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SHAOLIN WAHNAM VIDEO CLIP GALORE
Enjoying Energy Flow
Shaolin Wahnam Video Clips to be downloaded
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THE SHAOLIN MOVIE
By courtesy of Sifu Tim Franklin of Shaolin Wahnam England
Shrouded in mystery for over 1500 years, passed down from master to master, it’s a system of meditation, a way to enhance internal energy and develop the Mind. But can it be used effectively for fighting?
The size of the video clip is 5.11 mb.
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Please note that the classification is arbitrary and there can be overlapping.
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Forgetting that kungfu is a martial art meant for real fighting, many people confuse it with a martial sport like Taekwondo and Wrestling where participants are protected by safety rules. Some video clips showing fighting scenes highlight the stark reality, and sometimes brutality, of a fighting art. But a high-level kungfu practitioner needs not, and should not, be brutal, even when his opponents are. This is possible through internal cultivation, which not only enhances his fighting skills but also leads him to spiritual joys. As part of internal training, the spirit or essence behind the external kungfu movements is manifested.
Due to their lack of exposure, many martial artists, including masters, do not believe in internal force. Actually everybody has internal force! The force that digests the food you ate, that keeps harmful bacteria and viruses under control, that regulates your blood pressure and body temperature, and does countless other things to keep you alive, is internal force. When we say that a person has internal force, we are speaking relatively, we mean he has much more internal force than ordinary people.
The video clips in this category show some applications of internal force. As usual, the videos were taken impromptu during training and are released without editing. There are three main functions of internal force. The most important is to maintain life. The second function is to enhance life. The third function is to enable you to do better in whatever you do..
Chi kung (or qigong) is the art of energy. This means that if a practitioner has no experience of chi, the exercise or art he practices is not chi kung. Yet, an overwhelming majority of those who say they practice chi kung never have any energy experience.
The most fundamental chi kung experience is chi flow. It is because life itself is a meaningful flow of chi, or energy. When chi flows smoothly, it results in good health. When the flow is vigorous, it results in vitality. When there is abundant supply of chi, it results in longevity. When chi flow clears mental blockage, it results in mental clarity. When chi flow opens the heart, it results in spiritual joys.
For various reasons many people do not believe in the remarkable results that can be obtained from practicing high level genuine chi kung, Shaolin Kungfu or Taijiquan. While it is commendable to debunk bogus claims, on the other hand it is unwise to discredit genuine claims simply because they appear too good to be true. We in Shaolin Wahnam do not wish to waste our time attempting to convince close-minded skeptics. But we offer evidence for those who may be interested to find out whether our claims are true, as well as the opportunities to share the benefits with us if they are deserving. The benefits derive from practicing our arts include overcoming so-called incurable diseases, enjoying good health, vitality and longevity, feeling of peace, freedom and happiness, and acquiring cosmic wisdom and attaining spiritual fulfillment. The video clips in this category show some of these achievements.
After an intensive training session, course participants to the VIP Taijiquan Course of September 2005 at Villa de Leyva in Colombia, most of whom are corporate presidents and their wives, gathered together for some good wine and singing. They invited Sifu Wong and the instructors, who happily joined them. Sifu Wong mentions that there is a Chinese saying as follows, “Singing and drinking wine in good company – how often can that occur in life?” It is, of course. a rhetoric question, meaning we should value such rare opportunities. It is also in line with the Shaolin Wahnam concept of a scholar-warrior, one who excels in his work as well as enjoys life wholesomely.
The Intensive Shaolin Kungfu Course of October 2006 in Malaysia was one of the best ever held. All the participants prepared themselves well before attending the course. Hence they focused on developing skills rather than learning techniques, and all the sixteen basic combat sequences were completed ahead of time, enabling the participants explore other aspects of kungfu training, like familiarizing themselves with techniques, tactics and skills useful for dealing with opponents of other martial systems.
