Sifu Wong Kiew Kit's Home Page

Questions-Answers Series

April 2006 (Part 2)

SELECTION OF QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Question 1

Answer

I am glad that you have found my Dragon-Tiger Set invaluable. Indeed, it illustrates many key points in Southern Shaolin Kungfu.

The Dragon-Tiger Set was actually my composition, where I combined the essence of Uncle Righteousness' forms with the essence of Sifu Ho Fatt Nam's applications. It was an expedient mean to meet a practical need.

I was then writing my first kungfu book, “An Introduction to Shaolin Kungfu”, about 30 years ago, and I needed a good short kungfu set to form the basis for the book. I had two excellent short sets, “Tiger-Crane” from Uncle Righteousness, the honorable nickname my first sifu, Sifu Lai Chin Wah, was known to the kungfu circles, and “Four Gates” from my other sifu, Sifu Ho Fatt Nam, the third generation-successor from the southern Shaolin Temple in Fujian. These sets were suitable as they each had 36 patterns; the other sets were too long, with 72 or 108 patterns.

However, Tiger-Crane was the treasure of Uncle Righteousness' lineage, and “Four Gates” the treasure of Sifu Ho Fatt Nam's lineage. It was unthinkable for me to expose the secrets of either one of the two treasures. What should I do? An inspiration flashed into me. I would combine the best of what I had learned from my two sifus, and present the set as an honour to them.

Although both Uncle Righteousness and Sifu Ho Fatt Nam taught me Southern Shaolin Kungfu, there were some characteristic differences between the two. Relatively speaking, Uncle Righteousness' kungfu was famous for its beautiful forms (of course, it was also very effective), whereas Sifu Ho Fatt Nam's kungfu was famous for its combat effectiveness (of course the forms were beautiful too).

So I took the representative patterns from Uncle Righteousness' kungfu, which happened to come mainly from the Dragon and the Tiger forms, although the fundamental set was Tiger-Crane, and the representative combat application from Sifu Ho Fatt Nam's kungfu, which happened to draw from the best of Shaolin combat principles.

It was quite easy to match Uncle Righteousness' forms with Sifu Ho Fatt Nam's combat application because both came from Shaolin, and actually used the same forms and the same principles except with different emphasis. Had I done the reverse, i.e. using Sifu Ho Fatt Nam's forms and Uncle Righteousness' combat application, it would be easy too, but the nature and the appearance of the resultant set would be different.

Question 2

Answer

I am sure you will enjoy reading my account concerning my various kungfu sets, which includes some real-life stories. Video clips and still pictures of the sets you mention are now available on my website.

Although my schoolmates used the term “Hoong Ka” when they founded the “Chin Wah Hoong Ka Kungfu Academy” in Penang, Malaysia in honour of my sifu, Uncle Righteousness clearly used the term “Shaolin” and not “Hoong Ka”. Had I been present at the meeting to decide on the name of the school, I would have proposed “Uncle Righteousness Shaolin Academy” instead.

I did not learn many kungfu sets directly from Uncle Righteousness or Sifu Ho Fatt Nam. This was actually the norm with traditional masters. They emphasized quality over quantity. The great Southern Shaolin master, Wong Fei Hoong, for example, was reputed to have only five sets — “Taming Tiger”, “Tiger-Crane”, “Iron Wire”, “Fifth-Brother Eight-Trigam Staff” and “Child-Mother Butterfly Knives”.

However, later in the zest of youthful discovery, I went on an odyssey of learning and exchanging kungfu sets from and with numerous sources.

The kungfu sets I learned from Uncle Righteousness were as follows.

