HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF
SIX-AND-HALF-POINT STAFF OF WING CHOON KUNGFU
Cheong, or Spear, is one of the deadliest techniques of the Six-and-Half-Point Staff
When I was learning from Uncle Righteousness, my first sifu. he told me that if I had a chance I should learn the Six-and-Half-Point Staff, or "Luk Tim Poon Khun" in Chinese (Cantonese). Years later when I learned from my fourth sifu, Sifu Choe Hoong Choy, the Patriarch of Choe Family Wing Choon, I did not miss the opportunity of asking him if he could kindly teach me this set. Befitting a great kungfu master, Sifu Choe taught me the set in a few days, and told me why a certain technique was called half a point, or half a technique. He specifically said that this was told to an appointed successor.
I also remember that once I was talking with a few masters. An Eagle Claw Kungfu master asked me how I would counter a middle spear pierce. A middle spear pierce is considered the most difficult technique to counter as the spear holder can easily pull back his spear with its spearhead pointing at you. Anyone who needs to use a weapon effectively must therefore learn to counter a middle spear pierce.
I just learned the Six-and-Half-Point Staff, and told him that I could counter with any one of the seven main techniques of the set. Actually I was telling him a secret, but he was not impressed. I then asked him how he would counter a middle spear pierce.
The Eagle Claw master replied that he would flick his staff against the spear piecre, then with his staff he would thrust forward at the spear exponent. This was a typical response, though I did not tell him, from a kungfu classic called "Siu Yea Cha" which means "Little Night Guard", a kungfu classic on the famous Shaolin staff.
Anyone of the seven main techniques of the Six-and-Half-Point Staff was better. It disarmed the opponent immediately he made a move. It used only one technique, which was implementing the tactic of no-defence-direct-counter, whereas the response from "Little Night Guard" employes two techniques.
When I was sparring with my sifu, Sifu Choe Hoong Choy, I asked him why a Six-and-Half-Point Staff exponent held his hands close to his body. My sifu replied that this was to prevent an opponent hitting the hands, especially the supportive hand which was the left hand and in front of the main hand, the right hand.
There are seven main techniques of Six-and-Half-Point Staff. They are marvelous, striking the opponent as soon as he makes a move. The seven techniques are:
- Cheong or Spear
- Kot or Hit
- Thiew or Flock
- Houin or Circle
- Nyat or Press
- Tim or Dot
- Cheah or Shelter
Wong Kiew Kit
26th December 2018
LINKS
Six-and-Half-Point Staff -- Pattern Names