WUDANG FIVE IMMORTALS TEMPLE

Regarding Kung Fu Basics and Trademark Skills

Everyone knows when building a house you need a foundation. Practicing Gong Fu is the same since a basis is necessary. Straight punches and kicking require power, jumps and straight kicks must be high, therefore you must stretch the tendons. The physical body must be agile, nimble and fast. The hand, eyes, body, methods and stepping must be coordinated and unified, strength must be long lasting, as well as the moves and techniques must be changeable and variable. Only this way you have a foundation of Gong Fu practice. It is just like two people fighting and grappling. One must be equipped with both attack and defence skills as well as having ultra-long and durable stamina and physical strength. This type of stamina may be called “Source Power”, which can be obtained through long-time running and tempering of the muscles. Skills and moves can be accomplished through the practice of forms (tao lu套路). However in this regard there is the misconception of reckoning that studying martial arts forms, and training strength, power and stamina is precisely practicing Gong Fu.

Masters frequently say:

“Shadow-Boxing without practicing Gong,

until old age only an empty space.”

Some people spend five or ten years of time to study ninety martial arts forms; in the end they have nothing at all. In the Gong Fu world there is one sentence:

“Do not be afraid of someone knowing ten thousand moves,

only be afraid of someone having perfected one superb technique.”

It is said that spending a very long time to study fifty martial arts forms is not as good as you spending the same time to practice just one, two or three moves with Gong-Methods.

Do not fear that someone practices one thousand movements, each movement once a day. However fear someone that practices one move one thousand times a day as in the course of time it will be accomplished. Once you are able to smash five stones with one palm-strike, and to split apart a tree pillar with one kick of the foot, whose human physical body, a structure of blood and flesh, could possibly withstand your attack?

Do not covet very many martial arts forms and techniques. The accomplishment of Gong Fu follows the equation:

“GONG FU = TIME + SWEAT + METHODS.”

One movement repeated for ten thousand times or hundred thousands of times, monotonous, dull and bland such as the practice of Mud-Palm-Gong and the Iron-Palm-Gong. Even training Gong every day for eight hours, it still takes five to eight years of time. Therefore the fights between high-level experts last only a very short time, maybe only several seconds or tens of seconds until it is all over, because what they utilize is Gong Fu:

One attack must certainly hit the target,

one attack must certainly knock the opponent to pieces.

Nowadays who still possesses the patience, perseverance, and heart to ‘eat bitterness’ in order to practice these few types of Gong Fu?

Some types of Gong need to be practiced at childhood. It is extremely hard work and laborious. Gong Fu is the practice of your own supernatural and extraordinary abilities. Higher Gong Fu already surpasses the Gong Fu category as it is the practice of Qi and of special energetic fields, which does not come from jumping or bouncing around, but from the gain of sitting meditation and stillness cultivation. In the past times, without fire arms, only people who had Gong fu could protect their own lives, their families’ lives and family belongings, as well as ensure their safety.

Nowadays society is peaceful and calm and laws are firm, so our study of Gong Fu is for removing illnesses, for a strong body and healthy physique, to entertain and perform for the masses and to help others. In the end after successful refinement of your Gong Fu you must not compete for supremacy with others, be fond of winning or injure others.

THE END

Shi Yan White Horse Mountain Five Immortals Temple

Xing De

21^st December 2016

See also How to resolve the contradiction between Fighting Arts and Compassion.