TO FIREHAWK!!!!!!!!!!

[KEUNG]

DEAR FIREHAWK,
HAVE YOU PRACTICED STAFF WEAPONS TRAINING? IF YOU DO, CAN YOU GIVE ME A COMPLETE LIST OF ALL THE TECHNIQUES THAT ARE PRACTICED. CAN YOU ALSO GIVE COMPLETE DETAILS ON EACH MOVE? I REALLY NEED TO LEARN THE STAFF WEAPON. I ALSO LOVE THAT TYPE OF WEAPON VERY MUCH.
THANKS A LOT!!!!!
KEUNG

[FIRE HAWK]

I have herd of alot of staff styles Chinese and japanese i will list the names of them and some of the names of books that you can buy that teach the staff forms the staff is my favorite weapon,There is alot of people on here who know more about the staff than i do but i wil do my best and list the names of the staff styles and what ever else i know about the staff.

[FIRE HAWK]

The Flying Dragon Tiger Gate System
By Robert Chu
(First published in Exotic Martial Arts of South East Asia, Spring 1999)

The Flying Dragon/Tiger Gate system, also known as the Fei Lung Fu Mun, brought to the United States by late Lui Yon Sang (Lei Ren Sheng) of Guang Zhou, China. Lui was a native of Toishan and had lived in New York City as a Traditional Chinese Medical doctor and herbalist. On the side, Lui taught some of New York’s top masters of martial arts his specailty system, known as Fei Lung Fu Mun. Lui’s art was not widespread and to learn it, one had to become a disciple. One must have performed the "Bai Si" ritual in order to gain entry. As a result, Lui only taught a select group of disciples his specialty, including Chan Bong (David Chan), Lee Gok Chung (Thomas Lee), Chan Jim, David Wong, myself and others.

Lui was 80 years old when I met him. Although practically unheard of in the West, Lui was famous throughout China during his lifetime. This was because of his knowledge presented in a long running series of articles during the 1980’s in China’s famous martial arts magazine "Wu Lin" ("Martial World"). So famous was he, he was named the "Nan Fang Gun Wang" ("King of the Southern Staff").

In the Filipino martial arts, it is common for a system of martial arts that involve weaponry. Chinese martial arts are also famous for their weaponry, but unlike most Chinese martial arts systems, Fei Lung Fu Mun primarily consists of weaponry skills. Weaponry skills are taught first, then progress to empty hand skills. Lui, during his youth, was taught by the famous Leung Tien Chiu. Leung was a champion boxer, who at 55 years old, entered a tournament in Nanjing in the 1920’s and won 2nd place in open class full contact Lei Tai fighting (no protective gear, and winner throws the loser off the stage). Leung was famous for his mastery of many systems that included Wing Chun, Hung Gar, Choy Lay Fut and other Shaolin Fist systems. Leung Tien Chiu later created his own systems, which his disciples later passed on called "Fut Gar Kuen" (Buddhist Fist boxing), and another system called "Sae Ying Diu Sao" (Snake Form Mongoose Hands) which was featured in an old Jackie Chan movie. This was the source of Lui’s boxing system. Lui also studied with a Manchurian named Gwong Sai Lung. Gwong was famous for his pole and spear techniques that came from the Yang family. His pole set was known as the "Fei Lung Fu Gwun", an ostentacious name which summed up his feelings for the staff. It was so named because the movements were as graceful as a flying dragon, and as powerful as a tiger.

The first weapon in the Fei Lung Fu Mun is the pole. We refer to it as the "Cern Gup Dan Gwun" (Single end staff, where both ends are used). The weapon varies in length with the height of the user, and it is properly measured by standing straight and extending your arm. The pole should be the length of the outstretched arm. The wood is the common Ba La White waxwood that is typically from Shangtung, and common in martial arts circles. We specially treat the pole by immersing them in Tung oil for a period of six months so that the pole remains flexible and virtually indestructible. A good Ba La Gwun is considered to obey the user’s commands.

I had first heard of Lui Yon Sang by meeting with a training brother of mine, Patrick Chu. We bumped into each other in Chinatown and he told me he waws learning from a master of the Southern pole and that I should visit him. I had been studying Wing Chun Kuen for almost ten years at the time and very proud of my skill with the Wing Chun Luk Dim Boon Gwun (6.5 point staff), in addition, I studied the Hung Gar Fifth Brother Ba Gua Gwun under Yee Chi Wai (Frank Yee) Sifu. From Chan Tai Shan, I had also studied the Lama version of the Fith Brother Ba Gua Staff and numerous staff sets from the Bak Mei system. Patrick raved about this wonderful old man from China, and I thought it sound interesting. When I asked what staff system he taught, Patrick replied the "Fei Lung Fu Gwun"! I thought to myself, what a corny name! I didn’t want to study a corny pole system from some crazy old man. In my head I was very proud of what I had already studied. I not only studied forms, but applications and power development of the staff from other systems. I told Patrick that I might look him up someday and take a look and let it go at that.

Later, I consulted with Chan Tai Shan and Yee Chi Wai. Chan Tai Shan told me that Lui was famous throughout Guang Zhou and that I should take a look. Yee Chi Wai told me he had heard of the old man and heard only good things about him. I also spoke with my Yuen Kay Shan and Gu Lao Wing Chun teacher, Kwan Jong Yuen who was also from Guang Zhou. Ah Kwan said he saw a demonstration of the old man’s pole in China and that it was very good. Perhaps it was worth a look...

