OK, let me just clarify what Mr. Frolkey and Mr. Taunton are saying here.
First off, Shou Shu is Kung Fu, not a sister art to it. However you must understand what the words Kung Fu mean.
As cultures collide words from other languages are often mistranslated. Such as when Settlers moved into Australia. Upon seeing a kangaroo a settler asked an aborigine what it was. The aborigine answered, “I don’t Know”. In aborigine, kangaroo means I don’t know. Now in english kangaroo is descriptive of a large hopping animal that carries it’s young in it’s pouch.
Same thing happened in China. Some visitor from the West saw a martial artist practicing his forms. He asked a local what it was that he was doing and the local replied “Ah, he is very good”.
Kung Fu in chinese means -a high level of skill
In English we have taken it to mean “Chinese martial art”. Funny how things like that happen.
So is Shou’ Shu’ kung fu? By the English interpretation of Kung Fu, certainly.
Clarifying what Mr. Frolkey has said id a bit more difficult. Unless you’ve been studying Shou Shu for quite some time this is very difficult to fully understand.
Shou Shu is fully a principle art. When Da’ Shifu learned it, from what I understand, he learned one weapon at a time. He was given a motion, taught how to use it, and he was expected to develop it by the next lesson. If he hadn’t he was disciplined.
Each motion taught was pure. Learning the motions of each of the animals in pure form, one motion at a time. Each motion fully developed before moving on to the next.
Eventually the motions were to be put together into progressive motions.
In this manner the motions of all of the beasts were taught. One at a time. When all of the beasts were taught then the student was taught how to combine them. Switching from beast to beast or doing several at once. Only at this time could it be called Shou’ Shu’. Shou’ Shu’ means “fighting way of the beasts” and it can only rightfully be called Shou’ Shu’ if it has all seven.
Da’ Shifu, when he began teaching tried to teach in the same manner that he was taught. Very few stayed. It required an extreme amount of discipline and practice to learn in that manner. Definetely, this manner of teaching could only be used to teach a certain select few. This, of course, explains why only a few had mastered the art.
Back in those days there weren’t a whole lot of martial artists around in the United States. Those that were here got together a lot and compared some of the things that they knew. Da’ Shifu befriended Ed Parker, grand master of Kenpo. Kenpo, like Shou’ Shu’, is a progressive art. It’s weapons were continuous. It was taught through technique. It is my experience that kenpo is purely a technique art. Students are taught that the techniques will be executed as taught on the street. I am not close enough to Kenpo to know this for sure, but from what I have seen personally that is what is taught.
Da’ Shifu liked the idea of teaching through technique. It was easier for the student to understand what was going on.
It however does have it’s pitfalls. The student can get too wrapped up in technique and not see the principles. Not enough attention to developing individual weapons. Not understanding that technique is only the beginning. Technique is merely a teaching tool in Shou’ Shu’. This however is another story For me to write one day.
So, at first, Da’ Shifu borrowed some of the Kenpo techniques. He aplied Shou’ Shu’ motion to them and used them to teach the art. This turned out to be a great combination. It was much easier to understand the teachings.
When he did this, he also made another change. In using the techniques to teach Shou’ Shu’, some beasts worked better in different places. So instead of using pure beasts he used a combination and put them into the techniques where they fit. Some beasts are better at given certain things. In doing this he reversed the teaching order of the art.
Originally the beasts would be learned individually and then when they were all mastered they would be combined. In the techniques, they are taught combined and then they are seperated again after black belt only to be recombined again at Da’ Shifu.
So, I’m sure you can see where the claims come from that Shou Shu is an offshoot of Kenpo. If you watch the arts you will be able to see that thgey are very different.
I hope this helps to clear up a very old misunderstanding.
SSW