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Singing and Drinking Wine in Good Company
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While a kungfu set is mainly used for demonstration in many other schools, in Shaolin Wahnam it serves many useful purposes, such as
- Learning kungfu techniques
- Ensuring the correctness of forms
- Practicing footwork and body-movement
- Practicing “six harmonies”
- Regulating breathing
- Developing force
- Practicing combat application
- Generating energy flow
- Attaining a focused mind
In kungfu, skills are generally more important than techniques. While set practice provides a holistic training of many kungfu skills, specific methods are employed to train particular skills. These methods include moving in stances to train agility, swaying in the breeze to enjoy chi flow, going into meditation to enter Zen (Tao or a chi kung state of mind), pattern practice to enhance techniques, and sequence practice for combat application.
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Miscellaneous Techniques, Combat Sequences and Combination Sets
Combat efficiency is an important aspect of kungfu, any styles of kungfu, including Taijiquan of course. Unfortunately most kungfu practitioners today cannot apply their kungfu for combat. Most of them merely perform kungfu forms, beautiful the forms may be. Going from solo form practice to free sparring is a sure way to spar haphazardly or like children. A systematic sparring methodology is necessary. In Shaolin Wahnam, practicing miscellaneos techniques, combat sequences and combination sets is an important link between solo form practice and free sparring. Some of the video clips show training methods used in Shaolin Wahnam more than 20 years ago.
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Many people have the mis-conception that free sparring is absent in kungfu. In fact, free sparring, known as “san da” in Chinese, which literally means “miscellaneous fighting”, i.e. fighting without following a pre-arranged set of patterns, was a very important aspect of kungfu training in the past. But unlike present day practitioners who regard free sparring as the main way, sometimes the only way, to train combat application, in genuine, traditional kungfu, free sparring has never been used to teach fighting – it is used to test or confirm whether the practitioners can fight. Hence, it comes at the end, not at the beginning, of a long process of combat training. This category shows many video clips where Shaolin Wahnam members free spar using typical kungfu patterns. None of the movements have been pre-arranged.
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Kungfu, especially Shaolin, is extremely rich in weapons. In the past, weapon training was more important than unarmed combat. This was logical as using a weapon to fight was more effective than using bare hands.
But now as carrying weapons about is generally illegal, are there still benefits in weapon training. Yes, there are a few good reasons why weapons are still practiced today, such as preserving kungfu traditions, developing skills in the use of weapons that can be transferred to unarmed combat, and being able to use everyday tools as improvised weapons or to defend against them.
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Weapon Sets at Intensive Weapon Course
Participants at the Intensive Weapon Course of June 2006 probably created world record in learning seven kungfu weapon sets as well as their philosophy and combat application in five days! The video clips are meant to help course participants review these weapon sets, namely "Flowing Water Staff", "Plume Flower Single Knife", "Travelling Dragon Sword", "Thirteen-Technique Spear", "Green Dragon Crescent Moon Knife", "Taming Tiger Big Trident" and "Travelling Dragon Cresent Moon Spear".
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Kungfu Techniques against Western Boxing
As many martial artists today use Boxing techniques in combat, if you wish to be combat efficient it is natural that you should be familiar with the kungfu techniques and skills that are appropriate against Boxing. Many kungfu practitioners are ignorant of this. As a result they do badly when facing a Boxer or a martial artist of any style who uses Boxing techniques. Often, the kungfu practitioners themselves would throw their own kungfu training to the winds, and fight like a Boxer too. Doing so would result in two serious setbacks for them. Firstly, they fight in a way they are not trained to do so. Secondly, they fight in a way that is most favorable to their opponent, because wittingly or unwittingly they are playing to the rules of the opponent’s game. Tthere are many kungfu techniques and skills that are particularly favorable to the kungfu exponents against a Boxer. The video clips here show some of these techniques and skills.
