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Thread: Chan Tai San stories

  1. #31
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    Jan 1970
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    Thanks Ross, sorry for the OT thing...
    practice wu de


    Actually I bored everyone to death. Even Buddhist and Taoist monks fell asleep.....SPJ

    Forums are no fun if I can't mess with your head. Or your colon...
    uh-oh, I hope no one quotes me on that....Gene Ching

    I'm not Normal.... RD on his crying my b!tch left me thread

  2. #32
    One last one, then off to sleep!

    Chan Tai San was a fighter, in every sense of the word. I've talked before about the 42nd street indicent (will probably post it again here). I think I talked about the time he came home and casually mentioned as he made dinner that he'd been jumped by 7 guys on the subway.... I thought I'd share two stories here tonight...

    I was in the association hall on Bayard late one night. At the beginning especially, we'd often be there until 11 or later at night. We fell in love with practice, so much so I dropped out of school for a semester.... hi fu pow

    This was early on, I didn't speak cantonese really yet, so what transpired remains a mystery to me. Chan Tai San was cooking dinner, a common thing around that hour for him. Two guys came into the associaiton hall, one middle aged (50's) and another rather young (he was my age, early 20's).

    Whatever was going on, the middle aged guy did the talking, Chan Tai San was obviously annoyed and waved his hand at the guy. Chan Tai San walked around and the middle aged guy followed him around. The volume of the "discussion" went up and it was clearly an argument after a minute or so....

    Sifu Chan was walking across the floor again, when suddenly the young guy took a fighting stance, looked like a Muay Thai stance, and started dancing around Sifu Chan.

    I was young and stupid, at first I thought "wow, Sifu is old so I'd better fight this guy"

    I was about to learn my lesson.

    Sifu Chan didn't take a stance, he said something to the guy, who made a funny face (knowing Sifu later on over the years, I can guess the sort of thing he might have said, but I can't ever be sure, I didn't speak back then)

    the guy was still in his stance, sort of dancing about, Sifu Chan made his "chyuhn choih" noise, hit the guy ONCE. He went all stiff like a board, fell back on his heels, fell flat on the ground...

    Sifu Chan said something to the middle aged guy, I can be pretty sure it must have been to teh effect of "now, get the F out of here"

    The middle age guy helped the young guy get up, the left, and I never saw them again....

    Sifu continued to make dinner

    I was numb....

    It was a night Steve Ventura was working late, so I told him the story the next night... he was pizzed he'd missed it all!!

    (more)
    Chan Tai San Book at https://www.createspace.com/4891253

    Quote Originally Posted by taai gihk yahn View Post
    well, like LKFMDC - he's a genuine Kung Fu Hero™
    Quote Originally Posted by Taixuquan99 View Post
    As much as I get annoyed when it gets derailed by the array of strange angry people that hover around him like moths, his good posts are some of my favorites.
    Quote Originally Posted by Kellen Bassette View Post
    I think he goes into a cave to meditate and recharge his chi...and bite the heads off of bats, of course....

  3. #33
    Years later, Sifu had moved out of the association hall and was living in Brooklyn. It was like an hour ride on the subway there. I got there one day, with Michael Parrella, and we found a note on the door. My Chinese wasn't great, nor was sifu's writing very good. So we took the note downstairs to the resteraunt and the owner translated for us

    "sorry, not here, went to have challenge match, come back tomorrow"

    WHAT!

    I asked him to read it again, same answer

    WHAT?

    The owner added, "oh yeah, he went to park in Chinatown to fight two guys, he said he'll see me later"

    Needless to say, we were back on the train a minute later, heading to Chinatown....

    We knew which park it was, and we ran there from the Grand Street station. But we got there, and there was nothing going on. So we went to Tin Yik restaraunt and I talked to my "uncle"

    There is a saying, "sifu for a day, sifu for life". My sifu had a lot of "students" in Chinatown, even if they were average people who had only studied a little and were now running businesses and not "martial arts guys"

    One had a bad gambling debt and owed some money. Normally, this was just the sort of normal stuff that goes on in Chinatown and that was not why my sifu got involved. he got involved because the guys who came to collect had smacked his student's wife. That was "low class" and out of the "undeground code" (now, my sifu probably at some point in his life broke legs collecting for someone, but he had "standards" and hitting women was out of the standard)

    So, for this reason, sifu was going to have a fight with these two guys...

