By Sifu Michael Manganiello 
1-7-2006

            The first thing a prospective student should consider when choosing a school or particular style of martial art is, "What do you expect to gain or achieve by studying this or that particular style, and will this method of study help me achieve those goals?" 

            All martial arts training will increase stamina, focus, concentration, confidence, etc. by their very nature. But different styles and schools tend to put emphasis on particular aspects of training. For instance, if forms competition is a primary goal, aesthetically enhanced styles such as Wu Shu or Northern Eagle Claw with their wide array of high kicks and acrobatics would be more appropriate than say, Wing Chun or Southern Mantis, where the forms are minimalist and conceptual in nature.

            Should sparring/tournament competition be your primary focus, this can run the gamut from light/no contact point sparring to full contact San Shou (e.g. Tae Kwon Do to Muay Thai). If on the other hand, grappling and ground fighting are your cup of chai, the various disciplines of Jiu-Jitsu or Shuai Chiao would more appropriately fit the bill. The key here is to understand the strengths and limitations of each discipline and how that relates to your personal goals.  

            At Ling Nam Siu Lum, the primary focus has always been on Self-Defense and Self-Improvement. That is not to say that I don't train students for tournament competition, I just don't emphasize it as much as commercial schools do. Let us make a distinction in terms here: Self-Defense training involves those techniques and methods which allow a practitioner to incapacitate an opponent as efficiently and quickly as possible, regardless of size, number of opponents and level of threat (armed or unarmed). This requires attacking some of the most vulnerable areas on the body. Such tactics would be taboo in sport competition for obvious safety reasons. The mindset of the self-defense practitioner also poses certain problems in the sporting arena. The Self-Defense practitioner, particularly Southern Kung Fu stylists, by their very nature, are relentless in their attacks. They constantly press forward in their attacks maintaining pressure on the opponent, allowing no quarter, so as to efficiently dispose of the opponent as quickly as possible. This is achieved by controlling the opponent's "bridge" through such methods as sticking, trapping and/or destroying the opponent's bridge.  

            At the highest levels of training, blows are often issued with the single knuckle (Fu Nan Choi /Phoenix Eye Fist) or fingertip (Bil Jee). Target areas are the nerve plexuses and "cavities" (areas that allow you to "seal the air and blood flow"). Kicks are kept primarily low and tight, and are used to bridge the gap and destroy the opponent's structure (breaking the horse). Due to the close proximity of the combatants, blows are often delivered close in, sometimes within inches of the opponent's body. Combined with the Chi Sao (sticky hands) exercises, the practitioner develops a hair-trigger reflexive mechanism that allows him to react instantaneously, by feel (rather than sight), thus executing offense and defense simultaneously. 

            Training Self-Defense is an arduous process that requires constant repetition of specific techniques so as to unlock the mechanism by which that particular move works. Once one understands the concept of how a particular move works, then you can begin to explore the myriad variations of how to apply that move in a real-life situation. This allows you to adapt it to different opponents of varying skill and size. Remember this: IT IS NEVER THE SAME ON THE STREET AS IT WAS IN THE CLASSROOM. There will always be some subtle change in the opponent and/or situation that you must readily adapt to. Only by "touching hands" with numerous training partners and by constant analysis and modification of technique can one achieve this.

            In the beginning, technique training is performed at a slow to moderate pace, with the students concentrating on footwork, hand placement, and target recognition. At this level, the emphasis is placed on form, content, distancing and timing, NOT speed. Poor form, performed quickly, becomes poorer, not better, and often translates SLOWER, due to wasted motion and poor positioning. Speed is the by-product of constant repetition and economy of motion. TRUE SPEED IS EFFORTLESS. 