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Kungfu Techniques against Muay Thai and Kick-Boxing
Many kungfu practitioners are scared to fight against Muay Thai fighters, and to a lesser extent against Kick Boxers, because Muay Thai is ferocious and highly destructive. Muay Thai kicks are fast and powerful, and many kungfu practitioners feel that even if they could block the kicks, their arms could be broken or badly damaged. But of course, if you understand the underlying combat philosophy and have the necessary skills and techniques, fighting against Muai Thai fighters and Kick Boxers, or against any other martial artists, is not difficult. We in Shaolin Wahnam are very lucky because Sigung Ho Fatt Nam was a professional Muay Thai fighter before, and he passed down many fighting secrets to us. Moreover, Sifu Kai Uwe is also a master of Muay Thai, besides being a master of many other martial arts, and he has generously shared many techniques and skills that are effective for fighting against Muay Thai and Kick-Boxing.
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The Karate attacks shown in the pictures are similar to attacks in Shaolin Kungfu using the following patterns – “Devil King Waves Fan“, “Monkey Steals Peach”, “Horizontally Sweeping Thousand Soldiers”, and “Double Dragons Play with Water”. There are many counters against these attacks. Two examples against each of the attacks are “Cross Hands Arm Lock”, “Single Leg Flying Crane”, “Golden Thread Suspends Gourd”, “Reverse Hanging of Golden Lotus”, “Han Emperor Chops Snake”, “Lohan Tames Tiger”, “Hungry Tiger Snatches Goat”, and “Farmer Hoes Field”.
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Kungfu practitioners are correct when they say that they would kill or maim wrestlers attempting to take them down for a wrestling hold, though many people who are unaware of the crucial difference between a sport and a fighting art would scoff at this statement, dismissing it as a cover-up for their inability to defend (which may actually be true in some cases). But actually there are many kungfu techniques to frustrate a wrestler’s take-down without killing or seriously hurting him. In these video clips Sifu Kai shows some of these techniques. Even when a kungfu practitioner fails to prevent a take-down and is pinned to the ground, there are ways to overcome the holds.
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Counters against Various Throws
For a comprehensive understanding of combat, past masters classified all attacks into four categories, namely striking, kicking, felling and gripping. This video series show how participants at the Advanced Combined Shaolin Taijiquan Course conducted by Sifu Wong in July/August 2005, where only senior disciples were invited, countered typical Judo throws. Sifu Kai Uwe Jettkandt, who is also a master of Judo, kindly explained and demonstrated important Judo throws and how to counter them. He explained that Judo throws might be grouped into three categories, namely forward throws, sideway throws and backward throws.
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Various Ways of Striking with the Fist in Shaolin Kungfu
It has been commonly said by some kungfu practitioners that they could not use kungfu techniques to fight well in competitions because they have to wear gloves. This is actually an excuse. The real reason is that they have never trained to fight using kungfu techniques. While it is true that wearing gloves may inhibit their use of many kungfu techniques where other hand forms like tiger-claws and dragon forms are needed, there are still more techniques in kungfu than any other martial arts using the fists with gloves on. In other words, if a glove-wearing kungfu exponent just uses some of these twelve types of punches, and nothing else, he will have more techniques as well as more ways to use them than many other martial artists.
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Shaolin Kungfu Sets in Picture Series and Video Clips
The following Shaolin Kungfu sets – “Lohan Asks the Way”, “Black Tiger Steals Heart”, “Fierce Tiger Speeds through Valley”, “Happy Bird Hops up Branch” and “Felling Tree with Roots” – are shown in this video series. Learning the sets before their combat application is for the sake of expediency – enabling you to get the best benefits from the Intensive Course as well as making the best use of computer technology. Historically, combat application came first. After years of actual fighting, past masters stylized their fighting movements into patterns. Later these patterns were linked into sequences. Then the sequences were linked into sets. We shall relive this process during the Intensive Shaolin Kungfu Course.
