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Participants at the Sabah Intensive Shaolin Kungfu Course of March 2007 having a lot of fun practicing the teachings of past masters

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When we practice an individualized art like Boxing, we benefit from the experience and teaching of our immediate teachers, and sometimes our teachers’ teachers. If a teacher discovers some effective counters against certain attacks, for example, he teaches them to his students. Other practitioners would have to discover these same techniques afresh.

But when we practice an institutionalized art like Shaolin Kungfu, we inherit the experiences and teachings of tens of thousands of masters over many centuries. When we learn some effective counters, these were not discovered or re-discovered by our immediate teachers, or their teachers. The techniques were discovered long ago from direct fighting experience by past masters who incorporated them into the art, and these techniques were refined over time.

An institutionalized art has a repertoire that is unfathomable. Comparing the repertoire of an individualized art built by a few masters over a few years with the repertoire of an institutionalized art evolved by tens of thousands of masters over many centuries is like comparing a drop of water with an ocean.

The experiences and teachings of tens of thousands of masters were refined and generalized into principles. For example, past masters discovered both the concept and the methods that if an opponent was much stronger than you, you needed not match his strength with equal strength. You could use his strength to defeat him. This concept was formalized into a combat principle, poetically described as “Borrowing an opponent’s strength to strike him”. Some methods used to implement this principle included striking the weak point of his on-coming attack, like using “Immortal” against “Golden Star”, and “shallowing” his attack and simultaneously striking him, like using “Hand Sweep” against “Precious Duck”.

The video series here introduce some of these interesting principles and methods.

Please note that you can download the video clips onto your own computer and view them at your leisure. Place your computer pointer at the picture or one of the links, and right click. Choose “Save Target As”. Select the directory or sub-directory where you wish to keep the video clip. Click “Save”.

The Secret of Cross-Road Lock Hand

Grandmaster Wong shows another secret – that of “Sap Tzi Kow Sau” or “Cross-Road Lock Hand”, which is more often heard than understood. Here you can lock both arms of an opponent while striking him. Do you know how to defend against or counter this attack? It is very simple, and it involves a principle which can be very useful in daily life when you are faced with an apparently impossible situation.
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Important Conditions when Applying Pressing Attacks

Grandmaster Wong and Sifu Jamie demonstrate again how a skillful exponent can easily press an opponent with continuous attacks. Can you remember what the important points are when you use pressing attacks. Most important, you must ensure your own safety. Next, you must be very familiar with the movements you are going to make. This is taken care of by your combat sequences. You must of course have good force, good timing and good spacing.
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The Importance of Skills over Techniques

Grandmaster Wong demonstrates again the technique of interception before asking the participants to practice in pairs. Do you notice that in this example Grandmaster Wong first used a Mirror Hand, but Sifu Jamie was skillful to neutralize it and pressed on. But Grandmaster Wong intercepts him again with a Tiger Claw. The impromptu changes are so smooth and spontaneous that many people may not notice them. This requires much skill. You can also notice Sifu Jamie smiling away, perhaps at the fun of being overwhelmed by Grandmaster Wong, or perhaps at the opportunity of learning a new skill. Having fun is a constant feature in our Shaolin Wahnam training.
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The Profundity of Simple Movements

Many people may be surprised at the statement that Shaolin kungfu movements are simple. But they do not realize that there is much profundity in the simplicity. An example is found in this video clip. You have performed these movements many times, especially after Combat Sequence 5 onwards. Did you know that herein lies the secret of interception?
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The Importance of “Shen” or Spirit

Merely knowing the counters is insufficient in good kungfu combat. You must have “shen”, or spirit. In the first example shown in the video clip, Grandmaster Wong demonstrates the response of a practitioner without much “shen”. “Shen” or spirit is present in the second example. Notice that Andy almost succeeds in breaking through Grandmaster Wong’s first “closure”, but Grandmaster Wong “tames” him again, so smoothly and spontaneously that many people may not notice.
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Adjusting Footwork for Right Spacing

