1.Could you introduce yourself and when did you start with a martial arts?
My name si Jonathan Barbary I was born in south of France where I started to practice martial arts when I was 10 years old. My first experience was with the French boxing called Savate and then with fullcontact American kickboxing. When I was 13 I started practice a Seven Stars Praying Mantis kung fu and Taiji and after I practiced Hung kyuen style from a Vietname-Chinese lineage, Fuying Kuen tiger form which is a Mongolia-Chinese style, Hung Fat in USA and now I have practiced the Fatsaan Pakmei for 6 years.
2. You said that you had practised Hung Fat in USA, for how long and why did you change your mind and started with Pakmei kung fu?
I studied Hung Fat just in the short period. It is a good style but I realized that it is does not suits me.
In this time I chose Pakmei because is very fast, very agressive, very powerful and a little bit mysterious system because not many people know the whole system.
3. So Could you introduce the Pakmei style?
The Pakmei style was created in Sechuan. My lineage of PakMei is original from Fatsaan. Fatsaan Pakmei is not the same style for example like Hong Kong Pakmei because my Sigung Lao Siu Leung studied Pakmei in Canton and he had moved to Fatsaan where he started to teach. Hong Kong branch is from Cheung Lai Cheun who had studied in Canton as well but after that he moved to Macao and Vietnam and then to Hong Kong. We have the same name but different strategy of fighting.
In 60s approxmately 70 procent of students of martial art practiced Pakmei in Fatsaan because my Sigung Lao Siu Leung was the best in fighting in this time.
We had 42 forms in our system but now it is quite difficult to find anybody who knows whole system.
Our main form is a Fubo /tiger posture/ but not many people practise this form because the Sigung taught it just his first son. But many people think that they practice Fubo but in fact it is Fuying, which is form of tiger aspect. When sigung taught Fuying form he called it Fubo in public. My sifu told me not to teach Fubo to many people just my son and maybe two or three students in my life.
4. Could you explain to us what is exactly the difference if you compare Fatsaan Pakmei with Hong Kong Pakmei and others Pakmei?
Okey, there are many differences, you know, like not the same energy in the form and in the fighting, okey I will explain it, so the bigest difference is that we have 5 kinds of energy in our system. The first energy is King, it means you have to make the tiger inside your body to wake up, be furious and also scare to opponent, the second one, we call it Tran, it is an elastic energy, the third is Too which is contraction and discontration of the body. The forth is Tso which is redirection / change the direction of opponents power/ and the fifth energy is Sok which is the absorption of the opponents power. So it is not the same like for example Cheung Lai Cheun /HKG/ system. And the form of the hands is not the same too, in our system and in Cheung Lai Cheun /HKG/ system have for example a phoneix eye but in Fatsaan Pakmei we prefer a paucoi which is a leopard hand. But as I said there are many differences…
5. How did you find your sifu?
First time I came to Hong Kong and I saw many masters but I did not like any of them. So I went to Fatsaan I contacted Ching Wu and they recommended me sifu Chan Yau Man who is headchef of the Lion dance group of Zou Miu temple in Fatsaan. He is my first Pakmei sifu. He had taught me for three years everything what he had studied and after he asked my sisok to teach me more. So my sisok Lao Wei Kei became my sifu.
My sifu Lao Wei Kei is a first son of my Sigung and he is also a gate keeper of the system. I´m the first foreigner who started to practice Fatsaan Pakmei.
6.So does it mean that Fatsaan Pakmei does not have any school in Western world?
In America there are three schools of Fatsaan Pakmei but it is not directly lineage of the our system.
7. You have mentioned before some differences of strikes between Fatsaan Pakmei and others Pakmei so how many kinds of strikes Fatsaan Pakmei has?
We have phoneix eye in many angles of the strike, chaapcoi which is a leopard fist, fu jow (tigers clow) which is a very important in our systém, other ones are pouill kim, pakcoi and buitzee in many angles of attact. We have also ngo gong sau which means head of goose, elbow, knee…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFJ0CPbcA3A[/youtube]
8. Do you use head or shoulder in a strike?
,,Laugh,, we do not in the form, but in fighting you can use it, why not!
9. What is your favourite strike?
I prefer phoneix eye, chapcoi, elbow and fu jow of course.
10. Do you have a some special exercise for how to make your chaapcoi, phoneix eye stronger and harder?
Yes, at the beginning I strike the bag filled with rice and after that I strike the bag with beans and then practise chapcoi push-up and after I strike everything what I see ,,laugh,,.
I use the deida after this exercise, that is very important for recovery. It is a special liquid medicine from my sifu.
11. You said that for you spirit of the system is the most important, can you explain it?
In Fatsaan Pakmei it is a mind of the tiger and a form of the body like the leopard. It means you have to be fast and flexible like a leopard and furious, agressive and powerful like a tiger. When you fight you have to break your opponent inside the body. You know, you can not pretend striking the opponent by ten punches and then KO. When you strike the opponent he should not understand what is going on. And next morning he still does not know what it was. You want to erase him from the earth.