            As students progress, they will be introduced to many drills and apparatus designed to enhance various facets of training. One of the most peculiar training devices, and one that is unique to the Southern Kung Fu systems is the Mook Yan Jong (Wooden Man). It is used to train the student in the techniques and spatial relations of in fighting, while simultaneously conditioning the hands and limbs to impact. The protruding arms and leg of the Wooden Man can be interpreted to represent the infinite number of combinations possible in close quarters combat. A student must learn to read the "language" of the dummy. Combined with the hand conditioning, focus mitts, and heavy bag drills this provides an outlet for the practitioner to execute techniques at full speed and power safely before moving on to contact training with a partner. It is at this stage that the student will be introduced to Chi-Kung training and Chinese Herbology. Chi-Kung comprises a series of deep breathing and dynamic tension exercises that increase the circulation, strengthen the bone and sinew and enhance the overall, general well-being of the practitioner. At this time the student is also introduced to the vast pharmacopoeia of Chinese Herbology and begins instruction in the making of the various herbal liniments, powders and poultices that are used to prevent and treat the bruises, sprains and strains that can occur during rigorous training. Many of these formulae are hundreds of years old and are amongst some of the most closely guarded secrets of the various Kung Fu clans. Many times, teachers were sought out specifically for their "Tieh Da" (healing) skills as well as their martial ability. The late Hsing-I/Bagua Sifu Kenny Gong of New York Chinatown comes to mind. Both I and many of my training brethren "crossed school lines" to receive treatment from this venerable master. For a Kung Fu student, learning how to heal should be just as important as learning how to fight. As a Sifu, I would be very reluctant to take on a student whose only interest was to learn how to hurt people.

             As the practitioner's skill level increases, so does the intensity of the training, until finally they don the necessary protective gear and proceed to train SPECIFIC techniques at full speed and power. This is performed under very close supervision and very specific guidelines so as to achieve total mastery of "specific techniques" and at the same time, minimizing injury. Note the emphasis: Sparring "willy-nilly" results in nothing more than a full-contact game of "tag" at best, and unnecessary injury at worst. Only after achieving a certain level of skill and control and amassing a catalog of techniques should one attempt to "free spar" at the full-contact level. Keep in mind what the Primary Goal is: To hone specific techniques against a LIVE opponent, and to test the parameters of effectiveness of those techniques against opponents of varying skill level and size.  

            Sparring, on the other hand, is a whole different ballgame. First and foremost, sparring has rules of engagement (street fighting does not!). Now, these rules can run the gamut of point fighting/light contact all the way up to the all-out brawling of UFC/"Tough Man" contests. Even in the most extreme contests there are still rules! In addition to level of contact these rules can dictate: 

1) Non-target areas (Kicks below the waist, strikes to kidneys, spine, head, etc.)

2) Methods of attack (Punches, pokes, kicks, elbows, knees, grappling, sweeps, throws, joint locks, chokes, etc.)

3) Number of punches thrown before a mandatory kick must be thrown

4) Weight class, age, belt divisions

5) Arena size

6) Mandatory protective equipment and degree of padding

7) Length and number of rounds

8) Number of referees

9) Intensity of engagement (point fighting as opposed to continuous full-contact) 

   (Please see the corresponding table at the end of this article) 

            These rules serve a very specific purpose: They provide a safe and enjoyable forum for practitioners to exercise and RECREATE their martial arts technique in a competitive, sportsmanlike manner. Note the emphasis, it’s not a type-o; sparring and subsequently tournament fighting is a form of MARTIAL RECREATION. This is an almost entirely western phenomenon that has occurred in the last few decades as oriental martial arts schools have become more accessible to westerners. Over the last twenty years or so, martial arts schools have popped-up in every strip mall in America. As competition for student enrollment has increased, the more commercial schools have geared their regimens toward tournament-based competition, with a subsequent emphasis on techniques and training methods that are acceptable in the general tournament arena. For commercial schools, hosting open tournaments is an excellent source of revenue, in addition to sales of paraphernalia emblazoned with the school logo and belt tests (another western marketing invention).  

            Sparring has its place as long as one understands its strengths and limitations. For children beginning martial arts training, provided they have mastered the appropriate basics (one-two years) points/light contact sparring can be an excellent way to build confidence and character and teach the rudiments of basic technique application. It also provides the instructor with an opportunity to observe the child's temperament and level of self-control, before proceeding with more serious levels of training. For older students, who are past the point of "knocking around with the young bucks" but still have a desire to recreate, sparring provides a safe forum to do so, without the attendant bumps and bruises inherent in more rigorous contact training. So, what role does sparring play in teaching self-defense? Quite frankly, very little. In brief, sparring, however rigorous is about recreation within pre-determined parameters. Self-Defense, on the other hand, is about survival at any cost, with any means available. SPARRING AND SELF-DEFENSE ARE TWO SEPARATE DISCIPLINES AND RARELY THE 'TWAIN SHALL THEY MEET.  