    According to my "uncle" we had missed the fight by about 25 minutes. Sifu was probably already back at home having dinner. We were just dumb lo faan

    "How did it go" we of course asked?

    Well, one guy didn't want to fight at all, so it was Sifu and the other guy.

    "and"? was the obvious question!

    Guy took one swing at Sifu, sifu dropped him with a sweep, kicked him in the head and then lectured him for 5 minutes. The guy apologized. Sifu went home. For us a huge event, for my sifu, just SOP in his lifestyle....
    Chan Tai San Book at https://www.createspace.com/4891253

    Quote Originally Posted by taai gihk yahn View Post
    well, like LKFMDC - he's a genuine Kung Fu Hero™
    Quote Originally Posted by Taixuquan99 View Post
    As much as I get annoyed when it gets derailed by the array of strange angry people that hover around him like moths, his good posts are some of my favorites.
    Quote Originally Posted by Kellen Bassette View Post
    I think he goes into a cave to meditate and recharge his chi...and bite the heads off of bats, of course....

  4. #34
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    Good stories.

  5. #35
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    Newcastle upon tyne, UK
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    Hi Ross,

    Thank you for the stories of Chan Tai San. Even though I have only read about him he was a real inspiration.

    You should put together a book with all the stories, photos and training methods.

    Paul

  6. #36
    "getting to the heart of the Chan Tai San personality"

    This one isn't really martial art related, but it gives you some insight into the man...

    Sifu Chan was in Baltimore for a tournament, he starts having a bad time and is rushed to the hospitol. He starts having paralysis on one side of his body. The doctors say he has had a stroke, it is very serious and he needs to be admitted to the hospitol immediately....

    This is translated to sifu, he says "I'm hungry, screw this, let's go eat".....


    WHAT!?!???!!
    is all the seniors can think to ask!!!

    regardless, Chan Tai San walks out of the hospitol, he makes the seniors take him to eat, where he eats with the side of his body that is working!!!

    on the drive back to NY, he asks Stephen Innocenzi, one of the seniors, to come to his house on Monday morning. Stephen agrees

    On Monday morning, Sifu Chan is sitting on his couch with five accupuncture needles in his good hand. He tells Innocenzi where to stick them (feel free to make your own joke here!)....

    Innocenzi sticks them in as Sifu Chan asks, twists them like Sifu Chan tells him to do, BOOOMMMMM, Sifu Chan gets up pulls the needles out and is back like nothing happened. He went on business as usual and didn't have any serious medical issues for another three years, and that was diabetic in nature...
    Chan Tai San Book at https://www.createspace.com/4891253

    Quote Originally Posted by taai gihk yahn View Post
    well, like LKFMDC - he's a genuine Kung Fu Hero™
    Quote Originally Posted by Taixuquan99 View Post
    As much as I get annoyed when it gets derailed by the array of strange angry people that hover around him like moths, his good posts are some of my favorites.
    Quote Originally Posted by Kellen Bassette View Post
    I think he goes into a cave to meditate and recharge his chi...and bite the heads off of bats, of course....

  7. #37
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    The greatest respect a student can give to his Sifu is to imortalise his name.

    Good on you Ross.

  8. #38
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    Coach Ross,

    did your teacher learn his medical skills at the temple? If he did, was he taught tibetan medicine along with the lama pai fighting system?


    thanks

    wm

  9. #39
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    Originally posted by lkfmdc


    Guy took one swing at Sifu, sifu dropped him with a sweep, kicked him in the head and then lectured him for 5 minutes.
    that made me lol. peace

  10. #40
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    Oct 2002
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    Sydney, Australia
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    Well I found out from another forum that Chan Tai San learnt Bak Mei from CLC.

    Did Chan Tai San pass on his healing knowledge?
    My intent is to kill you, my heart wants you dead, my mind thinks of you dead, when I strike its to kill you - Sifu.

    You are only as strong as your horse - Sigung Leung Cheung.

  11. #41
    Now THIS is the kind of thread that makes it worthwhile to check out this forum from time to time!

