Tai Yim & Hung Fut

Wai Jia: The Kung Fu Forum Southern Chinese Kung Fu
1

The only job that looks available to me after I graduate next month is with the NSA just south of Baltimore.

I want to start training in kung fu again once I get there. Except for doing some san da with my friend from Taiwan the last 3 months, I haven’t really been training since I moved back up to school here in Lubbock last August.

I’m a big guy (thick- 5’10 225). I don’t mind putting in the work to get lighter on my feet, but the idea of learning pretty forms with acrobatic moves doesn’t thrill me. I’d like to be a fighter. I’m a hard worker, though sometimes I hate to train alone.

Everyone’s recommended trying to join Tai Yim’s school in southern Maryland (Kensington) as it’s close to where I’ll be living and a terrific school. I even met an Assistant Instructor through my Si Bok and picked up a business card at Taiji Legacy. I checked out the website and from the description of the cirriculum it looks to be exactly what I’ve been looking for.

I was wondering if anybody else had any input on the school, the style, whether or not the school and it’s training seem to match my goals, and from my small descrption of myself whether or not I’d make a decent student there

2

hung fut pai and tai yim

you couldn’t go wrong with either.

i have to say it has been over 20 or so years since i have heard of tai yim, however if he is anything like the old days, in hong kong, then not much would have changed.

in those days they did many fighting, and in one particualar occassion, there was a match between taekwando from korea and hung fut pai of tai yim school in hong kong, which was very popular.

they did very well and came out on top of the full tournement.

tai yim lineage is without question, and depending on how you wish to move and fight, depends on whether the style will suit you.

either way, you will know that what you are learning is hung fut pai. if he has changed his style of teaching to suit western ideas, i cannot say, but still well worth the time and effort on your part to go and learn.

only time will tell.

the history is quite long, so will not bore you with details, i am sure tai yim school will have brief history for you.

hope this has helped

3

I agree with Bean Curd
Tai Yim has one of the best schools in the area, back in the mid eighties when he was in Silver Spring running Flying Dragon Imports, he used to accept open challenges at his school. so yes you will definately learn how to fight, but then its all up to you and how you apply what he teaches

Good luck

4

if i wuz in dc that where id go

nuff said

5

Great Sifu, Great school!

http://www.leekoonhungkungfu.com/images/0009.jpg

6

If you want to see a Tai Yim in action, (it’s a small Part in the movie) Rent Honor & Glory. His Stances are about as solid as they come, and also to Joe Keit, Did you get that Tape I sent of the Movie Duel of the Seven Tigers With Sifu Lee Koon Hung in it? I’ll be ordering the Iron Fan Tape Soon. The Drunken Form and the Buddah Palm form are excellent!

7

Thanks for the responses.
I was actually thinking of quitting kung fu for a while and doing Muay Thai and BJJ- so I could get some more fighting experience. Basically, I figured by doing that, I could get my elementary education in fighting. Then I was planning on going BACK to kung fu for my PhD- because I feel the techniques, as well as the theories of kung fu are really advanced. It was looking to be kind of a roundabout way of doing things. I’m glad I probably won’t have to do that now.
Thanks.
.

8

Drunken 1

I never got the tape, but we have that movie “Duel of the Seven Tigers”. The one we don’t have and are looking for is a movie Lee Koon Hung starred in, it’s called “Hung Sing Choy Lay Fut”. I asked him about when he was still alive, and he tried to get a copy a long time ago, but the movie company I believe went out of business. I’m glad you like the tapes! There is more in production, so check the website.

One time someone called me and said they saw the Hung Sing movie in the theater and filmed it with a video camera. If anyone has knowledge of this movie please contact me. Thank you!

Lost Disicple
Don’t worry about the style, check out the teacher. That is more important. I’ve seen BJJ teachers who aren’t very good, that doesn’t mean the style isn’t good, just the teacher. Our school we love to fight. San Shou, takedowns, grappling, etc… So it depends on the teacher and what they focus on.

Unfortunately alot of Kung Fu teachers get lost in the Hocus Pocus type stuff and lose their directness. So it’s really hard to find a good Kung Fu school, especially when everyone makes up their own style and call it Kung Fu. There is no 1 International Association for Kung Fu, unlike Tae Kwon Do for example.

stick with Tai Yim, he’s produced so many good fighters and competitors. He’s awesome!

Peace everybody! :slight_smile:

http://www.leekoonhungkungfu.com/images/0009.jpg

9

Well I wasn’t trying to say that any style was better. I was just trying to say:

a. that kickboxing has a fewer number of techniques, less to work with means I can become more comfortable with what I’m working with, so I can concentrate on the other aspects of fighting, cuz the techniques you use are only one aspect.

b. kickboxing does a real good job of a formal process from training the techniques to teaching you how to use them in the ring with the footwork, whereas a lot of the kung fu I’ve seen leaves a lot of that up to student’s discretion, or holds it off until the later levels.

