Lum Gwai

[The Xia]

Are they actually real? If they are, anyone know anything about them?

[B-Rad]

What's it supposed to be? (don't know this word)

[jdhowland]

The only source I know of for the lahm gwai/ lin kuei tradition is a book written by a Wing Chun guy. Leung Ting, I think.

They seem to have been associated with beggar's style gung fu as well as phoney mendicant taoists. Charlatans, medicine shows, religious quackery, "strongman" stunts, and skillful poaching were as common in China as elsewhere. It's possible that these kinds of skills were directly ancestral to ninjutsu. I don't know of any koryu ninjutsu system that traces its traditions to China, but ninja is a Chinese term.

[jdhowland]

I found Leung Ting's book. The title is Skills of the Vagabonds.

[Satori Science]

At 2:20 there is the Lueng Ting and his take on Vagabond skills

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvRJEWHzGTo

[The Xia]

I don't know of any koryu ninjutsu system that traces its traditions to China, but ninja is a Chinese term.

Really? I never heard that one.

[The Xia]

Yeah, I know about the "Skills of the Vagabonds" book but I'm wondering about skills beyond circus and stage magic type tricks. I'm thinking more along the lines of stealth, light body skills, etc.

[The Xia]

What's it supposed to be? (don't know this word)

Lum=Forest
Gwai=Ghost

[The Xia]

He seems to know a bit about Lum Gwai.
http://www.bullshido.net/forums/show...t=27924&page=5
Where are you on this TT?

[jdhowland]

Really? I never heard that one.

Only in the sense that it is Sino-Japanese--japanese pronounciation of chinese syllables. I was simply speculating that there may some reason the Japanese prefer this over native terminology. The compound may not be used in China.

[jdhowland]

Yeah, I know about the "Skills of the Vagabonds" book but I'm wondering about skills beyond circus and stage magic type tricks. I'm thinking more along the lines of stealth, light body skills, etc.

Tibetan White Crane headmaster Ng Siu Jung passed on light body skills to some of his students. One method is to practice running up steep slopes or planks leaned against a wall. Another involves a fluttering footwork with a short running stride. Lama Pai master Lo Wai Keung supposedly teaches some of these skills. I seem to recall hearing that Lok Chee Fu practiced this as well.

Cheuk Tse taught me steel bolt throwing techniques--the chinese equivalent of shurikenjutsu.

There is also a literary tradition about gecko gung fu in which practitioners do the human fly thing. It's a good method for escape and concealment. The stories of this lizard gung fu have inspired some people to create their own methods. I did this myself in my youth. It's a lot of fun in an urban setting. Where I live now I call it "rock climbing." I'm pleased to see that gecko gung is thriving today under the name of freerunning.

[The Xia]

Only in the sense that it is Sino-Japanese--japanese pronounciation of chinese syllables. I was simply speculating that there may some reason the Japanese prefer this over native terminology. The compound may not be used in China.

What does the term mean?

[The Xia]

Tibetan White Crane headmaster Ng Siu Jung passed on light body skills to some of his students. One method is to practice running up steep slopes or planks leaned against a wall. Another involves a fluttering footwork with a short running stride. Lama Pai master Lo Wai Keung supposedly teaches some of these skills. I seem to recall hearing that Lok Chee Fu practiced this as well.

Cheuk Tse taught me steel bolt throwing techniques--the chinese equivalent of shurikenjutsu.

That's interesting. I've heard of the plank training being used in Ninjutsu. I've also heard of Bagua stylists walking on bricks, first flat, then turned up. I've heard of digging a hole and jumping out of it, digging deeper eventually. I've heard of planting a tree and jumping over it with a baby cow, eventually, both the tree and the cow grow. Then there is plumb flower poles of course. Can you describe the fluttering footwork with a running stride?

There is also a literary tradition about gecko gung fu in which practitioners do the human fly thing. It's a good method for escape and concealment. The stories of this lizard gung fu have inspired some people to create their own methods. I did this myself in my youth.

I have not heard of Gecko Gung Fu (besides in fiction) per say, but I've heard plenty of stories about masters scaling walls and things of that sort.

It's a lot of fun in an urban setting. Where I live now I call it "rock climbing." I'm pleased to see that gecko gung is thriving today under the name of freerunning.

lol.

[Gru Bianca]

[QUOTE=jdhowland;788989]Tibetan White Crane headmaster Ng Siu Jung passed on light body skills to some of his students. One method is to practice running up steep slopes or planks leaned against a wall. Another involves a fluttering footwork with a short running stride. Lama Pai master Lo Wai Keung supposedly teaches some of these skills. I seem to recall hearing that Lok Chee Fu practiced this as well.

Hi jdhowland,

May I ask who have you studied TWC with?

Thank you and Regards,

Luca

[TenTigers]

well, according to Masaaki Hatsumi, the Ninja were descended from the Yamabushi-Mystic Mountain Warriors who fled China and hid in the mountains of Iga. Bullshido shot this theory down, claiming that Lin Kuei didn't exist until they were seen in the game, Mortal Kombat, but Leung Ting's and Hatsumi's books pre-date these games. The Lum Gwai have a mystique about them as do the Ninja, and of course, any assasin who dressed in black to conceal themselves under the cloak of darkness were termed Lum Gwai. Members of "Beggars Society" who played upon the fears of the locals played up on this as well, but espionage,stealth,hidden weapons,poisons, etc were skills that were developed just as any other warrior skill. Just as every army has their covert ops groups, China was no different. Lum Gwai was more like a generic term thrown around, just as we throw around "Spooks," when referring to SpecOps,SOG, etc.
(I could tell you more, but then I'd have to kill you)