One drawback of learning Chinese martial arts the traditional way is…. Wait, there is really no traditional way of learning it. How it is taught depends on the teacher.
I should say a common problem with learning CMA is that some teachers do not provide explanations on why they teach a certain way or what we are supposed to learn, to understand, to get from their way of teaching.
For example, I learned the Dong family version of the Yang style form as taught by my teacher, Master Yap, and then practiced it for a long time. He basically taught one key principle and its variation which is to be incorporated into the form. From there the principle is to be used in the techniques when we do push hands.
What Master Yap did not tell is that if we practice that same form over and over again over many years we get to a point where we can play the form in different ways i.e. moving from a fixed way of moving to a freer way of moving.
I term this way of playing R.I.M. as in Reorder, Insert, Mix. What this means is that you can play the form by reordering the sequences or throwing in a technique in between two techniques that were in the original arrangement.
If you want to, you can throw in techniques from other styles. If you play these other styles techniques with Tai Chi flavor a viewer might not be able to tell that it is not a Tai Chi technique.
This is not being different for its own sake. It is a check on your understanding and to see if you are a slave to the form or you have broken out of the constraints of the form.
As the Tai Chi form is a very long sequence of movements trying to learn to R.I.M. is challenging. However, I find that I could teach this idea easily in 6-Blks, 6-LH and 3-WS.
Reorder Example Using 6-LH
Normal sequence 6-LH-1 6-LH-2 6-LH-3 6-LH-4 6-LH-5 6-LH-6
Mix Example Using 6-Blks, 6-LH, 3-WS 6-Blks-1 6-LH-3 6-Blks-6 3-WS-4 6-Blks-5 6-LH-1 6-LH-6
This practice is not cast in stone. It is a simple and fast method to teach your hands to move quickly and freely with minimal hesitation. It allows you to pick up a range of responses within a short time of practice.
This is only the beginning of the journey. Reflexes will still have to be trained, range and positioning understood, footwork mastered, power added in and developed training responses to a variety of attacks.
In GM Wei’s Tai Chi there is a practice which involves two contra spirals when mobilizing the arm to strike.
The principle of contra spirals can be likened to hand wringing water from a wet cloth. You wring the cloth by turning the cloth in a clockwise direction in one hand while the other hand twists in the opposite direction. This will produce two spirals turning in opposite directions.
We adopt this principle of two spirals to rotate the arm to boost its power. Since our arm is not a flexible as cloth we cannot emulate the wringing motion exactly.
However, rotating the straight punch by the example of cloth wringing can produce two contra spirals. Its just a matter of trial and error to work this out and put it into practice.
A common exhortation is to put one’s body weight behind the punch because of the formula F = mA.
Another popular advice is to rotate the fist when punching.
For a beginner learning to punch involves being familiar with how to move and then trying out the punch on a heavy bag.
Once familiar with the macro aspect of the movements he can next turn to the micro aspect to refine the movements further.
We can begin with how to rotate the fist. Rotating the fist sounds simple. Punch and rotate the fist just before impact. A simple experiment can show that adding a rotating can add power to the punch.
Try punching your left palm with your right fist without rotating the fist. Put some resistance into your left hand. While your right fist can punch hard it won’t move the left hand as much.
Next, try the same experiment with a rotation of the right fist when punching. What do you feel? Stronger impact? Or the same as without rotation?
Rotating the fist is an easy part of improving the punch. Once you get the hang of rotating the fist you can next work on the entire arm from the shoulder to the fist as the first part of the study on how to turn, twist, rotate and spiral the entire body to support the punch.
For this practice we use the bow-and-arrow stance.
For (5) we practice moving up and down in a side horse stance. The side horse stance can be high, mid or low.
To shift between the bow-and-arrow stance and side horse stance we use a transition method that we term the shifting body footwork.
To begin the practice we should spend some time to practice just the shifting from side to side, then diagonally forward and back. Pay attention to the turning of the body.
Once familiar with this we can turn to the practice of the Straight Punch. There are four variations of the Straight Punch but for beginners we focus on only the use of the 9 o’clock fist (commonly known as horizontal fist).
