NaamKyun.com Discussion Forum

hi guys, reading some old articles about Wong Feihung, mentioning often so called gwaai geuk 拐腳, crutch kick

how does it look like? i might know the kick, just the name is not familiar to me

thnx for any input

My Cantonese comprehension (especially reading) is far beneath yours so I doubt I can offer much assistance beyond what I already know and have been told by my Sifu, seniors and friends....

Gwaai geuk is a Hung ga techinque also called the "ghost kick"... the name eludes to the technique clearly. Just like we have the chicken kick, tiger tail and heart penetrating kick I believe there are more specialized kicking techniques in our Hung Gar then most realize.

Now, maybe my assumption to your question is off and thereby my answer to your questions is off base.... I should use google to cross reference but honestly I cant be bothered with it.

I've heard the term "gwai geuk" used in two different ways. Both of the ways do not refer to a specific technique but rather a concept that underlines particular techniques.

The first way makes it interchangeable with the "mo ying geuk". That means both terms simply refer to a very fast kick.

The second way makes it SIMILAR to "mo ying geuk", but with the "gwai geuk" having heavier emphasis on deception and the "mo ying geuk" heavier on speed. I think the key in the word "gwai" isn't specifically to translate it as "ghost" but more along the lines of "sneaky" or "crafty" like the phrase "gwai gwai seu seu" (pardon the romanization if it's incorrect).

So whereas the "mo ying geuk" is sometimes construed as having a level of deception coupled with speed, such as a flip of a fan to a person's face followed by a very fast kick to the torso etc... the "gwai geuk" could refer to maybe a very well placed, and deceptively aimed kick to the knee/inner thigh of a person while engaging in upper body combat.

I know my interpretation is very nuanced but let me try one more time to clarify in case I've only made things more confusing.

The "Mo Ying Geuk" translates literally to "No Shadow Foot", but obviously we mean "No Shadow Kick". Something which is said to have no shadow while moving can essentially be said to be moving extremely fast (arguably a ghost casts no shadow; hence I mentioned one way to interpret the two phrases is that they are interchangeable, but I'm not discussing that point because it's self explanatory). However, nothing moves so fast as to actually cast no shadow... thus we rely on illusion to create effect of super speed i.e. fan opening, crane spreading wings, cheung saam flipping etc followed by a kick to make it seem like it moved from ground level to whatever location at some "shadowless speed".

The "Gwai Geuk" can be translated to literally mean "Ghost Foot", but we obviously mean to say "kick" and therefore it can be translated as "Ghost Kick" OR "Sneaky/Deceptive Kick". From the name alone, we can already deduce that SPEED is not the key factor in this technique. Whereas the "Mo Ying Geuk" is intended to create the illusion of a super fast kick that casts no shadow, the "Gwai Geuk" is simply intended to kick in a deceptive manner. This can range from occupying the attention at the top while kicking the bottom or, perhaps, changing the angle of a kick so that it seems to be aimed at one level (high, mid, low), but then shifts and contacts a different area.

This is my understanding of the two terms. Either I'm completely off base or I'm a genius. There is no middle ground for me

Interesting thoughts and thanks for the sharing your opinions... certainly as I implied earlier and you reiterated upon, the terminology and naming conventions of our techniques reveal alot when we take the time to listen.

I have heard some people refer to the Gwaai Geuk as the same as the mo ying.... others argue that it is entirely different. My own personal thinking is that it is both different and the same and the argument is a moot one. I am more inclined to think inline with you in that "gwaai geuk" is an idea/concept and not so much a specific technique. Therefore, sure it could be applied to what we know of the Mo Ying but also can be applied to any situation in which one uses kicks....

I believe Wong Fei Hung had a student who was well known for his "ghost kicking skills"... (I cannot recall his name but Im sure some other forum members could). At any rate, it seems it was a stratagem he himself excelled in rather then a specific technique.

At any rate... that was an entirely too long-winded means of me saying that I agree with you... genius.

Now the question remains though... are we discussing something completely different the PM is asking us about?

Chunyat, thnx. where does the info come from? gwa cheui + knee seems kind of awkward... but well, i got to see it. is it always some lower gate attack with gwa cheui? as for what i have found it should be some kind of really damaging and devastating kick, being on few of the sap duk sau lists...

all the best

Source: someone in Kwai Fong (yes, you know him well).
Yes you have to see it, b/c I didn't write it clearly on purpose. Just as a reminder, cause I think they must have shown you as well.

oh, ok, Mr. Wong! we did not discuss it, i have to ask him next time! he is one of the men to ask, not only very knowedgable, but also very skillfull.