Belt Levels for Kung-fu
Salute! I’m Your Grandpa
Part 8: Kung-fu Today and Tomorrow
The Complete Kung-fu Practitioner
The True Lessons of Fighting
Pursuing the Ultimate Kung-fu Goals
Preface
When I arrived in San Francisco from Taiwan in 1978, my dream was to help promote and preserve the ancient arts that had been handed down by my forebears. I have studied kung-fu since I was a young boy, learning from my father and then from the best teachers I could find in Taiwan. I feel fortunate to have been exposed to the ancient treasures of kung-fu, and view it as my duty to share those treasures with others in the United States and elsewhere.
In 1980, I went Los Angeles to discuss writing articles for Black Belt magazine with Jim Nail, who was editor of the publication at that time. He approached me about writing a monthly column for the martial arts magazine. When I returned to San Francisco, I felt unclear as to what direction to take with the column. Words and theory are not a substitute for the physical and mental training required to polish one’s kung-fu. Yet, they are an essential part of the learning process, allowing the mind to process commands and concepts that help the body move in a special, kung-fu way.
The meaning of words, however, can be bent and distorted to have a detrimental effect on kung-fu. In fact, today kung-fu is like a sword of incomparable value that has lost its shine and sharpness-a result of the many misconceptions spawned from the words and images in books, movies, TV shows, and video games.
The errant teachings of unqualified instructors have also greatly contributed to the uncertainty of kung-fu’s future. Students desiring the real kung-fu are unwittingly cheated by instructors promoting fraudulent histories, self-made family trees, and so-called “secret” teachings.
In addition, mainland China’s government-produced wushu (martial art) has jeopardized the future of traditional kung-fu. The movements in the popular wushu forms promoted throughout the world contradict almost all the fundamentals of kung-fu.
Based on kung-fu becoming an endangered discipline, it became obvious to me that the column needed to help restore kung-fu’s definition, purity, principles, and basic theory. “The Sword Polisher’s Record,” as I named the column, became my way to polish the kung-fu sword, clearing up the misconceptions that are causing it to become dull and rusty.
This book includes many of the original “The Sword Polisher’s Record” columns printed in Black Belt and Wu Shu Kung-fu magazines. Additional articles that first appeared in Inside Kung-fu magazine are also included to provide more depth on some of the topics.
The book is organized into eight interconnected sections, each examining a different aspect of kung-fu. The first sections deal with the foundations of kung-fu. Without developing a true foundation, no matter the style, there is no kung-fu. In subsequent sections, I try to bring to light important concepts and principles related to kung-fu styles and forms, as well as usage and training. Finally, I discuss the future of kung-fu and its place in our lives.
I hope you find The Sword Polisher’s Record useful. My dream will be fulfilled if we can restore this damaged treasure so that its beauty and power can enrich us today and in the generations to come.
—Adam Hsu
October, 1997
Part 1
Knocking on the
Kung-fu Door
The Contemporary Purpose of Kung-fu
Before the introduction and dominance of guns in warfare, skill in hand-to-hand combat determined the victor in any battle. Armies were trained in martial art. The security of communities, villages, and a person’s family depended on successful martial art training.
In ancient China, the weapons available were limited to those people could wield with their hands: the staff, saber, sword, spear, and of course the primary weapon, the body. In these times the attitude and purpose of kung-fu was very serious, potentially a matter of life and death. With survival as its foremost purpose, kung-fu was learned not for its beauty or meditative qualities, but for protecting one’s family and possessions.
Certainly the ancient practitioners derived considerable health benefits as a by-product of their art. Kung-fu training emphasizes use of the entire body. The body is trained to maneuver in and out of unorthodox positions with fluidity and control. The martial artists of old were not without appreciation for this valuable consequence of training, but their chief purpose for learning kung-fu was selfdefense.
With the introduction of guns to warfare, the weapons of old became quickly obsolete, and the highly evolved art of kung-fu can be said to have reached its evolutionary peak. Because of the deadly power and accuracy of the gun, the role of hand-to-hand combat was greatly diminished. Naturally, with this descent of kung-fu’s importance in battle, the training associated with it also lost value and intensity. Why train with devotion and sincerity if a bullet can defeat your mightiest technique?
Kung-fu skills, which have been refined over the centuries, are not learned easily or quickly.
Although hand-to-hand combat has become less a factor in warfare, the ancient art of kung-fu has endured. Today, in fact, it is enjoying a revitalization not only in China but the world over. Many people have taken notice of kung-fu and have proved by their interest and participation that it most assuredly has a place in the modern world.
Kung-fu is thousands of years old and is a highly developed system of martial art. The student who locates a good kung-fu school will find the training thorough and challenging. Kung-fu skills, which have been refined over centuries, are not learned easily or quickly. The sincere student, however, through hard work and dedication, will not be disappointed with the results.
Although people no longer need to learn kung-fu for survival, those who do study for the purpose of martial art will realize that it remains an excellent system of self-defense.
Although hand-to-hand combat has become less a factor in warfare, the ancient art of kung-fu has endured.
Today, it is common knowledge that daily exercise benefits one’s health, appearance, and mental state. Kung-fu uses the whole body in a way that exercises and strengthens all the muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Unlike most Western exercise, sports, and recreational activities, which focus primarily on external training, kung-fu works on harmonizing the external and the internal.
Some training routines have been developed exclusively for their specialized health benefits. The unique coiling and uncoiling movements of kung-fu can massage the body’s inner organs and lymphatic system. A particular exercise, for example, may correspond to the area and functioning of a single organ. I am of the opinion that kung-fu is unsurpassed as a system for all-around conditioning.
If you are not prepared to invest years of practice, don’t expect to advance far in the art.
The mental benefits of kung-fu are not as easily measured as the physical ones. You can’t just look in a mirror and see the changes and improvements kung-fu training has made on your perceptions, attitudes, and feelings, but often it is these inner changes that are the most profound.
“Kung-fu” literally means time and hard work. I can say unequivocally that there are no shortcuts. The impatient student finds only frustration. If you are not prepared to invest years of practice, then don’t expect to advance far in the art. Those who make the investment, on the other hand, certainly will benefit mentally and physically.