System of Fatsaan pakmei is very dangerous, it is not just talking…
12. Do you have some a street fighting experience?
Laugh,, yes a little bit, my job was as a professional doorman for a clubs, a discos in France since I was 19 years old. So I was in many conflicts and some of them was really dangerous I mean some weapons and stuff like that. Many fights in my life…
13. You have got some experience and some fighting skill, do you still have a respect from a street fighting or it is like a daily routin for you?
I used to like to play, I mean I was enjoying all the fights it was a game for me, Im sorry but it used to be like that. You know I started work in the club when I was 19 and I could fight with guys who were 30 years old and for me it was not a problem, I was just playing. But you can not do that for a long time and later I realized that there are a many crazy guys in the world and you know, you can be the best fighter and one day you meet some guy who kicks you out.
I feel respect and now I practise kung fu more for philosophy, culture but of course the main aspect is still fighting, you know it is still martial art.
14.So it means that China changed you a little bit?
No ,,laugh,, no,no because when I was 13 old I started with a Lion dance in Vietnames temple in France. It was my first touch of Asian culture and thinking and I understood what is a Chinese philosophy what is good and what is not good.
And you know then when you become an adolescent you are searching for adventure and troubles. I passed this time and started to think and started to be a nice guy .
15. Do you have also some experience from competitions?
Yes I took part to a competition of tradicional Sanshou in France, you can strike by hand by leg and by palm to a head. I became twice a local champion. Once I was second on the France championship. I have never gone to competition for the forms though.
16. Do you plan to take part in competitions in the near future?
If my sifu asks me I will go but I think for fighting competition it is a little bit problem.You learn many different strikes and different tactics which you can not use when fighting in a competition. There are many rules, and if you learn every day to strike opponents eyes by fingers or chaapcoi then it is useless. You know that you can not do that, but your body wants to do it because you practised it before day after day. Or you can practise just for a competetion but then you do not have a time for learning Pakmei. For me the street is the best experience….
17. Can you tell us something about your school in France?
I opened my school 3 years ago in city Parpignon. I have now around 70 students. I teach adults, children, boys and girls around 10 hours per week. For three days I teach the Pakmei kung fu, one day for a Jang Taiji and one day Lion dance.
18. So it means that it is your main job?
Yes, but I do not want to teach kung fu only for money, that is why Im still poor,,laugh,, I prefer to have many students, that is why they do not pay much and also because not everyone is able to pay lots.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJnOFl2uJzo&feature=related[/youtube]
19. How does your training looks, how many hours do you teach and so on?
My students start with some basics then with Sansau which is the most important exercise for me, they have to practise Sansau every day. After that there are some forms, hardening, fighting, work on a bags and weapons. I start to teach weapons after one year but when some student is skillful, he can learn after six months. First weapon which I teach is a staff.
I Also explain what is the strategy on the street…
20. You said that you have children, how do you teach them?
I teach them the same way as adults but more softly.
21.You said that you learned the Lion dance, what do you think about the Lion dance in Europe. I guest that not a many Lion dance groups here?
You are right, not too many schools of Lion dance. For example in France we have three groups in Paris, a one group in Marsei and two groups in Toulu and then me in Parpignon.
We have two styles of Lion dance, Hoksan and Fatsaan. I prefer Fatsaan Lion dance, because for me there is lot more nice movements and the face of the lion is much nicer.
22. So you do a Lion dance also for business, I mean someone can hire your group?
Oh yee, especially for Chinese restaurants for New Years. This year I had 17 performances so It was busy time. You know, in my city Perpignon it is my business.
23.And what do you think about the level of kung fu schools in Europe?
I do not want to speak,..,,laugh,,.. you know, I think it is very poor because many guys practise many styles of kung fu in the same class. I mean like one form of the Wing Chun, one form of the Praying Mantis, one form of the Choi Lei Fat, one form of the Hung Kyen but it is not the same strategy of the combat. And in real situations where you neeed strategy for fighting which you can use. For me it the same if you like coca cola, you like beer, you like tea..that is okey but if you put it in one glass, then it is not good at all. And also many schools do not practise to be ready for real fighting situations, they practise only for forms, searching for some energies and this is why people are laughing at the martial arts when they see it. I think this situation is in Europe but also in China…too many schools like that.
Hope it will be better in future.
On the end I would like to say THANK YOU to my si hing Petr "Bob", student of Ivan Rzounek sifu - GwonJau wing chun and student of Lai Ming Wing sifu - Lai Ming Wing boxing, for big help with this interview!
and my si dai Michal "Poklicka", student of Ivan Rzounek sifu GwonJau wing chun, for english correction.
