A Interview with Hung Gar Sifu Frank Yee

[FIRE HAWK]

Master's Name: Sifu Frank Yee
M.A. Style: Hung Ga


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Can you tell us a little of your background, when and where you were born, etc.?
I was born in Hong Kong, July 28, 1948. I practiced Hung Ga Kung Fu for some 45 years, but also found the time to learn Bak Sil Lum, Choy Lee Fut and Taiji. However, I am a strong believer in specialization, which is why Hung Ga Kung Fu has been the focus of my life all this time.
At what age did you start learning martial arts? And was Hung Ga the first style you learned?
My introduction into marital arts began at the age of six with the Hung Ga style.


Who was your Hung Ga teacher and how did you come to study from him?
My teacher was Yuen Ling, successor to Tang Fung Wong Fei Hung’s close disciple. My father, Yee Yin, was also a Hung Ga practitioner. Because of his training and relationship in the style, I was brought to and accepted as a disciple by my teacher. When I entered the room, there were about thirty other people in the class. Sifu asked me, "Why are you here? This training is too difficult for you. You are too weak and you will not be able to take it. You should go home." I responded, "I don't care how hard it is. I am going to do it. I know I can take it." And so my training began. My teacher lit incense and we sat in a horse stance. Day after day, we sat in a horse and at the end of thirty days; there were only a couple of us left.

Can you talk a little about your teacher?
Yuen Ling was a quiet but strong man. He was born in Guang Dong Province China. He learned Village Hung style from Luk Fung Sei and learned Dog Boxing from, Gum Yuen Dang. In 1949, he met Tang Fung while he was working at the fish market association in Hong Kong. Tang admired his being a hard and honest worker and the honor he expressed to his style. He learned from Tang Fung until Tang’s death, whereupon he took over Tang’s teaching and security position at the Sau Kay Won fish market (where Lam Sai Wing also ttaught). He also maintained a school at 73 Dong Dai Street, which became famous for winning the Cheurng Pao contest. My teacher died of throat cancer in 1968.

Can you give us a brief historical background on Hung Ga?
First, I would like to say that there are three main styles of Hung Ga. The first is called Shaolin Temple Hung Ga. Some famous practitioners of this style were: Tit Kiu Sam, Ngam Yiu Ding, Ngam Dim Hung. The second style was called Hung Men. The revolutionaries who fought against the Ching government practiced this style. The third founded by Hung Hei Gune during the 1700’s and systematized by Wong Fei Hung. This is the style most commonly seen today. A little known fact is that present day Hung Ga has relationships with all three methods. Wong Fei Hung was a member of the Hung Men association, thus having learned their Kung Fu. He also learned the Tiet Sing Kuen, Iron Wire form from Tit Kiu Sam of the Shaolin Temple Hung Ga lineage. He then combined the knowledge of Tiger Crane Techniques obtained from Luk Ah Choy and his father, thus creating the version seen today. Traditionally, Hung, Lau, Mok, Choy and Lee are regarded as the five major schools of Chinese martial arts.

The styles mentioned are the famous five family styles of Southern China. The Hung style, founded by Hung Hei Gune, is known for its 1,000 pound horse stance, iron fist and forearms, body connection, power generation and the use of sound to bring up the Qi, thus summoning different types of power. The twelve bridges are also a major component of the style at the higher levels, as well as the five animals and five elements. The style shows a strong dominance in the use of Tiger techniques, as seen at the advanced levvel when learning Hung Ga's 18 Methods of Chin Na.

What does Hung Ga basic training consist of?
Lots of foundation training such as: stances, punches, connection training such as the twelve bridges, and three star hitting exercise to toughen forearms.