One Saturday, Lee Gok Chung (Thomas Lee) and I went to pay a visit to the Chinatown Chan Jim Herbal shop where Lui worked part time. Lui had just finished having his daily tea and greeted us. He first spoke in Cantonese, then finding that my Si Hing could speak his native dialect, began to speak in Toishan. I looked at the old man and studied him. This old guy was a master? He’s so small - about five feet tall, and I can’t understand a word he’s saying. How am I going to study with him? Thomas was speaking to him of where he hailed and how long he was in the U.S. and spoke of his background and studies of the Tang Fong system of Hung Ga which we both studied under Yee Chi Wai. Thomas was quite good with the Ba Gua pole. Lui Sifu suggested if we were serious to study under him, to join him at the restaurant next week for tea the next Saturday. He mentioned that he would only teach disciples and very serious students. The old man was testing us! He wanted to see if we could come back.

After our meeting with Lui, Thomas and I discussed it for a while. I complained to Thomas if the old man was only going to speak Toishan dialect, I had no desire to study with him. New York City Chinatown in the old days was primarily Chinese of Toishan descent. They were the ones that built the railroads, opened laundries and brought the Southern Fist with them. Because I was from Hong Kong and my family was from Jiang Su, we spoke the Northern (Mandarin and Jiang Su Zhen Jiang) dialect at home, and I picked up Cantonese from my friends. At times, the Toishan looked at me as unusual for my height and pale complexion. We also had a language barrier and at times, I was the recipient of some prejudice from the Toishan, because I did not speak the same dialect. (Chinese are notorious for prejudice amongst the various regions and dialects.) This made it difficult to contemplate studying with Lui. I told Thomas to study with him and check it out for me.

The following Sunday, Thomas had come to visit me at my apartment in Queens for lunch. Thomas had said his meeting with the old man was very interesting. He was teaching some very talented martial artists, notably, Chan Bong (David Chan), an expert in Xing Yi Quan. I remember meeting Chan Bong once from my study with the late Gong Duk Foon (Kenny Gong), the first teacher of Shing Yi (Xing Yi) in the New York City area. Chan Bong was the most senior student and very talented at push hands. His Pi Quan (Splitting Fist) was famous throughout Chinatown. It was a small world! I asked Thomas what he had learned and he demonstrated the first 6 moves of the staff form. I was not impressed. He said the old man was very good and skillful in application of the staff. I crossed staffs with Thomas and found he had learned an interesting application, that of disarming me with his pole! I arranged to meet with Thomas the following Saturday so that I could see more up close and then make my decision to study.

I met Thomas at the restaurant and met Lui Sifu and his group of students at the dim sum restaurant. Lui Sifu sat at the head and related stories to elders Lao Deng, Ah Yau, Ah Chung, and Chan Bong. They spoke in Toishan again, but Chan Bong who had attended Beijing Da Xue (Beijing University) was fluent in Mandarin. We got reacquainted and had a good time discussing small talk about what I was practicing and my interest in Lui Sifu. He informed me that Lui Sifu was very famous in China and was the "King of the Pole in the Southern region of China". Fei Lung Fu Gwun proponents were also skilled in actual free fighting with the poles. Chan Bong went on, surely, I must have seen the series of articles in the past year of Lui Sifu in the Wu Lin magazine. I did. I explained to Chan Bong that I had never saw the staff form, besides what Thomas had showed me, but had heard of Lui Sifu’s reputation locally from different sources. I told Chan Bong when I first heard of the staff form I laughed at the name, and asked why Lui’s pole set was called "Fei Lung Fu Gwun". Chan Bong explained, "Sifu says the pole is named because it is as graceful as a dragon and as powerful as a tiger." I was very interested. With a name that corny, the teachings had better be good... We finished lunch and proceeded to our private training hall.

Lui Sifu asked me to perform a staff form. I demonstrated the Wing Chun 6.5 point staff form him with full speed and power. Lui Sifu said I had sufficient power, but surprisingly criticized my footwork and positioning. He asked me to attack him, and I obliged with a Darting Dragon Spear maneuver. Before I completed my maneuver, I was the recipient of five blows to the hand, groin, top of the head, instep, and neck! I dropped the staff as a result of the blow to the hand. The Chinese saying "Kuen Pa Siu Jong, Gwun Pa Lo lang" (With the fist, fear the young adept; with the staff, fear the old master) came to me. I had found a real master of the pole.

I became a disciple of the Fei Lung Fu Mun by undergoing the "Bai Si" (Bow to Sifu) ritual . A disciple must kowtow three times humbly while kneeling, then offer tea and a red packet of money to the master. In the red packet was a sum of money and a paper with the words, "100 bows to my Sifu. My name is Chu Sau-Lei (the author’s Chinese name) and I hail from Jiang Su province, the city of Zhen Jiang, and my father’s name is Chu Luk Yan, and my father is Chu Fook Yuen." With this, Lui Sifu took my tea and drank it, and helped me up. He held my hand and said in Cantonese, "I am 80 years old and will teach you all I know without reserve. You have come to me to learn, despite your being an accomplished expert, and just as I knelt to Gwong Sai Lung when he was 80, I must now teach you." Lui Sifu spoke to me in Cantonese, which I was surprised. Previously, he ignored me and now he treated me as I was part of his family, of which I was. "Ah Gee, ("Chu" as he would call me in Toishan dialect) there are six principles to our system. You should learn them well. The first principle is the concept of the live and dead gates. Do you know what I mean?" I shook my head. Sifu explained, "The live gate is when you can still attack your opponent, and your opponent can still attack you. You must try to position yourself to be in the opponent’s dead gate." With staff in his hands and staff in my own, he positioned and moved to my dead gate. This principle corresponded to Wing Chun’s mutual centerline facing principle and moving to the opponent’s blind side.

