Pearls of Wisdom

Training for Life

Inside Kung Fu Magazine October 1989

by Grandmaster Doc Fai Wong

Everybody has run into the situation where they just don’t have enough time to practice.  Maybe there’s enough time to go to the school and do your forms, but not enough to put any serious thought and work into your martial art.

The good news is, no matter how busy you are, there is a way to creatively put serious workout time into your work.

Remember, there’s a difference between work and workout.  Work is something you must do to earn a living.  Sometimes it’s pleasant, sometimes it’s one of life’s necessities.  A martial art workout is usually pleasure.  So why not combine the two, converting your job into a pleasant productive way to improve your marital arts expertise.  It will make your job more interesting , the time at work go faster, and help your martial arts progress.

Here’s how to combine your workout with your work.  Let’s say you are a laborer, using your body to carry heavy objects.  Make it a personal challenge to pick up each object and put it in the right place with the precision and accuracy you would use doing a form.  Keep your body positioned correctly, using your waist and legs for support.  Time your breathing to make the best use of your energy while lifting and carrying those heavy objects.

When I was a teenager, I paid for my kung fu lessons by working as a busboy in a restaurant.  At a certain hour I had to move quickly, cleaning tables, loading and unloading dishes from the dishwasher, and stacking the clean plates.  Although I would rather have been practicing in the kung fu school than settting up clean tables without breaking anything.  I used my best martial arts footwork (balanced and light footed) while I did my job.  Before long my job became my kung fu practice.

For those who work in offices, be creative while you type and file.  When standing at the files, bend your knees and get some stance training.  Try to be quick and accurate with each file, with the same efficiencey and focus as a well done form.

No matter how much your workload, work efficiently, staying relaxed and calm.  Concentrate on the job, but don’t hold your breath.  These are all martial art principles that you might practice in your school while doing a form or sparring.

Typists who sit most of the time should be erect, with their bodies relaxed and legs positioned solidly on the floor.  As you type, think of each finger movement as a special martial arts finger exercise.  Be aware of each hand an finger movement when you git the keys.  Concentrate your power and energy into your fingertips with each downward stroke.

It doesn’t matter what kind of job you do.  Try to be good at it, exhibiting accuracy and efficiency.  Take the opportunity to make it part of your martial arts training.  The same principles that make you a better martial artist are all present in our job - timing, speed, accuracy, focus, balance, relaxation and a calm mind.  Practice them everyday, then if you’re ever drawn into self-defense or when you spar, you’ll find the right reflexes already present.

Grandmaster Doc Fai Wong is a columnist for Inside Kung Fu

by Grandmaster Doc Fai Wong

From time to time, students with backgrounds in the gi arts (those who wear a gi to train) ask the equivalent terms for dojo, kata and gi in Chinese. This is a recurring question.

The most popular term is dojo. “Do” in Chinese is dao, which means the Way. This “way” is the spiritual way, which is spoken of in Chinese religions. “Jo” in Chinese is chang, which means the place. Dojo is the same as daochang in Chinese character writing. It means the place to practice the “way”, “do” or dao.

Let’s take a look at the gi arts. Karate-do means the “way of empty hand.” Judo means the “way of soft art” and tae kwon do means the “way of the foot and the fist.” Aikido means the way of combining or harmonizing the qi. The term dojo is the place to practice the martial arts mentioned above and doesn’t mean school or academy.

Dojo or daochang originally came from Taoist and Buddhist terminology. It’s a place to practice or cultivate the spiritual way, “do” or dao. It can also be the place to teach the “do” or dao. Today, the term daochang in China refers to the place that performs ceremonies for the dead. While the term dojo uses the same Chinese characters as “daochang,” today it has nothing to do with martial arts. Some people use the term “guan” or Cantonese “goon” or “kwoon.”

“Kwan” means the same thing in Korean. The word “guan” is used for more than martial arts. It can be chan guan, the restaurant; lu guan, the hotel; tushu guan, the library; shu guan, the old term for the regular schools; yi guan, the clinic; cha guan, the tea shop; shuhua guan, the art gallery; yan guan, the smoke shop; and many more beside just kung fu studio or wu guan. Most Chinese in the West use the English term “studio” instead of the Chinese term guan or koon, because the word guan has too many meanings. In other words, there is no equivalent term in kung fu for the term dojo.