Right spacing is important in intercepting and counter-striking. In the first example, Grandmaster Wong steps forward as he counter-strikes. In the second example, as George has moved quite close, Grandmaster Wong retreats his back leg as he strikes. This is an example of of the tactic in “using retreat as advance”.
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The Amazing Tiger Claw Technique

When your opponent uses the Tiger Claw to initiate a pressing attack, you can use the same technique of Tiger Claw to “close” him and counter-strike, as shown in this video clip. Sifu Jamie opens Grandmaster Wong’s Tiger Claw defence with a Tiger Claw and is about to press in with continuous attacks. Grandmaster Wong uses the same Tiger Claw technique to intercept and counter-attack. After that, Grandmaster Wong shows the mechanics of the Tiger Claw technique.
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Helping One Another in Shaolin Wahnam Training

The opening, closing or intercepting technique of the Tiger Claw in “Single Tiger Emerges from Cave” is similar to the threading technique of the Dragon Hand Form in “Golden Dragon Plays with Water”. This video clip shows Sifu Jamie helping Bernadette, a fresh beginner in Shaolin Kungfu, with the Dragon technique. Helping one another is an important aspect of our Shaolin Wahnam training.
The size of the video clip is 2.07 mb.
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We wish to thank Mr Godfery Kissey of Ogingo Videography, Penampang, Sabah, Malaysia for kindly provideing us with the videos. (Godfery is also a member of our Shaolin Wahnam Family.) His telephone number is 60-88-731788, and e-mail address is godfery@pc.jaring.my.

Overview 1 : The Fundamentals
Overview 2 : The 16 Combat Sequences
Overview 3 : Are they Performing Kungfu Dance?

1. The Basics of Shaolin Kungfu Training
2. Fundamental Combat Skills
3. Defeat you Hand to your Opponent, Victory you Create Yourself
4. Avoiding Disadvantages and Seeking Advantages
5. Basic Principles and Tactics of Combat
6. Skills derived from Sparring can be Rewardingly used in Daily Life
7: Some Secrets in Practicing Genuine Kungfu
8: Various Ways to Move into an Opponent

9: Applying Combat Sequences in Sparring
10: Linking Sequences to be More Combat Efficient
11: The Secrets of Continuous Cannons
12: The Mechanics of Continuation
13: Marvelous Techniques Beget Marvelous Techniques
14: Perfecting Forms and Developing Force
15: Applying Tactics in Combat
16: Objectives of Form Training in Solo

17: Being Fluent in Kicking Techniques before Applying them in Combat
18: Using Tactics in Kicking Attacks and Defences
19: Different Levels of Sophistication in Sparring and Fighting
20: The Legacy of Uncle Righteousness: Secret of Continuous Cannons and their Counters
21: Benefiting from the Experiences and Teachings of Past Masters

22: Poetic Patterns Can be Very Deadly
23: Moving Back One Step when in Diffiuclt Situations
24: Linking Sequences to Form a Kungfu Set
25: Felling Techniques in Kungfu are Different from Judo and Wrestling
26: Butterfly Palms and Hiding Flowers are Excellent in Countering Felling and Gripping Attacks
27: Let Mercy Flow from the Hands

28: Benefits of Solo Set Practice -- Combat Sequences 13 to 16
29: From Pre-Choice Sequences to Free Sparring
30: Allying Shaolin Patterns Correctly and Spontaneously in Free Sparring
31. Shaolin Kungfu against Boxing and Kick-Boxing
32. Shaolin Counters against Wrestling Shoots
33. The Secret of Grandmaster Ho Fatt Nam
34. Why Shaolin Kungfu is Technically Faster than Boxing
35. Shaolin Techniques, Tactics and Strategies against Boxing

36. Revealing Secrets of Past Taijiquan Masters
37. Overwhelming Opponents with Just One Pattern
38. Poetry and Elegance in Effective Combat

• Intensive Chi Kung Course
• Intensive Shaolin Kungfu Course
• Intensive Taijiquan Course

• List of Certified Shaolin Wahnam Instructors

This page has been visited times since 25th August 2007