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Shaolin kungfu sets for Intensive Shaolin Kungfu Course
This video series provide video clips as well as still pictures to help participants to the Intensive Shaolin Kungfu Course in Malaysia to familiarlize themselves with the kungfu sets to be used for combat application during the course. The sets are “Lohan Asks the Way”, “Black Tiger Steals Heart”, “Fierce Tiger Speeds through Valley”, “Happy Bird Hops up Branch” and “Felling Tree with Roots”. There are also video clips showing how to progress from combat sequences to free sparring..
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Kungfu Sets for Specialized Training
This video series is to help those attending the Special Shaolin Kungfu Course from 21st to 30th September 2005 to familiarize themselves with their chosen specialized sets. The following five sets are chosen: Tiger-Crane, Dragon-Tiger, Five-Animal, Dragon Form and Shaolin Monkey. Course participants will also have to devise combat sequences from their specialized sets.
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The Shaolin Wahnam Sparring Methodology
It is sad that today most kungfu practitioners cannot use their kungfu forms effectively for sparring or fighting even though some of them may be formidable fighters using techniques borrowed from other martial systems like Karate and Kickboxing. Some of our video clips are arranged into a coherent system as follows to show how we train sparring. We use our Shaolin Wahnam Sparring Methodology for both Shaolin Kungfu and Wahnam Taijiquan, but as we already have released a series of video clips on
Taijiquan Combat Application and another on
Basic Taijiquan Training, the series of video clips below on Sparring Methodology are taken from Shaolin Kungfu.
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Asking whether kungfu can be used for combat almost sounds silly! "Kungfu" means "martial art", and if it cannot be used for combat then it is not a martial art. Hence, questioning whether a particular style of kungfu can be used for combat is questioning whether it is genuine kungfu. This video series shows the training sessions as they were at the regional Shaolin Kungfu course in England in July 2005 where combat application was an important objective. None of the course participants sustained any injury at all in their sparring. Instead they had much fun and fraternization besides other more lasting benefits like promoting good health and mental clarity.
The Eighteen-Lohan Fist became the prototype of Shaolin Kungfu. Over the centuries there were many versions of this Lohan Kungfu set taught by different masters during different periods in the long history of the Shaolin Temple. But whatever the version, it was a beautiful set comprising the fundamentals of Shaolin Kungfu. A shorter vision of the “Eighteen-Lohan Fist” was also practiced, and it was called “Xiao Lohan Quan”, or “Little Lohan Fist” to differentiate from the longer version called “Da Lohan Quan” or “Big Lohan Fist”.
To test whether the Shaolin Wahnam Sparring Methodology is effective for beginners, Sifu Wong used it on a regional Shaolin Kungfu course held on 18th, 19th and 20th August 2005 in Soria, Spain The results were inspiring – in just three days the students could spar reasonably well using typical kungfu techniques and skills. The following video clips show their training sessions as they were, without any pre-arrangement or editing.
Sparring by kungfu masters in the past had the following characteristics:
In January 2007 Grandmaster Wong conducted a five-day regional Taijiquan course at the Guan Yin Temple on the Blue Mountain in Costa Rica where course participants ranged from fresh beginners to masters. The course covers the Wahnam Taijiquan training methodology from basics to free sparring. The series of video clips below record this training programme, and may serve as a reference source for Taijiquan practitioners.
How could the participants learn all the defence techniques in just four days when there are countless different forms of attack? The solution lies in the cost-effectiveness of the teaching methodology, an example of which is shown in this video series. Here Sifu Wong teaches the participants only one Taijiquan pattern, “Green Dragon Shoots Pearl”, to handle all attack situations! In this way, the participants can save a lot of time. They are very cost-effective.
Many Taijiquan masters in the past considered the ability to use mind to direct chi to direct form as a very advanced skill. Such a skill gives the exponent numerous benefits. He will not be panting for breath or physically tired, yet his movements can be fast and powerful. Although many people may find it hard to believe, this was what a few participants to the Intensive Taijiquan Course of January 2006 did.