            Now before I'm inundated with emails and phone calls about how rigorous yours, this one or that one's training is, allow me to make a concise comparison. First and foremost, sparring/tournament competition, as it is practiced in America today, GENERALLY SPEAKING, barely reflects the arts that spawned them. One only has to attend the average tournament and then try to separate the players based on their various styles and disciplines. Other than breaking them down into grapplers, kickers and punchers, or some combination of the three, they all pretty much look the same. WHY? One need only examine how the tournament scene in America developed. For the most part it was pioneered by the Japanese and Korean styles (Karate, Jui-Jitsu, Judo, Kenpo, Tae Kwon Do, etc.). Naturally, rules and regulations evolved around the common threads (basic punches, kicks and backfists, etc.) inherent to these styles. Keep in mind this was the 60's, early 70's. Most martial arts schools were in the worst neighborhoods in the city. Violent crime/gang activity were at an all-time high. In most households, both parents worked, which meant there were no "Soccer Moms" dropping us off at nice, safe, suburban mall-type locations. We were JHS and SHS-aged kids hopping buses and trains and walking through some of NYC's toughest neighborhoods in order to attend classes and compete. Quite often en route you got to "test out" some of your latest techniques. As they used to say in the old days, "There was no classroom quite like the streets." The tournaments themselves were still pretty loose affairs. Other than athletic cups and mouthpieces, there was no protective equipment available. It hadn't been invented yet! Level of contact varied from ring to ring and bout to bout, depending upon the ref, the locations, and the contestants themselves. The bouts themselves were held in high school gyms, YMCA's, and boxing clubs. We were bare-knuckled and barefoot. We took our lumps, we gave our lumps, and nobody complained. The term "lawsuit" wasn't even in the lexicon.  

            Up until that point, Kung Fu stylists like myself were an oddity. Most Kung Fu schools were ensconced in the various Chinatowns (NYC, Boston, San Francisco, etc.). They were very insular in nature, and operated on an "invitation-only" basis. Students who participated in these "outsider" events often did so without the support of their club and most often to the disdain of their masters. One must remember that many of these clubs owed their origins to the various "Tong Associations" and secret Triads of Hong Kong society. Secrecy and exclusivity were bywords of their very existence. Other than performing very carefully edited versions of their forms during Chinese New Year's/Lion Dance festivities, Chinese masters rarely performed in public. To this day, there are some prominent schools in Chinatown that, to my knowledge, have never allowed their art to be shown in public. Yet things were about to change.

            On the East Coast, Aaron Banks’ Oriental World of Self-Defense at Madison Square Garden was starting to draw some of the biggest Chinatown people out into the public eye. The western world was suddenly exposed to a martial spectacle the likes of which had not been seen since the Boxer Rebellion of the early 1900's. Displays of exotic weaponry and martial styles that dazzled and boggled the mind. Demonstrations of Chi-Gung and breaking that seemed to defy the laws of western science. Enter Kenpo's Ed Parker and his Long Beach, California Martial Arts Expo and the introduction of a young, up-coming martial arts movie star named Bruce Lee. The rest, as they say, was history. 

