DON'T PUSH IT!

 By Yang Xuangxing

How often have I observed numerous karate, taekwondo, and gong-fu stylist “oomph” their punches and kicks out there, all the while making a nasty grimace! They're “giving it all they've got”, or so they think. I used to do the same thing; my teacher would make a remark about weak punches, and off I went...gritting my teeth and trying HARDER and HARDER to get more “oomph!” And then my teacher would walk up, smile, and say, “That's not it. But you'll learn.” Needless to say, I was more than a little confused...

When I'd ask just what he meant, he'd tighten his fists and arms, tighten his jaw, and clench his teeth as he said, “Too much Unnhhh!” I thought he meant I was stiffening my muscles too much. I was wrong. It would actually be years before I finally “got it.”

I was simply trying too hard. Grimacing and trying to get “more hip” into my technique wasn't the answer at all. I remembered watching my teacher punch. It didn't matter if he struck one of my classmates (and he never did that very hard) or anything else, the amount of effort he put into it always seemed the same....which wasn't much.

What he was emphasizing was proper bodily structure more than anything else. If the structure was correct, very little extra effort was required. Power was generated naturally; I didn't have to try and “help” it at all. I came to understand the old saying, “Correct boxing (gong-fu) is like taking a walk; striking an enemy is like snapping your fingers.” And it led me to write my sixth book, MARTIAL STRUCTURE, to ensure that future generations might come to understand and apply these principles.

DON'T OVERDO!

 By Yang Xuangxing

I often see and hear of instructors (and over-zealous students) “over-doing” certain training routines, which lead to naught or, in some cases, may result in injury. Convinced that “more is better”, they stand in stances that are much too deep (and in some case, incorrect, which can lead to serious injury), fire off a very large number of basic techniques, and so on.

Holding static stances is a favorite training routine, especially in the Chinese martial arts community. The revered “horse-riding stance” sits at the top of the list. And holding this stance for a period of time certainly will toughen and strenghen the legs and hips and help foster the development of a strong “root.” But...although this kind of routine has been practiced for centuries, I believe it's actually counter-productive after a certain point. A proper horse-riding stance, for example, relies on certain muscles. When those muscles become overly fatigued, they call on certain “support muscles” for assistance. These support muscles are not normally used when standing in this stance but if holding the stance is done too often, your body will automatically call on these support muscles from the beginning and a bad habit is then developed; the stance is incorrect. It's much better to limit the standing time to no more than about five minutes at most.

Oftentimes, students stand in a horse-riding stance that is too low; with the buttocks at the level of the knees or even lower. The places too much strain on the ligaments of the knees and can result in injury (I can hear some of you cheering). Properly, the buttocks should be somewhat higher than the knees. In any case, you'll never utilize such a low stance when applying techniques or sparring, so standing so low shouldn't become an unconscious habit...you're unable to move quickly from such a position.

The above situation holds true for any posture that is held statically for lengths of time. The popular “zhan zhuang” (stake standing) practice of internal martial arts is a fine example. In holding such a position for great lengths of time, the main muscles used to support the arms and shoulders become fatigued and eventually call in support muscles to bolster them. And a bad habit is quickly developed. I suggest holding such postures no more than fifteen minutes or so. The primary muscles won't become overly-fatigued and the practitioner can keep his mind focused properly.

Further, such exercises also become very painful to maintain once the primary muscles become too fatigued. For decades, it's served as a rite of passage; students are expected to “gut it out” and hold on. But...the mind, which is supposed to be focused on the breathing, is completely taken over by the pain. Students are gritting their teeth in pain, unable to concentrate on anything else. This is counter-productive. Trying to develop a lot of machismo just won't cut it.

Firing off a hundred punches in a row is equally counter-productive. Not only do the muscles get tired and call on support muscles to support them (which makes the following punches incorrect), the mind wanders because it's bored! The first twenty or so punches will be well-focused but after awhile, mental focus wavers and then disappears altogether; students are just lobbing their fists out there and keeping count. There's no spirit. And it's not their faults; the fault lies with whoever is pushing them to exercise in this way.