A series of video clips from a specially designed four-day Wahnam Taijiquan course for corporate presidents and their wives conducted at Villa de Leyva on the Andes Mountain in September 2005. The course, full of fun and laughter, enables these leaders of commerce and industries to manage stress and attain peak performance, besides learning some essential self-defence.
Many of our students were very surprised at what they had learnt in our basic courses. They said that what we termed as “basic courses” should be called “advanced courses”, because they learned in the first few days in our basic courses what others would learn only after many years of studying with a master. For example, a student would consider himself lucky if he could learn how to enter Tao and generate an energy flow after many years, but we did this on the very first day in our basic courses. Our explanation is as follows. To us, “basic” means fundamental or very important, the foundation upon which all future development will depend. Therefore we teach the “basics” at the very beginning so that our students will be cost-effective as they continue their learning and practice with us, with other masters or on their own.
As part of our effort to share our knowledge and experience with those who believe that Taijiquan can be effectively used for combat, and that sparring practice can be fun, without the necessity of sustaining injury, the following video clips revealing our sparring methodology are released. These video clips were taken impromptu on the spot – without prior preparation and without editing. They showed our training sessions as they were, including the mistakes we made. Although it may not be so obvious from the video clips, observant viewers may notice another point we have often mentioned, i.e. with proper training, especially in breath control, one can be relaxed and not tired after hours of sparring.
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Combat sequence training is an important part of our Shaolin Wahnam sparring methodology, and has helped us to be combat efficiency. More significantly, combat sequence training has given us many useful principles and skills that can enrich our lives and the lives of other people. The twelve basic combat sequences of Wahnam Taijiquan are shown in this series of video clips to enable our students to learn them more easily. If you do not understand the principles and tactics mentioned in the short notes below, do not worry. These will be practiced during the Intensive Taijiquan Course. Please be reminded that while knowing their forms is useful, what is more important are the skills developed and the principles experienced in the combat training.
The following Wahnam Taijiquan sets – “White Crane Flaps Wings”, “White Snake Shoots Venom”, “Green Dragon Shoots Pearl”, “Black Bear Sinks Hips” and “Carry Tiger Back to Mountain” – are shown in slow motion in this video series. More important than set practice are combat application and internal force training. And even more important is to apply the principles and skills learnt in combat application and internal force training to our daily work and play so that we can enrich our life as well as the lives of other people. Historically, combat application came first. After years of actual fighting, past masters stylized their fighting movements into patterns. Later these patterns were linked into sequences. Then the sequences were linked into sets.
This video series provides video clips showing the Wahnam Taijiquan sets that are used in the Intensive Taijiquan Course for training fundamental skills, techniques, and combat application. The sets are “White Crane Flaps Wings”, “White Snake Shoots Venom”, “Green Dragon Shoots Pearl”, “Black Bear Sinks Hips” and “Carry Tiger Back to Mountain”. Those used to Yang Style Taijiquan being performed slowly may think these sets look more like Shaolin Kungfu, but if we examine what has been recorded in Taijiquan classics, we believe these sets may actually be closer to what Yang Lu Chan practiced!
Many people, including the participants themselves, were amazed that one could use typical Taijiquan skills and techniques to spar, without resorting to bouncing about and freestyle fighting, after just five days of training at the Shaolin Wahnam Centre in Costa Rica in February 2005, especially when some of the participants were new to Taijiquan and other martial arts. The course participants were also very pleased that not only they were not injured at all in the sparring, but also they were not panting for breath or tired after sparring for a few hours! More significantly, they found the training full of fun and laughter, vastly different from the “ability to take punishment” concept many people may have regarding sparring. Most significantly, they found the training a rewarding experience, which it should be, where they learned how to be relaxed even in demanding situations, to regulate their use of energy effectively, and to make quick, correct decisions.
