About the Lau Family Drunken Style

[Troy Dunwood]

In terms of traditional kung fu, and strictly speaking on the Lau Family Drunken Eight Immortals style, this system in nature is quite unorthodox in application of martial skills. As the saying goes :"One hand lies, the other tells the truth", an opponent must figure this out. Having it's root within the tradition of Wu Tang martial science, much of the core skill of the Lau Family style belongs to that of internal development, acu-points and various taoism exercises for for strength and specialized development. One of the standout points I believe about this style is it's understanding of the drunken state of an indiviual, by that I mean my Sifu, the late Grandmaster Lau Yee Chan used to say, who do you know that can be totally functional in a drunken state. While drunk, reaction is off, timing is off, coordination is off, equillibrium is off, in other words a totally bad situation to be in. Knowing this, what his family did was study those afore mention short comings by observing those in a drunken state and skillfully portraying those traits with the skills of authentic martial technique and not just show. The foundational skills of the Lau family style are of course the wu tang eight immortals system, the my jong style which was the kung fu of the lau family, chinese wrestling, eight elbow style, as well the Tuan style kicking techniques. While Lau Chan Mee was in the process of reconstructing his martial skills he paid heavy attention to not going too far beyond applicable martial skills, this in turns give the Lau Family style it's unique feature without all the theatrics which serve no true basis for true appliable martial technics. I can honestly state every sway and swagger, stumble and fall has a applicable martial technique that doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out. What is most important is the understanding of applied usuage of force in lets say, range or distance, techniques used be it offense or defense, these types of manoeuvres is what give the lau style it's unique flavor. So in short the Lau family style was never intended to be as modern day wu shu drunken skills, however a unorthodox version of martial skills that uses quite naturally every possible scenario as a tool to utilize its wide range of martial arts techniques..

Troy Dunwood
Lau Family Drunken Eight Immortals Style
Ying Hung Martial Arts Association

[JAZA]

Troy:

Just an ignorant question about drunken style, when you practice drunken style must you take a drunken actitude, like when you take an animal actitude in an animal form?.
Thanks

[Troy Dunwood]

Jaza,

This I can say to you, if you learn any mimicking system, you must study your subject of learning before being able to potray it adequately, in my case I was able to drink with my Sifu, this was his way of introducing you to drunken style, not because you are a super gung fu man that can fight while intoxicated, rather just a ploy from Sifu to see if you could drink as much as he could. The beauty of this is we now don't have to get drunk or study drunken folks, that part has already been done, we just have to practice what was given to us and perhaps improve upon those skills.

Troy Dunwood

[JAZA]

Thanks:

Great experience.

[TenTigers]

What part of China is the Lau family from? What province? Is this a southern system or a northern system? Is it related to Lau-Ga as seen in the Hung-Ga lineage? I am asking because one of my Sifus taught Joi Bot Sien and it was Southern. Any info is greatly appreciated. Thank You.

[Troy Dunwood]

In relationship to the name its just a coincidence, please if you have time see our site joybotsin.com for more information. Originally they are from Shin Ning County. With respect to southern and northern originally Lau Chan Mee studied the My Jong style along with wrestling and other classical skills. Wu Tang martial arts fashion themselves after the inner which can be both northern and southern when it comes to presentation. As far as drunken fist is concerned my teacher never spoke of the style being a northern drunken style or a southern drunken style. Although Lau Chan Mee learned direct from Wu Tang master Yue Ho Lung who taught him the Eight Immortals System, he complimented his instructions with his previous learning. As far as his interpretation of drunken boxing is concerned some skills represent those of northern techniques and some represent those of southern techniques, athough nottruly claiming this or that. If one claim is made though is that the Lau Family Drunken Eigfht Immortals style traces it's roots directly to Wu Tang and our crown if you wuill is the Wu Tang Eight Immortals Choi Gong System, that is unique only to the linegae of Lau Chan Mee. Unlike other schools who use the popular name Joy Bot Sin, our style have 5 prepatory skills that trains the cup hand and locking and seizing techniques as well as trains the unorthodox structure of movement, body positioning useof force before learning the first drunken skill. Unlike others all our weapons and sparring sets are in drunken fashion and last but not least one of our crowning jewels is our unique Eight Immortals Wooden Dummy, which is unlike any other dummy ever seen. Hope this have been useful.

Troy Dunwood
Ying Hung Martial Arts Association
Lau Family Drunken Eight Immortals Style

[TenTigers]

Forgive my ignorance, but you seem to use both Manderin and Cantonese dialect in your descriptions and terminology, Therefore, I presume, this is an eclectic system? If so, what other systems have you studied to form this style? The drunken wooden man set sounds facinating, as do the weapon sets. Is there a jian/gim set, and if so, is it a Wu-Tang based sword form? Again, if so, which sword form was its base?

[Troy Dunwood]

Ten Tigers,

Forgive my inadequacies of the chinese language but as most non chinese learning kung fu from sifus who speak very little english there is a communication gap. Seeing this my late Sifu Lau Yee Chan spoke the mandarin dialect and my previous 20 odd years of kung fu training has been under teachers who spoke cantonese, for my understaning I choose to use them both as they benefit me. If you have the chance visit our web at joybotsin.com, our straightsword (drunken sword) is adapted from the wu tang eight diagram (Bot Gwa Gim), we do have the great gift of having the Wu Tang Bot Gwa Gim form as taught by Yue Ho Lung and passed down throughout the Lau Family as well as the drunken set. There is nothing ecletic about our style it has been established in China for quite some time now, instructions to the general public now thats another story. Strictly speaking on this wise, there is none other that we could find beside Yue Ho Lung, and we do know the self same Eight Immortals Chi Gong Set that we teach is still offered by a few in China for health and longevity.

Troy Dunwood
Lau Family Drunkewn Eight Immortals Style
Ying Hung Martial Arts Association