What does it mean to be a kung fu man?

[crazedjustice888]

This isn't necessarily a hung gar topic, but since there isn't a general section, I thought I would post it here.

When someone says that they are a kung fu man as opposed to another style man what do you think of? Also what do you think a person must possess or be able to do in order to be a good kung fu man?

Just thought I would start a conversation that I have been wondering about lately.

[Daifong]

One who specializes in (Chinese) martial arts. He must possess good ethics, as well as having good skills.
He maintains the standards of his particular martial art.

[hasayfu]

Not too much discussion on this topic. Let's see if we can get some traction.

The common definition of a "kung fu" man is what Daifong wrote. Someone who specializes in Chinese martial arts (since kung fu is a Chinese word)

My Si-sook once said that a Chinese martial ARTIST should have three areas. Kuen (Fist), Dit Da(Fall hit), Sing Si (Awakened lion). This means, fighting concepts, Chinese medicine and Chinese cultural context. I liked this definition.

Personally, I don't like saying I'm a "Kung Fu Man". Besides the fact that "kung fu" doesn't mean martial arts, as you have noticed, it means different things to different people today. Better to say I play a Chinese martial art.

[inthebakyard]

[crazedjustice888]

Hahahaha good answers guys, but the lifestyle and everything wasn't exactly what I meant. I guess I didn't specify. Here is what I meant. A lot of kung fu guys want to hit harder, have stronger stances, make their bodies harder. My sifu told me recently that all of that is useless without the following, the best kung fu men and women get their entire bodies to move together at once. Sifu compared it to a river. If your fighting and you do all these movements THEN hit them, its like you are making dams for the water to come out, but if you just straight up smack him with the whole body behind you then the river just explodes and that is what a kung fu man is. I personally believe this.

What is everyones thoughts on this? But then again, this is from a hop gar sifu so this philosophy might not pertain to other styles, but I think it fits perfectly for kung fu in general.

[inthebakyard]

The concept you mention is true, staccato type movements really impede the full delivery. Chinese(hell, for that matter ALL) martial arts MUST flow, there can be no stop, just what we call "the snowball effect", meaning the movements culminate or accumilate energy that is released much like that cartoon snowball from Sat morning WB cartoons, in one massive expulsion of energy that typically is a contact to the enemy(like the section of Ten Killing Hands, where one tiger tail kicks, spins into a water cast left then right, then "scrapes", then uppercuts, then delivers the "finisher" the "Sun" punch... personally I like it with "crane hands"... I wish I knew the proper names for these in their native tongue, but alas my Catonese and Mandarin both are terrible to non-existent... anyhoo that last strike feels to me like everything in that sequence was "built" to make the last strike powerful only if it FLOWS... the 150lbs heavy bag goes flying when I hit it as I finish up the sequence).

So yes, I relate and think I can confirm what you have said as a possibility. I however, dont regard it as the "only" way (maybe Im ignorant... I dunno). I have seen many different ways to exert and intelligently apply force and "force multipliers" other than the one you mentioned that vary the damage done(I personally dont want to kill everyone I fight, as a matter of fact if I dont watch out I will end up in jail for something I didn't mean to do... so I just don't unless left no other choice/backed into a corner, which a few fools have done to their regret).

I know of your Sifu. (one of his former students is my Si-gung in Hung Gar and my wife's Sifu in Yang Tai Chi.. so I have heard some stories omg lol) He garners much respect, as a man of his knowledge and experience should. Keep putting sweat on the floor "cousin"!!

[crazedjustice888]

Hahahaha, yeah...he has some stories...thats for sure. He has worked me to the point where my shoulder dislocated, gave me 5 minutes, then back out...HAHAHAHA!!!

Again, this might just be from our styles perspective...but then again, the first principle of hop gar is cruelty...so yeah...do with that what you will HAHAHAHA!!!

Its funny when I give demonstrations and I show the power of chyun choi and people fly back with a chest "shield" on, it definitely gets the point across.

Who is your sigung? I doubt I know him, but I would love to ask about him. I like hearing about my sigungs training since it inspires me.

[Xiaobian]

I do not think that this makes for a "kung fu man", but rather what makes the highest ideal for every martial art. The instinct and conditioning to read and respond to the flow of energy in yourself and the people and things around you.

You can train iron body until you are cut from wood, but a concrete pillar will not yield (especially if your structure is disjointed); and of course not every part of the body can be made tough. Whole body power comes from tapping into this flow and timing it well, and this skill can find and exploit structural weaknesses both physically and mentally.

I'm not sure how this separates "kung fu" from other martial arts, but it seems to be idealized in kung fu. In my eyes, most CMA tend to praise the use of the opponents' strength rather than one's own, ideally to win by barely exerting oneself or throwing attacks.

[Daifong]

[crazedjustice888]

Of course it applies to all martial arts, and my sifu is aware of this. Its just with styles like tai chi and the like it is a dominate ideal in kung fu. Its like how different style place emphasis on different things. Kung Fu just places that much more emphasis on it. Look at a TKD kick, or a karate punch, hey will already be in a stance and throw that one leg, or that one punch and nothing else moves.
Does this happen in kung fu as well? Absolutely, its just in kung fu the whole body movement at once is the paramount to get to. This is just how my sifu strives to get. I guess since he does tai chi, bagua, xingyi, and hop gar that, to him, is what his kung fu, kung fu...if that makes sense. But Kung fu is skill attained over time, and the whole body moving at once is just that, the pinnacle of skill attained over time. So of course all martial arts want it, my sifu however just places more emphasis on it than I have seen before. So it might not be a kung fu man, or anything, its probably my sifus students that think this way.

Does that make sense?

[inthebakyard]