Practice the Straight Punch with big open movements to correctly bring forth the power by opening up the body. We can progress to being able to deliver a continuous barrage of straight punches once we are familiar with the movement. Speed will also come with familiarity.
The training can be enhanced with the use of iron locks to train power. Once you put down the iron locks your arms will feel light and you will be able to punch faster and harder. To be able to hit without injuring your hand some conditioning is necessary whether by hitting a heavy bag or doing iron palm conditioning. You can also condition your forearms and shins.
The next step is to train with a partner who can hold pads for you to strike, work on your range, reflexes and how to apply the Straight Punch.
Apply the above training to the rest of the four major strikes. Learn to string the 5-MS to form different sequences for entering, using the right technique for the right range, keeping up a barrage of attacks from different angles, defending and counterattacking.
In the old days when we learn an art, we don’t expect to become an expert unless we train regularly for up to 10 years.
Then Malcolm Gladwell wrote about the 10,000-hour rule to becoming an expert. Later I learned that there were more to it than just putting in 10,000 hours.
When I learned iKali Tuhon Apolo stressed that we need to practice for 10,000 repetitions to have a basic grasp.
Last year I read Rickson Gracie’s book “Comfort in Darkness” where he mentioned that he just practiced instead of counting the hours or repetitions.
Which approach is the best?
I don’t like to keep count of hours or repetitions because they tend to distract me. I only learned to count in iKali because I was intrigued by how I would keep losing count when trying to keep track of the techniques and repetition when doing the left and right sides. I could see why learning to count is important, especially when leading a class.
For me a more important question is how to accelerate one’s learning? Is it just a question of number of hours put in, the number of repetitions, or just keeping doing until you make it?
If you are learning something for self-defence then obviously the need to train for 10,000 hours or 10,000 repetitions can be daunting unless you do not have to work or fanatical enough to put in the training.
Consider that you practice for 2 hours a day, the sum would work out to 10,000 hours / 2-hour per day = 5,000 days / 365-days in a year = 13.7 years.
What if you practice for 8 hours? 10,000 hours / 8-hour per day = 1,250 days / 365-days in a year = 3.42 years. That’s faster but how many of us can really put in these hours.
What about if we focus on repetitions instead? What if we just put in various repetitions per day? These look more attainable :-
10,000 / 100-rep per day = 100 days (about 3.3 months) 10,000 / 1000-rep per day = 10 days
This so much more better. I think anyone can easily put in 100 to 300 reps per day. I once completed 10,000 repetitions over a few days. I had planned to do it over a week but I knew that if I did not get it over quickly I could end up not completing the target. The exercise I did for this 10,000 repetitions comprise :-
2 basic knife thrusts 2 basic knife slashes 2 basic movement of the non-knife hand
That’s basically 6 movements. When you consider that the movement is basically just thrust, slash, non-knife hand movement for the left and right side it is basically just 3 movements. The difference is if one side the movement is with palm up then the other side is palm down.
So that’s my own data. Based on my experience it is possible to get a good grasp of 6 movements with 10,000 repetitions.
Now I want Paul to learn 6 new movements but he is daunted. With the work he has put into practicing the 6-Blocks these new movements which I dub the 6-LinkingHands would be a walk in the park. For the learning of 6-LH this is what I think :-
Do it 100 times look clumsy.
Do it 1,000 times look better.
Do it 10,000 times look like advanced student.
Do it 100,000 times look like expert.
What does this translate to in terms of learning? Making an educated guess Paul could actually learn and attain basic competency is doing the 6-LH in a day. How many repetitions to put in? My estimate :-
100 repetitions to remember the sequence.
1,000 repetitions to eliminate the hesitation when performing.
10,000 repetitions to have a feel for the movement.
This does not mean that he can apply the 6-LH. Its to bring him to a point where he can move towards the real work of refining, throwing out excess movement, imagining the application as if its real, adding the tempo, the power, the body movement, breaking and reordering the sequence, inserting the 6-Blocks, then the movement of the other hand.
Thereafter (or at the same time), if he has a partner he can go through the applications to help learn the 6-LH better.
In conclusion, what seems difficult to learn or takes forever to learn is really not so once you analyze how to learn efficiently and effectively.
There are a number of videos on NGK out there. Most of them shows the China or Taiwan versions.