            Fueled by the sudden emergence of Hong Kong films on western screens (Five Fingers of Death, Fists of Fury, etc.) the Kung Fu boom of the 70's was on. Many of the younger Chinese Sifu, more westernized than their older, more conservative counterparts, were already straining at the yokes placed on them by their elders and Chinatown society. Suddenly the floodgates opened. Magazines like Karate Illustrated, Black Belt, and Inside Kung Fu were popping up at newsstands everywhere. They featured articles by young Sifu who were to become some of the most venerated names in Chinese martial arts today: Gin Foon Mark, discussing the principles of Southern Praying Mantis; Quentin Fong, posing a hypothetical match-up of White Crane vs. Wing Chun; Bill Chung, demonstrating Hung Gar weaponry; the great Iron Palm master Share Lew, discussing his training methods and Dit Da Jow, etc. As a kid, I remember reading an article about a young upstart on the West Coast who was ruffling a lot of feathers, not only because of his skill in Choy Li Fut, but because of his very young age. His name was Doc Fai Wong. Subjects like this had never seen the light of day in English print before. All this would have a profound effect on the tournament scene. Kung Fu players began to dominate the tournaments in every division. In the forms division, the incredible array of the Kung Fu disciplines coupled with the enormous lengths of the sets (400-500 moves) gave them an extremely competitive edge over the more homogenous-looking Kata of Karate and TKD, most of which were 60-70 moves at best. This was even more so in the weapons division with the exotic nature and diversity of the Chinese weaponry, coupled with the intense complexity of the sets often winning them the top slots. 

            As for the sparring division, Kung Fu players were taking it out through a whole new door. They didn't have rules in place to even deal with the type of techniques we were using. Our distinct advantage was that from one player to the next, we were totally unpredictable. White Crane, Hung Gar and Choy Li Fut with their long-swinging 5-Element punches hit like freight trains, while Bak Mei, Wing Chun and Mantis players would jam in close, negating their opponent's kicks, which were their primary weapons, while trapping their arms and delivering flurries of unbelievably quick and accurate palm strikes and punches. Our tactical advantage was that we had watched and studied their methods for years, and pretty much knew what their strategies were and how to take advantage of them. They, on the other hand, had never seen our methods before, and were at a loss to formulate counter-strategies quickly. This was not to say that the Karate people were pushovers. They were just stuck playing catch-up. We had the element of surprise in our favor. In the end, it always came down to the two opponents in the ring. Once again, things were about to change, this time for the worse. It wasn't long before some of the more innovative Karate people began emulating our techniques. Although first attempts were crude at best, as they were unsupported by the drills (Chi Sao, etc.) necessary to develop these skills, their accuracy was due to improve with a new invention. Video cameras /players. Whereas prior, one could only hope to gain techniques through observation from the sidelines, or even worse, while on the receiving end, now a practitioner could analyze techniques at great length, over and over, even in slow motion. Soon to follow was actual video instruction, with complete breakdowns of entire forms and techniques. Before long, instructional books in English began to flood the market as well. Almost overnight, the "Eclectic Styles" of martial arts were born. At best, these were a hodgepodge of ideas and techniques, usually acquired from the "lower levels" of other styles. Quite often they carried ridiculous monikers, such as "Way of the White Dragon," "Golden Snake," "Iron Octopus," etc. In their idealistic zeal, they sought to create "superior" styles that required less training and time spent learning "useless" forms or as Bruce Lee would put it, "The Classical Mess." ("No need to diet or exercise, just take our magic pill and melt the fat away!" Sound familiar?). As if they, in their meager lifetimes, quite often armed with nothing more than tournament style fighting experience and a few months training in this or that discipline, could outdo methods that had been honed through a thousand years of battle-proven warfare.

            Needless to say, arrogant and pretentious at the very least. And why not. They had the blessing of the greatest hodgepodger of all time: Bruce Lee. Those were the best of the lot. At the bottom of the barrel, you had the "Charlatan types." The "better" of these were the Karate schools that became "Kung Fu" schools overnight. Recipe as follows: Basic martial arts moves, add in some flowery/flashy hand techniques with equally flashy nomenclature (e.g. Dragon Mounting Splitting Palm, etc.); change the gi's to Kung Fu jackets; change the belts to multi-colored sashes; teach students to count 1-10 in Chinese (instead of Japanese); change the name on the sign and stationary; shake, stir, a little P.R., and V'OILA! PRESTO! CHANGE-O! As I mentioned, these were the "better" of the bunch. The absolute worst were the "made-up" styles. With little more than rudimentary martial arts skills, they targeted the suburban shopping malls and strips that were springing up in the more affluent areas outside the cities. As bad as these "charlatan emporiums" were at the time, no one in their right mind would ever begin to envision what they would become. A decade later, we would be treated to Power Rangers and Mutant-Ninja Turtles, Clip boards in hand, walking the malls, signing-up anything that moved, (so much for discerning criteria for student enrollment). Dignity, honor and martial ability would soon be supplanted by salesmanship, demographics and marketing skills.  

