Yau Kung Moon?

[chen zhen]

I have no idea what this style is, any info, links, etc.?

[WanderingMonk]

Check out FT's site. He still hangs around here I guess. Not as active after he decided to close his school.

http://www.yaukungmun.com.au/history.htm

[chen zhen]

Thanks. Nice site:) , FT

[chen zhen]

So it's a southern short-hand system, resembling Bak Mei, SPM, WC, etc..
looks pretty effective:cool:

[Lowlynobody]

Yes the "external" side of YKM comes from Ha Hong Hung who studied CLC's Bak Mei as well as Hung Ga and Choy Li Fut. The internal part on the otherhand comes from the north...

[laubei]

WHAT IS YAU KUNG MUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
man where have you been:D

[chen zhen]

give it a rest will ya, I'm permitted to make faults:rolleyes:
I only heard the name, I've never seen it, that's why I ask:)

[fiercest tiger]

Yes, YKM is an internal art some people say YKM is the founder for all dragon systems.....nothern and southern. Check out shaolin gung fu institutes webpage of dragon riding the wind, and a website called chi lin they say that they have YKM also but now the name is northern dragon.

It came from the abbot mui fa san yan and passed to Monk tit yan sum si to our grandmaster ha hon hung. its based on the Dragon twisting motions and uses the tiger as its a shaolin based art. Very soft and internal, not many people know it or have seen it!

FT:)

[Lowlynobody]

WanderingMonk - as a side note Sifu has not closed the school down. He just stopped renting out the hall we were in on a full time basis. The school has now cut down to a core group of students which is good for us and for Sifu.


Lowlynobody.

[Shaolin Master]

Further information can also be found at the site of 'YauGungMun Han Hon Hong Athletic Association" as headed by Ha Kwok Cheung.

http://www.hakwokcheung.com/index1.htm

Although mainly promoting the Lion Dance troupe, a small section also explains the martial arts. Interesting enough it focuses on the internal 12 Sections
1-3 : Soft Skill 18 Double Pushing Palms
4-6 : Soft Skill Matching Hands (Dui Shou 2-man)
7-9 : Soft Skill Boxing (Fist)
10-12 : Weaponry : Luk Hop Plum Blossom Left Sided Spear,
6 Coordinations Sword, Single Waist Broadsword, 9 Rings Long Handled Broadsword etc.....

Regards
Wu Chan Long

[crumpet]

Some people also say YKM three internal sets is just tai chi given a slightly different look and differnt name :eek:

[fiercest tiger]

Hi mate,

yes, there is a article on my website with the 12 sections explained.

Crumpet,

Of course people will get jealous and never understand because they are not insiders of YKM. These people envy YKM!! I know who has said this too......:mad: :rolleyes: and doesnt f@cking faze me one bit. Anyways alot of systems have similar moves to all interna arts not just taiji. Now if i seen a style doing there are like pak hok chi kung i can say jesus, they have a crane beak like YKM is it??

hahahaha some f@cking people think they know YKM but havent a clue.

FT:o

[Buby]

Wasn't it you, that had some funny comments on SouthernFist? I'm saying...What's the deal?

I guess it's true when they say that those that speak the most usually no nothing. Thanks for proving that!


Sifuahhh,
Whats good? Give me a call when you get the chance. Otherwise, I'll be giving you a holla 2morrow.

Buby

[Yum Cha]

Firstly, as a troll, you have a lot to learn, the nature of your comment demonstrates only your ignorance of the martial arts.

YKM aside, to imply "tai chi" is some kind of 'weak' art demonstrates a total lack of understanding of internal power. And further to class all internal exercises into the same profile, well you do so at your peril.

Go ahead, land a lovely cross to some tai chi guys head, then prepare to cough up blood when he hits you back.

...and YKM is a lot meaner. Can't you hear Ft growling....<grin>.

SM,
Thanks for the link to HKJ's site. Another Pearl to add to the chain. Hey FT, in the martial arts section, is that Sifu Cheung Leung in his younger years jumping through the sword?

