Hi Frank. Always like to chat about Bak Sing…
About the Hoi Jong..we have both tiger and crane. I checked other Bak Sing vids on the Net and I see both..exactly how or very close to how we perform ours.
Yeah i see that too. its my personal belief that there two types of buk sing..the older one and the newer one enhanced with the northern flavor.
We don’t restrict ourselves to a sidestance but do incorporate it in certain strikes. If one uses their back hand..this cannot be played sideways. The chasing stance, if you will, could be either side or front-facing.
agreed. because our running (chasing) heart punches and Running uppercuts are facing head on. but we do use alot of side stance in our stuff too.
And I am not just talking about aggressive footwork. Although to me, this is one of the main differences in Hung & Bak Sing. We share root techniques but the application is different.
this is where i have to disagree because from the stuff on the net from buk sing in regards to application…we share alot of that as well at least in my lineage we do. although applications will vary from school to school.
If you are not breaking up your stuff, exploring it, constantly searching within the system you are doing it an injustice. fighters, regardless will at one point find out that what they thought was exclusive to them is actually being thought of by other real fighters who know how to fight with their gung fu.
I’ve started to see some Hung Sing practise videos that impress me in their fluidity and useage of CLF techniques. I think it is the Teacher and his/her influence that is one of the key differences in any style.
true. in my lineage its always been that way. The new generation takes from the old and attempts to evolve it by exploring new ways or being open to something not previously apart of what we do.
Now, in the past i’ve mentioned that although in forms practice or certain drilling situations the Hung Sing method can be stagnant. IMHO, its done that we to build strength in our foundations. But, in application we are much more mobile. yet, my sifu has always embedded in our minds about the fluidity of our material. He always related to our CLF as Water or Waves crashing on the shore.
In regards to a lead hand chop choy being similar to a boxers jab…i agree and disagree. I agree with the idea because of the “quickest between A and B is a straight line”. But, yes, the lead hand chop choy for a number of reasons, but in some aspects is still pretty similar.
Fighting strategies IMHO can overlap because of the fact that again IMHO nothing is exclusive to one system or style. When you have the same root techniques, there will come a point when two separate fighters of the same style to share similar fighting concepts, strategies, and applications. this is life.
Therefore, if you want to break down the Hung Sing method its a little difficult because each individual person has his or her own interpretation of how the system should be used. In our opinion, the usage of our gung fu is not like a cookie cutter that replicates the same cookie after cookie. Lau Bun was the kind of master that understood combat was individual endeavor. This is why he shaped his CLF to the student.
While breaking down the Hung Sing method under the Yuen Hai lineage, our method of usage is definitely fluid, but we also rely on a strong, sturdy horse. Additionally, we love power strikes. In most cases, it was the horse stance that our elders would look at and not your hands. On an alternative note, a strong foundation will lead to other areas of your arsenal to be just as strong because as we understand it power comes from the floor up. Without that connection to the floor, your strikes won’t be as effective. This i’ve shown to my students who had no rooting in their stances. when we do pad work, their strikes wouldn’t be as powerful if they weren’t using a strong horse.
But, personally, i feel that the stance should be strong, built during the beginner stages of training. with that comes the development of your strikes in conjunction with your stances. once that foundation has been set its time to focus on confidence, mobility, aggression, focus, intent, etc etc.
Alot of our own knowledge comes from the fact that when you are street fighting, you are basically doing so in a relatively small area. We like to focus on whats in front of us and train accordingly. it doesn’t require that much room to move around your target. We won’t typically bounce around like Bruce Lee did, but we won’t just stand there like a rooted tree either.
A Hung Sing fighter trains to take you out with only a few strikes. at least thats what we strive for. just get the job done efficiently and as fast as possible. as a fighter i’ll hit you successively with strikes no matter what im using whether its a chop choy or upper cut, elbows, or even sow choy’s. its all about the level of aggression (which is slightly different than a ring match).
Now, fighting strategies will vary from person to person. my strategies are not necessarily the same as my teacher. hopefully the newer generations are smart enough to pay attention to the previous approaches from the earlier generations. while some people in our lineage my move all over the place, some of us stand our ground and are prepared to take whatever you got to bring, then dish out some of our own damage.
We use ALL angles of attack and defense. What can be used as a block can also be used as a strike. while we do have lineage motion, we have circular footwork as well. not only do we have long range strikes, we also have very fast linear strikes too.
But in my case, i feel its important to dissect your system, lay it out in front of you and piece by piece clean it up, improve on it or modify it to make it work for you. so, when i teach my beginners, i break down all of the SEED hands, or basic strikes and the various ways to use each one be it offensively or defensively.
to me, today, i look at forms as something my students should learn after they understand what HUNG SING CLF is all about first. seems to me they understand what they are doing much much better that way.
I want to finish by saying, regardless of whatever kind of training we do, if its not against an unwilling target, its only HALF EFFECTIVE. too many martial artists in this world rely on the skills they developed in the studio in a controlled setting. in the studio they can be crisp, precise, and even fierce on someone holding a pad, or just standing there doing pre arranged techniques. But, the most important part of the game is how you deal with a resistant opponent whose intent is causing you as much harm as you intend to do to him.
unless we train accordingly, all of our gung fu goes out the window in two instances: when you get hit and how you react to that. And, when someone fights back just as hard. if you are not prepared for this you will come to an instant realization. YOU HAVE BEEN TRAINING ALL WRONG.