The Tiger and Crane, and the Iron Wire forms are two of the major sets of Hung Ga. Please share with us the importance of these two sets and what is gained by their practice?
Using the elements of the three, existing Hung styles created the Tiger and Crane form. At the time of its formulation, it was considered the most complete set in Southern China — also the most popular. It combines Tiet Que Som horse stance and hand bridge from the Iron Wire form with Wong’s hand techniques from the Hung Men association and the Tiger and Crane movements of Hung Hei Gune. This is why the form has a heavy and solid horse stance, solid hand bridge and a lot of sinking of the Qi, known as connection. It also has an emphasis on the hard and soft power. Important methods of the form are: 1) 5 element fist, 2) 8 horse stances, 3) tiger shape, consisting of twelve specific tiger techniques, 4) crane shape, consisting of eight specific crane techniques, 5) the eight strong techniques, and 6) ten killing hands. The importance of the Iron Wire form is in the building of the body's connection. It teaches you how to use extreme hard and extreme soft power, how to create energy using the Qi, five sound theory, twelve bridges body connection, five organs and the five elements theory. All of these must be used together, if you attempt to separate them or do not understand a specific part, then you do not know what you are doing. This is why you need a qualified, high-level instructor in the style to guide you so that you may gain the form's treasures.

What are some of the other Hung Ga forms which are considered Important in the style?
All the four forms in Hung Ga are important. It is a step-by-step process. We start training with the Gung Ji Fuk Fu Kuen, which introduces the basics of stance, bridges, power and breathe. The important thing to know is that each form is good for a certain level. For example, Iron Wire form can produce tremendous benefits to the practitioner; but it cannot be taught on the first day, because essential skills needed to unlock the form have not been developed. Just as in school, you are not taught to create stories in writing form until you first learn your ABC's, then go on to form sounds, words, sentences, paragraphs, etc.

Hung Ga contains many weapons sets. Which, if any weapon is regarded as the primary one?
The primary weapons of Hung Ga are the long pole for long distance fighting, and the saber for short distance fighting. Each of these weapons requires the practitioner to have a very strong foundation in order to properly execute the techniques. Also, just as in school the ABC's are taught, the weapons have their basics. For example, the single end pole teaches us the 6-_ points of not only the pole itself; but of all single ended weapons.
These basics are: 1) Huen - circle, 2) Gawt- cut, 3) Boot - clear, 4) But - pull, 5) Tan - spring, 6) Tieu -pick up/lift, 1/2) Dim - dart/poke. As we know, Hung Gats biggest asset is the training of the foundation. Therefore, these two weapons most exemplify the fighting spirit of Hung Ga.

What is the progression of training for students in your school?
When a student begins, there is a strong emphasis on foundation training annd body conditioning. Training consists of stance work, forms and applications, Qigong, Lion Dancing, weapons, free fighting and philosophy. It is important to teach carefully so that students understand what and why they are doing certain things. As a teacher, you should not yell at a student if they do not understand. You must be patient to find a way to help the student realize what they are doing and always give them a chance.

What training advice can you offer to our readers?
Well, my advice is to stick to what you are doing for a long time in the same style. Anything you do, you must have patience until you have a complete understanding. It is not just learning the forms, because any Chinese martial art has a long history. It is not created by one generation; it has the experience of many. Some even have a. thousand years of history. So you, as a practitioner, are just carrying on the knowledge and this does not depend on how smart you are. You should pass the knowledge and add your experience. Many people jump around learning the skin of many styles, but then at the end they do not know anything. A lot of people know the word traditional, but they don't understand its meaning. They think if they learn from a real Sifu, it makes them automatically traditional. Most of the Sifu’s who succeed are traditional, because they would not succeed if they did not stick to what they were doing. Traditional means, "stick to what you are doing." Some people work really hard for a short time and then after a couple of years they feel they did not learn everything and leave. These people feel they can get it from somewhere else. They do this all their lives and at the end, they have learned nothing. Some people are built on honor and how much they respect their Sifu If your Sifu finds out you don't respect him or have a heart for the style, he is not going to teach you the real thing. The student has to earn the knowledge of the style, and the Sifu has to earn the respect with his knowledge. This is called balance. If one side is not balanced, it is not going to work. Most of the time, the students do not have the patience to gain the knowledge of the highest level.

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Reported by Sifu Joseph Demundo for BLT Supplies, Inc.

http://www.bltsupplies.com/interview/yee/int4yee.html

[MasterPhil]

Great interview. Good insight. Thanks for posting!

ST

Surrounded by chaos, the true taoist laughs...

[The Whyzyrd]

Glad to read it - thanx for the post.

"The Wolf does not regard the barking dog"