The second principle is the concept of the Live and Dead staff. "When your staff is constrained and you cannot move without endangering yourself, this is a dead staff. If you can move freely about, your staff is alive." I nodded in agreement. It is best to have a live staff.

Lui continued, "You must understand your opponent’s point of power - the Lik Dim (Power point). In a staff, you only use the last six inches, or the point. This is just like when you use a spear or a gim (Chinese two-edged sword). To understand this is to know where the focus of power comes from. You do not have to go force against force." To know the focal point is common in all martial arts, one has to know this in issuing force and when you want to absorb someone’s force.

"The fourth point is to understand the concept of the circle and the point." Lui demonstrated by making a big arc with his pole. "This is the distance which you must be aware of." To illustrate the concept of the point, Lui demonstrated a series of thrusts with the pole. "We have eight major spear motions, you must know where and how the point is coming at you to be able to stop it."

Lui Sifu continued, "Mastering the fifth point is to know when you can enter the circle and when you can exit the circle." Lui demonstrated a series of steps called "Ng Hang Ba Gua Bo" (Five element and 8 trigrams stepping. "Stepping like this, one can enter in the circle or exit the circle with proper footwork." All of the steps were tiny and had made use of my previous systems’ training. Lui drew an illustration for me. "These directions represent Gold, Water, wood, Fire and Earth and are so named the five elements. The eight directions are named Qian, Dui, Kun, Li, Xun, Zhen, Gen, and Kan and represent the Ba Gua." Lui was a scholar and was well versed in the Yi Jing, Chinese medicine, and other classics.

"The last concept is for you to understand the old and young staff. The old staff is when it can not move easily, but it can still move. The young staff is when your pole is nimble and quick and can move about freely. You may not understand it all now, but you will when you have trained in the staff and it’s applications."

All of the concepts were important in that they were principles of motion in relation to an opponent. Lui wrote down some Chinese characters for me. "The sixteen characters that follow here are the essential characters for study of our system. Lean them well. The first character is Bien - to change. Do you understand?" "Yes Sifu", I replied. Above all, if you must fight, there are changes, and if one tactic does not work, you must not be rigid, but flexible and change."

He continued, "The second character is Bik - to close in or press your opponent. With a staff, you can use body pressure and leverage your power and close in on your opponent." With my background in Wing Chun and Hung Ga, the words were very familiar.

"The next character is Jiu - movement. You must have movement with the pole or your footwork." It made sense, movement was essential in all combat.

"Sou - to withdraw, is next. Sometimes if you are in a bad situation, you must give it up. Withdraw your pole to protect your hands or your body. Withdraw with the pole covering your body." Lui’s methods had a very scientific approach.

"Jim is next. Jim means to stick with an opponent’s staff. As I know you are well practiced in Wing Chun, I know I do not have to tell you much about that." The Jim concept reminded me of the Chi Gwun (Sticking Staff) training in Wing Chun.

"Before you can Jim, you must Lien - connect with the opponent’s staff. This is the sixth character." It made sense- in order to stick with another staff, contact must be made first.

"The next two characters are related", Lui expounded, "Gun - to be with, and Choy - to follow, are almost the same. Gun is when you have Lien - in contact with the opponent. Choy is when you are following the opponent’s movement, but chasing after it without contact." Lui demonstrated with me, showing me the differences with staff in hand.

"The next two are self explanatory. The characters are Yum (Yin) and Yeung (Yang) - you should understand them."

"Sifu, I understand them, but what do they mean in relationship to staff fighting?" I asked.

"There are negative and positive in combat. At times you will be attacking, at times you will be defending, sometimes you will be long, other times you will be close. Sometimes you can have tall postures, and other times you can have low postures. This is Yum and Yeung." Lui was also testing my intelligence as a student.

"The next two are inseparable - they are Sen and Yik. Sen is to go against the opponent’s force. Yik is to go with and add on to the opponent’s force." Lui demonstrated with me. "Stab at me." I complied. The Sen movement went against my force, and the Yik movement went with my force, but left me out of control.

"The last four characters are common in Southern fist. Since you have learned Hung Ga, do you understand them? Fou (Float), Chum (Sink), Tun (Swallow), and Tou (Spit)?" I indeed did. They referred to body motions and were common in Southern mantis, Bak Mei and Dragon form, as well as some forms of Wing Chun, and of course, Hung Ga. "Sifu, do you mean body motions, or are you just referring to the the movement of the staff?" I asked. Sifu’s reply was "Both!"

With these sixteen keywords, I could begin to understand the art that Lui Sifu taught.

It had its roots in old martial arts that dealt with keywords and Chinese cosmology. Having a good background in martial arts and notably classical systems had prepared me for much of the old man’s teachings.

In the weeks that followed, Lui Yon Sang personally taught me the Fei Lung Fu Gwun set which consisted of approximately seventy six movements, but instead of just teaching me a form and following him, he showed many applications to every movement. The movements of his forms were done in Cheng Wu form, that is poetic names for each of the martial movements. Some were very descriptive, and some were very funny! The names like "Blind man walks the street", "Yee Long ascends the mountain", "Golden Chicken stands on one leg" showed the artistry and practicality of the movements. I have studied many staff forms and in composition, I can honestly say that the Fei Lung Fu Gwun set is one of the most complete in footwork, high, middle, low tactics, moving in all directions and having both long and short maneuvers with the pole. Unique was the grip of the pole, which rarely exceeded twelve inches on the end. In some staff techniques, the portal width of holding the pole spanned almost 36 inches! In our system, it only spanned a short distance in order to protect the lead hand. In fact, most of the staff applications were to strike the lead hand of the opponent. Lui explained, "To strike the lead hand of your opponent’s weapon is render him helpless. He cannot hold his staff to fight with you."

The system had numerous matching staff exercises done with a partner. These included Tang Lan Gwun (Slanted Obstruction staff), Tai Lan Gwun (Raising Obstruction Staff), Chin Ji Gwun (Thousand Character Staff), Chuen Sie (Binding Silk) and Yu Kay (Waving Flag) staff. There were also numerous formal staff two man exercises that we practiced. The first one was the Dui Gwun Dai Yat (First Matching Set) and used the major movements of the solo set in a two man pattern. The second set, Fei Lung Fu Dui Gwun Dai Yee, was based on using both ends of the staff and switching left and right leads. Students had to practice both sides of the matching sets to know them well. We also trained with various lengths and weights of staffs and staff of different materials.

Lui also taught a set of eight spearing maneuvers which he called the "Jung Ping Cheung Faat" (Center Balanced Spear Methods), This was based on the eight major spear maneuvers of the Yang Family Ba Gua Spear. The eight spear methods include- Jung Ping Cheung (Level Spear), Sou Hou Cheung (Throat Locking Spear), Ha Ma Sou Hou Cheung (Dismount Throat locking spear), Biu Lung Cheung (Darting Dragon Spear), Charp Fa Cheung (Planting Flower Spear), Chim Dae Cheung (Low Skimming Spear), Wui Ma Cheung (Returning Step Spear), and Pao Tan Hei Mun Cheung (Upwards Springing Spear). The eight spear methods are also found in the Ming dynasty book by Wu Shou Ling called "Shou Bei Lu". In this time of Wu Shu and tournament martial arts, Lui’s martial arts preserved the old, classical, battlefield martial arts. My senior classmate, Chan Bong, specialized in this training and was adept at the eight spear methods. During freestyle sparring with him of staff vs. staff and spear vs. spear, he always bested me with his excellent spear maneuvers.

In addition, we learned Lui’s San Sao (Separate Hands - Fighting applications) based art taught to him by Leung Tien Chiu. They consisted of two man partner exercises called "Fei Gim Sao" (Flying Sword Hand) and "Kum Na Sup Ba Da" (Control and Seizing 18 strikes). Lui was a scholarly man and did not like hard methods of force against force. All of his motions include taking an opponent’s outside gate and striking the opponent from behind, and were economical and brief. Unique was his "Tib Kiu" motion, which resembled Wing Chun’s double Tan Sao position. Lui used it to jam an opponent’s attack and entered.

I spent 3 years learning from Lui Yon Sang from 1985 to 1988. He taught his entire Fei Lung Fu Mun system to me in that time and also included copious notes, Dim Mak charts, herbal medicine, and history so that I could refer to it. Sifu later suffered from poor health and memory and later went back to Guang Zhou to retire from teaching, and to be with family. He passed away in 1991. I will always remember the man for his openness and kindness to me and for teaching me without reserve. Since Lui Sifu’s passing, my Si Hing in Guang Zhou and in New York City have been teaching the Fei Lung Fu Mun system, and I have also passed it on to my students, James Ng and Steven Eng in New York City, and Anant Tinaphong of Bangkok, Thailand. I have recently taught Ng Yew Mun of Singapore the first level of this system, and have begun to offer it as part of my student’s curriculum here in Los Angeles. My training with Lui had influenced my thinking of weaponry and its practical application. His teachings led me to study my Wing Chun and Hung Ga pole and recognize the combative elements in the sets. His teachings also influenced my footwork and empty hand applications, too. Had I not become his disciple, I would not have realized the treasure he had to offer.



http://www.wingchunkuen.com/chusauli/martial/articles/articles_feilungfumun.html

[FIRE HAWK]

The Weapons of Wing Chun Kuen
By Robert Chu & Rene Ritchie
(First published in Inside Kung-Fu, 99/07)

Ever mysterious, often misunderstood, the weapons of wing chun kuen have remained elusive over the generations for several reasons. It has been hard to find qualified instruction, and it has been even harder to find qualified instructors willing to give in depth instruction. Some instructors who did not themselves know the weapons, or did not wish to share them if they did, were careful to "protect the rice bowl" and keep them out of reach of students. Others, for the same reasons, chose to invent their own methods and/or forms, to pass along the weapons, but only superficially, to further "fill the rice bowl". Still others knew the weapons were simple and could be given away easily, but required a firm foundation in wing chun boxing to be truly effective, thus were very careful in choosing to whom they would impart the knowledge.

For those who possess a high degree of skill in the empty hands, and obtain good instruction, the weapons can solidify the simple concepts and motions of the system and open a practitioner to the limitless applications of wing chun kuen.

The Wing Chun Weapons
The main weapons of wing chun consist of the long pole and the double knives (some branches retain other weapons as well, such as darts, straight sword, Kwan knife, etc. but these are not common and as such, will not be dealt with here). These weapons are by no means unique in the martial arts, but what makes them unique in wing chun are the same basic combat principles that make the boxing unique. These include joining with the weapons/bridges, cutting off the offense, destroying the balance/structure of the opponent, delivering attack(s), and sticking/staying to determine follow ups.

In application wing chun weapons strike the opponent to finish. If this is not possible, striking the attacking weapon and moving on to finish is favored. With weapons, due to the longer ranges possible, sometimes conditions may make achieving this difficult and there may have no choice but to defend first and then move in quickly to continue.

As stated before, wing chun weapons require a high level of skill in the empty hand methods. If someone is not proficient in wing chun boxing, it is readily apparent in the weapons. Even when skimming magazines and books or watching videos, many can be seen to be thrown off balance by the weight of the weaponry. This is because practitioners often have not yet mastered the use of body structure and mechanics using power from the ground up before they pick up the weapons and as such, must resort to swinging them about with the shoulders and arms. A key indication is simply viewing the use of the kua (pelvis). Movements should be completed with an emphasis on the body to transfer force to the weapon.

Some have said that the weapons of wing chun, that the weapons of all Chinese martial arts in fact, are archaic and "dead". The truth is, weapons are as alive as the hand that holds them and the mind that directs them. Given good instruction and hard training, wing chun weapons can be very much alive.

Once properly developed, weapons training also serves to further refine empty handed skills, making a practitioner formidable even if he or she is not armed with a pole or double knives.

The Long Pole
Legend holds that Fujian Siu Lam (Shaolin) abbot and Chan Buddhist teacher Jee Shim survived the destruction of his temple and sought shelter aboard the Red Junks of Guangdong. The Red Junks transported members of the Fine Jade (Opera) Union along the rivers, between towns such as Zhaoqing, Foshan, and Guangzhou. On the Junks, Jee Shim disguised himself as a cook. Eventually, Jee Shim's true identity became known to the performers and they became his students. In order to hide his name and background, however, the boxing, dummy, and single-headed pole methods Jee Shim passed on became known as weng chun (always spring), in honor of the Always Spring Hall in Siu Lam. From Jee Shim, weng chun spread to performers like Wong Wah-Bo, Leung Yee-Tai, Painted Face Kam (New Kam), etc. They would all later teach the pole in the town of Foshan, where wing chun traces its modern roots.

Beyond legend, there have been many famous pole fighters in wing chun. The above-mentioned Wong, Leung, and Kam were all said to have been pole experts. Kam's student, Fung Siu-Ching, active around the turn of the century, is still remembered for his pole skill. Fung's students likewise achieved great results. Many of his early students, such as the Lo brothers, came to be known as the Kings of the Long Pole, due to their success in protecting local villages from bandits with the weapon. Fung's later student, Yuen Kay-San, fought duels with the pole in the first half of the century and his victories gained mention in books and articles by the likes of Ngau Soy-Jee. Wong Wah-Bo and Leung Yee-Tai's student, Leung Jan also had well known pole practitioners in his lineage. Chan Yiu-Min, the son of Leung Jan's disciple, Chan Wah-Shun won the title "King of the Pole of Seven Provinces" in Foshan. In the 1950s, Lok Yiu, the student of Chan Yiu-Min's classmate, Yip Man (himself well known for his pole skill), was given the moniker "King of the Pole" in Hong Kong.

The pole, as taught on the Red Junks, was comprised of six-and-a-half conceptual points (ideas), hence it was called "six-and-a-half-point pole". The Siu Lam Weng Chun of Fung Siu-Ching included the points rise, obstruct, point, deflect, cut, and circle, and the half-point leak. While it is said the half-point is separated due to its predominantly defensive usage, all of these concepts can and should be applied defensively or offensively, as circumstances dictate. Others prefer to explain the six-and-a-half points in the terminology of wing chun boxing and offer up dart, disperse, wing, control, cultivate, circle and the half-point obstruct. In the Cho family (descended from Opera performer Yik Kam) and Yuen Kay-San systems, the spearing pole is considered the half-point since it is the core and can come from any other movement .

Movements with the pole come from the concepts. Since it is a simple weapon, there are only a few major categories of movements. Obstructing moves the entire pole in one direction, typically upward and downward (sometimes referred to as canceling), and sideward (obstructing/barring proper). The next type is whipping, which moves only the tip of the pole while the other end remains relatively stationary or moves in the opposite direction. These moves are often practiced from up-to-down and side-to-side. Circling arcs the tip of the pole clockwise or counter-clockwise. Pointing, as the name implies, spears the tip of the pole, either straight out, upward, downward, or any direction.

Solo training with the pole involves repeating the basic points over and over until they become second nature. Most branches have a form to help remember the movements. In the Yuen Kay-San and Yip Man systems, this is a short set indexing only the core points and angles. In Siu Lam weng chun and some other systems, longer forms are used to help conditioning and to give ideas on combining the points. Equipment used to aid training includes suspending a small item (Chinese coin, ping pong ball, wood block, etc.) from a string and striking it with the spearing pole movement to develop accuracy. Small objects (in this case typically hard shelled nuts) can also be placed on the floor and crushed using a transitions from water dripping (wing) pole to hammering (point) pole. On the red junks, it was said performers used a dummy for pole practice that consisted of a wooden board with a half-dozen or so poles projecting from it. This dummy was then struck in a variety of ways by the pole user.

Partner training can begin with simple attack and counter drills, where each point is broken down and explored separately. When skill is achieved in this, combinations of points can be drilled and can progress until a freestyle exchange emerges. It is important not only to train pole vs. pole, but pole vs. knife as well so the practitioner can learn to cope with opponents with smaller weapons trying to get inside, past the functional range of the pole.

In application, it is said, "the pole does not make two sounds." This highlights that a wing chun pole fighter should defend and counter in one motion. In other words, wound the opponent in the first move then apply a finishing movement if necessary. Due to the flexibility of wing chun training, skill achieved with the pole can be adapted to other classical weapons such as the spear, tiger fork, Kwan's knife, etc. or to modern implements like the pool cue, gardening tools, or any relatively long, thin, single object.



The Double Knives
One fable credits the transmission of the knives to Miu Tsui-Fa, daughter of Siu Lam elder Miu Hin and mother of the legendary Fung Sei-Yuk. In the story, Miu passed along her knife methods to Yim Wing-Chun, the student of Siu Lam elder Ng Mui. Most accounts, however, simply include the genesis of the wing chun knives along with that of the boxing skills, saying they evolved from the cooking cleavers (speculated to be the ancestor of this archetypal Southern weapon) or drummer's butterfly knives used aboard the Red Junks. Since wing chun boxing and knives are almost inseparable, perhaps this makes sense. It has sometimes been wondered which came first, the wing chun boxing or knife methods, and thus which influenced the other. This is similar to the chicken and the egg, and we will likely never know for certain. It is possible that they influenced each other. In the hands of a skilled wing chun boxer the knives are easily assimilated and can be used with devastating results. Conversely, mastery of the knives can bring a frightening clarity to wing chun boxing methods.

Not much was recorded about the proficiency of the wing chun ancestors with the knives. Fok Bo-Chuen (student of Wong Wah-Bo and Painted Face Kam and teacher of Yuen Kay-San) was rumored to have been known by the nickname Double Knife Fok due to his skill with the weapon. Lao Dat-Sang, better known as Pao Fa Lien was said to have won several knife duels in Foshan, as was Yuen Kay-San's elder brother and classmate Yuen Jai-Wan. Yuen Kay-San's successor, Sum Nung, also made good use of the double knife methods with iron rods during the middle of the century. In modern times, students of Yip Man such as Hawkins Cheung have specialized in the weapon.

In times past, the knives were often referred to by the more savage name of life-taking knives. Later, they were more often then not simply called double knives or parallel double knives (referring to the yin & yang nature of their changes). In modern times, the name given them by grandmaster Yip Man in Hong Kong, eight cutting knives, has become the most popular. It should be noted that some systems have maintained or re-incorporated Southern Siu Lam knives in their training. While some similarity exists, this article will focus on the Foshan wing chun knives proper.

Many of the boxing methods can be used with the knives, including dispersing, controlling, wing, protecting, obstructing, cultivating, and darting. Many of the more sophisticated movements are also possible, including stealing and leaking, cross shape, vertical shape, parallel shape, etc.

With the knife, the bottom of the blade and the unsharpened back are used for obstructing and intercepting. The hook of the handle can also be used, but only if traditional wing chun knives are employed (most knives will not have this type of handle). The upper part of the blade is used for slashing, while the tip is employed to stab.

Solo knife training also involves the individual perfection of each core knife point and the subsequent drilling of combinations. This can be done standing in place at first, but eventually includes movement forward and backward in all eight cardinal directions. While some branches have forms training for knives is believed this "separate technique" method of training was more application oriented and some systems like Leung Jan's Gulao wing chun still make exclusive use of it. The Yuen Kay-San system of grandmaster Sum Nung also used this method at times to impart knife skills. It is known that grandmaster Yip Man had a core set of points used in flexible patterns which varied from student to student. This approach seems similar to the differences in the dummy set in Yip Man's system. Although the core points of the knives were juxtaposed differently, all the forms appear to have virtually the same general points, disregarding some creative differences. As time went on, different knife form routines evolved from the separate techniques of his earliest students, to a relatively short set such as that of Tsui Sheung-Tin or Wang Kiu to a longer eight-section set seen from Wong Shun-Leung to Ho Kam-Ming's time. Later, another eight-section set, with different choreography was passed to people ranging from Koo Sang to Leung Ting. Some also received a variation of this set which, for the first time, made use of flipping the knife backward along the forearm (previously unheard of in Foshan derived wing chun). Other branches, such as Pao Fa Lien, also made use of longer, more elaborate, knife sets. Some also made use of wooden, or even copper dummies to train the knife.

Regardless of the training, loose or forms-based, long or short sets, the core points of the knife remain the same and need to be practiced and explored individually with a partner to achieve results. Again, similar to the pole, single movements can be used at first, increasing to combinations, and finally achieving a free flow as skill develops. In addition to knife vs. knife and knife vs. short staff, knife vs. pole training helps teach a practitioner how to bridge the gap against a long weapon.

Footwork is especially emphasized in the knives methods. An old Chinese martial arts saying of "shuang dao kan zou" (with double knives, observe the footwork) stresses the emphasis of footwork when working with the double knives. While some have claimed unique footwork in their wing chun lineages, when viewing the knife work of an advanced practitioner, it is apparent that most of the footwork of wing chun is emphasized in this training.

Knife application, as can be imagined, is very close to boxing but the blade of the weapon does change things considerably since very little contact is needed to inflict damage. "The knife does not have two methods" is a saying that refers to the lethality of the weapon. In an exchange, the wing chun knives practitioner immediately maims the hands of the attacker, and finishes him off in the same timing. Attacking and defending in one motion, blades in the hands of a skilled wing chun practitioner makes follow ups unnecessary. Training in the double knives can be adapted to other types of blades, rods, sticks, or other types of short objects, be they single or double, classical or modern.

Conclusion
We hope we have helped show that the weapons of wing chun are alive and well, having survived transmission from the Red Junks of the Cantonese Opera to the town of Foshan, through Hong Kong, Guangzhou, and other cities, to around the world. The only real secret is hard practice. The only true limitation is experience and imagination.

[FIRE HAWK]

Hung Chur Kwun - The Hung Gar Monkey Pole Set

The Hung Chur Kwun salute
The Primary staff set in the Hung Gar system is typically referred to by several names including: The Monkey Pole, The Traveler's Staff, and perhaps most appropriately, The Itinerant Monk's Staff.

The information on this page is credited to Tim Kingsbury, who convinced me that a toothpick can indeed be a formidable weapon.


A little history...

The title of Monkey Pole, or Monkey King Staff, is a curious reference to the legendary Monkey King character from Chinese mythology. The Monkey King is a mythical figure whose exploits are described in the 400-year-old Chinese classic Journey to the West. The Money King was an immortal, a god-like creature who was characterized by mischievous acts and defiance of the ruler of Heaven. His weapon of choice was a great rod of iron that he had stolen from the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea. He bound the ends of his staff with gold and engraved it with the words "Gold-bound Wand of my Desires." Imbued in the staff itself were magic powers that allowed it to change size from the finest of needles to a length that could span the distance between Heaven and Earth. The mercurial nature of the Monkey King's staff is said to represent the flexible nature of the Buddhist doctrine and its ability to be applied to all situations great and small.

The Monkey Pole - Southern Style
The Buddhist origins of the Hung staff form are quite clear from the praying posture in the opening bow. The relevance of the Monkey King to the Hung Gar staff set is more subdued than in some Northern Kung Fu systems. The Northern Monkey staff techniques tend to be elaborate, with clever movements that are clearly related to the crafty vagaries of the Monkey King. In contrast, the Southern Monkey Pole places its emphasis on basic, practical combat techniques. Although the form does contain the Ape Stance, it relies heavily on the more conservative bow and toe stances.

The training itself focuses on the double-ended nature of the staff because, unlike someone bearing a spear, a monk bearing a common walking staff was not considered to be antagonistic. It was typical for bells to be attached to the end of a monk's staff in order to alert unwary animals of the monk's approach. Their Buddhist teachings stressed the importance of not harming any being, including the smallest ant that might accidentally stray across their path. The differences between the Northern Monkey pole techniques and the Southern counterparts can be accounted for by the origins of the Southern techniques: Shaolin Temple. The Hung Gar Itinerant Monk Staff Set is derived from the self-defense training that was given to Shaolin monks who had to travel through the wilderness alone with only the protection of their walking sticks.


Special!!! Secret to usage of the Monkey Pole!!
Grab the pole firmly in both hands and swing it as hard as you can. Make sure the pole comes in contact with your target. Repeat as necessary.

[FIRE HAWK]

Ng Lung Ba Gwa Gwan (Fifth Brother Eight Diagram Pole is another Hung Gar Pole form that is famouse ill see if i can find more information about this or maybe somebody on here can give information about it.

[FIRE HAWK]

Wind Devil Saff
Ferocish enchanted staff of the Ancient monks there is a book on this.
the Wing Chun Six and a half point pole which there is a book by william Cheung
I have a giant book that list the names of alot of Chinese weapons styles there are staff styles listed in it, give me more time to get the names as the staff or pole in Chinese and Japanese martial arts there are lots of different staff and pole styles and forms just how many is unkown.

[Ray]

You can found more information on this webside

http://www.hunggakuen.com

A Staff To Conquer Dragons

The martial arts of China can be divided into 3 main-schools: Shaolin, Wu-tang and Emei. The styles of Wu-tang and Emei trains internal energy first and slowly advance to martial techniques, while the Shaolin styles learns fighting skills first and develop internal power later. In this article we’ll discuss Hung gar kungfu, a southern Shaolin style and the weapon form that represents the whole system: the Fifth Son’s Eight Trigram Pole.

The General Who Became A Monk

The history of the eight trigram pole begins in the Northern Sung Dynasty ( 960-1127) of ancient China. During that time Central-and Southern China was ruled by the Han race ( the ethnic majority of China ) under the reign of the Sung emperors, while Northern China was ruled by the iron fist of the Citan tribe who established the Liao empire. The Liao emperors all wished to defeat the Sung empire and conquer the wealth of the South. But one thing stood in their way: the Yang warrior clan.

