Pearls of Wisdom

Training for Life September 1988

By Grandmaster Doc Fai Wong

It’s long, straight, sharp on both sides, and exclusively Chinese. You won’t find any other country’s martial art using a straight bladed sword that draws its energy primarily from wrist action and flexibility.

Chinese call it “Gim” in Cantonese and “Jian” in Mandarin. It’s a far different weapon than the more popular broadsword. Unlike the brute force broadsword, fighting Gim techniques are practically unknown today. Most people learn only fancy performing techniques that turn the weapon into a blur of flashy figure-eight circles and ground-hugging stationary postures. However, in traditional Chinese martial arts the Gim was an advanced weapon that required top-notch teachers and years of correct practice before it became an effective fighting tool.

In the days when combat with a straight sword was practiced, most students had over ten years of martial art training before they were exposed to the Gim. The average student learned only broadsword and staff techniques. Those two, one long and the other short, were Chinese martial art’s major weapons. Occasionally, different implements found their way into a fighter’s arsenal because they were more convenient than swords or staffs. Horse bench, fan, smoking pipe, and hoe were all routinely pressed into service as kung fu weapons, using basic techniques from those popular long and short weapons - the staff and the broadsword.

Even in those times, those who routinely carried straight swords were high-ranking military officials who used the weapon for punctuating command or military ceremonies and Confucian scholars, who practiced intricate sword forms for daily exercise. During the height of Chinese Confucianism, all Confucian scholars wore Gims as decorations and signs of their scholarly office, not for self defense. Those scholars and officers gave rise to the Gim being strictly a gentleman’s weapon. The real swordsmen of ancient China were Taoist Priests of Wu-Dang Mountain. They practiced straight sword-fighting techniques as part of their daily martial art training.

A famous Taoist priest-fighter named Lu Dong Bin made the sword popular among other Taoist martial artist. His trademark was the way he carried the weapon – on his back over his right shoulder, where it was easy to pull from its scabbard. He was so famous that all later-day Taoist Priests wore their swords the same way.

Buddhist monks favored the Chinese broadsword, calling it the “precept knife”. They made personal vows that if they broke any Buddhist Priest or vows, they would cut off a limb with their broadsword. Shaolin monks practiced broadsword form for exercise. Their daily broadsword practice made them experts with the broadsword.

What were the Gim techniques that distinguished the difference between combat and dance?

First, understand that the Chinese straight sword was fragile, lightweight weapon. It isn’t strong enough for contact against the much sturdier broad sword. However, the Gim has two cutting edges, one on each side of the blade. Those two cutting surfaces give it the versatility of slicing left and right, as well as poking straight.

Fighting Gim experts took advantage of the two-edge blade by using only three-to-four inches near the tip for cutting. That’s the only truly sharp area, besides the tip itself, of an authentic Gim. The rest of the blade was kept dull and slightly thicker for any emergency blocking techniques. I say “emergency”, because sword technicians did not want to use their weapon for blocking. The sword is thin and long and not very strong. Speedy dodging actions and small circles angular cuts aimed at the enemy’s wrist better suited its size and shape.

Wu-Dang sword experts taught special basic training techniques that trained Gim students to put their force out into the last three inches of the blade. These were waist and wrist loosing exercises, similar to Western fencing. Some, still taught today, include a variety of movements. The tip of the sword is circled clockwise or counter-clockwise. The blade’s tip is snapped up and down. The cutting section slices from side to side. These basics are done thousands of times in front of a knowledgeable teacher who will direct the student along the right path. Of course they also had a special way to hold the sword. It wasn’t a five-finger grab.

True Wu-Dang swordsman used only three fingers, the thumb and two center fingers. The three-finger grip gave them more wrist and hand flexibility for the small slices and pokes that characterize straight-sword techniques. The index finger was pointed forward, guiding the blade along its path to the target.

The unused hand was called the “sword finger” hand. Its first two fingers formed a miniature sword, which was used to help balance the uneven weight of the other hand. Pressure point strikes also were made with the free hand.

Among China’s best-known teachers in recent history are General Lee Jing-Lin and Guo Chi-Feng, both members of the fabled seven swordsmen of China. Of the seven, they are the only ones known to have living students. The famous seven were trained by a Taoist priest called Fung Tao-Zi, who was said to have been 100 years old when he taught the techniques.

My own teacher, Woo Van-Cheuk, now 84 years old, was a disciple of both General Lee and Guo. To the best of my knowledge, Woo Van-Cheuk is the lone remaining student outside China.

