8 Step trains Chi kung, Iron Body and Iron Palm. Anybody else out there?
What’s up 8stepsifu. Where are you from? I’m going to take my sifu test this year. I been doin 8 Step for almost 7 years now. I been doing some of the iron body stuff. I haven’t started doing the iron palm.
When man is born he is soft and weak; When man dies he becomes stiff and hard. Thus, the stiff and unyielding follow death; The soft and yielding follow life.
Hello,8step sifu! How are you? I have a qusetion for you. After doing two man brass ring fighting sets, do you need to apply dit da jow after doing hard training with them? I am talking about the two man fighting sets described in this months issue of Inside kung fu maga
Yo Pete, Im in New Hampshire Shopping for insurance so I can set up a school. by the way anybody know of any great martial art insurance? Anyway good luck with your Sifu Test. Are you going to Sioux City to test or are you waiting for the next one? Your probably memorizing like crazy right now. Remember Note cards are your friends, especially since you will be tested over your hundreds of applications by draw out of a hat. Fan Ti, p, p ucut, ucut, grinding mill, etc. Every State representative is staring at you coldly, and yes its intimidating, but if you tested well during your gold mantis, relax, cram and hope for applicatings that your good at. Who is your Sifu? I studied under Sifu Kevin Loftus in South Dakota. For the brass rings…Are you bruising? If you are rub some dit ta jow and rub out the bruises with a rolling pin. (this will hurt) If your not bruising or training in iron body (internal chi kung as well) you probably don’t need it. And why are you trying something you saw out of a magazine? I hope for your sake that the author is credible and that you get a real Sifu soon.
Do I use the rolling pin first and then the dit da jow? I will trust your judgement and not try this until I have found a legitimate sifu. Thanks for the peace of mind that you have given me.
Where can you get a rolling pin?
Hey Maniac, You got a lot of nerve butting into my conversation! But, being a Christian, I will try to forgive you.
I hope I dont sound too condecending or antagonistic, but this perticular post, and its responses, pushed a few of my buttons…
The first question I have is this: How is it possible to become a “Sifu” after only seven years? Some of the Students In my class have been practicing over twice that leangth of time and are exceptionally good at both the internal and external versions… and Sifu does not give tham permission to teach. Kung Fu takes a long time to mature, unlike Karate or TKD, so how can anyone claim to have any kind of mastery over it in just seven short years?
Next is the question about training rings…
What does this have to do with Iron Palm or Iron Shirt?
Finally the comment by curious about being Christian and being forgiving… My friend, being a Christian has nothing to do with being forgiving.
Now for my comment, I would like to begin Iron Shirt training within the next four or five years if it is possible. Sifu believes in strong basics and cultivation of Chi before attempting this. I was wondering what your training consists of in comparison and contrast to what my TCPM master teaches. I have witnessed his Iron Shirt demos, and from the research I am doing for a Magazine article, My Sifu is quite famous for his Iron Shirt. His training consists of specific numbers of strikes to various body points, the force of each strike is gagued by each students chi development. Each session the strikes become harder and more intensely focused. Eventually some of the more senior students were breaking concrete with their heads. (not the little patio blocks mind you, we’re talkin’ the big 4"-6" jobs.) I wont say they dont have a mark on them when they are done, but it is certainly more than I can see any of those “power team” demonstrators doing !
Again I apologize if I offended anyone with my earlier rantings, for the most part I just try to better understand, it is after all not my place to judge. (However religious comments I do tend to snap at and should curious wish to discuss it further, please feel free to email me, my friend. I just dont feel a Kung Fu baord is the place to discuss it 
!!)
May peace be your guide and serenity the light for your path.
Namaste.
I apologize, Taji Mantis.Peace.
In 8 step Mantis select students are admitted into the sifu program where they are allowed teach classes. And must complete a certain number of hours teaching before they can test for sifu status. Teaching is a very important part in learning again what you have been taught before. dont u agree? And what good of a sifu are u if you dont learn how to teach?
i think this is very important part of training.
…by the way i am from San Francisco fellow 8 steppers.
