INTRODUCTION TO CHINESE KUNG FU

Martial arts have grown enormously popular here in America since the early '70s. Nowadays it seems that there is some form of martial art for everyone, regardless of age or gender.  Most people are well familiar with Karate and Tae Kwon Do, but less so with the intricacies of Chinese Kung Fu. Kung Fu, actually a generic term, owes its inscrutability, in part, to there being in excess of 350 different kinds, or styles, of Kung Fu. As you might surmise from the above, there can be wide differences between the creative and practical expressions of all these different styles.

Some styles are fashioned after the movements of animals, real or mythical.  Examples of animal styles include Tiger, Snake, White Crane, Eagle Claw, and Dragon, to name a few. Many of these animal styles have themselves evolved into variant systems. One system, the Praying Mantis style, is even named for an insect. In fact, there are twelve different variations of Praying Mantis Kung Fu alone. Other categories include religious or celestial designations, e.g., Seven Star style, Buddha style, and Nine Little Heavens style.  There are also many different 'family' styles, which have been passed down from generation to generation, as well as 'internal' styles, such as Tai Chi Chuan, Pa Kua, Hsing I, and Liu He Ba Fa.  Again, many of these have their own subcategories. There are five different major styles of traditional Tai Chi, plus contemporary versions and lessor known esoteric styles. Historically, the world of Chinese martial arts is vast, varied, and vested in individualism.

Many Kung Fu styles are further characterized as being northern or southern. As Kung Fu developed over centuries past, it was only natural that styles evolved in reflection of the environments in which its practitioners lived. In northern China there are vast plains where warfare from horseback was common. Longer - range techniques, even acrobatics and longer weapons, were the norm.  In contrast, southern Chinese populations lived congested into urban areas where space was at a premium. Millions lived on sampans or had their practice space limited to rooftops. Acrobatic techniques and long weapons were simply impractical. Practical compact and powerful upper body techniques. Hence the saying, Northern Feet, Southern Hands .

All these factors are fascinating in the light they shed on Kung Fu, and today's students may certainly want to consider history and cultural relevance in deciding if this style or that is best for themselves. But much more important than any individual style is the quality of instruction one receives. Above and beyond the technical features inherent in any individual style, in order for a course of study to be brought alive, the teacher must be able to guide each and every student according to his or her goals, age, personality, natural ability or absence thereof, temperament, and personal psychology. It is the teacher's influence that often determines just how meaningful a course of instruction ultimately becomes for the students he guides. This is especially important for parents to consider in seeking instruction for their children. A good instructor must be sensitive to the age-appropriate and developmental needs and abilities of the children he works with. 

My take on martial arts, and Kung Fu and Tai Chi in particular, is that these disciplines are personal empowerment tools first and foremost even before they are martial arts. Personal empowerment implies a developing awareness and ongoing attention to integrity and to the process of making right and moral choices, as well as to improving your scope of selfknowledge where it really counts, intrapersonally. The real master of martial arts is not someone who can defeat others, but rather the individual who understands human nature, starting with his own. Ideally, any study of martial arts ought to focus, at least somewhat, on the realm of moral accountability and harnessing the ego. Tai Chi particularly lends itself to this, but even Kung Fu can prove a soul-searching discipline as it weaves a moral fabric around its framework as a powerful and practical martial art. Kung Fu's many other benefits - improved balance and flexibility, strength and conditioning, self-confidence and self defense-- are but icing on the cake in comparison to its more self-actualizing potential.

Sifu John Loupos teaches Praying Mantis and Northern Shaolin Kung Fu, plus internal arts at Jade Forest Kung Fu/ Tai Chi of Cohasset. He has authored "Inside Tai Chi..." and "Exploring Tai Chi..."

Contact him at 781-383-6822, or at jadeforest@comcast.net .