Kata is the next popular term students are always asking about. Kata is tao or taolu in Chinese. When speaking in the Chinese language with another Chinese person, the correct way to say hand kata is kuen too for Cantonese and guan tao in Mandarin. The weapons kata is bingqi taolu, which is a general way of using this phrase. When breaking this term down into different weapons we use these terms: long weapon kata is chang bingqi taolu and short weapon kata is duan bingqi taolu. The double weapon kata is shuang bingqi taolu. The flexible weapon kata is ruan bingqi taolu. Let’s break it down to the individual weapons. Staff kata is gun tao; spear kata is qiang tao; straight sword kata is jian tao; and broadsword is dao tao. Just keep adding the Chinese weapon term in front of “tao” for all other weapons.

The above terms are most likely used by non-Chinese instructors. I use the term non-Chinese, because the Chinese would not use taolu as the placement term for kata when speaking to their English-speaking students. Chinese instructors would use English terms such as set, pattern or form. For example, for hand kata they would say “the hand set” instead of the hand taolu or quan tao.

Gi is another word for robe. It originated from judo practitioners and is made with a heavy cotton-like canvas for grabbing and throwing. When karate masters began teaching their students, they adapted the gi from judo and made it into a lighter-weight uniform for student training.

Kung-fu schools in China don’t have a particular training outfit. You often see wushu performers wear a nice exhibition Chinese outfit when they perform. Each performer is wearing a different color as well as a different outfit. Therefore, it’s not even a uniform. To call it a uniform, everybody must wear the same outfit. In the 1970s when kung-fu was becoming more well known in the Western world, some kung-fu schools had their students wear Chinese-style clothing when training. Some people called it a kung-fu gi. However, the Chinese don’t know what a gi is, because gi doesn’t mean uniform, nor does it mean robe.

Bio: Doc-Fai Wong writes a bi-monthly column for Inside Kung Fu and is the founder of the Plumblossom International Federation.

If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one.
-Mother Theresa

I have found that among other things, giving liberates the soul of the giver.
-Maya Angelou

In helping others, we help ourselves, for whatever good we give out completes the circle and comes back to us.

-Flora Edwards

Written by Shawn Thomas Kunkler

The Ching Jong dummy is a must have for any serious and dedicated choy li fut practitioner. “The Ching Jong dummy will never get sore, bruised or tired, nor will it ever complain.”

Chan Heung was born in 1806. His kung-fu training started shortly thereafter under uncle Chan Yuen Woo’s watchful eye. Over the next 23 years he learned both northern and southern kung-fu styles. After thoroughly digesting the information, he created choy li fut in 1836. The name itself is a tribute to his teachers Choy Fook and Li Yau San. Fut is a Chinese term that means Buddha.

During his martial career Chan Heung needed a way to accelerate training while simultaneously conditioning his body. This is when the Ching Jong wooden dummy was needed. The oldest and most synonymous supplement known to choy li fut is the Ching Jong, more commonly known as the wooden dummy. Making it one of the system’s signature trademarks is a solid square body and movable upper arm.

Adopting the Name
In Cantonese, the name Ching Jong simply means, “balance scale”. These are small hand-held scales typically used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to weigh and measure herbs.

The large pivoting upper arm of the dummy travels all the way through the square body and protrudes out the backside. Weights, springs or bands attached to this portion of the arm allow the practitioner to push or pull down on the arm with resistance. This up-and-down motion abstractly mimics the movement of the balance scale, which is where the dummy gets its name “Ching Jong”.

Benefits of Use
With today’s busy lifestyle and relentless schedule, supplementing with the Ching Jong dummy has never been so important. It will be there anytime you are ready to train—late nights and early mornings are never an issue. The Ching Jong dummy will never get sore, bruised or tired, nor will it ever complain. It is a patient instructor and the lessons taught are only limited by the practitioner’s drive to learn them. Training dummies take up little space and can be placed almost anywhere. For additional convenience they can even be mounted on a movable base or platform. This is a must have for any serious and dedicated choy li fut practitioner.

The Theory of Attack
Choy li fut stylists do not initiate the first attack, but they do strike first. At first glance this statement may seem to be a little confusing but a closer inspection sheds light on the theory. When an assailant throws an attack, we either hit him first or block and strike simultaneously, voiding his initial attack. Choy li fut students first learn to be defensive. During the next tier of training, practitioners train both in the defensive and offensive aspects of the art.

This may sound counter-intuitive but choy li fut practitioners are offensive in defending themselves. At this level of mastery, blocks effortlessly become strikes and strikes become blocks. This is where the arms and legs of the choy li fut dummy come into play. We use them for blocking while simultaneously striking the bags with pinpoint accuracy and devastating power. Footwork becomes key as the practitioner constantly puts his body into the ideal position to deliver his strike with maximum power and minimal effort.