The members of the Yang family were the most fierce warriors of the Sung empire. The head of the family, Yang Ling , and his seven sons were all generals in the Sung army and gifted martial artists. The golden spear techniques of the Yang family formed a style on its own (Yang tsia chiang) and was very famous throughout China. So everytime when the Liao armies tried to invade the South, the Yang clan led their troops and fought back the enemy. The sons of Yang ling were all righteous, brave men, heroes of their time. The most kind-hearted and peace-loving of them all, however, was the fifth son Yien-De. Once he led a body of soldiers to rule out a gang of robbers who hid themselves in the mountains. When they searched for the thieves they suddenly heard someone calling for help. The voice was coming out of a ravine. Yien-de climbed down the ravine only to find out that the person in danger was a Buddhist monk. The old monk said that he had broken a leg during his fall. So Yien-de tried to carry him, but this lean and small monk turned out to be extremely heavy! Yien-de was a very strong young man but couldn’t even move him from the ground. The monk then told Yien-De to climb up and then pull him up with a rope. The monk then gave the general a amulet and told him to carry it for it will protect against danger. Yien-De thanked him and climbed back up. But when he threw down a rope he found out that the old monk has already disappeared…

One day the Liao emperor offered peace to the Sung emperor and invited him to the Golden Beach for peace negotiations. The Yang warriors, suspecting a trap, offered to take part in the negotiations instead of their emperor. So the eldest of the sons disguised himself as the emperor while the rest of the sons disguised themselves as members of the royal family and bodyguards. Yang Ling led an army near the Golden Beach to come to the rescue if something happens. But at the Double Dragon Meeting the Liao emperor served the Yang warriors poisoned wine and Yang Lings army was caught in an ambush by the Liao soldiers. The Yang warriors were outnumbered ten to one. Yang Ling, thinking that all his sons have died, committed suicide. But he was wrong, not all of his sons were killed. His fourth son, Yien-Hui, was taken prisoner by the enemy and later married the Liao princess, becoming prince consort. The sixth son, Yien-Tsiao, managed to escape back to the Sung and continued the bloodline of the Yang family. But what about the fifth son?

Yien-De got pursued by Liao soldiers and was severely injured. He was about to be killed by a Liao soldier but the soldiers sword bounced off miraculously, just at the place where Yien-de wears his amulet. And then suddenly a man appeared, wielding a long staff who killed the Liao soldiers. Yien-De was about to faint, but he still recognised his rescuer: it was the old monk from the ravine.

When Yien-De woke up the first person he saw was the old monk. The name of the monk was Liao-Fa and he was the abbot of the Poyian temple at Wutai-Mountain. He had taken Yien-De to the temple to take care of his wounds. But the enemy soldiers soon tracked them down and began searching the mountain. So Yien-De quickly shaved his head and pretended to be a monk. When the soldiers left, Yien-De thanked Liao-Fa for saving him a second time. Liao-Fa then said: "General Yang Yien-De has already died during the Double Dragon Meeting, from now on you are Fa-Tsing, a monk of this temple." Yien-De refused at first but finally he realised that he would have died if he wasn’t saved by this miracle. He escaped from death only to devote the rest of his life to Buddha, this was his destiny.

Yien-De, now called Fa-Tsing, became a disciple of Liao-Fa who taught him the style of the Dragon Conquering Staff (Hoang Lung Kwan). Fa-Tsing then developed a new style based on the Yang family spear techniques and the staff techniques he learned from Liao-Fa: the Fifth Son’s Staff techniques(Ng Long Kwan Faath). Later he used his new kungfu to help Yien-Tsiao and Yien-Hui (who acted as a spy to inform the Sung about the secrets of the Liao) to avenge the death of their father and brothers. But after that Fa-tsing left his wife and family again and returned to Wutai-Mountain. He spent the rest of his life as worshipper of Buddha and guardian of the Dragon Conquering Staff.

This was how the eight trigram pole originated.

Secrets Of The Staff

Through the history of Chinese martial arts there were many heroes who practised the eight trigram pole. Like Wu Sung, the hero of the novel "Water Margin", who became a monk at Wutai-Mountain and learned the style handed down by Fa-Tsing. Or Lok A-Tsooy, the Hung gar master, who taught his student Wong Kay-Ying on his death-bed. With chopsticks he showed and learned Wong Kay-Ying the form and the fourteen secret keywords. But through the years the form has been modified so the Hung gar version was called Fifth Son Eight Trigram Pole (Ng Long Baat Qua Kwan).

The form has a rather unique opening/salute where the pole is held on the left shoulder. And the circling movements called uncoiling the snake are also very special. Although the single-ended stick is different, comparing it with the head-length staff, the principles are almost the same. The trapping and disarming techniques are very similar to the movements of the spear. That’s why the single-ended stick is learned only after mastering the head-length staff and the spear.

The form contains 14 keywords that represent the most effective techniques of the style.

They are:

1 (Dian Gun) Pointing attack with the cudgel/ spear
2 (Pi Gun) Stabbing with cudgel
3 (Chuo Gun) Spitting spear/ ‘snap’
4 (Beng Gun) Flicking technique
5 (Rao Gun) Circling with push
6 (Sao Gun) Sweeping
7 (Ge Gun) Check or Controlling
8 (Liao Gun) Entwining
9 (Tiao Gun) Lifting
10 (Ji Gun) Diagonal side strike
11 (Tui Gun) Pushing
12 (Lan Gun) Sweep and Trust
13 (Jia Gun) Upward ‘ horizontal’ Block
14 (Bo Gun) Sticking technique (Bridge)

Of course there are ways and methods to counter the above, but they are too difficult to comprehend by verbal descriptions. For example: the difference between " Lifting " and "Flicking" is, in translation, almost similar. And still there is a big difference in the execution of the techniques.

Also there are different ways, and characters, to describe the effective techniques of the Staff. Within Hung Ga schools they sometimes refer to the same keywords as used in Kiu Sau Faat, such as: Hard, Soft, Long, Short, Lifting, etc

A beautiful and historical Form to practice for the student of Nam Siu Lam Hung Ga kuen.