By comparison, there are not as many videos of the Malaysia version out there.
Below are two videos showing the 1st public form of NGK. The name of this form is Kum Kong Bo (金剛步) in Cantonese. The name translates to Vajra (Kum Kong) Footwork (Bo).
This performance is like what my teachers’ performance looked like back in the day. I like this performance because there’s expression of purpose, control and power in the movements.
Here’s another performance. No comments necessary.
It should be remembered that Kung Fu is not just putting on a nice uniform and waving the hands about. There’s certain standards of performance to inform whether a practitioner has met the minimal standards that characterizes the unique flavor of the respective style.
While Paul is revising the 6-Blocks to bring his physical movements up to speed I have been giving thought to how to accelerate his learning of the 7-Points Dotting Hand.
A younger student can take the time to learn but there is no time to lose for a much older learner.
The 7-Points single hand sequence is the first step towards learning the 13-Points double hands sequence. This is because in the 13-Points one hand is basically performing the 7-Points plus a few more movements whereas the other hand is executing complementary movements.
And then of course there is the point about not being enslaved by a form but to learn the form to free oneself. This is where careful learning of the 7-Points is important. Once the point about replacement and insertion is understood then the basic framework of 7-points can be used in many ways, in sequence, out of sequence, rearranged sequence, etc.
Traditionally NGK learning begins with understanding what the body configuration and structure is like. In the structure lies the lesson of how to relax and suddenly tense to generate shocking power.
Learning how to do the static postures is the key to learning body structure. The entire sequence of static postures explores different positions in which one can generate power, mostly obvious but some hidden.
There is also a way one can enhance and possibly accelerate this learning by using an external aid. This aid can help you to feel how your body is to move in the phase between the relaxing and sudden tensing of the body to bring forth the power.
The next step is to learn to do the power generation when performing a technique. There are 15 core techniques that are to be learned but one can select a few representative techniques to study this.
Once the foundation is laid then one can begin the study of the 7-points.
Paul asked me about learning the 7-Points Dotting Hands as he was under the impression that it would be easy to learn. Yes and no.
Yes, in that moving the arm is not difficult.
No, in that the challenge is to do justice to the sequence in terms of application, proper structure, power generation, etc.
For Paul, I pointed out to him that the practice of the 6-Blocks is one way to leapfrog the learning of the 7-Points. This is because when I designed the 6-Blocks I took into account the learning of Wing Chun, Tai Chi and NGK. In this regard, when you practice the 6-Blocks you are not just practicing blocks. Instead the 6-Blocks teaches several things such as :-
a) If you do Wing Chun it reinforces the learning of the elbow as a hinge to make the arms move like a swing door and softens your arm movements.
b) If you do Tai Chi its a way to learn how to actually use the 3 Chi Rings while using the techniques. You will feel as if you can control a sphere right in front of your chest. And of course, if you get the 3 Chi Rings then you also acquire the beginnings of the ability to use the arms as a bow to issue power.
c) If you are into NGK then you need to go far enough into realizing how to use body movements not just to complement hand techniques but how the body moves to conceal your techniques and use hidden techniques. This is why there is a saying that NGK is to be taught to instructors and not to students because a student would not realize what is hidden in plain sight.
So there’s a lot that went into this simple exercise of doing 6 blocks. Most people would read the word “blocks” and thought it was nothing more than that. This is like my hidden joke, like that ending in Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade, where in the cave guarded by the ancient knight Indiana and the Nazis finally found the Holy Grail. However, they were confronted by many grails, of which one is the real one. How would the Nazis and Indiana choose?
To get the most out of 6-Blocks and move towards the capability to jump right into 7-Points training :-
1) Learn each movement. Count out loud the 6 movements in this way – 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3. Do each movement deliberately, visualize how they are used as a block. Keep body still and just do arm movements. If practicing with right arm, have the right leg forward.
2) After many repetitions you should be able to count 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 and do the movements quickly without stopping. Try doing 3 repetitions non-stop. Count 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 (Rep-1), 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 (Rep-2), 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 (Rep-3). This trains you to automate the movements.
3) Try starting from any of the movements. You should be able to move into the sequence easily from any of the blocks.