The Fit
Practicing with a dummy close to your own size is a convenience not to be overlooked. It’s like sparring or fighting a person who is the same height and has the same reach as you. A good martial artist should be able to adapt to any situation or adversary. Ching Jong dummy training is no different. However, having a dummy built to the correct specifications will make understanding complex choy li fut techniques and movements of application much more accessible.

Keep in mind that your training does not stop there, nor does this replace human partners, forms or equipment. The Ching Jong dummy is only a supplement to your current training. This concept is similar to taking vitamins; they do not replace food or meals, but only serve to complement what you are already consuming.

Building a Dummy
Start with an eight-inch square piece of hardwood about your height. Hardwoods will wear slower and over a lifetime of use will be less apt to break or fracture. Choy li fut exclusively uses a square body Ching Jong dummy whereas round-bodied dummies are typically used in different martial art styles and systems. Securing two pieces of wood together that measure 4” x 8” will be the easier route; 8” x 8” stock is typically difficult to find.

The movable upper arm has a pivot point that will align with your shoulder. This arm protrudes upward toward the practitioner’s nose level. Traditionally, this arm returned to its rest position with the use of weights. More recently, practitioners switched them out for heavy-duty springs or bands for a more positive feel and a much faster snap-back. This upgrade proves most beneficial when practicing at full speed.

The double arms will line up with your naval area. The lower bag is located at groin height; below this bag is the lower leg. All four appendages extend to the same plane as shown in the accompanying photos. This plane will dictate the angles for both the upper arm and lower leg. The two middle arms and the top spindle all run parallel to the floor.
Note: The end of the arms and legs that run into or through the body are square, whereas the forward protruding section that interacts with the practitioner is rounded over much like a human arm or leg would be.

The striking bags measure approximately 7” x 7”. They are typically filled with dry mung beans, plastic pellets or sand. Avoid using metal shavings or lead pellets, because over time small quantities can leech out of the bag and into your skin, creating a potentially toxic situation. The bag’s outer skin is most commonly made of canvas, leather or any other durable material. Avoid mounting the bags with external hardware like screws or bolts as they can be in the way while practicing.

Refer to the sizing photo for further clarifications as to how the Ching Jong measurements and angles are to be calculated. You can see that they are in alignment with the face, shoulder, groin and overall height of the practitioner. The reach of the upper arm, the two mid-arms and the leg all extend out to the same plain.

Layers
Striking the dummy has a multitude of benefits, including body conditioning and overall mental toughness. For over a century, choy li fut students have needed to deliver a powerful strike without injuring themselves in the process. Daily training on the Ching Jong will do just that. Start with light but constant impact, maybe 10 minutes per day. In about three months the practitioner can increase striking impact and session duration to 20 minutes per day. In time, the practitioner’s fingers, hands, wrists, forearms, knees, shins, ankles and feet will get tougher and tougher while their bones, muscles and skin will grow more dense and stronger. Take your time; this is a methodical process that should not be rushed. Bruises, broken bones and damaged skin will slow down the conditioning process, because the body needs to fully heal before training can resume.

30,000 and Counting
Before you build or buy a Ching Jong, consider this: it is one of choy li fut’s treasured secrets. Chan Heung only taught this form to his sons and immediate students. To this day, this form is typically reserved for high-ranking and extremely dedicated students. The Plum Blossom Federation has more than 200 schools in 33 countries with over 30,000 students worldwide. With that said only a handful of practitioners per school know this very, very special form. The lesson here is quite simple—patience and perseverance will be your everlasting martial goal.

Secrets Relived
One must learn to walk before he can run; dummy training should be viewed the same way. A student must learn stances, footwork, punches, blocks and kicks, along with distance, timing and rhythm before progressing to the wooden dummy. These skills are not necessarily developed on the dummy. Speed and power will be honed during the latter part of dummy training. If one skips straight to dummy training before these basic skills are secured, no significant advantage will be gained. To paraphrase a wise master, “Take your time. Learning is like a piece of fruit ripening on the vine. Be patient. There is nothing you can do that will speed up the natural process.”

The Ching Jong dummy shown in accompanying photos was custom built by the Eastern Ways Martial Arts School of California and was presented to grandmaster Doc-Fai Wong in 2006. The second is an antique Ching Jong dummy with years and years of use still left in it. Both are staples in the Doc-Fai Wong Center and are used daily.

Bio
Shawn Thomas Kunkler is a full-time instructor and program director of the Doc-Fai Wong Martial Arts Center, which is the International Plum Blossom Federation Headquarter School, located in Northern California. For more information visit: Plumblossom.net

See the original article here: Inside Kung Fu

Click here to learn more about Choy Li Fut Wooden Dummy training in San Diego and Temecula: White Dragon Martial Arts