[crumpet]

ft: so we have to be an insider of each art to know it's history? perhaps you should take your own advice when making comments on other arts.

buby: i ain't on southernfist, but what funny comments may they be? you seem to have a knack for butt kissing FT's ass so what's up with that?

yum cha: please point out the implication that tai chi is weak? in fact i have more respect for tai chi than some bull**** art which was obviously a conglomeration of at least 3 different arts, yet claims other arts are a derivative of it! obviously with all the hoo ha i've caused i've managed to hit a nerve. ykm is alot meaner? who gives a ****. there you are implying it is more ferocious than tai chi tssk tssk! people preaching what they don't practice. back to lurking-trolling mode :rolleyes: :cool:

[Rolling_Hand]

Some people also say YKM three internal sets is just tai chi given a slightly different look and differnt name

------------------------------------------------------

Crumpet,

From the shadows springs your strength.

People could grow old waiting for others to get a clue

[fiercest tiger]

LOL, maybe i should but what do you think i know about other arts, Also what art are you talking about here? If its Bak Mei Pai, your correct i know nothing....:)

As for buby kissing my ass hardly! He is in Newyork if you like to visit him, just go down to the masonet thai gym and say hi, its in brooklyn. If you live in the U.S!

Yo Buby, what up Dogg? I'll holla tomorrow whats a good time, remember ill be home around 3pm so it maybe late there.

Yummy,

Taiji is a very effective art and complete style no doubt. What i was trying to say is most people know of YKM as a bak mei art....thats true to a degree, but not many or maybe a handful has seen the real internal art.

Guys, there is a few sites that believe they have the ykm art look up yow keung moon, its been around for along time, not made up from taiji. Ive had alot of emails from other YKM teachers that know of HHH and Tit yan but they have it in Northern Dragon systems. anyways read there site and make your own judgments!!

FT

:rolleyes:

[JAZA]

how can this lions jump on that pillars?
anyone do this outside of China?

[fiercest tiger]

what lions where?:)

thanks
FT:)

[Shaolin Master]

Please ignore those uneducated.

I have personally studied and seen many unique and wonderful arts that are internal in nature and just because they conducted slowly or with similar external manifestations of taijiquan people always misunderstand them.

from Xue Wu Quan, Zi Men Quan to the TaiYi Wuxing quan. All notable internal martial arts of the wudang tradition. In fact they are listed at wudang mopuntain in the historic hall it even outlines current ZhangMen or representatives.

I suggest those with a chance to visit Wudang as it still fairly peaceful. But the tourism industry is quickly cracking down on it. Try to get there before it becomes like Songshan shaolin.


Regards
Wu Chan Long

PS : There is a closer relationship to I-Ching and Daoism than buddhism in many of the internal arts.

FT/YC : cya soon (SARS Free I Hope)

[JAZA]

Sorry FT, the picture of the lion jumping when you click on the flying picture at the site of Sifu Ha Kwok Cheung, that Shaolin Master posted.

http://www.hakwokcheung.com/index1.htm
The picture is this animated gif: http://www.hakwokcheung.com/photo/index.gif

[fiercest tiger]

YEAH! Dont get any of that stuff, at least let me see some of the old arts before you crock it. Sounds like you are having a good time mate, good for you....B@stard;)

I am planing to take my studenst to wudang , omie and shaolin maybe next year. Ill have to talk to you more about where to go in the wudang area and omie area's.

Take care train hard
Garry FT

:)

[WanderingMonk]

Originally posted by Lowlynobody
WanderingMonk - as a side note Sifu has not closed the school down. He just stopped renting out the hall we were in on a full time basis. The school has now cut down to a core group of students which is good for us and for Sifu.


Lowlynobody.

Thank you for the correction.

wm

[Yum Cha]

Hey SM, look us up when you get back.

Hey Gazza, sounds like a trip of a lifetime for the boys. Kyle comming too?

[Buby]

Never been on Southern Fist, then my bad!

I'm saying, FT has cute @ss. What you jealous? Feel free to stop by and say hi any time.

Sifu,
Give me a holla whenever you get the chance. It's all good!

Be easy,
Buby

[Sui]

crumpet your kf is excellent i'm sure.you are definatly over wieght,who ate all the pies you fat b*stard you fat b*stard you ate all the pies.i'm on to you pal[dog food].
buby,i'll be in his neck of the woods soooooon.but i dare say he'll eat his way out of this one.
oh and crumpet you lick rh's chocolate doughnut ring piece on another forum,hypercrite.

sui.

p.s nice to seeyou bro.

