Inside Kung Fu - September 2008

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SEPTEMBER 2Ot)8 VOL" 36, NO.9
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Features
26 ort of options
Master Craftsman
\X/hen you have no choice but to fight,
Despite his Holll'rvood
explois, rraditional manial aniss
recognize Gerald Okamura as
one of the world's top
weapons practitioners.
let wing chun help you get out alive.
By Gilberl M. De Los Reyes
32
.lxo'= Science of Integration
The integration of martia.l arts systems has
By Dave Cater
never been more prevalent than in the art
ofjeet kune do. By Ton Barell
38 oestroy, Trap, Lock
The
essence
of control and domination in
self-defense can be found in the Presas-
inspired DTL. By Kelly S. Worden
50 wino Beneath
Your Wings
\find-Fire \fheel Chi-Kung
is a rich blend
of simplicity, intensiry and coordination of mind and body.
By Dr. Steve L. Sun
54
uonot Thy Master
Legendary bagua master Chiao Chang-
Hung was a stern taskmaster who
demanded only the best from his students.
By Janes W. McNeil
60 H."ny Metal
Choy li fut's rwin metal shields regimen
gives students a ch*nce to expe-rience the.
past. By Doc-Fai Wong
66 w"*iog' th* steeping Giant
Bokator is a unique and lethal martial art
to but the
Khmers, 8yAntanlo6raeotra ,, ,,
t"hat no one can lay claim
76
tron Ring's lron Man
Sifir Terrance \(alker is working a realiry
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INSIDE
I(UNG-FU
j
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show for BET called "Iron Ring," training
many of Atlanta's hip hop artisrs and mainraining his kung-fu school. See how he does
it. By Mark Malcolm
insidekung-fu.com
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o the extent possible, one must avoid a fight. As in
war, diplomacy precedes and efforts exerted to
avoid an all-out confrontation. Negotiate, not
because you are fearful, but because fighting benefits no one. However, if all efforls fail to avert, and
a fight is unavoidable, then one must keep in mind the following points in fighting:
First and foremost, the objective of a fight is io win, not a
protracted demonstration of skill no matter how beautifully
executed. This is to paraphrase Sun Tzu, who wrote the
same thing about war in his classic book, The Arl of War.
Sink your chi to lower your center of gravity and harness
your internal energy while maintaining eye contract with the
opponent.
Make the first move to gain control. That is the wing chun
dictum.
With no fear, charge into the opponent with agile movement, and immediately execute three moves"
Be ferocious, with fast fist, powerful strikes and perfect
timing.
Remain calm and focused in the midst of motions, and aim
for relaxed power.
Destroy the opponent's centerline to control the arm
bridge.
Follow up with devastating techniques until the opponent is
completely immobilized or unable to fight back.
Strive to end the fight quickly. Wing chun maxim says, "To
win in an instant is a superior achievement."
Lastly, especially in streetfighting, leave the area immer-l
i
SLIDING TO CLOSE THE GAP-Sifu Jose Grados faces hrs
opponent in a ready position (1). Grados quickly slides his left
foot forward to bring him close enough to strike the oppo-
nent's forearm (2).
a+alr,
ln a confrontational situation, the parties, initially, might be
standing a few feet away from each other. The distance
between them is referred to as "the gap." Wing chun is a
close-quarter fighting system, and to be effective, the wing
chun practitioner has to be no more than an arm's length
from the opponent. Therefore, in a fight the wing chun practitioner must quickly and effectively close the gap while maintaining control of the situation.
As ideal as it is to make the first move to gain control, in
reality this may not happen all the time. A lot depends on the
aggression of the opponent, including his martial arls training,
which may include wing chun itself and the site of the confrontation. ln the context of the modern world, one must con-
sider the social situation of the confrontation, including the
presence or absence of eyewitness and the legal implicatlon
of the action.
Regardless of the situation, Miyamoto Musashi said in Ihe
Book of Five,?rngs there are only three ways that an initlal
attack will happen: you initiate the attack, the opponent initiates the attack or both simultaneously initiate the attack.
ln closing the gap, there are four key elements that must be
considered:
Timing
Structure of the angle
Technique
Power
' ..t'I
SKIPPING TO CLOSE THE GAP-Sifu Grados gets ready to skip
from the back leg (1). Grados c/oses the gap, simultaneously kicks
the opponent's knee and attacks hrs eyes with a bil sau (2).
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sEPTEMBER
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Trnrng-Musashi said there is a rhythm to everything, and
victory is achieved by ascerlaining the rhythm of the opponent and attacking with a rhythm not expected by the opponent. Timing is akin to rhythm, which has a deeper meaning
as used by Musashi. There are four basic types of timing:
Regular Timing, Created Timing, Breaking Timing and Double
or Delayed Timing. ln explaining the types of timing, wing
chun master Augustine Fong uses the door in an interesting
FRONT-ON ATTACK-Sffu Jose Grados skrps fo close the gap
and pushes the asking hand to the side while simultaneously
kicking the lead knee to shock the opponent (1). He destroys
the opponent's structure with a square punch to the iaw and a
trapping left elbow (2). Grados maintains control by putting
pressure on the shoulder as he quickly shifts legs (3). Grados
traps the opponent's left leg and chops the throat as he controls the left arm (4). Grados applies the finishing blow (5).