            Not that any of this had escaped the mournful gaze of the "elders" on both sides of the fence. The sudden "bastardization" of these once pure art forms was resulting in a tremendous air of resentment. The Chinese, for their part, were still coming to grips with the exposure of their arts to the public in general. Where imitation might have been construed as a form of flattery, this sudden brazen commerciality was akin to heresy. As for the Japanese/Korean contingent, they were twice as incensed. Bad enough they were having a hard time competing at their own tournaments; to add insult to injury, they were starting to see a defection in the ranks to the other side, or even worse, breakaways into the "Eclectic" styles. At the lower ranks, this represented a loss of revenue. When it occurred in the upper echelons, the effect could often be catastrophic, with a popular senior student leaving and taking many of his young protégé with him. This not only caused a loss of teaching staff, (sometimes even a potential heir who had been groomed for the top slot), but quite often resulted in future competition "up the block" so to speak. In my eyes, the greatest transgression (or "infamnia" if you will) a student can commit is to go off and teach without the blessing and/or the authorization of his teacher. This has always been the "root cause" of deterioration within any martial system, with each succeeding generation producing practitioners with less knowledge and technique than the preceding one. Quite often, these "bastard" bloodlines would implode within two or three generations. This was especially true of the "Eclectic" systems, which usually had less structure and depth to begin with.  

            As I said before, things were about to change. The Japanese/Korean elders were about to bring the hammer down. After all, this (the tournament scene) was their party and we were becoming unwelcome guests. They simply began to change the rules. In the fighting division, we soon found our best techniques outlawed (e.g. Element punches, Chain punches, sweeps, trips, etc.). So much for the tactical advantage that our unique styles bestowed upon us. We were about to be "homogenized." If we wished to continue competing it would be under "their" rules, using "their" methods of combat. Ridiculous restrictions, such as "mandatory kick per 2-3 punches thrown" would serve to severely limit our strategies as well. Our dominance in the fighting divisions would soon decline. Needless to say, our participation in fighting divisions would soon decline as well. 

            In the forms division, time limits were set that effectively cut our forms in half, reducing the intensity of the Kung Fu sets as compared to the other styles. Eventually, we were shunted off to a "Chinese Division," where we were forced to compete with the now growing Wu Shu population as well as the burgeoning B.S. "Eclectic" styles. The concept of performing before a panel of judges made up of Wu Shu and Eclectic styles and subsequently loosing to some idiot in neon blue pajamas performing a breakdance routine with a chain whip, was quite frankly, more than anyone could bear. Needless to say, attendance by traditional stylists soon tapered off. We now found ourselves on the outside looking in. It wasn't long before we retreated to the privacy of the Chinatown schools once again, our heads bowed as the elder masters wagged their fingers, "I told you so," "This was not for us," etc. Some Chinatown schools attempted to stage their own competitions, (most notably Fu Jow Pai), but internecine rivalry, combined with the general apathy of the times prevented anything from getting off the ground. It would be almost two decades before Southern Kung Fu stylists would re-emerge back on the East Coast scene en masse, sparked by the then newly-formed East Coast Kung Fu Federation. First came the Kung Fu Masters Exhibition, followed shortly thereafter by the Wong Fei Hung International Commemorative Tournament, hosted by one of my former masters, Sifu (Frank) Yee Chee Wai. It probably represents one of the best venues for a traditional Kung Fu stylist to get a "fair shake" at this time. Their forms division is very well developed, with separate divisions for Northern, Southern, Wu Shu, Internal, Long Hand, Short Hand, Long, Short and Flexible weapons, etc. The sparring and Chi Sao divisions are still experiencing "growing pains," as they are rife with the usual Chinatown politics (the rules tend to vacillate from ring to ring) but they will come along in time.
 

 
These are just some of my thoughts for the moment. These will be part of an ongoing series on various aspects of Kung Fu training. Sorry that this page has been so long in coming, but now future articles will be forthcoming in more frequent succession.

To be continued...

Note: internet video instruction will be available shortly- covering all aspects of the programs available at Ling Nam.

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