After successfully passing the test you have the right to open a school. Our grandmaster even stated that we are by far not done. After testing you still have 18 more years of material to go and another that much to master everything (he says when you take the test that you’re still crawling, just babies in the style). Takes a lifetime. Just wanted to clear those things up. Seven years might not sound like a lot but I am very dedicated. I practice everyday and assist in teaching at least 4-5 days a week. Currently I am one of the top ranking students at my school. Well, talk to you guys later. 8Step, I’ll be testing this year in Sioux City.
When man is born he is soft and weak; When man dies he becomes stiff and hard. Thus, the stiff and unyielding follow death; The soft and yielding follow life.
I agree with some, but I disagree with some, oh well…
What about Iron Shirt??
It is possible to become a Sifu after two years. How is it possible? Practice at least 5 hours a day, teach classes, sweat, tears, and blood (in that order) Practicing religeously and fervently and then letting go of it all to feel your chi flowing and center yourself. As for Tae Kwan Do..I don’t know. I do know that after three years of intense training I (and other sifus) have made putty out of more seasoned blackbelts of from styles with less technique. These people more often than not become 8Step students themselves. In traditional chinese schools there are public students that work at there own pace, and there are indoor students that paint themselves with pain day after day. In the Sifu program there is rarely a day that your legs are not sore. And after you are a Sifu you are almost a Student of the system. When you operate your own school, then you learn stuff most styles don’t know exists.
Yes, but what about the iron shirt?
This was the original topic posted.
Each style has its own requiremants, I am sorry if I made you feel that you had to defend yours so fervently. It was not my intent, and as I said, I agree with some of what you said, and not with others. We do not have to see eye to eye on everything,my friend
I am interested very much in hearing about your iron shirt(Iron body, Iron Palm)
Namaste
Sawrite Curious
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=“-1”>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by curious:
Hey Maniac, You got a lot of nerve butting into my conversation! But, being a Christian, I will try to forgive you.[/quote]
Who’s christ?
A Sifu is a father figure/teacher who guides others he has chosen or who have sought him out, regardless of how long he has been training(& many are the Masters who tell a student 
k, go teach my system, then I’ll teach you more advanced stuff). Some people think a Sifu should be a Master before they train others, & many people arent bothered if the Sifu isnt a Master, depends on the students wants & needs.
Also, there are all kinds of Masters who refuse to take students, until & if of course they decide that they are going to pass on their system to somebody, & then they naturally are Sifus also, if only to that lucky person.
To 8stepsifu: from S Dakota to N Hampshire, you must like the snow here on the E coast? At the very least its not too bad of a hop to N Jersey when Master Sun comes to do a seminar.
Hey Pete, good luck in Maryland.
Yeah Sifu Tosh told me he’s meeting you in Baltimore for some San Shou fighting. supacool. It should be a great time. Tell me how it went. Where are you from 1path. I know Pete is from Sifu Jack’s school. Oh well. I’ll try to hit baltimore next year. San shou is fun. The experience of meeting other fighters from different syles is a great experience. You find an instant comradary once your done staring each other down 
hello to all 8 step members!!!
“Teaching is a very important part in learning again what you have been taught before. dont u agree? And what good of a sifu are u if you dont learn how to teach”?
To answer this: Yes teaching is a big part in our class but how can one teach if he or she needs to be tought? I know the responsabilitis of being a sifu but I strongly believe that “we” sifus must be given a entirely different class so that we may study, train, and practice at our levels. A lot of times we have to correct each other and it doesn’t look good especially infront of new students. I wish something can be done so that we have more time to study and train. I love this system and have no interest in studing anything else. And yes there is a lot to this system and to get to it you have to be deticated and it will come. Good luck Pete your brother.
Teaching while being taught is a very big challenge for a Sifu Student. While they might understand power generation and application if they can’t remember the order to the eight kicking blocks then a student thinks that they are worthless. It all works out in the end. Where are all you guys from? What material are you working on? Im a Sifu who hasn’t gone to a Sifu camp yet, so I’m going through my material and finding counters to the 40 throws and how one technique goes into the next and then to the next. I also love long forms. (or are they called short forms now?) The ones for throwing or any of the eighth’s that are done over and over with power. My goal is 1,000 for every throw or eighth long form. I’m also practicing the 5 sets and doing lots of Tai Chi these days. Im also on day 11/100 in Iron Palm training. I did begining iron body training in 3rd and 4th Gold Mantis Grade. I haven’t hit myself in a while.