4) Study the movements as a paired movements. 12, 34, 56. Next try 23, 45, 61. You can create other pairs for example, 42, 15. This teaches how to flow even if you are out of sequence and as a technique how to close a space or open up a space. Prior to this you are focussing on the arm move. When you study paired movements especially on how to open or close a space that’s when you see how moving your body as well can help. After this stage your practice of 6-Blocks will no longer be just doing the sequence as an arm exercise but as a arm-body movement exercise.
5) From (1) to (4) you practice with right arm, right leg forward. Now practice with right arm, left leg forward. This will train your body to move in another way. Learn how to switch from right arm to left arm without pausing.
6) Practice the sequence with right arm, right leg then step (whether forward or backward) to left arm, left leg. Next do right arm, left arm, right leg and step to left leg.
7) Add a punch to each block. We can start with same hand block, same hand punches. Once familiar try right hand block, left hand punches.
8) Continues the punching exercise with two punches for each block. For example, Block-1, right punch, left punch. Later switch to Block-1, left punch, right punch. You can also try three punches. Example Block-1, right punch, left punch, right punch and Block-1, left punch, right punch, left punch. Once familiar you can add advancing as you step.
9) Study how the body moves to generate power when you do right hand block, right punch and right hand block, left punch whether doing one punch, two punches or three punches sequence.
10) Study how to apply all 6 blocks to control space, how to close space, how to open up space, and how to attack. This part you need a partner. You can do line drill like partner feeds you a punch, you do the blocks. You can also do push hands or sticking hands and drill the blocks within.
11) Practice until arm moves like a whip. Then learn to put entire body behind arm when it stops to generate feeling of hitting like iron bar.
12) Are there more? Probably, the above can occupy a few weeks, if not months of practice.
If you can to (11) you have already picked up some of the essentials of NGK even if you do not know what it is. But then its like opening a Christmas present. When you finally receive the present and you open it then you will see what it is.
The first step in learning the 7-Points Dotting Hand sequence is fairly easy.
Feet apart.
Body facing forward squarely.
Learn the 7 movements.
If you have good memory you can learn all seven movements at once. Otherwise, learn the first two movements. Then add on the third movement. Practice the three movements until you can remember them.
Thereafter, add one movement to the sequence and keep adding until you finish learning all seven movements.
1, 2, 3 = 1st learning sequence
1, 2, 3 + 4 = 2nd learning sequence
1, 2, 3, 4 + 5 = 3rd learning sequence
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 + 6 = 4th learning sequence
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 + 7 = complete learning sequence
When learning you can keep track of the movements by counting the 1st movement as One, 2nd movement as Two, and so on.
The Ngok Gar Dotting Hands are not difficult to learn forms. In fact, they are fairly easy to learn.
So why not teach students right away? Why waste their time with other forms?
One reason is that if the forms are taught to students easily they would not appreciate them. However, if you make them jump through hoops to be given the privilege to learn students would appreciate the learning opportunity so much more, and hence train seriously.
You begin the learning of the Dotting Hands by learning the 7-Points Dotting Hand sequence. As its name implies there are but 7 movements in the sequence.
These 7 movements can be learned under 5 minutes. Thereafter, its just a matter of practicing the sequence over and over until you are familiar with it.
From this point on you will find that you can actually go through the 7 movements super fast. But being fast is only one of the many learning objectives.
The next objective is to learn what each movement means. At this point it would be advantageous to rope in a partner to help you train. The role of the partner is to feed you the attacks to train your reaction, your timing, your awareness, and so on.
At this point your training of the sequence is not done. You next want to keep at it until you find the natural body movement that follows the movements of the technique.
The body movement will add power and range to your blocking and striking. The body movement also has the role of teaching you how to adjust your body to assist in attack and defence.
If you can find the body movements then the next part will come easily. This is where you can add in the use of stances. Once you get the hang of using the stances you can begin to learn how to step.
So far so good as far as learning how to use one single hand. Don’t forget to work the other hand also.
The next part of the learning is to add in the other hand. The hand doing the 7 movements can be considered the dominant hand and the other hand the supporting hand. This is the basic training for learning the two handed Dotting Hands forms.
There’s still more that can be learned from the single hand sequence but I think this should be sufficient to occupy a beginner for a while.
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