1. Tiger-Crane Double Form Set (Fu Hok Seong Ying Khuen - Cantonese pronunciation)
2. Dragon Strength Chi Circulation Set (Loong Lek Wan Hei Khuen)
3. Fifth-Brother Flag-Waving Long Staff (Ng Long Yew Kei Khuan)
4. Continuous Double Daggers (Lin Wan Seong Pei Sau)
5. Crossroad Southern Knives (Sap Tzi Seong Nam Tou)
6. 108-Pattern Staff (Yiat Pak Ling Pat Tim Khuan)
7. Essence of Shaolin (Siu Lam Khuen Shuit Jing Wah)

I was extremely lucky. All the three unarmed sets, “Tiger-Crane”, “Dragon Strength” and “Essence of Shaolin” were Uncle Righteousness' treasures. “Essence of Shaolin”, a fantastic set but not well known because it was kept a secret, was Uncle Righteousness' best, one which a master normally transited to his successor. To quote my sijie, who is Uncle Righteousness' eldest daughter, which I still remember to this day, “Uncle Righteousness treats you (i.e. me) better than he treats his own sons”, for which I am forever grateful.

From my kungfu brothers and sihooks in Uncle Righteousness lineage, I learned the following.

1. Great Majestic Set (Tai Hoong Khuen) But later I use its other name “Triple Stretch” (Sam Chin Khuen) because I also learn another version of Great Majestic Set from Sifu Ho Fatt Nam.
2. Shaolin Flower Set (Siu Lam Fa Khuen)
3. Cross-Road Throat-Locking Spear (Sap Tzi Sor Hou Cheong)
4. Green Dragon Crescent Moon Knife (Cheng Loong Yim Yuit Tou)
5. Three-Section Whip (Sam Chit Pin)
6. Golden Legume Copper Round Hammer (Kam Kwa Thoong Choui)
7. Kungfu Bench (Wang Tau Thang)
8. Travelling Dragon Spear (Yau Loong Cheong)

My second sifu was Sifu Chee Kim Thong, the patriarch of Wuzu Kungfu, who was considered a national treasure of China. However, I only learned for about two years in his school.

“Wuzu”, which means “Five Ancestors” is in Mandarin pronunciation. In Fujian (or Hockien), which was the dialect spoken by Sifu Chee Kim Thong, it is pronounced as “Goh Chor”.

I learned only one set from Sifu Chee Kim Thong lineage, and that was “San Chan” or “Three Battles”. It is the signature set in Wuzu or Five-Ancestor Kungfu, and is meant to develop internal force. It mainly uses the Four-Six Stance. It is also the forerunner of the advanced Karate set “San Chin”.

My third sifu was Sifu Ho Fatt Nam, the thrid generation successor from the Shaolin Temple at Quanzhow in South China. Sifu Ho Fatt Nam was the one who “enlightened” me in kungfu.

From Sifu Ho Fatt Nam I learned the following.

1. Shaolin Cross-Roads at Four Gates (Siu Lam Sap Tzi Seai Moon Khuen)
2. Shaolin Pakua Set (Siu Lam Pat Kwa Khuen)
3. Seven Stars (Chet Sing Khuen)
4. Ho Family Flowing Water Staff (Ho Ka Lau Sheui Khuan)
5. Great Majestic Set (Tai Hoong Khuen)

“Four Gates” was the treasure in Sifu Ho Fatt Nam lineage. Interestingly, like “Tiger-Crane” in Uncle Righteousness lineage, “Four Gates” was the first set taught to beginners, just as it was the first set taught to kungfu monks at the southern Shaolin Temple at Quanzhou in Fujian, as my sifu told me. As the practitioner progressed, his insight and application of “Four Gates” deepened. This made it such a fantastic set. It is simple in appearance but profound in philosophy and application.

From my kungfu brothers in Sifu Ho Fatt Nam lineage, I learned the following.

1. Shaolin Dragon Form Set (Siu Lam Loong Ying Khuen)
2. Great Bell Lohan Set (Tai Choong Lor Hon Khuen)

My fourth sifu was Sifu Choe Hoong Choy, the patriarch of Choe Family Wing Choon, from whom I learned the following sets.

1. Small Beginning (Siu Lin Tau), which also includes Searching for Bridges (Cham Kiew) and Thrusting Fingers (Phew Chew).
2. Flower Set (Fa Khuen)
3. Six-and-Half-Point Staff (Luk Tim Phoon Khuan)
4. Human-Character Knives (Yein Tzi Tou)
5. Tiger-Crane Double Form Srt (Fu Hok Seong Ying Khuen)
6. Essence of Fighting (Shui Ta)
7. Drunken Eight Immortals (Chui Pat Seen)
8. Choy-Li-Fatt (Choy-Li-Fatt)
9. Thirteen-Technique Spear (Sap Sam Cheong)

I had special privileges when I learned from Sifu Choe Hoong Choy. Because he treated me as an equal rather than as a disciple, he allowed me to choose whatever I liked to learn from him. Of course I chose to learn the best first. The best in Choe Family Wing Choon are Siu Lin Tau (which means “Little Beginning in Training”), Flower Set and Six-and-Half-Point Staff.