[laubei]

crumpet
i wont bring my self down to your degrading level cause i dont know what your about but if we get together i can show you what ykm is about !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:mad:

[BIU JI]

crumpet- so who told you this tripe about ykm internal sets? or did your big brain think of that itself?!

im curious, as im new here i wonder what style you tell people you practise!:confused:

love to know the source of your indepth knowledge, whos the author?:D



gees some people!!

[Lowlynobody]

It would be interesting to know who said that and who it was that showed them the internal sets? Point being if your not YKM I doubt you know what you are talking about.

[fiercest tiger]

Forget it guys, practise your kung fu forget ignorant people. YKM has nothing to prove its been proven by our late grandmaster, ha kwok cheung , my sifu etc etc

Even our lion dance is the best!.....lol u like that??? yeah baby

[Sui]

crummy nothing else to say?thought so.i'll see you bummers later.lol

[GeneChing]

Interpolating the Internal in Yau Kung Moon
By Williy Pang

http://www.kungfumagazine.com/admin/site_images/KungfuMagazine/upload/3686_KFM2019-Fall-Cover.jpg
FALL 2019 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=1501)

[GeneChing]

'Hope for Community': Storied Chinatown Kung Fu School Gears Up for First Lunar New Year Parade Since Pandemic Began (https://www.kqed.org/news/11904680/yau-kung-moon-school-brings-joy-to-chinatown-with-lunar-new-year-performances)
Spencer Whitney
Feb 18

https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/02/RS53673_067_SanFrancisco_YauKungMoonPerformance_01 302022-qut-1020x679.jpg
The Yau Kung Moon School's Matthew Wong walks back to the studio with students after their performance at the Chinese New Year Flower Market Fair in Chinatown, San Francisco, on Jan. 30, 2022. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)
On a recent sunny Saturday morning, children and parents filed into the Yau Kung Moon School in San Francisco’s Chinatown to practice their martial arts techniques, train with traditional weapons and practice lion dancing ahead of their performance in this weekend's Chinese New Year Parade on Feb. 19.

The Yau Kung Moon School — named for the southern Shaolin kung fu style it teaches — has a practice room in a building on Waverly Place just off Clay Street filled with trophies, honors and banners. Spears, staffs and swords are placed neatly in the corner behind the yellow-and-red-colored dragon costumes the school is known for. Performers wear yellow shirts, yellow pants, a red sash and traditional, striped red-and-gold leggings.

Led by Richard Ow (referred to as "sifu," meaning teacher), students learn the fundamentals of the Yau Kung Moon style, and the Nam Si Buk Mo lion dance style. Ow currently teaches 50 students and has trained 300 students since he became a sifu in 2000.


'The Lunar New Year parade is about bringing out positivity and hope for community. We bring in members that have been with us for 22 years, and it’s like a family gathering again.'
Sifu Richard Ow, Yau Kung Moon School
“Sifu has a more in-depth meaning than ‘teacher,’” said Ow. “So first it's like a coach. There's a Chinese saying: ‘The student will watch the teacher and the teacher will watch the student.’ You’ll see in three to six years if the student is dedicated or worth your time. In the old-school way of thinking, the sifu doesn’t waste time. They let their younger instructors teach.”

The school has been in San Francisco for more than 50 years, and has participated in 36 Lunar New Year parades. Students' ages range from 4 to 40 years old. The youngest students and beginners will march in the New Year parade, while students who have practiced kung fu will perform short sets for the crowd. Intermediate and advanced students will perform the lion dancing and help the younger students.

https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/02/RS53565_004_SanFrancisco_YauKungMoonPractice_01292 022-qut.jpg
Richard Ow teaches a beginners martial arts class at Yau Kung Moon, a southern Shaolin kung fu studio, in Chinatown, San Francisco, on Jan. 29, 2022. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)
Ow was born and raised in San Francisco in a traditional Chinese household.

“My dad had a bakery on Washington Street in Chinatown and would work for over 12 hours regularly," he said. "My sisters and I also helped with the business.”

Ow remembers vendors putting posters of martial arts movies on the window of the bakery and handing his father free movie tickets. His father would take him to see the films, and Ow grew up idolizing martial artists like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan.

