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pk is really simplified clf with a bit of tai chi flavour. there is still a ncf clf/tc school in ipoh. you should be able to get some vidoe tapes of contestants using pk in tournaments from those guys. also if you know them well, perhaps a video tape of ncf performing his 3 sets of tc forms and weapons, ncf's tc sword form is very good and is one the best that i have come across so far. good luck sf !
White Rabbit
Interesting topic. The last time I remember reading about "Pok Kek" was in old 70s and 80s issues of Inside Kung Fu reporting on the full-contact tourneys held in Malaysia. I'd be interested in seeing and learning more about this....
Time
Slips through fingers
Like this world of dust
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May I offer some memories of Master Nip and his disciples? Two of Nip's top disciples had very similar names Wang Chin Chuan and Huang Chin Chuan. Wang was small of body and Huang was a big man. So to distinguish between the two, Wang was nicknamed "Little mouse" (Lo Shih Chai in Cantonese, which was the main Chinese dialect spoken in Ipoh) When Wang was good enough, he challenged and defeated a teacher of another school and established himself as a teacher.
When news of this reached Master Nip, he remarked, "Wah! So this little mouse is now flying in the sky?" (The mouse is a lowly animal but the dragon is majestic and flies in the sky, so you can see the reference.) So the name Fei Theen Loh Shih (Mouse that flies in the sky) was born. Wang was referred to by that name from then on in the whole town and he took pride in it.
Master Nip also had a lion dance troupe and the younger disciples did acrobatics and pyramids, standing in 4 tiers with the lightest on top. His wife, herself a martial artist, was sometimes quite dismissive of "such foolishness!". In any case, the students who trained with the bundles of rattan sticks will surely not forget that in a hurry.
When Master Nip was 60, his dialectic clan, a branch of Cantonese, gave him a birthday dinner. He performed a version of the Yang Tai-Chi short set except that he did the Lotus Leg extremely slow to the astonishment of all there. He had quite a sizable waist then, which made it even more remarkable.
Last edited by Clear Bamboo; 05-11-2010 at 01:03 AM. Reason: grammar mistakes
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Yes, there were a few tourneys in those days. The "internal" ones were exciting. However, in the national full contact competitions open to all martial arts schools, the Poh Khek entrants did not fare so well. If my memory serves me, while they were full contact, hitting the side and back of the head was not allowed, which seriously limited the swinging blows. In fact, in one tournament in the finals, one opponent (Tae Kwan Do school) was knocked out but the one who delivered the blow was disqualified. You can imagine the uproar when the one unconscious was declared the winner. Ha! Ha!
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In the post on "Chasing techniques of pok Kik", yes the strikes taught by Master Nip were straight punches. The 4 strikes in order were, with clenched fists, palm up, palm down, thumb up and thumb down.
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clearbamboo
are you from the Pik Lik Chi Fei Tai Kik School in Ipoh?
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Chasincharpchui.
Long time ago. Trained with Master Nip and a few of his senior disciples. Ipoh and Kampar. No more Pok Khek. Retired and have no school. Only teach a few students Tai-Chi privately now. I like name of charp chui, which is really what Pok Khik is about as it has no set routines. Do you remember bundles of rattan?
I came across this forum while surfing the net and thought I would help fill in a few missing pieces.
Last edited by Clear Bamboo; 05-12-2010 at 10:18 PM.
Glorified TCMAist
If I recall correctly, Pok Khek also had an emphasis on iron body training...?
"My Gung-Fu may not be Your Gung-Fu.
Gwok-Si, Gwok-Faht"
"I will not be part of the generation
that killed Kung-Fu."
....step.
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you might have the wrong person, i don't know anything to do with bundles rattan. lolOriginally Posted by Clear Bamboo
i myself am a student of buk sing.
And i'm very interested in the history of Nip Chee Fei Sifu, he would be my sisookjo. how he came to Malaysia, how he founded pok khik, and what he changed from the original teachins of his sifu, my sijo Tarm Sarm.
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Chasincharpchui.
My respects.
I am ignorant of Master Nip's early days. However, Ipoh was the centre of tin mining in those days. It was after World War 2 and the Communists turned to terrorism. In response. the government of the day fortified the smaller villages in the countryside. Movement was restricted.
Not so in Ipoh. It was the state capitol and a thriving trading centre. So young people flocked there for employment, education, fun and to make their fortunes. So it was also natural that triad gangs thrived there too. It is not like that now, but fighting between rival gangs were frequent then and killings did happen.
It was the right climate for the growth of kung fu schools as it was mainly a Chinese town. Judo, karate and other Japanese or Korean arts did not start until the late 1950's. Nip's earlier students were a rather rough bunch and many came to learn the tools of their trade (sic).
You will understand that it was a time when a student does not question too much. If the Master scolds, one is happy that he has been noticed. When one does not have a stable stance, the teacher will tell him that as he is lying flat on his back dazed looking up at the teacher. So understandably, I did not seek a lot of direct clarification. Ha! Ha!
However, we often sit at night over bowls of Sar Hor Fun (Famous Ipoh rice noodle soup), discussing the moves and trying not to get into fisticuffs over the applications. To be young was to need further education. Sigh!
We all agreed it came from other hard fighting arts, probably long fist because of the importance of Pow Chui or cannonball fist. At the same time, because he also taught Tai Chi (which while clearly Yang style had quite a few differences), he would have adopted this.
To be caught having a weapon was a hanging offence so the favourites with the triads were concealed weapons. I believe this had a lot to do with the evolution of the art. Rather nasty beginnings, which was why in later years, Master Nip preferred to work with younger pupils from secondary schools to teach better morals.
Last edited by Clear Bamboo; 05-14-2010 at 01:22 AM. Reason: Too much unnecessary details
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Sparring was full contact with no protective gear. Once one was finished with the concrete dumbbells and rattan bundles, every session was sparring. I think Iron Shirt was a natural result rather than a specific training. Ha! Ha! Iron Fist and Iron Wrist may be a better description.
Every morning, when I get up from bed, I remember the sparring. Ha! Ha!
Last edited by Clear Bamboo; 05-13-2010 at 12:10 AM.
Banned
That's how it should be. Iron shirt / Palm / etc.... should be a natural result of the training that is done. Sometimes it is taken apart from the training and focused on specifically, which is not bad by the way, but should be incorporated into the regular routine.
Clear bamboo,
Nice to hear some of the stories of old time training with the old school masters.
Peace
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