“Siu Lin Tau” in Choe Family includes what in Yip Mann Wing Choon would be called “Cham Kiew” (Searching for Bridge) and “Phew Chee” (Thrusting Fingers). This was the set, I believe, the founder, Yim Wing Choon, practiced everyday to start her training.

It is interesting to note that except in a few patterns, the stances in Siu Lin Tau are short, using mainly the Four-Six Stance, similar to Yip Mann Wing Choon. But all the other sets in Choe Family Wing Choon use long stances, similar to Shaolin Kungfu.

The “Flower Set” I learned from Sifu Choe Hoong Choy was reputed to be from the famous Shaolin nun Ng Mui, who was Yim Wing Choon's teacher. It was most likely that this set was the forerunner of Siu Lin Tau, usually regarded as the most typical of Wing Choon Kungfu.

This “Flower Set” is different from the one I learned from Uncle Righteousness, although the patterns and principles are similar. Uncle Righteousness' “Flower Set” was reputed to be the specialized set of Foong Sei Yoke, a famous young Shaolin master, who was a disciple of Chee Seen, the abbot of the southern Shaolin Temple at the Nine Lotus Mountain. Foong Sei Yoke also learned from Ng Mui.

The “Tiger-Crane Set” in Choe Family is also different from the “Tiger-Crane Set” of Uncle Righteousness. Uncle Righteousness' set has 36 patterns, whereas the Wing Choon set has 72. The Wing Choon set is “softer” and has more Crane patterns. This set is also reputed to be from Ng Mui, whereas Uncle Righteousness' set was from Harng Yein, the most senior disciple of Chee Seen, who in turn was a junior classmate of Ng Mui.

The “Six-and-Half-Point Staff” is a marvelous set. It looks bafflingly simple but profoundly effective in combat. Years earlier, Uncle Righteousness who himself was famous for his staff techniques, told me that I should learn this “Six-and-Half-Point Staff” if I had the opportunity. I was very glad to have this opportunity from my fourth sifu about 20 years after my first sifu told me about it.

There were four prestigious staff sets in kungfu circles, namely

1. “Fifth Brother Eight-Trigram Staff” (Ng Long Pat Kua Khuan) of Hoong Ka Kungfu
2. “Six-and-Half-Point Staff” (Luk Tim Phoon Khuan) of Wing Choon Kungfu
3. “Ho Family Flowing Water Staff” (Ho Ka Lau Shieu Khuan) of Southen Shaolin
4. “Left Hand Fisherman Staff” (Chor Sau Thiew Yu Khuan) of Lau Ka Kungfu

I am very fortunate to have learnt three of the four prestigious staff sets. I learned the “Fifth Brother Eight-Trigram Staff” which is similar but not identical to Uncle Righteousness' “Eight-Brother Flag-Waving Staff”, by exchanging some weapon sets with my childhood friend, Sifu Chow Kok Chee, who in turn had learned it from his god-father who was a disciple of the famous master Wong Fei Hoong.

I could have learnt the “Left Hand Fisherman Staff” too when an old master taught it to my siheng, Wong Choy Wah, when my siheng was teaching at the Chin Wah Hoong Ka Kungfu Academy in Penang. I could have easily learnt it just by observing. But in one of my uncharacteristic moments, I decided against it, but have no regrets. I thought to myself then that I already had “Flowing Water Staff”, and that was more than enough.

At that time I had not learnt the “Six-and-Half-Point Staff” and the “Fifth Brother Eight-Trigram Staff”. I later leaned the “Six-and-Half-Point Staff” because Uncle Righteousness asked me to. I learned the “Fifth Brother Eight-Trigram Staff” because it was an offer.