To further our effort to help Taijiquan practitioners to spar or fight using Taijiquan, we release the following video clips, still pictures and explanations on our Wahnam Taijiquan combat sequences. Combat sequence training is an important link enabling practitioners to apply their combat skills and techniques for free sparring or real fighting. The twelve combat sequences released below were demonstrated by Sifu Jaffrey Segal of Australia and Sifu Javier Galve of Spain in 2002 immediately after their Special Taijiquan Course with Sifu Wong in Malaysia.
These video were taken impromptu during a regional Taijiquan course on 15th, 16th and 17th August 2005 in Soria, Spain where most of the participants had no previous martial art experience. Yet, within three days, they could apply typical Taijiquan techniques and skills to defend themselves, often at opponents who were much bigger and stronger. More significantly, not only no one was hurt in the sparring, all of them enjoyed themselves. Their Taijiquan, practiced as chi kung, also helps them to overcome pain and illness, increase vitality and mental freshness, and experience happiness and inner peace. Many people may find this hard to believe, but it is true.
Participants of the regional Taijiquan course at the Shaolin Wahnam Centre in Costa Rica in February 2005 applied typical Wahnam Taijiquan patterns for combat although some of them were new to Taijiquan and the course was of only five days duration! Not only the course participants were totally free from injury in their sparring but there was much laughter and fun in their combat training -- two points that are of particular significance today when classmates often hurt themselves in their friendly sparring. Although it may not be so obvious from the video clips, observant viewers may notice that with proper training, especially in breath control, one can be relaxed and not tired after hours of sparring.
To us the basics refer to those aspects of Taijiquan training upon which all future development depends. They include
Pushing Hands is a very important aspect of Taijiquan, but it is often neglected. One main reason for its neglect is that it is seldom explained in Taijiquan books. Pushing Hands is an ingenuous method to develop many combat skills in Taijiquan. While such methods are also found in other kungfu styles, like “Sticking Hands” in Wing Choon and “Kneading Hands” in Wuzuquan, it is in Taijiquan that this method has evolved to be most sophisticated. The video clips below show course participants to the Intensive Taijiquan Course of January 2006 in Malaysia develop various Taijiquan combat skills.
Kungfu has been watered down so badly that today many martial artists, including kungfu practitioners, either doubt whether these concepts are possible, or have mis-conceived ideas of what they are. Many martial artists, for example, mistakenly believe that internal force and spiritual cultivation in kungfu are only myths, and that sparring is necessarily painful and brutal. Hopefully these video clips may rectify these mis-conceptions and enable them to derive more benefits in their own practice. They serve as visual evidence to show that chi and internal force are real, and can be cultivated not just for combat but for enriching daily life; that kungfu can be used for combat, and sparring can be safe and fun; and that kungfu training is a process of spiritual cultivation, and inner joy and satori, or a glimpse of cosmic reality, are still attainable today.
Can kungfu be used for fighting? The question itself is odd because by definition kungfu is a fighting art. This means that if you cannot use your kungfu for fighting, then what you practice is not genuine kungfu; it is what past masters called “flowery fists and embroidery kicks”. How would kungfu practitioners fight? Of course they fight using kungfu pattern! The answer is so logical that the question seems silly. It is like asking how would footballers play football, or how would pianists play the piano. Of course they perform using the techniques and skills they have practiced. The video clips in this series show some basic training in kungfu combat. How do we know the training is effective? We know because we speak from experience.
Why can’t kungfu practitioners spar with kungfu patterns? There are many ways to answer this embarrassing, yet prevalent, question though the different answers actually point to the same reason. They lack the methodology. The video clips in this and other series show some of the lessons of the Intensive Shaolin Kungfu Course of September 2005 to train the basic skills and techniques in using kungfu for sparring and real combat. They also show some wonderful spiritual experiences.