“Growing up, I was a skinny, weak kid so the films were a big inspiration,” said Ow.

When Ow was 11 years old, his father’s friend recommended taking him to visit the Yau Kung Moon School. Ow instantly fell in love with the school and became a devoted student who prided himself on being the first one to practice and the last one to leave.

He studied under Sifu Lok Sang Lee beginning in 1987, worked hard, and within two years had entered his first national kung fu competition in San Francisco. He won first place using Yau Kung Moon’s broadsword form for short weapons and the "Ying Ching" hand form. By the time he was 15, he was helping to instruct other students.

https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/02/RS53582_025_SanFrancisco_YauKungMoonPractice_01292 022-qut.jpg
Rebecca Lee, 23, a senior instructor, helps Pandora, 9, during an intermediate martial arts class at Yau Kung Moon School in Chinatown on Jan. 29, 2022. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)
'Bringing out positivity and hope for community'

The last Lunar New Year parade took place two years ago, just before the pandemic shut down many activities that would normally be happening throughout the month. This year, excitement has been building as the parade — the biggest Lunar New Year parade outside Asia — prepares to roar back in the Year of the Tiger.

Folk dancers, marching bands, stilt walkers and Chinese acrobats will join martial arts schools such as Yau Kung Moon, the Tat Wong Kung Fu Academy and Leung's White Crane school, which performs at the parade's finale.

“The Lunar New Year parade is about bringing out positivity and hope for community,” said Ow. “For the performance, we bring in members that have been with us for 22 years, and it’s like a family gathering again. People still come out rain or shine. We represent our community positively in Chinatown.”

Vincent Lau, a resident of South San Francisco, brought his two children to practice at Yau Kung Moon School on Saturday morning. His children are 8 and 10 years old.

“They saw their cousin performing and decided they wanted to give it a try,” said Lau. “They’ve been participating since last year in May.”

continued next post

[GeneChing]

https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/02/026_KQED_YauKungMoonChinatownPerformance_01302022-1.jpg
Young Yau Kung Moon students prepare to take the stage to perform at the Chinese New Year Flower Market Fair in Chinatown, San Francisco, on Jan. 30, 2022. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)
Lau has been going to see the Lunar New Year parade for years and would watch it on TV when he got older. He watches his children practice with Ow and commends him for his dedication.

“I can tell Sifu [Ow] really likes teaching and working with the community,” said Lau.

Lau said the decision to get his children involved with the Yau Kung Moon School was partly influenced by news of ongoing violent attacks and hate targeting Asian and Asian American people across the United States.

Stop AAPI Hate — a project based out of San Francisco State University that, among other efforts, asks members of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities across the nation to self-report acts of hate and discrimination — found that there were more than 10,000 incidents of anti-Asian hate from March 2020 through September 2021. California ranked first out of 20 states with the largest percentage of hate incident reports at 37.8%.

“My wife has that fear of bad things might happen, and this program is a way to help our kids protect themselves,” said Lau.

Brandon Wong, a 25-year-old from Daly City, is one of Yau Kung Moon School’s senior instructors and has been training and performing since he was in middle school. He’s been working with Sifu Richard Ow for more than 14 years.

“My mother knew one of the instructors and he would see me around town and egged me on to learn,” said Wong. “I decided to give it a try and fell in love with it. I started coming out every Saturday and Sunday to practice. It’s nice to exercise, but learning lion dancing and martial arts helped build my confidence. Learning and practicing with other people from the community was nice.”

When Wong first started practicing, there weren’t as many kids involved, so all the participants (around 20 people) trained together, no matter their skill level. The program has since grown, and classes are now separated by skill level: beginner, intermediate and advanced. Wong has participated in at least 12 parade performances, and he's also a part of the street fair performances held on Sundays in Chinatown. There's a stage set up where students are encouraged to perform their moves with a demonstration of fighting techniques using weapons, hand-to-hand combat and lion dancing.

https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/02/RS53654_047_SanFrancisco_YauKungMoonPerformance_01 302022-qut.jpg
A Yau Kung Moon lion dance team talks before performing at the Chinese New Year Flower Market Fair in Chinatown, San Francisco, on Jan. 30, 2022. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)
Wong remembers the adrenaline rush he felt the first time he performed in the parade.