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analogy:
Regular Timing is the period between the time when the
door opens and when it closes. lf you are too fast, you will
walk into the door that is not yet open. lf you are too slow, the
door will close on your face. Corollary to this, wing chun has
an axiom that says, "Strike when you should, do not strike
when you should not."
Created Tlming is when you knock on the door to get
somebody to open it. As soon as the door opens, you barge
in. Created Timing means you are initiating the attack. You
can accomplish this, for example, by throwing a punch to
insidekunq-fu.com
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"Tho
Sl DE-ANGLE ATTAGK
focus of the uirtq chlln
attnc[t is [he vertical centerline
"
force the opponent to block while you immediately attack with
the other hand.
Breaking Timing is when someone inside is starling to open
the door to go out, and you rush in before he can come out.
This is when your opponent starts an attacking motion, such as
throwing a punch, and you stop it by cutting with a punch
before he can complete his. ln more familiar terms, this is called
"beating the opponent to the punch."
Double or Delayed Timing is when you knock on the door to
get someone to open it. When it opens you stand there and
wait. When he moves to close the door, you barge in. One situation is when the opponent attacks, and you deflect or evade.
As the opponent pulls back, you launch your attack. Wing chun
says, "Retain what comes in, send off what is retreating."
Structure of the Angle-The focus of the wing chun attack
is the vedical centerline, the imaginary line that runs from the
top of the head to the ground. Visualize it as an engineer's
plumb. The vedical centerline divides the body into two sides,
whether the opponent is facing squared at you, at an angle or
insidekung-fu.com
- Grados c/oses the
gap with a slide step, and stops an attack
by executing a highllow gaun sau (1). He
continues the circling block to trap
both arms, while he steps to t ?e
side and shocks the opponent by
sliding a left square punch
along his right arm to his
i $ law (2). Switching hands,
gi
*
Grados throws a right
punch that desfroys the
structure (3). Grados circles his right leg to the
r.li.i
l;"^"
left, while delivering a
chop to the throat. Grados flnishes the oppo-
nent
(4).
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RCLING ATTACK - Ifie opponent
throws a right punch. Sifu Grados
blocks with right huen sau (1). Grados
immediately counters with a left chop
to the throat as lre sfeps to the side (2).
He follows it up with a right knee strike
to the midsection (3). He steps down
and quickly delivers a left knee strike to
the spine simultaneous with another
chop to the throat (4). Grados moves to
the back as he s/rps into choking hold
and finishes the opponent (5).
Cf
standing sideways. lt serves as the axis of rotation; thus, it is
the most stable area of the body. By attacking the vertical
centerline, the possibility of the attack slipping is avoided or
minimized when the opponent turns to evade,
To determine the best entry of point of attack, one must
assess the body structure of the opponent. ln a fight situation, the vertical centerline is constantly changing, requiring
continuous adjustment and maneuvering to get the line.
Getting the line means you are positioned to penetrate to
the vertical centerline,
The opponent maybe directly facing you, so the entry point
is front-on. Quick, thrusting moves to the centerline in the
inside gate can be applied to destroy his structure. This works
even better with a weaker opponent. However, wing chun
principle warns not to collide with a stronger opponent. Discover a weaker angle to attack. By moving sideways, you may
able to set a trap if the opponent follows. Sun Tzu said that to
make the enemy move, create a situation to which he must
conform. Lure him with a promised profit while you await in
strength.
The opponent may be moving in a circle. Follow the circle in
the opposite direction, as you move in smaller and smaller circle. Then with lightning speed, reverse your direction to block
his movement. The best time to set a trap is when the opponent is halfway through his motion, because he will be
unable stop and change direction. By trapping his foot
lf one is initiating the attack, to close the gap quickly there
before it can complete its stepping motion, the momentum of his movement will throw his structure off balance,
allowing the opportunity to strike.
are three basic leg movements one can employ: sliding,
skipping and stepping. ln the sliding movement, one slides
the lead foot forward, while immediately dragging the back
foot forward. ln the skipping movement, one skips by
pushlng up from the back leg and landing in ready position. ln the stepping movement, one executes quick forward-stepping movements,
Trapping and attacking techniques designed to destroy the
opponent's structure and open the way for the finishing strikes
immediately follow closing the gap.
Power-The use and effectiveness of techniques depend
largely on power. Without power, techniques become merely
empty vessels of motion. There are two aspects of power:
external and internal. ln the external aspect, power comes
from the stance. Some masters even say that power comes
from the energy of the earth, which is the reason proper rooting is imporlant. ln executing a technique, the coordination of
the entire body is important. The proper sequence in quick
succession is that the hands initiate a motion, the body follows, the stance follows and the hands complete the motion.
The internal aspect of power involves chi. This in the stored
energy in the dan tlen, the area located 2 inches below the
navel and 2 inches into the body. Chi is developed through
breathing and meditation. The mind controls the flow of chi
and can be released and directed to any point of the body
when needed. When properly coordinated with the external
aspect, this release of energy is responsible of the "exploding power" in the techniques.O
Technique-One must be skillful and agile in executing all
wing chun techniques from stance, stepping, turning, finger,
fist, palm, elbow, shoulder, body, leg, and trapping tech-
Gilbert M. De Los Reyes studied Chinese maftial arts with naster Alan Lee at his
Kung-Fu Wu-Su Association in New York CiU: and ying jow pai (eagle claw), Wu-sUle
and Yang-sule tai chi with naster Leung Shum. He has been studying wing chun
niques.
with sifu Jose Grados since 1 998.
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