Extra-strenuous training is reserved for the tradition of “gasshuku” (合宿), which means roughly, “to stay together.” It refers to keeping the mind and body together as the tough training tempers them. This is done only at special times and the object is to develop an indomitable spirit rather than refined technique. A gasshuku usually lasts only a weekend or so anyway, so refinement of technique isn't really possible. But gasshuku-type practice should not become a regular diet and done in every class.

Good, progressive training takes time. More isn't necessarily better. And training isn't about becoming a Mr. (or Ms.) Macho, anyway...

COMMON SENSE

 by Yang Xuangxing

Sometimes we just have to use a little common sense. I have been, over the years, directed to certain websites that are devoted to various martial art system(s) that the website owner has allegedly studied for years. And there have been many occasions wherein I've been approached by an enthusiastic student or teacher of some odd system(s)...that were supposedly developed and practiced in some secluded monastery somewhere and maintained in absolute secrecy for hundreds of years...

Not likely.

Records of martial arts systems in Japan have been (and still are) well-maintained pretty much since the ancient inhabitants of that island nation established a system of writing. Back in the day, the local daimyo (lords) of a given village(s) were more than a little concerned about the possibilities of their subjects rebelling...records were kept and VERY close scrutiny was maintained regarding any and all activities that might suggest that prospect. There were no martial systems taught that they didn't know about. Period. And the records regarding martial systems that were taught are still available today! “Secret” Japanese systems? Not.

As for Chinese systems...I've often been approached by people who claim to practice a rare form of gong-fu and the name of it is either part Chinese and part Japanese, Korean, or Yiddish...and IF they know the founder's name (many of them don't), his name is certainly NOT Chinese (although someone tried to make it sound authentic). It would be like introducing someone who claims to be an American, but whose name is non-sensical, like “Mr. Bhjkifls.”

This kind of thing wasn't uncommon in the 1970's, when most Americans knew next to nothing about China. But nowadays, there's just no excuse for coming up with some bizarre name that doesn't exist in that culture...if nothing else, a quick trip to a nearby Chinese restaurant would easily remedy the problem.

Many of these people can specify the rough time that their form was founded...like 1,500 years ago, but they can't name anyone who practiced it before 1984. Some of these folks can readily provide anecdotes and the like about their art and/or its followers (who they usually can't name) that took place centuries ago (the further back, the better) but if you ask about more recent events or followers, dates, and places, they start to mumble or fidget.

It may not be the current student's fault...this kind of chicanery was more than a little common back in the 70's. If the history/lineage of an art isn't clear to one of its followers, a little research is necessary. And some common sense.

COMBAT EFFECTIVE?

 By Phillip Starr

We hear it all the time; “That traditional martial arts guy would be easily beaten in an MMA match!”, and other more colorful variations. It's an old argument that has no basis in reality. MMA, per se, is a sport. The object of an MMA match is NOT to render the other fellow unconscious...it's to WIN THE MATCH! And that doesn't require a knockout. Moreover, participants must adhere to certain rules, they must wear the proper protective gear, they fight in timed rounds with brief breaks in between, and they've never been tested (at least on a large scale) in battle.

Traditional martial forms were designed for life-and-death scuffles where there's no second place winner. The object is to survive. Period. There are no rules whatsoever, no protective gear, no timed rounds...you fought until one of you was incapable of continuing. And a number of these arts have been put to use in actual combat. They're still with us...because the survivors valued them, kept them, and passed them on to the future generation.

Back in medieval times, the game of chess (which is thought to have originated in India) was used to teach principles of battlefield tactics to the aristocracy. After all, in the event of a military conflict, they were the ones who would fill positions of command. This kind of tactical thinking (chess) was used clear into the 20^th Century with considerable success. By and large, both sides were using the mindset of chess, which was created as a game. Until Vietnam.

The NVA command (which was in close contact with communist China) used the tactics learned in weiqi (more commonly known as the game of go), which had been considered one of the “four essential arts” of the cultured scholars in ancient China going back to the 4^th Century. And the Chinese book, “The Art of War” (written by Sun-Tzu more than 2,500 years ago), was their playbook, which had been created for combat and used innumerable times. They weren't playing by our Western rules. The end result has been that at military academies in the U.S., all students are now required to study Sun's book.