What the Science Says (cont. from Part 1)

Several studies have shown that regular tai chi practice has benefits: It can reduce falls in the elderly or those with balance disorders — sometimes dramatically. In one 1996 Atlanta study, elderly people who practiced tai chi for 15 weeks reduced their risk of multiple falls by 47.5 percent. Falls are a particular danger for elders and others with brittle bones, or osteoporosis. For such people, falls frequently result in broken bones.

Research has shown tai chi has other benefits, too. Participants in the Atlanta study also had lower blood pressure at the end of the study; and a 1999 study that looked at people with multiple sclerosis who practiced tai chi found that it contributed to an overall improvement in quality of life for people with chronic, disabling conditions.

While there are no good, controlled studies that prove tai chi specifically benefits people with arthritis by reducing pain or inflammation, there is a study from 1991 that evaluates its safety for rheumatoid arthritis patients. It concluded that 10 weeks of tai chi classes did not make joint problems worse, and says the weight-bearing aspects of this exercise has the potential to stimulate bone growth and strengthen connective tissue.

And a recent University of Arizona opinion paper on mind-body alternatives, such as tai chi and meditation, for rheumatic diseases concluded that stress and pain are closely related, and therapies that focus on psychological as well as physical function could be beneficial, when used along with conventional medications.

But doctors don’t need proof to approve an exercise as safe and soothing as tai chi — even for themselves. Dr. Lam, who is 52, developed osteoarthritis in his neck, back and hands when he was in his 20s, and began practicing and then teaching tai chi to keep his own arthritis under control.

“Given its low impact and evidence that it tends to increase muscle strength and balance and give general pain relief, we think it’s a worthwhile option for arthritis patients,” says William L. Haskell, PhD, deputy director of the Stanford [University] Center for Research in Disease Prevention in California.

Stanford has offered tai chi classes for years, and is launching a major National Institute on Aging study to assess benefits of various types of exercise on healthy aging. A year-long study of tai chi for those 60 and older is part of the project. While this study won’t look at arthritis specifically, the data is expected to provide evidence of tai chi’s general benefits.

Suitable Styles
Tai chi classes are usually small, with fewer than 20 people of diverse ages. It’s common to see people in their 80s alongside students in their 20s and every age in between.

There are five distinct styles of tai chi and many variations within each style. Most gentle and, therefore, suitable for people with arthritis, says Dr. Lam, are the Yang, Sun, Wu and Hao styles. Dr. Lam’s program for arthritis is based on the Sun style, which is performed without deep knee bending. He says beginners should avoid the Chen style, a more brisk and active style not recommended for most people with arthritis.

You may encounter a tai chi class that teaches a variation on a style or one that combines several styles. The “right” version for you is one that you can do easily, without making hard or forceful movements and without stressing your joints or muscles.

Tai chi classes usually last about one hour, and may be held once or twice a week. They begin with a gentle warm-up and breathing exercises or a meditation to quiet the mind.

The teacher demonstrates individual poses and then leads the class through the sequences, step by step, gradually linking the movements together in longer sequences. The sequences can be done slowly, or with more speed and energy. But movements are always soft and graceful, with careful attention to breathing and posture.

Classes end with cooling down exercises and, sometimes, a short meditation. At the end of class, you should feel relaxed. If you have pain that lasts more than a few hours after class, talk to the instructor about how to change the movements to work within your limits.

Good Advice
Before you begin any exercise program, be sure to ask your doctor’s advice about specific movements to avoid.

• Don’t try to learn tai chi from a video or book: It’s best to learn from a teacher who can make sure you are doing the movements correctly. As you learn the basics, you can practice on your own or with a video.
• Choose your teacher carefully. Make sure the instructor has experience teaching people with arthritis and can guide you to the safest movements.
• Warm up before class and cool down afterward. Tai chi may not seem strenuous, but it does work joints and muscles.
• Modify the movements if necessary. For example, many tai chi postures are done with bent knees. If you have knee involvement, you may need to adapt those movements to be safe and comfortable.
• Be cautious when you have a flare or sore joint. Many experts say you can still exercise, but carefully. Check with your doctor if you aren’t sure, and stop if it makes you hurt more or if you feel pain two hours after the class.
• Never push or exert yourself. Most teachers believe the meditative effects of Qi are as important as the physical exercise.
• Practice daily. The practice can take as few as five minutes or can last as long as an hour per session.
• Remember that while tai chi is a good adjunct exercise, it doesn’t provide much in aerobic or weight-bearing benefits.

Judith Horstman is a contributing editor to Arthritis Today and author of The Arthritis Foundation’s Guide to Alternative Therapies.

For more information about Tai Chi at White Dragon Schools log onto whitedragonmartialarts.com