Spiritual cultivation is non-religious. In Shaolin Kungfu and Taijiquan, spiritual cultivation occurs at all levels of training, and not just at the highest level. In the Intensive Shaolin Kungfu Course, the very first lesson is to enter Zen, whereas in the Intensive Taijiquan Course, the very first lesson is to enter Tao. This is initiation into spiritual cultivation. As a result, course participants feel inner peace and joy. These are some immediate benefits of spiritual cultivation.
How to move into an opponent as well as how to respond to an opponent’s initiate move are two important aspects in combat training, but are often neglected by many martial artists. Two important principles in moving in to attack are to avoid giving “free offers” and to secure the best combat advantages. At advanced levels, you can also set the pace and nature of the combat, as well as tricking the opponent into making his first move from which you can follow up accordingly. Some martial artists believe that the first one to attack has lost the fight. This is not necessarily true, but it shows that the responder has an advantage over the initiator as he can exploit the initial move. However, if you are skillful, you may turn the table around. Your initial move can be a feint or a “lead”.
As many martial artists today use Boxing techniques to spar or fight, being able to counter a Boxer’s attacks is essential if we wish to be combat efficient. The forte of Boxing is not its techniques but its skills. In other words, despite his limited techniques, a Boxer can be a formidable fighter. Even when a kungfu exponent knows the techniques to counter a Boxer’s attacks, in real life he may be unable to do so if the Boxer is skillful. And Boxers are generally skillful. If we wish to apply kungfu for combat, we need to know the techniques against Boxing, otherwise we ourselves would be fighting like Boxers. We have to chose those techniques that are best suited to fight Boxing, then develop our skills to apply them so that although a Boxer may be skillful we still can match or surpass him using our kungfu skills and techniques.
The video clips in this series show some of the lessons where the “Sun Moon Manifest Glory” set was composed by participants to the Special Shaolin Kungfu Course of September 2005. The set comprises of combat sequences the participants worked out by the participants to counter typical Boxing attacks. Each participant takes turn to imitate typical Boxing attacks and his training partner demonstrates the kungfu counters against them, while Sifu Wong comments on the strength or weakness of their choices. The video clips are meant as a review for the participants as well as source material for other Shaolin Wahnam members to understand some processes involved in the composition of a kungfu set
How did kungfu masters in the past spar and fight? Did they practice free sparring? Of course they sparred. Without sparring they would not be able to fight, no matter for how they practiced their solo kungfu sets. But having undergone appropriate combat application training, performing kungfu sets was an effective way to enhance their fighting. Kungfu masters in the past fought extremely well, and they fought using typical kungfu skills and patterns.
Why did a kungfu master use a particular pattern and not another pattern, or why a particular pattern in a certain way and not in other ways? It was because that particular pattern in a particular way in a given combat situation gave him certain advantages over his opponent. Participants to the Special Shaolin Kungfu Course of September 2005 in Malaysia had an experience of this process in kungfu development. They went over the combat sequences they had composed using patterns from their specialized sets. Then Sifu Wong helped them to refine their sequences.
What should we do if an opponent does not fight the way we want him to? Would our combat sequences still be useful if our opponents do not use the techniques or fight in the order we have planned in our combat sequences. The combat sequences are still very useful, but we have to make adjustment. The adjustment can be at a technical level or at a sequential level. In our sparring methodology, the technical adjustment corresponds to an “addition”, whereas the sequential adjustment corresponds to an “external change” or an “internal change”.
The real beauty of Shaolin Kungfu lies not in its demonstration, although it is actually beautiful to watch, but in its application, both for combat as well as non-combat purposes. Practicing Shaolin Kungfu correctly gives us good health and vitality enabling us to enjoy our work and play everyday of our life for a long, long time. At its higher level, it gives us spiritual joy.
At the Special Shaolin Kungfu Course of September 2005, course participants employed patterns form their specialized sets to work out suitable combat sequences based on various themes. After refining their patterns and sequences, the participants linked them together into combat sequence-sets. The video clips here show both their effort and result concerning the Dragon Form Set and the Dragon-Tiger Set.