    Thank you Sifu Ross for sharing this with us. Please keep it coming. I'd also like to join some of the others in reccommending that you write a book on GM Chan. I would love to see any of the old photos that you have or could obtain as well.

    Once again, thank you.
    Time
    Slips through fingers
    Like this world of dust

  12. #42
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    Coach Ross,

    now that we see some of what kind of man sifu Chan Tai San was, I would like to ask; There was a tournament, I Think a WKF tournament where you guys had set up a huge concrete slab for Sifu Chan Tai San to break with his head, it was set up on the lei tai stage, he had already done a steel wire break, and a break where a spear is at his throat and a slab is broken on his back with a sledge hammer. However, due to the give and bounce of the stage, The slab he was to break with his head wouldn't break after repeated attempts, finally he just smashed it with his foot. My question is, who caught the wrath for all that after it was done? or since I know he must've done those a thousand times, do you even remember that particular one?

  13. #43
    Originally posted by brothernumber9
    Coach Ross,

    now that we see some of what kind of man sifu Chan Tai San was, I would like to ask; There was a tournament, I Think a WKF tournament where you guys had set up a huge concrete slab for Sifu Chan Tai San to break with his head, it was set up on the lei tai stage, he had already done a steel wire break, and a break where a spear is at his throat and a slab is broken on his back with a sledge hammer. However, due to the give and bounce of the stage, The slab he was to break with his head wouldn't break after repeated attempts, finally he just smashed it with his foot. My question is, who caught the wrath for all that after it was done? or since I know he must've done those a thousand times, do you even remember that particular one?
    It was one of the last NACMAF events, and I do remember it well. The Lei Tai kept absorbing the force... SIfu was mad as heck! Lucky for us, that day he took it out on Yim Sifu

    On other stuff....

    Sifu Chan was a doctor of Chinese medicine, herbs, bone setting, accupuncture, a member of the herbalists association (those new year banquets were the bomb! Man we used to get so drunk!). It was not Tibetan medicine. Remember, sifu's teacher (our si gung) was also Chinese...

    Sifu Chan learned Bak Mei with Chung Lai Chung and with one of CLC's students, name escapes me but I will look it up. There's a story about Sifu Chan wanted to test Chung Lai Chung, tried to kick him in the shin! CLC, while old, avoided it easily and poked Sifu Chan in the eyes and called him an ingrate! I have lots of stories of Sifu Chan being a "bad kid" and getting smacked around....
    Chan Tai San Book at https://www.createspace.com/4891253

    Quote Originally Posted by taai gihk yahn View Post
    well, like LKFMDC - he's a genuine Kung Fu Hero™
    Quote Originally Posted by Taixuquan99 View Post
    As much as I get annoyed when it gets derailed by the array of strange angry people that hover around him like moths, his good posts are some of my favorites.
    Quote Originally Posted by Kellen Bassette View Post
    I think he goes into a cave to meditate and recharge his chi...and bite the heads off of bats, of course....

  14. #44
    oh, as for his healing knowledge, none of us got it completely. A classmate, Noran Malouff, went on to study at Pacific Institute, the stuff that Sifu gave him he showed to the professors there, they were all baffled by it! I have some basic first aid stuff, which I use ALL THE TIME...
    Chan Tai San Book at https://www.createspace.com/4891253

    Quote Originally Posted by taai gihk yahn View Post
    well, like LKFMDC - he's a genuine Kung Fu Hero™
    Quote Originally Posted by Taixuquan99 View Post
    As much as I get annoyed when it gets derailed by the array of strange angry people that hover around him like moths, his good posts are some of my favorites.
    Quote Originally Posted by Kellen Bassette View Post
    I think he goes into a cave to meditate and recharge his chi...and bite the heads off of bats, of course....

  15. #45
    Join Date
    Feb 2002
    Location
    CA
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    69
    Coach Ross:
    These are great stories, and I thank you for sharing them with us. This is the first I have heard of your sifu and would like to know more. Can you tell us about his background. For example, where he learned his kung fu, his teachers, where he learned all his info, some of his backgound in China and the US. I think this will help us learn more about this great master of kung fu.

    Thanks

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