In short, assessing genuine combat effectiveness between something that is a recently created sport and things that have proved their mettle on the battlefield is silly. And inaccurate.

BUT CAN YOU REALLY USE IT?

 By Yang Xuangxing

Okay, so now you've learned a staff, sword, or whatever form...and you're comfortable with it. Your teacher says that you perform it rather well and you feel pretty good about it. But...can you actually use it against another weapon? In days long past, that was a given. Not so nowadays. Many people there are whose skill at performing weapons sets is really extraordinary...but they wouldn't stand a chance against a determined girl scout armed with a particular weapon.

My teacher was very old school (the “new, improved, street-oriented forms didn't exist back then) and he insisted that his students not only learn how to perform their weapons sets skillfully, but that they also learned how to use them. We never suffered a serious injury, either. He was smart enough not to allow us to practice with live swords and although we wielded only wooden blades, we were very careful about making solid contact. And we started off slowly and gradually learned. I now do the same thing with my own students.

When I was much, much younger I was often very foolish and not without a good dose of pride. At least that's my excuse for having accepted numerous challenge matches, which were more than a little common in those days. And a few such engagements involved the use of swords and even staffs a couple of times. And the weapons were live. Like I said...I was very foolish. But I learned quickly how the weapons really worked and even created a handful of my own peculiar techniques, which will never be seen in traditional forms, But they work very well...for instance, one technique I developed is intended to elicit a particular defensive response (and it happens every time, whether performed with a sword or broadsword)....which will cause the defending party to slice his own throat with my sword! Of course, I never carried that technique to its conclusion...

Yes, it was foolish. Beyond foolish. But God was with me and I learned. And I appreciated what I had been taught and why.

BUILDING REAL STRENGTH

 by Yang Xuangxing

Many poems have been written about how much we learn through the experience of pain and how little we actually learn from joy or happiness. And I believe that, for the most part, they're true. This is especially true of martial arts and the development of real “strength.”

What I refer to as “real” strength (and so do many other martial arts teachers) is not the kind of strength that may be acquired by lifting weights and engaging in similar exercise routines. Rather, it is “spiritual strength”; the strength that enables us to push forward even in the face of great adversity, to keep moving forward even while enduring terrific physical, mental, or emotional pain, the willingness to come face to face with any and all obstacles (most of which we've made ourselves) and fearlessly engage and overcome them.

Strength – of any kind – is built through discipline, struggle, and discomfort (including pain). Without these things, progress and the development of strength simply isn't possible. If we only experience happiness, we learn and develop nothing. If we're always satisfied, we become complacent and get nowhere. In martial arts, real skill is achieved through constant struggle, which requires great discipline. And your instructor knows it.

BOWING TO THE FLOOR/MAT

 by Yang Xuangxing

I was at a large, national seminar/conference a while back and just as one of the classes was about to begin, one of the instructors turned to me and remarked, “We need to have a class to teach people how to bow properly...” I had to agree.

Over the years, I have visited many martial arts schools and in most of them, I have seen the majority of students (and often, instructors) bow to the floor or mat with little more than a quick nod of the head. I spent many years training in both Kyokushin and Shito-ryu karate and my instructors insisted on a proper bow when stepping onto or stepping off of, the training area. When I first undertook the study of gong-fu, I saw that students didn't bow to the training floor; they just walked in and started warming up. But I was in the habit of bowing and so I always did it.

My teacher, Master W.C. Chen, thought it was appropriate and a good idea (although he never required anyone else to do it). I recall one day when I made a small, quick bow before hurrying onto the floor. I hadn't made it ten feet before sifu stopped me and said gruffly, “You didn't bow.” Huh...I could've sworn that I did, so I walked back to the entrance to his basement and did it again.

He stopped me again. “No!”, he said. “That is not a bow.” I looked at him quizzically and he explained, “This place is special. It is where you will learn and grow. You should take time to pay proper respect to it.” I realized that what he said was spot-on. I took my time and bowed properly, which satisfied him. Although he was Chinese (and China is not “the land of bowing”) he understood its significance perfectly.

The proper bow, especially in so far as the martial arts are concerned, requires more than just learning how to incline the body. The mind and heart must also be correct.