power without actually making contact. The attack becomes real...or as real as we can allow it. The counter-strike must be delivered with full destructive force and absolute control.

Errors that are often seen include:

• Failure to deliver the attack with speed and yi (intention). This usually occurs when the participants know each other; they are afraid they might actually strike their friend.

• Failure to direct the attack or counter-attack to a vital point.

• Catching and/or easing your partner to the ground when a takedown or throwing technique is applied. This is a very bad practice; it becomes a habit very quickly and that means that his is EXACTLY what you'll do in a real fight! Consider: Your partner has been trained to breakfall and he should be capable of taking the fall without injury...without your assistance!

Additionally, easing him to the ground negates your ability to strike him immediately following the throw. And in a real skirmish, that's what you MUST do.

Of course, there are many others. The point is that you must train exactly how you will fight, although you must ensure that your blows are well-controlled. Remember, you can only fight the same way that you train!

EVERYDAY – 365 OF THEM!

 By Phillip Starr

Here's a challenge for those who are determined to achieve higher levels of skill and knowledge about their chosen style of karate, taekwondo, or gong-fu...select a form that you already know, and practice it at least once every day. Every, Day. For a year. If you miss a day for any reason at all, you have to start over.

Think you can do it?

Remember, missing one practice for ANY reason – sickness, forgetfulness, injury, the kid's soccer game... - ANYTHING – sets you back to Day One. Still want to do it? Can you?

I suggest picking a fairly basic form that isn't too lengthy, and one that you can practice indoors (remember, you'll have to do it through the winter, too). You can do it fast, slow, medium speed...however you want. The important thing is to do it as best you can, every day.

With the passing of time through the year, you'll discover things about your form that you may not have even suspected. And you find small errors that you've been unconsciously making for a very long time.

I could go on and on about how this lengthy practice will benefit you, but I'll just leave it here. Let me know what you discover!

DON'T HELP TOO MUCH...

 by Phillip Starr

Familiar scenes during practice... two students participate in practicing defensive techniques against an opponent who's armed with a knife. Of course, the knife is made of wood or rubber for reasons of safety and after the defensive maneuver has been completed, the knife-wielding participant has dropped the weapon, the receiver often bends over to retrieve the knife (or pistol or whatever) and gives it back to the attacker.

A second scene involves a self-defense technique that involves a throw or “takedown.” The participant executing the throw does his best to “ease” his partner into the fall, doing it as carefully and gently as possible.

Scene three. True story. Years ago, a police dept. (I won't name which one) noticed that when officers were killed when exchanging gunfire with violent criminals, they often found some of the officer's spent brass casings in their pants pockets, and their weapons were empty. An investigation was subsequently launched...

First, it was determined, of course, that the brass came from the weapons used by the officers. It was also determined that the officers were shot WHILE PICKING UP THEIR BRASS! How could that be? Well – at the shooting range, officers were required to ALWAYS pick up their brass before loading a fresh magazine! That became a learned habit. So, in a real gunfight...you guessed it.

When I am teaching students defensive maneuvers involving weapons, the receiver is forbidden to pick up a dropped knife (or whatever) and politely return it to his training partner. As far as throws and takedowns are concerned, they are forbidden to “ease” their partners into the fall. Their partners should be skilled in breakfalling; if they aren't, they must go back into a beginning class until they are.

Remember the old maxim: We fight EXACTLY as we train. ALWAYS.

DON'T JUST GLOB YOUR WAY THROUGH IT

 by Phillip Starr

You see it in most karate, taekwondo, and gong-fu schools; when the students are told to go through a particular form, it's done in a nice 4-beat rhythm, kind of like Lawrence Welk counting off, “And a-one, and a-two, and a-three”... There's little, if any, spirit to it and the rhythm never changes throughout the whole set. I call this “Globbing your way through a form.” It's a necessary thing when students are learning a form, trying to memorize the movements. But once the body remembers the form and it can be done without having to consciously think about which movement(s) come next, such practice is detrimental to training.

It must be remembered that most forms are imaginary combat situations, wherein the practitioner is surrounded by numerous villains who are tring to hasten his demise. Some forms are practiced primarily to develop certain skill(s) and don't necessarily involve several imaginary foes. I'm not referring to such forms in this article.

Real combat doesn't occur in a nice, even 4-beat rhythm. So it must be with your forms. You have to study them carefully to determine where the rhythm changes. Without proper rhythm, there can be no real spirit; the form is stillborn. It has no soul.

DIFFERENT LENSES

 by Phillip Starr

How do you view the martial art that you practice? That is, what's the main reason that you practice it? Self-defense? Health maintenance? For sport? Is it a kind of social thing for you? Most of today's martial arts enthusiasts never really sit down and consider this simple question from time to time...and it has to be considered periodically because our reasons for training can, and easily do, change over time. And your main reason for practicing deeply affects HOW you practice it. The lenses through which most people view their training today is usually very different than the lenses through which our forefathers saw it.

As little as 100 years ago, our martial arts forefathers practiced primarily for reasons of personal defense. Period. And those who actually created the systems that we practice today created them as a means of self-defense. And that's how they...and their students for several generations, practiced them. Training was very serious, intense, and demanding. After all, one's life or the lives of one's family could very well depend on how effectively one could apply his art.

Of course, they came to understand, probably in their later years, that their training helped keep them healthy; but that was just a side benefit. Sport was never entered into the question and attending training for reasons of interacting with friends and “having fun” never entered their minds. Even today, in a traditional Japanese, Okinawan, or Korean dojo, “fun” is never considered and to say that you “had fun” in class is an insult to your teacher. You may say that you enjoyed class, but NEVER that it was “fun.” God forbid that he should ever hear you make such a statement!

Training there is extremely rigorous and very intense. Bruises, scrapes, bloody noses, and all the rest are accepted as a normal part of training.

So, back to the original question...what is your primary reason for practicing?

CHANGE IT UP!

 By Phillip Starr

A while back, one of my senior students was practicing with a group of other martial artists from various styles. One of them had been training in a popular southern form of gong-fu and my student tried to practice basic 1-step fighting with him. The hapless fellow had a lot of difficulty deflecting a quick reverse punch and a lunge punch devastated him. “That’s not how we do it”, he said. “We stand in front of each other and don’t drive in.” And as I later explained to my student, that was the problem. “That kind of practice teaches them to defend against persons trained in their style, but it’s very difficult for them if the person comes from another style…or no ‘style’ at all, as in the case of boxers or just ordinary streetfighters,” I told him.

Unfortunately, this same thing is exactly what most of us (traditional martial artists) do; when we practice applying our defensive techniques; the attackers fire out straight punches as they’ve been taught to do…which is nothing like what they’ll encounter on the street. So, why did our forefather practice in that way? The main reason is that it gave the aggressor additional practice with his basic techniques. Unfortunately, somewhere along the line REALISM was tossed by the wayside.

Nowadays, most “traditional” schools have their students engage in 1-step fighting in which the attacker employs ONLY traditional technique. The receiver learns to defend herself against such attacks, which of course, she’ll never see in the street. And believe me, the application of basic blocks/parries is considerably different when applied against boxing-type attacks. Because I taught my students how to do this, I was labeled as “untraditional” many years ago. I reminded the naysayers that our forefathers were PRAGMATIC and trained in the same way many moons ago.

If we hope to teach students how to survive on the street, it’s essential that we do this. To the instructors out there – if you don’t know how to do it, don’t get flustered…go outside the box and LEARN! Then pass what you learn on to your students!