Lien Bu Quan

[GeneChing]

We were discussing lyrics on this form on the Shaolin forum.

http://forum.kungfumagazine.com/foru...threadid=12351

[furiousg]

I am not certain this is exactly the same form that you are talking about, but the Cal Wushu Club at UC Berkeley practices a traditional form we call lien bu quan. You can find some videos of students competing with this form in varous collegiate competitions at the following addresses:

http://www.wushucentral.com/videos/v...es/traditional
http://www.wushucentral.com/videos/v...sg/traditional
http://www.wushucentral.com/videos/v...ai/traditional

[Longquan]

Yep, same form basically. I have never seen a version with cresent kicks though. Interesting.

Thanks for the links.

[NorthernShaolin]

Longquan,


You stated:
'I have never seen a version with cresent kicks though. Interesting.'

The cresent kicks were added to this particular version by Fong Sifu at UC Berkeley.

[Longquan]

The kicks seem to fit the form as an extension of the dragon steps.

I reviewed the lyrics thread. This version is also quite different from the version I do. It seems more like Yang Jwing-Ming's.

I'll try to get some pics up.

[Crimson Phoenix]

The forms I seen in the clips bear of traditional only the name...
Long, is this version similar to the one you know? The Lian Bu I practice differs pretty much from this one, even if there are very similar passages throughout the form.
If you can't have access to Dr Yang's book, I'll manage to get some pics of me doing the form shot for you...or maybe even small clips if it's possible (with pics, you can't get the very important transitions)...if you got Yang's book, that won't be too necessary, this is the exact version I train (with a little twist here and then that he teaches but doesn't show in the books).

[Longquan]

No, my version is has different techniques from any of the above versions.

I have seen Yang's. Mine is similar, but here are some of the differences:

A lot of the hammerfists are more vertical and overhanded.
The push down is executed at an angle rather than straight down.
The sweep at the end of the third road is more from the side.
A few other technique variations and different sequences.

[SwaiingDragon]

I've alway enjoyed Longfist -

Lien Bu Chuan is one of my favorite forms, and I enjoy seeing Dr. Yang Jwing Ming's students perform this form (although you can see the Dr's crane influence)- many have spirit and demonstrate some awareness of application-

These wushu clips, although excellent posture, i don't see the "tradition" in them....

my opinion....

[furiousg]

It's mostly only beginners who practice this form in Cal Wushu, and that's mixed in with contemporary basics and a contemporary beginning long fist form. I'm not surprised that it doesn't seem traditional to you, although I'm not certain what you mean by it since I'm not a traditionalist either.

[Kilik]

My Lien Bu Chen is quite similar to LongQuan's, ours is taken from Li Mao Ching system of Long Fist so Spirit,Extension and Interpretation is a big part of our form.

[rovere]

You are confused, I didn't learn it from a gentleman in Canada. I'm the one that lives in Canada. I learned the lien bu ch'uan form you are discussing from Major Chang Yen Fan Ying. She was a student of Du Shen Wu and taught hand to hand combat to Chinese commandos and the women's militia at Changsha during Chinese/ Japanese war. (WWII).

Articles and background info on the version/method I learned is available at www.rovere.com. Look under the articles section.

[Ravenshaw]

As far as I know, Ku Yu Cheung (KYC) added this form to his cirriculum in the 1920's when the Five Northern Tigers went South. But that's all I know. And even then I am unsure...

What is the history of Lian Bu Chuan (both in general and as it pertains to Bak Sil Lum)?

[GeneChing]

That would have brought up this thread.

[Ravenshaw]

I saw that, but it was a bit unclear/brief. Does anyone have more complete history of Lian Bu? For example, what style is it from and why was it selected as the "standard" basic form?

[NorthernShaolin]

Lien Bo Chuan is really an old set, maybe much older than the current people realize. Although I've have yet to read any real official documentation on its history before the 1920's, it has been told verbally that this set is what is left of the original Dragon set (of the five animals: Crane, Tiger, etc.) that was taught in the Shaolin Temple. Now whether this is folk-tell or not remains to be unfolded. But this is what many old timers of CMA believe.

However as simple as the set appears, it does contain elements that the Taiwain Military took a real interest and taught their soldiers for combat. In fact their applications of Lien Bo is not just block and strike techniques but they appliy the second and third level of applications: Locks and take downs. For the rest of us non military CMA, we know that the set teaches how to coordinate the steps with the hand movements which is good for beginners to start off with.