SECRETS AND SILVER BULLETS

by Phillip "Pete" Starr

When I was a young, aspiring martial arts teacher, I was absolutely convinced that there were, concealed within various martial arts systems, special secret techniques that were taught only to the most advanced practitioners. My teacher insisted that this wasn't true but I thought he was just trying to pacify me. I KNEW there were silver bullets and come hell or high water, I was determined to find them.

The years passed and I spoke to other well-known martial arts masters of the day. Like my teacher, they assured me that there are no silver bullets. Even so, it took me some time to finally discover the truth of their words. There are only basic techniques and various principles.

My teacher's teacher, Zhang Zhaodong, spent his younger years working as a bodyguard and bounty hunter. He became very highly skilled in both Xingyiquan and Baguazhang and came to be regarded as something of a national hero, who stood for truth, justice, and Mom's rice pudding. In his twilight years (I believe he was in his 70's), he was approached by a group of residents who lived in a particular area of the city in which he lived.

They told him that a group of young ruffians had been bullying them, forcing them to pay for protection from bad elements. Several of the older folks had been beaten for refusing to comply. They asked their folk hero for help.

Although he was silver haired, Zhang did not hesitate or refuse. He placed himself on the street where these younger hoodlums frequently walked. It didn't take long for them to notice him and they walked up to him, telling him that he had to pay for their protective services. Naturally, Zhang suggested that they put their services where the sun doesn't shine and they lunged at him, intent on teaching this old man a lesson he wouldn't soon forget.

Witnesses said that Zhang became a blur and within seconds, the three young pukes were on the ground& unconscious. Many people (including a number of his students) said that he certainly must have applied some kind of secret techniques to defeat three young men but Zhang insisted that he'd just used some very basic movements. There are no secret techniques.

There are special principles upon which all of the techniques are based. These principles can only be learned gradually. After several decades of practice, I have come to understand that principles are the important thing& regardless of technique. Without the proper application of certain principles, technique is worthless.

Students often wonder why I usually begin drills with a basic reverse punch (pengquan). “Surely”, they think, “We have learned this technique! We've learned the principle(s) that make it work, too. Why do we keep repeating it?” And the answer is, “No, you haven t learned all of the principles. Yet. Keep practicing and you will eventually understand. A reverse punch isn't just a reverse punch. A front kick isn't just a front kick.”

There's more to it than you can see. What is seen is just the outer shell. But like a glacier, there's much more that lies beneath the outer surface. You must study, practice, and find these principles. A good teacher is indispensable. Just as “Enlightenment (nirvana) isn't what you think”, so it is with the simple reverse punch.