From what I saw on the schedule on Tai Yim’s web page, he addresses both of these concerns. If he’s an amazing teacher and lineage holder of a style that I may love more than the other kung fu styles I’ve trained, then that’s just icing on the cake- lots of icing. hehe

I’m not trying to imply that any style is better or that my old teachers were in any way inadequate. In fact, I’m just trying to imply that my learning and quest for understanding as a student was lacking, if anything. I don’t think my mindset was in the right place, so I thought switching to a smaller cirriculum might help me get the right focus. I’m glad I won’t have to do that now.

This is going to be something like the 6th or 7th instructor that I’m looking to train with for more than a day or a seminar, and the third school I’m looking to seriously stick with for the rest of my life/training. I’ve been with all these different teachers and schools in the last 8 years since I was first introduced to kung fu. I’m not a flakey student, I hate training on my own if I don’t know that I’ll ever return to a particular school, but when I’m a regular student I’m dedicated. That’s the sh!tty thing about having to move every 6 months to a year; hence my screen name. If I get this job, I’m not gonna move again for a long time.

Thanks again for all the advice everybody. I’m a lot more confident about relocating now.

10

Isn’t there a heavy emphasis on using the left-hand side in Hung Fut? (ie. initiating attack with left-hand, holding weapons preferably in the left-hand, etc.)

I don’t get mad.
I get stabby.

11

Yup - Hung Fut is left handed strike system. I haven’t studied it but have read about it.

There’s a school in Glasgow - I hope to try it one day soon if I can.

12

Find out if I’m going to be working in Baltimore on July 24th.

Not trying to be picky here, but I was looking for a bit more information about the style. I appreciate the info thus far.

Does anybody know more about the Hung Fut style and how the training, fighting, and forms compare to say Longfist, Ching Woo, Tam Tui, northern Eagle Claw, or northern mantis?

I know it’s supposed to be a left-handed style, but that doesn’t mean I’ll have to become left-dominant, left-handed, or anything, does it?

Thanks.

13

hung fut pai and left side

lost disciple hahaha, no you don’t have to become left sided.

hung fut pai is a hybrid system which comprises two styles - hung gar and fut gar.

hung gar (hung family fist) is from hung hei gung.
fut gar (buddah palm style)is from wong shou shan.

so both gar come from siu lam gee.

it is said that the combination of both came through hung hei gung.

the left side is to do with principle of the location of the heart and also for disruption of the mind of your opponent, much like how a southpaw affects the balance of an orthodox fighter.

the basic concept of the hybrid system is to bring the gung chi of hung gar into balance with the yau chi of fut gar.

although both styles have this balance in their own right, it is the joining of the art that brings the balance, not only in the usage of short to medium range of hung style, but also the long range aspect of fut gar.

to talk of the two styles and then the principle of the merging would take sometime.

the style of hung fut pai however is became known and was transmitted to canton (guangchau) by bai mo tung.

hung fut arrived in hong kong through a sixth generation player by the name of hung chiu sing.

it is from the third son hung yiu chung, that tai yim was taught, so like i said before from this lineage, tai yim cannot be questioned.

hope this has helped

[This message was edited by bean curd on 07-19-01 at 04:11 AM.]

14

Yah, your post helps a lot actually.
BTW- you can write as much as you want on the theory and I’ll read it all. I got another week till I find out if I’m moving and another month until I’d move if I am.

Just a few more questions…well tons actually: :slight_smile:
As far as the stance goes (from the few pictures I’ve seen)- the left foot forward and keeping the left hand busier seems very similar in logic to boxing. If the power’s coming from your right, I always thought it was a good idea to keep it back so it wouldn’t get trapped.

Talking hand sets. I know that they probably don’t have the Hung Gar hand sets (as the lineage did not pass through Wong Fei Hung); and i’m assuming the hand sets are unique to the style, but incorporating techniques and theories from both styles right?

How about groundwork? Do they teach you how to move when you’re on the ground in addition to throwing and joint locks?

Do you know how many forms are in the cirriculum? I don’t know of many other Hung Fut sifus so I’m thinking it’s not a system that’s relatively quick (10 years or less) to learn the cirriculum and that you spend the rest of your life mastering; or is it?

Hope none of these questions are bothersome or rude, I’m just real curious. There’s a large part of me that wants to be a fighter, and according to the website, the schedule/cirriculum can accommodate that. There’s also a large part of me that would someday eventually like to be a sifu of a system; maybe to open a school or just teach my kids. Of anything though, I’m tired of moving and I want a style I can stick with for a long time. After all this bouncing around I want a style I can call my own. I’m hoping I’ll like the style, that I’ll fit in at the school, and that the instructors welcome teaching me.