Sifu Chow Kok Chee, a famous kungfu master living in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, wanted me to teach him Lion Dance and some weapon sets, namely the Big Trident, the Crescent Moon Spear, and the Crescent Moon Spade, which I had learned elsewhere. He was extremely generous. A main reason for his generosity was that we were childhood friends. He listed his sets for me to choose, including his best. Naturally I chose the best, namely “Fifth Brother Eight-Trigram Staff”of Hoong Ka Kungfu, “Cosmos Pa Kua Palm” of Choy-Li-Fatt Kungfu, and “Big Boss Fist” of Ngok Ka Kungfu.

“Cosmos Pa Kua Palm” and “Big Boss Fist” may not be wildly known, but they are very effective for combat. Sifu Chow Kok Chee was a terrific fighter in his young days, at a time when the fist more than law ruled society. He told me he fought more than 200 street fights, many of them were ambushes where he was attacked by multiple assailants with weapons like choppers, spikes, acid and powdered glass! His “Cosmos Pa Kua Palm” helped him to evade, and his “Big Boss Fist”, where the fist was held with the middle knuckle protruding out, sometimes called an “elephant fist”, helped him to strike down assailants.

He has a small scar at the side of his face where he was burnt by acid. He told me he could be blind had he dodged a second late when an attacker threw acid at his face. He has a long, big scar on his back, a reminder of his survival from a scimitar attack. He said he could be dead had he not trained “Sap Sam Tai Poh” or the “Art of Thirteen Grand Guards” which enabled him to withstand weapon attacks on his body. Such fights were barbaric and we are glad we no longer live in such an era and in such a lawless society. But it shows how naive some modern softies are when they ask whether kungfu could be used for fighting!

I was curious about the “Art of Thirteen Grand Guards”. Sifu Chow told me that he achieved this through his training of “Thiew Harng Kung” or “Consistent-Lifting Art” of Ngok Ka Kungfu. I knew that “Thiew Harng Kung” was an extremely secretive art. So I grabbed the opportunity and asked if he could show me. In his generosity, which is typical of real kungfu masters, he not only showed me but also taught me the art.

I would like to share with you an interesting real-life story concerning the “Consistent-Lifting Art” of Ngok Ka Kungfu.. The patriarch of Ngok Ka Kungfu was Loong Poh. That was his nickname; his real name was Chan Khoon Poh. “Loong Poh” means “Poh the Deaf”. When he was a student training his “Consistent-Lifting Art”, his master was annoyed and gave him a slap on his face so hard that it deafened him for life, resulting in his nickname “Loong Poh”.

Loong Poh never stopped training his “Consistent-Lifting Art” daily. When Sifu Chow visited him in his cottage he was hitting himself hard with an iron bar. Loong Poh was then more than seventy years old! “Sifu,” Sifu Chow said to Loong Poh, “you are already so powerful. Why don't you take a break?”

“Oh no,” Loong Poh said with a voice like a ringing bell, “I'm not powerful yet. I can't stop training even for a day. My internal force will deteriorate if I don't train.” Sifu Chow told me this old master really thought he was not powerful enough.

One day a high ranking Taekwondo master came to challenge Loong Poh. Sifu Chow was present and he came forward to take the challenge instead, wishing to teach the Taekwondo master a lesson for challenge an old man.

“Thank you, young man,” Loong Poh said to Sifu Chow, “but this master wants to challenge me and not you. Give me a chance to test whether my kungfu is still usable.”

The Taekwondo master charged forward with double flying kicks coming at full force at the old man. Sifu Chow thought to himself, “Easy. Just side step and strike the opponent's legs while he is still in the air”, something like what we in Shaolin Wahnam do using the pattern “Lohan Strikes Drum”, except that the strike would be high at the legs in the air instead of striking low.

But to his horror, Sifu Chow found Loong Poh just walked forward into the kicks. “I thought to myself how could he do this!” Sifu Chow said to me.

But the Taekwondo master was bounced back many feet with a loud noise. He couldn't get up, both his legs were fractured.

Question 3

Answer

Yes, what you have experienced is Zi Fa Dong Gong, which means “Self-Manifested Chi Movement”.

Self-Manifested Chi Movement is actually a very safe form of chi kung, if it is practiced correctly, and it is excellent for overcoming pain and illness.

Chi flows in our body naturally. But in most people, this natural chi flow is interrupted mainly due to mental stress and physical tension. Other factors like injury, wrong food, bacterial attack, viral infection, and negative emotions may also interrupt or block chi flow.

If the blockage is long or severe, pain and illness occurs, called by different names in conventional Western medicine according to its symptoms, such as influenza, kidney stones, cancer, depression and anxiety. If the blockage is cleared and chi flow is restored to its natural condition, pain and illness are eliminated and good health restored.

It does not matter what caused the blockage and what symptoms are manifested, as long as natural chi flow is restored, the person regains good health. In other words it does not matter what name the illness may be called — regardless of whether it is influenza, kidney stones, cancer, depression or anxiety — Self-Manifested Chi Movement can overcome the illness!

This may sound too good to be true to many people, but it is true. We in Shaolin Wahnam have used Self-Manifested Chi Flow to help many people overcome so-called incurable diseases. This is also a major theme we hope to disseminate to more people in the world.

As chi flow is natural, and it is usually blocked by stress and tension, if you relax totally — if you stop thinking and let go of muscular tension — your chi will flow. When you feel your body swaying or moving as a result of your internal chi flow, if you follow the flow — and not go against or stop it — you chi flow movement will gather momentum. This was what happened in your case.

But most people could not relax totally. They start thinking of myriad thoughts and tense their muscles to stop the first signs of chi movement. To help them over these problems, chi kung masters have devised numerous exercises.

The movements of chi flow may be manifested in countless different ways due to various factors, like the internal conditions of the practitioners, his mental state, and the type of exercise he performs to induce the chi flow. The great Chinese physician, Hua Tuo, living in the 2nd century, classified these countless different movements into five archetypes, and he used the term “bird”, “deer”, “monkey”, “tiger” and “bear” to generalize them. Henceforth, Self-Manifested Chi Movement is also called the “Five-Animal Folic of Hua Tuo”.

If Self-Manifested Chi Movement is safe to practice and so effective in overcoming illness, why is this type of chi kung not popular? There are a few reasons. Chi kung masters in the past were generally conservative, and this type of chi kung was kept as a secret. Secondly, while it is simple, it is not easy. Most people cannot relax. (You happen to be a lucky exception.) Thirdly it demand much skill and understanding to teach it effectively.

Self-Manifested Chi Movement should be practiced under the supervision of a competent teacher. But as you have practiced it successfully on your own, you can carry on.

There are a few safety rules to follow in this exercise. One, it must be practiced in a safe place, such as away from balconies, high windows and sharp objects. Two, do not move too vigorously at first. Move vigorously only after you have good control. Three, do not stop abruptly. Slow down, then come to a graceful stop. Four, after stopping, stand upright, relax and stay still for some time, which may range from a few seconds to a few minutes. Fourthly, it may be helpful to tell people around you not to be worried if you start jumping about wildly, rolling on the floor, crying or making any funny noises or movements.

Question 4

Answer

“The Complete Book of Shaolin” is comprehensive and gives an in-depth description of all important Shaolin arts, including Zen, chi kung and sutra recitation.

Certainly internal force is superior to external strength. There is no comparison. External strength is “dead” and localized. If you build muscles to lift weights, that is about all you can do. You cannot, for example, use it to overcome pain and illness, have more stamina, be more flexible in your movement, have better mental clarity or have more vitality in your daily life. But internal force can do all these and more.

Practicing regularly is very important. Even when you have the best teacher and the best methods, if you do not practice regularly you won't have good results, or any results. But you must also ensure that you use high level methods giving high level results, as you have done. Even when one practices correctly and regularly, if his method is low level, he will take a long time to obtain effects, and if the purported results are low level, his effects will be low level regardless of how long he practices.

Surprisingly not many people realize these important points. Take the example of people practicing Tai Chi as an external exercise, which is actually what the great majority of Tai Chi practitioners do today. There may practice for many years, yet they may not develop any internal force. This is because they have practiced it as gentle physical exercise, and not as chi kung. At best they will get the best benefits of what gentle physical exercise will give, such as balance, flexibility and elegance. But they will not develop internal force because physical exercise does not generate internal force.

