Lightness gung?

[blaktiger]

I heard someone mention something about Lightness Gung a few weeks ago. Something to do with using chi to lessen the body weight; ie, the master walking on teacups.

Anyone know more, esp the chinese name for this art?

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"I'll be too busy lookin' good!"

[Mr. Nemo]

If what you're talking about is what I'm thinking of, you're referring to what my teacher calls "light kung fu." Supposedly Liu Yun-Chiao and Don Hai-Chuan (spelling on both?) practised this skill. The chinese name may be "qing gong" - but I'm not sure if that's the name for real light kung fu or for the fairy tale wuxia light kung fu.

There may be several different ways to train it, but the training they did was with a weighted vest with progressively higher weights. It also involves leaning a plank of wood against a wall: you run up the plank, and the bottom end is gradually moved closer and closer to the wall, increasing the angle of the incline. Eventually, you just run up the wall, a la Jackie Chan in "Project A" (amazing stunt), and try to keep increasing the height you can run up to.

My sifu said some people he knew in China were doing the light kung fu training - you could tell who they were because they smelled so bad. They wear those weighted vests almost all the time, not just during the special training, and northern chinese often don't bathe that much anyway.

The benefits of this training, as I understand them, are quicker, lighter footwork and general speed in addition to being able to run up walls. The training is very long, I believe, anywhere from five to ten years depending.

I think Master Su-Yu Chang in New York did this training, or at least a portion of it. He's blinding fast at sixty or so years old. I'm not sure if that's from the light kung fu, though, but I wouldn't be surprised.

[Kung Lek]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> northern chinese often don't bathe that much anyway. [/quote]

what kind of thing is that to say?

And how is different from saying, "people in los angeles are just a bunch of wannabe actors who smoke too much crack and act like hippy freaks?"

see what I'm saying?

Try not to perpetuate slurs, be they cultural, racial or otherwise. Thanks

as for lightness training, it is learning to not be so heavy footed, there are different methodologies for becoming more aware of ones own body and when to use what and so on.

I'm not to certain of many sources of information about the training methodologies.

peace

Kung Lek

Martial Arts Links (http://members.home.net/kunglek)

[Mr. Nemo]

I didn't mean to be insulting. I've never lived in northern china, so I wouldn't know how much they bathed. That's just what my sifu said. He was half-joking. I think that in reality northern chinese are never really taught to shower every day, like we are in the states. I know bathing every day is not as common in France and Italy, too.

I'm not trying to insult the chinese, honest. I could be completely wrong.

[Turiyan]

Get a sense of humor. Are you chinese? We were talking about mainland girls awhile back. A hongie was telling me about how northern girls dont shave their armpits. And i'm like:

"****, and they call US barbarians" We got a good laugh out of that.

Turiyan -- Yi2 "Barbarian" [Man with bow and arrow]
"When heaven gave birth to men, originally there was no distinction of 'barbarian' and 'han'. But their territory is distant, wild and desert-like, and they must rely on archery and hunting to live. Thus they are constantly practicing fighting and warfare." --Li ching, Compiler and editor of the 5 classics of chinese warfare

[joedoe]

Don't forget the temperatures can get extremely cold in northern China so it is understandable if they don't bathe as often in the colder months.

The weighted vest training is really good stuff. I very briefly trained with one and your leg strength and agility increases incredibly.

cxxx[]:::::::::::>
You're fu(king up my chi

[Braden]

I know of some basic internal methods for qing gong (aside from the commonly mentioned external methods of walking up planks, using weighted vests, etc). It's not like in the movies or stories though. It is simply a variation upon the fundamental internal mechanics to permit quick and light stepping as well as sudden bursts of movement. The foundation is found in some common practices such as bagua circlewalking. However, to actually be able to do it, you have to have attained some degree of internal development. There is a good interview on the net with a famous bagua practitioner that mentioned this briefly, I don't have the link offhand though.

[prana]

Cantonese : Heng-Kung

[Ryu]

Well I personally know some Northern Chinese girls, and they shave and shower just like anyone else.

There is one problem with this thread though.
The people in LA ARE movie star wannabes, crack smoking, etc.

Can't use fact to give examples of stereotypes
:confused:

:D Just kidding, guys!

:p

Ryu

http://judoinfo.com/images/kimuraosawa.jpg


"One who takes pride in shallow knowledge or understanding is like a monkey who delights in adorning itself with garbage."

[mwatson]

I've done alot of thinking on this subject along with alot of reasoning and commen sense. I don't believe everything I read. I read stuff with an open mind. I think that in order to move fast you must feel as if you body weighs nothing. How do you feel your body weight? You legs. Your arms. You dont really know how heavy you feel until you stand up and start moving and your feet start saying hey, you weigh alot. Likewise for your arms when doing pushups. To make your body feel light you must increase the strength in those parts that move the body make it feel heavy. If you strengthen you legs and arms then your body will begin feeling lighter and lighter. After you can move fast and easy in low horse staces, running,jumping,etc without any reale effort, then start wearing weighted clothing. Image if you could jump with with a 100lb vest on, but you only weighed 180. When the vest is off you would move your 180lb body with the force of 280lb. Would you not jump higher and move faster?Would your feet (after moveing 280lbs around) not think your 180lb body is light? Think about it. ;)

[origenx]

Braden - if you could dig up that link for us, I'd love to read that interview with the famous bagua practioner...thanks! And, what are the techniques that you personally know of?

[Braden]

http://msnhomepages.talkcity.com/SpiritSt/xinyi/baguazhangMCX_new1.htm

Can you shake your 'lower dantien'?

[shinwa]

That sounds like my training. I have a backpack with two wenty pound dumbells, and two five pound ankle weights in it that I used to take everywhere I went. Did wonders for the speed I tell ya. Those were the days.

[Paul Skrypichayko]

Weighted vests, ankle weights, and wrist weights can increase your strength and give you a feeling of lightness, but it can also put strain on your joints, and screw up your tempo.

Olympic athletes - swimmers for example, experimented with fins and clothes, to increase resistance, but while it improved their power, it decreased their speed and fluidity.

From my experiences, most of the mainland chicks I know don't shave armpits or legs. Most HK and mainland people I know bathe often enough, but usually only at night time. Other wierd habits I've noticed include wearing pajamas under normal street clothes.

Anyone else notice stuff like that

[Ryu]

Nope.
Wait, maybe I only know attractive women.

:D

Ryu (ah tonight it's good to be alive)

http://judoinfo.com/images/kimuraosawa.jpg


"One who takes pride in shallow knowledge or understanding is like a monkey who delights in adorning itself with garbage."