Obviously, if your opponent fights haphazardly but you use appropriate techniques, if all other things were equal, you would be a more efficient fighter than he is. If your opponent uses individual techniques but you use combat sequences, you would be more combat efficient. Then, why do most kungfu practitioners today fight haphazardly? Why don’t they use kungfu techniques or combat sequences? The answer is actually straight-forward. Surprisingly it may be, most of them do not even realize this philosophy. Further, even when they realize it, they lack the methodology to do so.
As attacks come randomly in free sparring, can pre-arranged sequences be useful? While this is a sensible and logical question, it shows that the many kungfu practitioners, including some masters, who ask this question, have no experience of systematic combat training. The answer is not only that such training is useful, it is necessary if one wishes to be proficient in kungfu sparring. A failure to understand this philosophy is one major cause of the pathetic low level of kungfu sparring today. It is now an open secret that not only kungfu students but also instructors and even some masters cannot apply their kungfu techniques in sparring or fighting – even though some of them may be formidable fighters using techniques of other martial systems.
It is ironical that many kungfu practitioners today not only cannot use kungfu in free sparring, they even believe that it is not possible! If nothing drastic is done to arrest this situation, genuine traditional kungfu may be lost forever within the next two generations. We in Shaolin Wahnam are dedicated to do our part to arrest this alarming situation. We are even ready to teach our sparring methodology to deserving kungfu practitioners, including masters, of other styles without their having to owe allegiance to our school. We are proud that everyone who has learnt kungfu, including Taijiquan of course, from us for longer than half a year can use kungfu for combat. At the same time we realize that while practicing kungfu looses its meaning without its combat function, there are many other more worthwhile benefits from kungfu training besides being able to fight.
Shaolin Kungfu is very rich in weapons. The most representative of Shaolin weapons is the staff. This “Ho Family Flowing Water Staff” is a legacy transmitted to use from Sigung Ho Fatt Nam. Earlier, this staff set was kept as top secret within the Ho Family. Sigong Ho was the first one to teach it to some inner-chamber disciples outside the Ho Family, and Sifu Wong was one of the few lucky persons to learn it.
It is called “Flowing Water Staff” after the kungfu principle, “Yow kiew kiew seong kor, Mo kiew soon shui lau”, which means “If there is a bridge, go along the bridge; If there is no bridge, flow with the water”, and which summarizes the combat philosophy of the set.
Can Kungfu be Used for Combat?
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Combat Application of Da Lohan Quan
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Testing the Shaolin Sparring Methodology on Beginners
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We in Shaolin Wahnam aspire to these qualities of past kungfu masters in sparring.
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Wahnam Taijiquan Training from Basics to Free Sparring
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Mind to Direct Chi to Move Form
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Basic Wahnam Taijiquan Training
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Combat Sequences of Wahnam Taijiquan -- Solo Practice
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Wahnam Taijiquan Sets for Intensive Taijiquan Course
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Basic Taijiquan Training in Shaolin Wahnam
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Combat Sequences of Wahnam Taijiquan -- Sifu Javier and Sifu Jeffrey
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Applying Taijiquan in Free Sparring in 3 Days!
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What you learn at the Intensive Taijiquan Course -- Part 1: Fundamentals of Taijiquan
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How do You Use Kungfu for Combat?
(Lessons from the Intensive Shaolin Kungfu Course 2005 Part 2)
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The Secret of Sparring Methodology
(Lessons from the Intensive Shaolin Kungfu Course 2005 Part 3)
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How to Initiate an Attack or Respond to it
(Lessons from the Special Shaolin Kungfu Course 2005 Part 1)
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From Pattern-Sets to Sequence-Sets
(Lessons from the Special Shaolin Kungfu Course 2005 Part 8)
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Intensive Courses offered by Sifu Wong
times 15th January 2005