Suppose they practice Tai Chi as chi kung, but of a low level, like repeating the forms over and over again in a relaxed manner. After many months or years they may have some internal force. Sometimes they may feel that their palms are heavy after a practice session, or they may feel some electric sparks travelling down their arms. They will be very happy, thinking these are fantastic results.

Suppose they have the rare opportunity to learn from a master willing to teach them. They practice the same Tai Chi forms, but this time as high level chi kung, such as in a state of Tao and with internal chi flow. They may develop noticeable internal force in a few months, or even a few days.

Many Tai Chi practitioners used to practicing their art as gentle physical exercise may not believe it, but it is true. Even beginning students at our regional Wahnam Tai Chi Chuan classes feel noticeable internal force after just a few days. Practically all of them feel their palms heavy and charge with energy, some may feel electric sparks travelling down their arms only after a few days of practice. These results are nothing fantastic; they are just the beginning.

Then, why don't all Tai Chi practitioners use high level methods producing high level results. There are a few reasons. First, they are ignorant of this information. Secondly, even when they know, they do not believe it. Thirdly, even if they believe, they have not found a willing master. Fourthly, even when they have found a master, they are not willing to pay the price, financially as well as otherwise. Fifthly, even when they pay the price, they do not follow the master's instructions.

Question 5

Answer

Your routine is correct and sufficient. In high level arts, quality is almost always better than quantity. There is no need to add more, except you can gradually increase the time of your stance training, and stand still and be relaxed and enjoy the chi flow, if any, after each session.

Practicing twice a day, once in the early morning and once at night is ideal. You are doing well, carry on.

Question 6

Answer

You are both right and wise.

Even the most basic of internal art training, i.e. chi flow, is mysterious to most people. Unfortunately, even some world known masters in Shaolin Kungfu and Tai Chi Chuan do not believe in chi or internal force. They openly say that chi and internal force are non-existent. This is alarming, as chi and internal force form the core of genuine, traditional Shaolin Kungfu and Tai Chi Chuan. It sounds the alarm that these great arts may disappear from the earth if nothing effective is done about it.

As you have correctly said, when one believes in chi, or better still, have an experience of chi, these great arts like One-Finger Shooting Zen and Cosmos Palm are natural developments.

You are wise not to attempt these advanced arts without the supervision of a master. Wrong practice brings harmful effects, and it is easy to practice wrongly without proper guidance. But trained under a master or at least a competent instructor, they are safer than swimming or playing football.

Question 7

Answer

You should attend my Intensive Shaolin Kungfu Course when you have the opportunity. I am sure you will be amazed. Not only what I have said will come alive, you will be awed by the wonderful benefits you get in just five days. You can access many video clips showing lessons of my Intensive Shaolin Kungfu Course here.

I have a few inner-chamber disciples in Portugal. Although they are capable and have been urged by me, they are still unwilling to teach publicly. This is an interesting contrast to some over-zealous persons who want to be masters even before they have become students?

My most senior disciple in Portugal is Dr Riccardo Salvatore. His contact particulars are website: http://shaolin-wahnam-portugal.com, and his email address info@shaolin-wahnam-portugal. You may like to consult him for advice.

I also give classes in Portugal regularly. You can check the details on my website.

You are wise to ask for advice so that you can make the best of your time. It is also wise to choose the best available methods.

Many practitioners actually waste a lot of time by practicing not-so-good exercises. Sometimes they even harm themselves, such as sustaining internal injuries and being tensed and aggressive as a result of their training. It doesn't make sense, but it is true. Again the reasons are what I have explained above, starting with ignorance.

LINKS

Selected Reading

• Green Dragon Shoots Pearl in Picture Series
• Great Kungfu is a Process of Spiritual Cultivation
• Secrets of Sparring Methodology
• The Snake, the Crane, the Tiger and the Leopard
• The Student as Part of the Perfect Equation — Sifu Michael Durkin
• Your Course was Worth Ten Times I Paid for it — Patrick Collins Chesser

Courses and Classes

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

• List of Certified Shaolin Wahnam Instructors

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