Shaolin Feet and Shaolin Fists

Northern Feet and Southern Fists are deemed a fortuitous mixture. Two strands of Kung Fu educating, embodying different tenets, viewpoints and histories, require to be reconciled. The following autobiographical sketch considers formative influences and vital individuals shaping my have profession in Shaolin Martial Arts

Lineage & Lineal Descent

You should seriously know in which you are coming from and be capable to notify any person who asks your Instructors name & the design and style(s) you exercise (e.g. Changquan)! It is really deemed greater however if you can title your Teachers’ Trainer- just about anything else is nevertheless extra bonus factors.Below are the two lines of educating I have adopted for the very last 38 yrs!

Shaolin Ft

At’a, (Ao Tai) Common of The At any time Victorious Military, was also bodyguard of Captain Charles Gordon (later Normal Gordon of Khartoum), during the T’ai Ping T’ien, often referred to as the Boxer Riot and originated in Malysia. it is really virtually specific Malysian Grandmaster Leong and Grandmaster Chee, who relocated there, understood every single other. Yap Leong, when youthful, lived close to Si Jo (Founder of Type) Leong Fu in Ipoh and appreciates some interesting anecdotes about him! What couple of folks realise is that Grandmaster Leong Fu was also Planet Middleweight Wrestling Champion for 3 consecutive many years just before retiring undefeated–his Chin Na (seize and control approach) need to have been awesome!.

Grandmaster Leong Fu taught Rex Jones, assembly him whilst Rex served in the SAS (Special Air Service) during the Malayan ‘Emergency’ (CE 1948-60) teaching him Ao Tai Dao (At’a’s Way) Jern Jing Kuen Excess fat (Elephant Fist Way) and other Changquan styles including its 5 Animal (Wu Xing) apps and much much more. Snake Variety, the Introductory Variety of Hoan Lung Quan arrives from here. The time period ‘Emergency’ was used consistently as insurance provider, Lloyds of London, would have refused to pay out compensation for ‘War’ destruction! Sifu Jones grew to become Leong Fu’s top rated pupil getting the tile and rank of ‘ ‘Flyiing Dragon’ (Fei Lung).

Si Gung Rex Jones established Fei Lung Quan (Traveling Dragon Modern society) and grew to become my Sifu in 1972, remaining my trainer until eventually he retired around 1992. The tattoo of a Red Dragon, with a single dot higher than it (mark of the no.1 University student) on my remaining forearm, from when I grew to become Sifu, reflects Fei Lung Quan business and construction as currently being far additional tha paper-centered. Hoan Lung Quan (Pink Dragon Culture) operates in a related and connected fashion. Rex also gave me my Chinese title ‘Wo Lei’ (The Fox) which I occasionally use in correspondence- or the Mandarin equal Hu Da Ge (Big Brother Fox).

Shaolin Fists

Grandmaster Chee Kim Thong experienced many notable teachers (1) see “Kung Fu Techniques” Vols. 2-3) (2) and Si Jo Chee’s disciples include things like Yap Cheng-Hai, Chan See-Meng and Yap Leong. I’ve been taught, pretty briefly, at a memorable seminar in London, by Yap Cheng-Hai, but eventually (I am happy to say) situations followed a specified pattern and I turned a ‘closed door’ student of Grandmaster Yap Leong. Yap Leong realized and spoke really of equally Leong Fu and Rex: “He is extremely Fei Lung!” ended up his initial phrases to me about the latter–people who have met him know Yap Leong is not addicted to idle compliments! Hence, my ongoing gratitude toward all my Teachers. Grandmaster Yap Leong welcomed me into ‘The family’ in 1993.

Other Teachers

I’ve also had other lecturers: Shr Yanzi (Head of the Shaolin Temple Uk) for roughly 3 decades, Yang Jwing-Ming (albeit really briefly), most notably John Gunning (Leong Fu disciple and Fei Lung Quan Senior Sifu) and, most not too long ago, Grasp Wu in Beijing recently (whence I intend to return for further more coaching).All of these were being outstanding Instructors whose higher requirements I attempt to emulate to the very best of my means

New Developments

Grandmaster Yap Leong has due to the fact Established Shaolin Fists Global with myself as a Founder Member and Complex advisor. Extended (and continuing) study with him around the very last 18 many years has led me to further more qualify as Sifu in Qigong, undertake Iron Shirt Schooling and grow my knowledge and awareness of Kung Fu and Qigong kinds and techniques substantially.This has basically motivated my Kung Fu and my teaching type, as has his HYL (Wellbeing, Youth & Longevity) Energiser Programme.These desiring deeper understandings of inner energies and Nei/Wei Dan Qigong, an necessary prerequisite for progress to higher Kung Fu grades and training levels, will come across these kinds of structured multi-amount programmes of considerable benefit.

Initially designed to deliver longevity, or everyday living extension on the battlefield, Kung Fu spilled about into daily life in normal. The Chinese Martial artists observed they appreciated a longer lifespan (3) by way of Kung Fu Coaching, 1 in which they could achieve issues they in no way imagined probable. That’s why the recognition of Kung Fu as a ‘way of life’ and as a self-improvement instrument in China which has spilled over into the entire world at big.

All in all, so significantly, it really is been a case otf ‘Nan Chuan: Bei Tui’ Southern Arms and Northern Toes. Though this is regarded as an suitable well balanced martial arts ‘diet’ by some–almost nothing could have been completed with no people excellent teachers whom I have referred to in the system of this textual content except a terrible dose of martial indigestion!

Notes and References

(1) He experienced 6 in all, masking a remarkable range of styles. I am indebted to ‘Toby’ who posted a in-depth comment on an previously variation of this write-up in which striving to abridge a passage from memory, inadvertently I reported he had only a few. He also pointed out that he was succeeded by his son Grasp James Chee who, I beleve, teaches in Australia,

(2) Obtainable from Shaolin Way U.k. (see underneath)

(3) See, for illustration, Allsop, P. (2010) ‘250 Many years Outdated and Nevertheless Potent With Qigong: Chinese Herbalist and Martial Artist Li Ching-Yuen’ EzineArticles.com

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