“The idea of being on TV as a kid was cool,” said Wong. “Overall, it was a really fun experience. After around three years of performing, my sisters got involved so it became a family thing. My older sister assists with the online classes.”

When the pandemic shut down in-person practice, Ow and his instructors switched to teaching online through Zoom classes.

“We still want to make sure everyone’s comfortable, so we still offer online classes," said Wong. "Online classes make teaching a little more difficult when there’s only one view from a webcam — and correcting stances, posture and techniques is important.”

Wong helps out with performances and in-person practice. With a 1-year-old son at home, Wong says his involvement with the program has shifted slightly but he makes time when Ow needs assistance. He helps teach three days a week at every skill level.

https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/02/RS53657_050_SanFrancisco_YauKungMoonPerformance_01 302022-qut.jpg
Brandon Wong, 25, a senior instructor at Yau Kung Moon, performs at the Chinese New Year Flower Market Fair in Chinatown, San Francisco, on Jan. 30, 2022. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)
Ow implemented a new system of distinguishing different skill levels by introducing colored sashes to his students modeled after the colors used in the Chinese zodiac. There are 10 levels and colors; beginners wear gray sashes around their waists and work their way up to red sashes, which instructors wear.

“In the old-school way, there wasn’t this type of structured system and there was no way for students to gauge how they were improving,” said Ow. “Now, it’s set up for a student to be able to learn the system and pass it on to future generations.”


'It was captivating to see the costumes and how people were able to move the lion's head in such a way that it looked realistic.'
Rebecca Lee, senior instructor, Yau Kung Moon School
Yau Kung Moon was introduced to the public in China in 1924 by founding Grandmaster Ha Han Hong — but its rich history extends back to the Tang dynasty. Ha was taught by a Shaolin monk and began establishing schools at the monk's request. Prior to that, the style was primarily practiced in secret at southern Shaolin temples and villages, with monks selecting one worthy disciple to teach and pass along to the next generation. Much of the history of Yau Kung Moon was kept alive through word of mouth rather than written texts.

Wong says while everyone comes into practice at different skill levels, it took him about a year of practice before he started performing. His first performance was lion dancing at the Chinatown weekend street fair. Being in sync and practicing with a partner takes time and at least a few years of practice, depending on the complexity of the performance, Wong said.

Rebecca Lee started coming to the Yau Kung Moon school when she was 6 years old. She remembers being excited to see the lion dance performances and people practicing kung fu.

“It was captivating to see the costumes and how people were able to move the lion’s head in such a way that it looked realistic,” said Lee.

https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/02/RS53569_007_SanFrancisco_YauKungMoonPractice_01292 022-qut-800x533.jpg
Rebecca Lee, 23, a senior instructor, helps students practice martial arts during a beginner class at Yau Kung Moon, a southern Shaolin kung fu studio, in Chinatown, San Francisco, on Jan. 29, 2022. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)
Lee's father brought her to the school one day, and after some convincing, she agreed to join and start learning. Lee is now 23 and has been a senior instructor since 2016. She primarily helps the younger children who need more assistance with their coordination and fundamentals. Lee said she’s glad to see more women getting involved in what’s been seen as a male-dominated activity.

The Yau Kung Moon School has a great reputation among other martial arts schools as being strong competitors and among the community at large for their performances. Ow encourages people who aren’t familiar with the Lunar New Year holiday to participate in festivities and come see the parade.

As for the school, he says the important thing to remember when practicing is to remain humble and open to learning. Ow is planning a Kung Fu Day event on March 19, where he will invite sifus from all over the Bay Area to perform and showcase their styles in an exhibition as a sign of solidarity.

“I don’t consider myself a master,” said Ow. “Even though it’s been 35 years, I still have more to learn. I tell my instructors that as long as you are teaching someone, it doesn’t matter if it’s one person or 10 people. What’s important is keeping the culture, tradition and style alive.”

threads
Yau-Kung-Moon (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?22539-Yau-Kung-Moon)
Year-of-the-Tiger (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?72166-2022-Year-of-the-Tiger)
Kung-fu-and-lion-dancing (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?17623-Kung-fu-and-lion-dancing)

[5thBrother]

Really nice posts above.Thanks for sharing.
good to see the forums alive still and posting good info!