15

kickin this back up top. :rolleyes:

16

one more time

17

brief points

now others may come in on what i am going to say about right and left, but i really am not interested in discussing.

leftside/rightside forward.
in the scheme of things particularly in the ching era and before, the concept of having the left side forward was seen to be extremly risky if not totally dangerous.

by bringing the heart side forward (leftside), you where basically seen as “presenting the heart”, and a dangerous move in actual fighting.
it is for this reason understanding left side work of hung fut is important.

most chinese arts keep the rightside forward, it is more common in western society to bring the left side forward,again a change for western thinking and again by what you have said, mainly due to power and of coarse the art of boxing, which must be said is not a martial art, but a fighting art, if you know what i mean.

hung gar forms
in my hung fut lineage we have hung kuen forms, and if i am not mistaken tai yim also does hung kuen forms, i am not sure if he teaches them, but he does know them, one of the variations though, if so slight is when we sit on sei ping ma left foot goes out first as to right foot of hung kuen.

hung fut forms.
now this is where there is variation from some lineages. hung fut in general has quite allot of forms, both body and weapon, covering the range of the arts 18 weapons, with some lineages having special to there lineage.

they are mixed and varied, long and short, fast and firm, or fast and agile etc, so has something for everyone.

groundwork
yes hung fut has this, hung fut has a particular likeing towards opponents that kick, this in particular comes from the fut gar with the palm work and the low kicking skills, and from the hung kuen side with the stance and claw usage.

well rounded usage
hung fut pai covers the three areas, short - medium and long range, again the blend of the two gars permits this.

18

Thanks man, I appreciate it. :slight_smile:
I’m just itchin to get to Baltimore and start training already. hehe
I should know by Tuesday or Wednesday if I’m going.

19

School Class Schedule~

A schedule that might be different from their website’s, yet more current if not as current, hopefully.

10-11 a.m.Saturday-Tai Chi

11-11|30 a.m.Saturday-Children’s Basics I

11|30 a.m.-12 p.m.Saturday-Children’s Basics II & III

12-1 p.m.Saturday-Basics

1-2 p.m.Saturday-Handset

2-3 p.m.Saturday-Weapons:Adult’s & Children’s

3-4 p.m.Saturday-Lion Dancing:Adult’s & Children’s

4-5 p.m.Monday/Tuesday/Wednsday/Thursday/Friday-Basics

5-6 p.m.Monday/Tuesday/Thurday/Friday-Handset; Wednsday-Weapons

6-6|30 p.m.Monday/Thursday-Children’s Basics I

6|30-7 p.m.Monday/Thursday-Children’s Basics II & III; Tuesday/Friday-Children’s Weapons

6-7 p.m.Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday-Parent’s Class; Wednsday-Basics

7-8 p.m.Monday/Friday-Basics; Tuesday-Basic Sparring I; Wednsday-Handset

7-9 p.m.Thursday-Intermediate Sparring I & II

8-9 p.m.Monday/Friday-Handset;Tuesday Basic Sparring II; Wednsday-Tai Chi

9-10 p.m.Monday-Weapons; Wednsday-Advanced Tai Chi; Friday-Instructors’ Class

Theoretically, these are the classes, their days and times of day.

Calling mid-afternoon East Coast time (three o’clock or after (before four might be nice, as that’s when classes start (weekdays). A telephone number to use- (301) 949 - 9299. If you make it to the area the address (useful for taxi or public transportation information-travel routes~trains and busses). Address:10730 Connecticut Avenue, Kensington, MD 20895.

If you do go there, I would have to make an effort to watch you train. To see someone from the forum would sort of complete things as far as, are you people real~.

Very some such,perhaps might have been, likely say some, some not.

20

Many thanks for the scheduling info!

Today’s the big day that NSA decides if they’re gonna hire me; and they’ll let me know tonight or tomorrow.

Once I get all my bills paid off, I’ll be going as often as my schedule and salary will allow.
I’m wondering if I should try to reschedule my shift so that I get off at 4 and can make the handset class at 5, and come back later in the evening- it’s not important now, cuz probly for the next six months I’ll be doing just the basics class.

I’d be happy to meet you when I get there. It’d be cool to have a friend in the area. If I go, I won’t know anybody there except my dog (still trying to figure out how to get her there).

On a side note; do you got any recommendations on where I should move when I get there? Like what neighborhoods are decent for renting a reasonable 2 bedroom house with a small backyard for my dog?

Anyways, hope to see you in a month or so. :slight_smile: